r/interestingasfuck • u/Red_Lotus_Alchemist • 2d ago

/r/all A Chinese earthquake rescue team deployed drones to light up the night and aid search and rescue operations after the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar.

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u/Wakkit1988 2d ago

Some company actually sold a gas generator that uses a tow hitch receiver, so you can charge your EV with a generator.

Also, EVs with built-in range extenders should start hitting the market in the next few years out of China. They anticipate vehicle ranges around 1000km.

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u/NotThreeFoxes 2d ago

Didn't the BMW i3 have one as an option or something? Its def not common but im almost certain there's been at least a few on the market already

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u/PCBen 2d ago

It did and I was really excited to get one one day - then they discontinued the i3 :(

I don’t think any of the replacement models have the extender anymore

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u/NotThreeFoxes 2d ago

I cant get over the bicycle tires thought, I cant imagine theres a wife selection of tires that narrow on rims that big. Its also the only vehicle I've ever seen in my career that had non preformace non M+S rated tires. Normaly we can put a customers summers on before the highway requirements lift because literaly everything is rated M+S, so the customer booking for their summers a month early didn't raise any alarms, but we had to turn them away because the tires weren't legal on the highway for another few weeks.

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u/Upset_Ant2834 2d ago

Brother that's called a hybrid and they already exist

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u/Wakkit1988 1d ago

No, it's not.

Hybrids allow the engine to directly power the vehicle.

EVs with range extenders only allow the engine to charge the battery.

There's no mechanical connection between the engine and the wheels.

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u/Upset_Ant2834 1d ago

There are different kinds of hybrids. Series hybrids are exactly what you're talking about with no connection between the engine and the wheels

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u/Wakkit1988 1d ago

The only production "series hybrid" car was the Volt. Which, again, you are missing the distinction. The engine varies the load relative to the needed output to drive the vehicle exclusively with electricity produced by the engine. This is done to eliminate the transmission and other drivetrain components so that it can be powered exclusively through a small battery and the electricity being produced. These cars can operate without a battery installed at all.

EVs with range extenders can operate exclusively with their batteries, and the engine only operates at a fixed speed to produce a constant amount of power to charge the battery. The extender produces enough power to offset the motor's consumption at cruising speed. Otherwise, it's insufficient to provide any more power to operate the vehicle.

You can try to come up with whatever you'd like, but there are distinctions to be made between the different types, whether you like it or not. A range extended EV is not a hybrid, and hybrids are not range extended EVs. It's not a hybrid unless it can operate without necessitating the need for the battery to function.