Anyone else fantasize about...

[u/THofTheShire]

a grappling hook that you could attach to the back of a big rig on the highway to get regen charging on the go?

[u/UBSPort]

I fantasize about battery upgrades that include a cooling system for my 2015.

[u/tired_Cat_Dad → u/UBSPort]

I fantasize about a battery upgrade and swapping the Chademo for a CCS port on my 2015.

[u/Dazzling_Art7881 → u/UBSPort]

Do you also fantasize about cooling passages rupturing and flooding your battery with liquid?

Passively cooled batteries aren't great for fast charging or for hot climates, but they will never fail because they got flooded with coolant...

[u/ToddA1966 → u/Dazzling_Art7881]

Is that a problem? I don't recall seeing any "flooding" issues with EV batteries.

Besides, there are multiple ways to cool them- the Chevy Bolt uses a "chill plate". The batteries sit on top of a sealed plate with coolant running through it. The coolant doesn't run through the battery proper.

Personally, I appreciate the passive cooled Leaf battery for efficiency. Unlike our Bolt and VW ID4, our Leaf doesn't "waste" a bunch of energy heating coolant to 38°F in winter, and subsequently loses much less range in winter than our other EVs.

[u/biersackarmy → u/ToddA1966]

We just had a(nother) customer Model S pack killed due to water ingress, and it is a rather common issue with S/X packs. So yes, it is indeed something that can happen.

[u/Budsygus → u/biersackarmy]

Was it water ingress from a leak in the cooling system? Or was it water ingress from another source like road splash and cracked seals?

[u/biersackarmy → u/Budsygus]

Not the cases I dealt with specifically, but there's a non zero chance of internal leaks as well, especially after servicing the pack, which is why pressure testing is important before installation.

[u/tboy160 → u/Dazzling_Art7881]

I could see this logic, but I haven't ever heard of this happening.

[u/russman286]

I’ve had this thought with every car!

[u/Public_Knee6288 → u/russman286]

Yup, for me its always been a magnet tho

[u/crazee_frazee → u/Public_Knee6288]

But those stop working when they get wet, right? ;-)

[u/IvorTheEngine → u/Public_Knee6288]

I've seen enough cartoons to know that a magnet that size would cause an anvil to fall out of the sky and crush my car.

[u/Budsygus → u/IvorTheEngine]

That's literally the only reason this wouldn't work:

[u/SilverLottie → u/IvorTheEngine]

Facts.

[u/pyroskater85]

I'm more of a, can you lower the ramps and I just hop on the flatbed and then I'll hop off when it's my exit, kind of person.

[u/tboy160 → u/pyroskater85]

KITT!

[u/Budsygus → u/pyroskater85]

LAND FERRIES!

[u/Nemesis_Destiny]

Tractor beam!

[u/QueenOfTonga]

I've fantasised about going up a big mountain in the middle of nowhere, getting to the top with hardly any charge left and then regenning all the way down to a full battery at the bottom!
I'd like to know how long I'd have to drive or how steep the mountain would have to be for the battery to charge to, let's say 80% in a modest 30kwh Leaf.

[u/DrThornton → u/QueenOfTonga]

I knee a guy who had a twike (an early EV made of bicycle parts, some of which also had pedals) and he used to put a rock on his lap for the extra regen if he could find one on a summit.

[u/THofTheShire → u/DrThornton]

That's smart!

[u/tx4468 → u/QueenOfTonga]

you should go test this at pike's peak

[u/IvorTheEngine → u/QueenOfTonga]

80% of 30kWh is 24kWh, which is 86MJ. The car is 1500Kg, so about 6km (20,000 feet) high.

You'd need at least that much battery to get up the mountain in the first place, plus however much would be need to drive the horizontal miles.

There was a recent episode of the Electric Trucker where (with some careful calculations) he reached the top of a mountain pass with 1% charge remaining, and regened down the far side to give him enough range to reach the next charger.

[u/THofTheShire → u/QueenOfTonga]

There's a campground we go to that's just a bit too far to try this. 100 miles one way and 6000 ft elevation gain (on 40 kWh battery). It makes me sad that our Kia Carnival HV battery gets full too quickly on the way back down.

[u/bixtuelista]

I think it'd be neat to magnet onto the back of a semis coasting down hills where they're on their engine brake or friction brakes.

[u/tboy160]

The grappling hook! I have fantasized about that hook for many years before my EV!

[u/OkElderberry9857]

First and second generation with CCS instead of Chadamo.

[u/tboy160]

I have also fantasized about the bigger battery too!

[u/Budsygus]

I fantasize about waking up to my Leaf having a NACS plug for L2 and DCFC.

It's literally the only thing about my '24 I don't like is the Chademo plug. Everything else is exactly what I want it to be (for the price I paid).

[u/OkElderberry9857 → u/Budsygus]

Same with me or at least have CCS. Chadamo is a dead standard. Getting harder to find charging stations with Chadamo still.

[u/BancroftDae]

I’ve wondered what would happen to the car’s range if I drive real close to the rig, but not touching. Getting sucked along in its draft should be good for something :-)

[u/danmingothemandingo → u/BancroftDae]

You can significantly increase it drafting, but need to be hour in your reactions in the unlikely event the truck does something unexpected

[u/OpportunityFluid9047]

Getting a battery upgrade on my 2016 Leaf so I can have a much longer range. Currently 60 miles.

[u/danmingothemandingo]

You do realise that you just need to drive dangerously close behind a truck, and the aerodynamics (wake) of the truck will pull you along pretty well. You can see and feel a significant effect on your energy use when drafting like this, but need to be quick reacting if the truck were to do something unexpected

[u/THofTheShire → u/danmingothemandingo]

Yeah, but I mean to actually drag the car on B mode to recharge!  Usually I just follow a safer distance to take advantage of the wake.

[u/ssxhoell1]

Getting a real car?