Let the Hacking Begin

[mckemie]

Hello,
I don't remember if I told you about this electric range extender.
http://eauto.si/en/electric-range-extender/
and too here
http://eauto.si/en/new-projects/ (project 2 below)

I wonder if this project is still active?

 

[jray3]

I wonder if this project is still active?

My thoughts exactly, and whether better data from testing is available.

 

[Zelenec]

RE pack works great. But the price is not really a deal maker. So only one pack was sold 2 years ago and no problems were reported.

 

[GdB]

RE pack works great. But the price is not really a deal maker. So only one pack was sold 2 years ago and no problems were reported.

Perhaps a kit without batteries could be offered at a lot lower price that would interest a few more buyers?

 

[PV1]

I'd like to have the DC-DC converter and controls. I don't need their battery pack.

 

[GdB]

One hack that would be cool is to get real remote access to the key-fob functions that rickmaz describes:

"The little key fob remote is interesting: you pull out a small antenna, and can control remote charging timers, or start/stop manual charging, or cool, heat or defrost the car while it's hooked up to its charger. "

Here is a excerpt from a review:

Another simple solution Mitsubishi uses with the i is its bizarre remote key fob. This non-Internet-connected device can communicate wirelessly with the vehicle (if within range) to pre-heat or pre-cool the vehicle, as well as set the charging process. We think the fob is too big and does too little – and carrying another digital piece of plastic is annoying – but company spokesman Maurice Durand reminds AutoblogGreen that Mitsubishi is really dealing with a car that's three years old at this point, and the fob was the simplest solution without adding cost. We hope that a smart-phone solution will be coming at some point.
http://autos.aol.com/cars-Mitsubishi-Lancer+Evolution-2012/expert-review/


I guess we will have to get a hold of one it before we can do much.

Any Ideas?

We know that the i batteries life are best served by not always fully charging. So I am using a Titan Controls Day Night Photocontroller NYX1 to charge either at night or during the day. I would prefer a remote hack connected power controller that monitored total charge and stopped charge... Another benefit is saved energy from not cell balancing every day.

 

[GdB]

I'd like to have the DC-DC converter and controls. I don't need their battery pack.

Yes I was thinking the DC-DC could be used to connect PV's on the roof?

 

[PV1]

300 watts on the roof, and another 300 on a hitch-mounted unit containing a couple kWh's of liFePO4. Perfect for those <10 mile days.

 

[mckemie]

RE pack works great. But the price is not really a deal maker. So only one pack was sold 2 years ago and no problems were reported.

Perhaps a kit without batteries could be offered at a lot lower price that would interest a few more buyers?

I did have some discussion with them and they are willing to sell without cells. However, they are using 3.7v cells and my candidates are LFP, ~3.2v. Using LFP with their kit is more risk and trouble than I want to go to. I asked them for a quote, exported to USA, but I didn't get a reply.

 

[pbui19]

I did have some discussion with them and they are willing to sell without cells. However, they are using 3.7v cells and my candidates are LFP, ~3.2v. Using LFP with their kit is more risk and trouble than I want to go to. I asked them for a quote, exported to USA, but I didn't get a reply.

The system sounds just like the Enginer kit, in that it trickle "charges" while driving. In the Enginer system, the DCDC output is connected directly to the pack battery before the vehicle current detecting loop, so the vehicle was still able to do coulomb counting etc...

The LFP would requires a different BMS setting.

 

[jray3]

Courtesy of the Aussie i-MiEV list, here's a german aftermarket kit for cruise control.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Waeco-MS-880-MagicSpeed-Tempomat-Mitsubishi-iMiev-Geschwindigkeitsregler-/150776522917

Anyone want a $440 cruise control?

The IRS has taken away my mad money for a few months... :|

 

[jsantala]

Hey, that Waeco product seems very nice! Unfortunately it doesn't come cheap. It would really help on longer journeys though. To me driving slow has never been a problem, if I've had a Cruise Control I can set to a some slow speed or a speed limiter, but trying to keep something like 55mph on a vehicle which would like to go just a little faster all the time is hard without Cruise.

 

[rmay635703]

Enginer

What I would like to see from this company or really any like enginer is specifics on where they are tapping so the car will accept extra current, I could care less about the inverter that fails.

Get the worlds most efficient 5kw diesel genset
http://www.centralmainediesel.com/order/yanmar_4kw.asp?page=yanmar_4kw

And enjoy 80mpg at low speeds, the head can be wired for any voltage so proper output can be controlled in an analog fashion without risk of failure or any complex controls, could also eliminate the risk of overcharging in the same fashion.
(aka can't output power above a certain voltage threshhold)

 

[JoeS]

Enginer What I would like to see from this company or really any like enginer is specifics on where they are tapping so the car will accept extra current.

They tap in at the feed from the battery to/from the motor controller. Enable everything after the car is turned on. The car then thinks the power source is merely regen and the car's normal operating system is unaffected. The auxiliary power source is self-contained and independent of the car. My take on this is that the source voltage should be somewhat under 360vdc so as not to interfere with the overvoltage limiting routines. BTW, I thought that Enginer had been out of business for a few years, but I just visited their website and it looks alive. Their Leaf product was evidently still buggy as a local Leaf owner had the thing taken out of his car due to problems.

I could care less about the inverter that fails.

Don't understand that statement.

Get the worlds most efficient 5kw diesel genset...

I thought the name of the game is to get us off fossil fuels, which is why we have a BEV. :mrgreen:

 

[wmcbrine]

I thought the name of the game is to get us off fossil fuels, which is why we have a BEV. :mrgreen:

+1

 

[PV1]

Well, there is B100 biodiesel which contains no Dino juice. Still, a suitcase pack is a better option, IMO.

 

[rmay635703]

For a drive across the country a cheap 130lb diesel genset is a better option. (if such a thing existed)

 

[jray3]

Enginer
Get the worlds most efficient 5kw diesel genset
http://www.centralmainediesel.com/order/yanmar_4kw.asp?page=yanmar_4kw
And enjoy 80mpg at low speeds,..

Yup, because low speed is what you'd have to average with only 4500 continuous Watts available. 15 kW is more like it for long highway use. Besides, this 10 hp Yanmar genset weighs 165 lbs without extras like oil, water, and fuel..... That happens to match the dry weight of a 67 hp aircooled VW engine...

Hence the pusher trailer... (which weighs about 240 more than 165 lbs).

Another downside of genset use is the risk of excessive amps into the battery during regen, though not a big risk given our 33 kW max regen.

 

[Aerowhatt]

Another downside of genset use is the risk of excessive amps into the battery during regen, though not a big risk given our 33 kW max regen.

I agree with you about the diesel genset. Bad choice of fuels in my opinion.

For a generator based range extender you need something purpose built to output DC regulated to around 360 volts or a bit less. Set up this way it couldn't overcharge the pack and too many regen amps would not be an issue because amps from the generator would drop as the cars motor regens, upping the apparent battery voltage. Most of the power from the generator would go straight to the motor controller over the top of the battery. Putting little stress or heat into the battery (less than driving without it). The systems shouldn't even see it for the most part since the i measures power in and out of the battery pack, at the battery pack. You would likely see some astronomical RR figures after a conventional recharge. But other than that it shouldn't effect the systems.

Then the question becomes how long does one want to cruise on the highway anyway. I prefer about 350 miles max in a day and would do 500 if needed. So at 500 miles that's about 8 hours time behind the wheel if you can average 65mph or 70mph. To my mind that is a worst case scenario (power consumption wise) to design around. It simplifies things if you actually do use the battery during the trip. Very slowly, but depending on it for some of the power. An educated guess 11Kw or 12Kw output would be just about right for a DC genset.

Aerowhatt

 

[PV1]

I've done some measurements and math on this. With 25 amps coming from a generator (roughly 8 kW), I could do 45 mph continuously, or 60 mph for a few hours. The funny thing is, the average speed is nearly equal or lower by going faster, you spend more time sitting and charging, especially given that the car will shut down charging if it sees more than 5 kW going into the battery while plugged in, so that pretty much does away with running the generator with a charging station.

The other problem, custom DC generators at this voltage are expensive.

Isn't there an entire thread dedicated to range extenders?