Peer to Peer Tesla charge assist

[Snowstorm]

Range anxiety is a concern for new or would be EV drivers. A friend of my though of an idea that could help and it is allowing Tesla to Tesla jump charges. The car already has ability to charge using DC at up to Supercharger rates, so it may be possible to have a direct Tesla to Tesla battery connection for a car to quickly boost the battery of a low battery car for it to get back on the road and make it home or to another charger.

Since all Tesla are networked, we can see charge request on our map and respond to help. Effectively, you can add another layer of comfort knowing that not only you can charge at home or other chargers, but you can instantly issue a call for help for other Teslas to give you a boost.

What do you guys think?

 

[jon1478]

Never heard this thought before, interesting!

 

[David99]

You need a pretty powerful DC-DC converter for that. It would be an expensive part of the car that gets used almost never. AAA trucks with portable DC chargers will be a common thing once more EVs are on the road

 

[Snowstorm]

You need a pretty powerful DC-DC converter for that. It would be an expensive part of the car that gets used almost never. AAA trucks with portable DC chargers will be a common thing once more EVs are on the road

Why would. DC to DC converter be required? Can we not directly connect the battery? I am assuming the good battery would be at a voltage that is slightly higher than the low or dead one. Granted this would only allow hanging tongo from high to low, but that's what is needed most of the time so the limitation would be fine.

 

[Rocky_H]

Certainly not a new idea. Here are five previous threads about this from the other Tesla forum.
Why can't Teslas charge other Teslas? | Tesla
Can I charge one Model S from another Model S | Tesla
New wanted features for Tesla - charge another Tesla | Tesla
Car to Car charging (giving a boost) | Tesla
Tesla to Tesla Boost? | Tesla

 

[TEG]

Why would. DC to DC converter be required? Can we not directly connect the battery? I am assuming the good battery would be at a voltage that is slightly higher than the low or dead one. Granted this would only allow hanging tongo from high to low, but that's what is needed most of the time so the limitation would be fine.

I don't know for sure, but I think they need to control charge rate. I think if a 100% full battery plugged to a 1% full battery, the voltage difference could be greater than appropriate for that sort of charging. Something in between would need to manage the charge rate... Just plugging two batteries directly together could be dangerous.

And, yes, this has been suggested before many times. Just like with V2G, I think Tesla has shied away from any application where the car battery outputs power to something else.

 

[David99]

Why would. DC to DC converter be required? Can we not directly connect the battery? I am assuming the good battery would be at a voltage that is slightly higher than the low or dead one.

If you connect them directly you have no control over the power being transferred. If you connect an almost empty and a full battery that way you get huge and uncontrolled power. Most likely tripping the internal fuses in the battery.

 

[Need]

You need a pretty powerful DC-DC converter for that. It would be an expensive part of the car that gets used almost never. AAA trucks with portable DC chargers will be a common thing once more EVs are on the road

This article said AAA has it here in Los Angeles. Maybe I will get to try it if I ever ran out of juice...

AAA says that its emergency electric vehicle charging trucks served “thousands” of EVs without power

 

[Buook]

Range anxiety is a problem, however, I don't believe this is the solution. More charging stations and higher capacity batteries is the answer which will both come with time. Investing money on a band aid fix that won't provide much long term benefit is not in the cards for Tesla. That being said, I would like to see this technology surface eventually, whether it is through Tesla/another OEM or aftermarket

 

[gregd]

Also note that different battery capacity models (60 / 70 / 75 /85 / 90 / 100) have different voltages, so this isn't like jumping one 12v car battery to another. DC-DC with the required voltage change, at that voltage and current, will be expensive and probably a bit heavy.

Best to call the auto club of your choice and have them bring out a beefy generator, or get a flat bed tow.

 

[miimura]

This exists for CHAdeMO.

ORCA Inceptive | Andromeda Power, LLC

I'm not claiming it's affordable or practical, just that it has been done.

 

[Snowstorm]

Also note that different battery capacity models (60 / 70 / 75 /85 / 90 / 100) have different voltages, so this isn't like jumping one 12v car battery to another. DC-DC with the required voltage change, at that voltage and current, will be expensive and probably a bit heavy.

Yes there are different battery voltages, but the car knows what battery it has and can only call out to compatible vehicles in the area.