It's a hybrid now... R1T charged at 5.2kw with portable generator and charging adapter

[rivianguy]

Someone may eventually. I wouldn’t get discouraged based on my single Amazon search yet. Systems like the Bluetti are probably not optimized for this use case. Those B300S modules don’t have great packing efficiency and I think using more than a few of them is more of a home power backup solution. It would be really neat to have a structural battery case that rolls flat into the bed allowing you to use the full length of the bed at a reduced height. The question is how much extra “refilling in the field” is worth the effort? 10%? 25%? Logically, 100% done using only the current battery technology would be equivalent to carrying another R1T pack, so that won’t be feasible. The OP’s solution seems to imply a possibility of 50% or more so that is pretty intriguing.

Probably pie in the sky but it would be interesting to see a 'hitch integrated' system where you could actually tow a sizeable battery for scenarios of extended range and have it somehow interface directly with the charging system through the hitch area wiring for discharge and charge on the fly. I'm sure there are many reasons this isn't feasible/possible but would be great for areas of the country that have very limited charging infrastructure.

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[Marchin_MTB]

Probably pie in the sky but it would be interesting to see a 'hitch integrated' system where you could actually tow a sizeable battery for scenarios of extended range and have it somehow interface directly with the charging system through the hitch area wiring for discharge and charge on the fly. I'm sure there are many reasons this isn't feasible/possible but would be great for areas of the country that have very limited charging infrastructure.

That would free up the bed. The challenges with that approach is that you may end up increasing drag and, if using a trailer, also rolling resistance and thus reduce the benefit of having said storage.
If pie in the sky is on the table, then we might consider a hydrogen fuel-cell generator. That would solve the energy density issue. And, since you would only use it occasionally, or in a charging emergency, it means you wouldn’t have to be constantly hunting for that one hydrogen station all the time. In this fantasy future scenario, green hydrogen would have to be much more available for purchase but… less available then DCFCs.

 

[carl]

That would free up the bed. The challenges with that approach is that you may end up increasing drag and, if using a trailer, also rolling resistance and thus reduce the benefit of having said storage.
If pie in the sky is on the table, then we might consider a hydrogen fuel-cell generator. That would solve the energy density issue. And, since you would only use it occasionally, or in a charging emergency, it means you wouldn’t have to be constantly hunting for that one hydrogen station all the time. In this fantasy future scenario, green hydrogen would have to be much more available for purchase but… less available then DCFCs.

This is another concept I have mentioned in the past and is starting to show up. Adding a 75kW battery to an RV, where there is a level of self propel in the RV, I think is the ultimate setup. My biggest desire is to be able to comfortably haul an RV 250-300 miles at a time. Again, I know I'm stepping into the, "Well just get an ICE truck then!" territory, but if we keep thinking that way the problem will never be solved.
This is where I think a reverse to a plug-in hybrid could be really useful. Instead of 10% of the rage coming from a battery, 25% of the rage comes from a highly efficient ICE motor that can be added on. Again, this is not for daily driving, it's for the few times a year long/remote trips.

An efficient purpose built generator will capture more of the energy from fossil fuel than most cars do.

 

[RBR1S]

My only question - can the Rivian be charged while driving down the road? IE generator in the bed running and plugged into the charging port. Range extender if you will.

Or will it not charge while being driven.

 

[Thedude]

My only question - can the Rivian be charged while driving down the road? IE generator in the bed running and plugged into the charging port. Range extender if you will.

Or will it not charge while being driven.

It can’t.

 

[carl]

My only question - can the Rivian be charged while driving down the road? IE generator in the bed running and plugged into the charging port. Range extender if you will.

Or will it not charge while being driven.

And obviously you wouldn't want a long charging cable hanging down the side of the car while you are driving either. But it would be cool if they (or any of the other EV truck company) added a charging port in the bed of the truck so you could do just that. Honestly, having a purpose built generator that was removable in the bed of the truck, I could see being very enticing for surprising number of people. I think it would also convert a lot more people that are worried about range anxiety from ICE to electric.

Hmmm... There might be an interesting engineering project this...

 

[RBR1S]

It can’t.

Honestly, that's kinda lame. I mean cable management aside, why wouldn't it be able to. I can charge my phone while using it, should be able to do the same with a truck. The idea of a battery that cant be charged while using it is kind of absurd.

Besides, how am I supposed to plug my pocket sized nuclear reactor into the charge port and have unlimited range. Seriously people... *sarcasm people, it's still backpack sized*

 

[Thedude]

Honestly, that's kinda lame. I mean cable management aside, why wouldn't it be able to. I can charge my phone while using it, should be able to do the same with a truck. The idea of a battery that cant be charged while using it is kind of absurd.

Besides, how am I supposed to plug my pocket sized nuclear reactor into the charge port and have unlimited range. Seriously people... *sarcasm people, it's still backpack sized*

I’m sure it physically can be charged while in use but the software programming doesn’t allow it. As soon as you put the truck in drive it closes the charge port. I haven’t tried putting it in drive with the charger attached but I’d imagine it won’t let you as a safety inhibit.

 

[RBR1S]

I’m sure it physically can be charged while in use but the software programming doesn’t allow it. As soon as you put the truck in drive it closes the charge port. I haven’t tried putting it in drive with the charger attached but I’d imagine it won’t let you as a safety inhibit.

Intesting. Good to know what the limiter is. *removes charging poor door* What was that about not charging?

 

[jclicky]

I guess that this is all a bit excessive but I just wanted to be able to get creative in finding a charging solution if I ever needed to.

nah, not excessive when charging infrastructure is so spotty & unreliable. IMO, if a Jerry can isn’t excessive with gas stations nearly ubiquitous, then a grab bag like this to make sure you can fill up nearly anywhere you find available electricity is the bare minimum for anyone going off the beaten path, just like a patch kit should be in anyone’s car who is going off-road.

 

[mindstormsguy]

They don’t want to let people do this:

 

[Revtruk]

After a recent power outage here in NH I decided to upgrade to a nicer generator to power the house and found an adapter to run the mobile charger from it as well. It powers right up and provides 5.2 kw to the truck. This could come in handy to charge the truck in the next outage in a pinch or to carry in the bed to extend my off-grid range for longer distance overland excursions in Northern Maine and NH where you're much more likely to encounter a moose than a source of electricity.

AC WORKS Electric Vehicle Charging Adapter (L14-30 30Amp 4-Proing to 14-50R) https://a.co/d/hQqXuOo


https://www.harborfreight.com/9500-...enerator-with-co-secure-technology-57080.html

Thank you for sharing this mobile charging possibility. People are always asking about range & running out of juice, to which I reply, never, by simple planning ahead to charge, its just like stopping for gas, like when was the last time they you ran out of gas? I can't wait for the notion of EV range anxiety to go away. Like when you talk about cars & trucks do you ask what size the fuel tank is? I guess we were used to EVs having small batteries and low range but that has passed now. Still, remote area generator charging option is awesome thanks for the heads up!

 

[kylealden]

I feel like threads like this are always worth a reminder that fossil fuels are radically better from an energy density point of view than any battery, even despite the intrinsic inefficiency (thermal loss etc.).

I love my EVs and it's easy to want to electrify everything, but for an occasional use range extender it's simply the wrong choice. Batteries are huge, heavy, and have high manufacturing overhead (environmentally speaking).

The tradeoffs are worth it over the lifecycle of an EV, but the marginal utility of a range extender (only a radical minority of miles driven) and the tradeoffs (carrying weight or worse, a trailer that will radically decrease range, at exorbitant cost) mean a generator is simply a better idea, both practically and environmentally speaking.

I'd love to see cleaner generator options (fuel cells/hydrogen/magic), or even a modular hybrid solution (drop a clean generator in the frunk/bed and charge while driving), but for vehicles on the road today, if you truly want to push it off grid, just get an appropriately rated generator and gasoline/diesel. There's really no point getting more exotic than that, and probably won't be for years to come.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Honestly, that's kinda lame. I mean cable management aside, why wouldn't it be able to. I can charge my phone while using it, should be able to do the same with a truck. The idea of a battery that cant be charged while using it is kind of absurd.

Besides, how am I supposed to plug my pocket sized nuclear reactor into the charge port and have unlimited range. Seriously people... *sarcasm people, it's still backpack sized*

Charging specifications all require the vehicle to become disabled when plugged in. Violating that is a huge safety issue.

Safest way would probably to make a power splitting HV cable that just backfeeds through the rear inverter port on the battery. Whether or not the Rivian will shut down when there is unexpected current is something I don't know.

Related: https://insideevs.com/news/616168/tesla-model-s-hybrid-roadtrip-video/

 

[Leonbmx]

This is very interesting indeed! My friend’s bmw I3 has a 1 gal generator/ range extender built in and I love that idea of a safety net of sorts, in case you are in the boonies and decide you want to stay one more night to see where that one windy road in the map is leading to.

So I summon the power of the internet to bring us a device that allows just that, and also fits under the tonneau

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