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Auxiliary power generator by ICE

Alan Burns

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I have been looking at the US Govt list of alternative fuel locations and Electrify America's maps and find there are HUGE gaps in EV charging locations across 2/3 of eastern Montana, more than 1/2 of western Montana, all of North and South Dakota and nearly all of Wyoming save for the ski resort on Jackson. Idaho is a void if you leave the I-15 corridor. I spend a lot of time driving the blue line highways in most of these areas where sometimes finding open gas stations after dark can be a challenge though credit card operated gas pumps have opened things up noticably.

For our Rivians what about a compact gas powered emergency home generator for when storms take the neighborhood power down for a day or two. Something one person could lift into the back of a pick up so probably 100 lbs or less. I would like to see it able to generate 220vac and able to charge 200 miles in 6-8 hours while being quiet enough to operate in a small town motel parking lot. Something designed specifically for Rivian and other EVs and adaptable for home back up if a 220 connection to the home junction box is wired in with all the required power company safety features included.

Is this something we can interest Rivian into considering for EV drivers and as a stand alone product for rural homeowners or are there just too few of us out in the boonies to make it profitable?
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Alan Burns

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What sort of power generators do the big 5th wheel trailers use when they are parked at locations where there is no ground power available? I don't plan on using this every day but would like something I could load into the bed of an R1T when I am headed out to the boonies out west or even for a week into the national forests. Something light enough to lift but not anything anyone would not want to carry across the street without a dolly.

Rivian seems interested in a range of products why not something useful to EV owners who will find themselves too many miles away from public charging stations now and then?

Alan
Missoula
 
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Alan Burns

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A quick internet search finds 2 brands Sportsman and Firman offering a range of portable generators in the range 200 watts to 1200 watts for trailers powered by gasoline or gasoline/propane. Most are 110v while some are 110/220 v. Available online from Wal Mart and Lowes. The price seems to be about $1/watt with the largest 1000 watt chargers around $900. The 700 w and larger machines come with a buit in cart so an individual could roll it up ramps into the pick up bed.

How big a machine would be needed to get 100-200 miles charge in 6-8 hours?

Alan
Missoula
 

CappyJax

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A quick internet search finds 2 brands Sportsman and Firman offering a range of portable generators in the range 200 watts to 1200 watts for trailers powered by gasoline or gasoline/propane. Most are 110v while some are 110/220 v. Available online from Wal Mart and Lowes. The price seems to be about $1/watt with the largest 1000 watt chargers around $900. The 700 w and larger machines come with a buit in cart so an individual could roll it up ramps into the pick up bed.

How big a machine would be needed to get 100-200 miles charge in 6-8 hours?

Alan
Missoula
15,000 watts to get 200 miles in 6 hours. You wouldn’t be able to lift one by yourself. You would be better off stopping at an RV park to plug in. You can get 11,000 watts at most of them.
 

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Alan Burns

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Thanks for the reply. The capacity needed pretty much makes the idea impractical.

Stopping at a developed campground for 6-8 hours at a $50-$60 per night rate makes this an expensive half range charge. It is going to be a wait and see how charging station construction evolves in the next 18 months. I have emailed Northwestern Energy which is the power company which serves nearly every city, town and burg across the face of Montana about this growing opportunity and how they could install charging stations at one or more power substation in every location they serve. I checked the box at the bottom affirming I did want a reply and after 3 weeks or so have yet to hear back.

Perhaps Rivian could partner with power company monopolies to build some rural charging systems.
 

PoorPilot

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Check out the PlugShare app and see what other options are available in MT. I did a quick search and found several parks as well as Superchargers available all over the state. Granted, Rivian hasn’t announced any partnership with Tesla, but the point is that there are options out there. I drove my Model X to a state park when I was traveling last year and ended up using a RV site for about an hour when the Blink charger stopped working. I checked in with the ranger station and offered to pay the daily rate, but they just laughed and told me to have fun.
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