The Problem
When does carrying a portable battery generator make sense, as a backup charging option for your Tesla?
If you’re going to a destination that doesn’t have charging available when you get there, you either need to plan for alternative charging or change your plan. If you can’t find a way to juice up for the return back, you simply can’t go Outback any farther than you can return on one battery charge.
A related concern is, what happens if somehow your original plan fails or you fail to plan properly? For whatever reason, if you find yourself in the middle of nowhere and you need to charge?
NEW PRODUCT IDEA
A trailer that is a power bank on wheels, capable of strong charging. Functions like the second gas tank for a boat or plane. Solar panels and maybe a wind turbine for onsite recharging. Regen on the wheels to recharge while driving. High clearance, as this Tesla going wild and is likely hits some rough roads. Possibly decked out with caravan type amenities: a place to sleep, stow stuff, and a kitchen setup.
A few entrepreneurs are tackling this issue, experimenting and working proofs of concept, or simply creating personal solutions.
One Solution: Battery Powered Generator
Check out this Kickstarter project! They reached $1.5M in just 7 days and as of this post, are over $2M.
EcoFlow is a pioneering portable power company that is reinventing the way the world accesses energy. Their mission is to harness new technologies to foster inclusion and help raise standards of living in areas of the world where power shortages stunt economic growth and development.
DELTA, their new Kickstarter project, is a battery-powered generator that can power your Tesla for another 3-5 miles. That’s not a lot, but if it’s all you need, it’s much cheaper than a tow!
And, it can do much more. For a Tesla Gone Wild, it can help you cook dinner, keep food cold, provide lights, and power up devices. Hook it up to your solar panels to recharge it!
No gas. No noise. 1300 watt hours. AWESOME!
Reflections on Range Anxiety
Is ‘range anxiety’ perception or a reality? A bit of both. The level of reality does depend on your situation. What you drive, how you drive, where you’re going, what’s waiting when you get there, and temperature will affect the distances you can go and your battery use.
For most of us in cities and suburbs, for most trips, we can get to where we want to go very easily, stress free.
New EV owners tend to worry about charging until personal experience proves otherwise, which is exactly what happened to us on our 4600 mile road trip. Because of what we learned, we now have no range anxiety. Zero. Confidence and know how has replaced fear, which is usually the case.
Of course, Physics rule. Towing a trailer or caravan brings in a set of real concerns. Every load and the terrain you’re driving will be different and affect your battery efficiency.
There are tools to help. Use the website app A Better Route Planner to estimate your energy needs. Then, perform an actual test under load, as The Fast Lane Car guys did, to confirm your range. Facts go a long way to helping you make good decisions and easing your mind along the journey.