DonTom
Well-known member
They already have them, at least for cars. In 30 minutes at a Tesla Supercharger, you can get around 200 mile range (in a car that is). They are 400 VDC at 250 amps. That is 100,000 watts!!!Larry N. said:Another thing I saw no comment on: An RV needs range between charges, and for many folks 300 miles won't do the job, so you'd either need charging stations every 200-300 miles (if the range were that good), or a much longer range. And those stations need to be in all directions (as diesel/gas stations are), since most RVers won't take kindly to being limited to a few places they can go, and mostly nearby.
But after that 30 minutes, the BMS (Battery Management System) must reduce the current to the batteries so then it takes more time. But this would be offset in an RV by having a lot more batteries and perhaps not having to lower the charging current as much.
I think the biggest problem in an E-RV is the expense of all the batteries as well as the weight. With the number of Superchargers already in the USA that is not much of an issue. See the Supercharger map down the page here.
And if you're have the time, you can charge (both my Tesla as well as my E-bikes) from 120 VAC or 240 VAC.
Level one charging is 120 VAC (takes days for my Tesla to charge fully).
Level two charging (often free on the road) is 240 VAC (takes several hours to fully charge my Tesla).
Level Three charging is 400 VDC at 250 amps (takes minutes to fully charge my Tesla).
Explaining my Zero E-bikes are a bit more complicated as they have an on-board charger, but as many as four external chargers (almost a KW each of DC output) can be added. Any voltage from 90 VAC to 250 VAC with them. So these can be used with level One and Two charging above, but not the SuperCharger. More voltages does NOT give better charge times as these are designed to lower the current as the voltage increases. Less heat at a higher voltage as there is then less current draw. But little, if any difference in charge times.
And I hear every Wall*Mart will soon have chargers. The E-Vehicles are already very practical to go just about anywhere.
For me they are more practical than ICE (internal Combustion Engine) vehicles. No oil to check, no gas stations to stop at. I normally charge at home, either here in Auburn, or at my other homes in Reno, NV. My Tesla as well as one of my E-bikes can make it all the way on a single charge between the houses. The Tesla can easily do the round trip (100 miles each way) with some charge left over. My best E-bike has about half that range.
-Don- Auburn, CA