[jbubby101]

Call me crazy, but I going on a 1000+ mile offroading trip. While I believe I will be able to charge I am entirely unsure that I will make it without running out of power. Currently, I am looking for a gas or diesel generator that I will plug into my Rivian in case I need it.

Does anyone know if there are any generators that could do this?

I doubt I will actually have to use it but I feel like it would be a good safety measure.

 

[sciencegeek]

I'm skeptical that you will find a portable generator that has enough oomph to make a difference. Anything like 240V (7ish kW) generators or bigger are very expensive and heavy; 110V generators will give you a mile an hour.

 

[jbubby101]

I'm skeptical that you will find a portable generator that has enough oomph to make a difference. Anything like 240V (7ish kW) generators or bigger are very expensive and heavy; 110V generators will give you a mile an hour.

Interesting, How big are these 240V generators?

 

[sciencegeek]

Google it, that's what I did

 

[jbubby101]

I'm skeptical that you will find a portable generator that has enough oomph to make a difference. Anything like 240V (7ish kW) generators or bigger are very expensive and heavy; 110V generators will give you a mile an hour.

Also, a mile an hour would not be the worst. I only need enough to limp to the nearest electric charger.

 

[jbubby101]

I wonder if we could make something like an extra small battery pack, akin to how ICE cars have jerry cans.

 

[sciencegeek]

If that's the case, the Honda generators are awesome. Super quiet. A friend of mine has one and I've borrowed it for camping. I still have to question how useful it would be however ... you would never want to be in an offroad situation where you get so close to zero charge that a 110V generator would make a difference.

 

[docpowell]

Does your route not have charging stations that can support the trip? Where are you coming from and going to? I doubt the 120/110V generators would do anything for you. It would be cheaper to rent an ICE vehicle. TFL did a video on this.

 

[O. horridus]

For $1000 you can get a dual-fuel (gasoline/propane) "portable" generator that weighs ~200 lbs and can generate 10kW with a NEMA 14-50 outlet to plug into. Typically can run 10 hours on 5 gal of gasoline. Super noisy, but that should get you out of some jams. And if you're already carrying propane for heat/cooking then you can also use that same supply for the generator.

 

[jbubby101]

If that's the case, the Honda generators are awesome. Super quiet. A friend of mine has one and I've borrowed it for camping. I still have to question how useful it would be however ... you would never want to be in an offroad situation where you get so close to zero charge that a 110V generator would make a difference.

I'll have to look more into it. I'm planning on doing some Overlanding and was thinking that if I'm going to overnight it, it may be beneficial to have a backup in place in case I draw too much energy. I wonder (and hope) if as offroad EVs take off if there will be more R&D into ways we can share charge or get power from other things than the main battery in case of emergency. I've always off-roaded with an ICE

Does your route not have charging stations that can support the trip? Where are you coming from and going to? I doubt the 120/110V generators would do anything for you. It would be cheaper to rent an ICE vehicle. TFL did a video on this.

Thank you for the helpful link! TFL makes some high-quality videos.

 

[jbubby101]

For $1000 you can get a dual-fuel (gasoline/propane) "portable" generator that weighs ~200 lbs and can generate 10kW with a NEMA 14-50 outlet to plug into. Typically can run 10 hours on 5 gal of gasoline. Super noisy, but that should get you out of some jams. And if you're already carrying propane for heat/cooking then you can also use that same supply for the generator.

that's a perfect idea. A family member is currently driving the R1T from Oregon down to Nevada, and planning to tell me how the offroading goes. Because of the lack of stations, this drive is going to have to span multiple days and because he wants to stop to see the petroglyphs, ski, and do other activities he must restrict himself down to 50ish mph on conserve to make charging stations. With an adaptor, you can charge using tesla stations as well as charge at camp stops with mobile home chargers.


I'm planning on taking the R1T Overlanding in a one-week trip when work slows down and some of the spots are pretty dicey. I also have severe anaphylactic food allergies so I want some extra range so I can prepare for the worst. As much as I love EVs a large part of me just wants to take an f-350 instead xD.

 

[jbubby101]

If that's the case, the Honda generators are awesome. Super quiet. A friend of mine has one and I've borrowed it for camping. I still have to question how useful it would be however ... you would never want to be in an offroad situation where you get so close to zero charge that a 110V generator would make a difference.

I was thinking of using overnight to just gain some extra mileage but be able to just make it if the generator doesn't work. I wish there was someway you could charge with a second battery like we have with iPhone cases but it does not appear that there is anything like that on the market.

 

[sciencegeek]

I wish there was someway you could charge with a second battery like we have with iPhone cases but it does not appear that there is anything like that on the market.

Secondary batteries for cell phones typically have as much capacity as the phone's battery itself, or close to it; that's not an option for EVs.

 

[jbubby101]

Secondary batteries for cell phones typically have as much capacity as the phone's battery itself, or close to it; that's not an option for EVs.

Very true! I have no degree or background in engineering but I wonder if anything like a small extra pack or generator is feasible in EVs.

 

[Wildabeest]

I have a portable Firman 10kW tri-fuel generator that I keep at my cabin. If needed I could roll it into the bed of the truck and get L2 charging from it. It will output 8kW @240V continuous and has a NEMA 14-50 outlet that the Rivian portable charging cable can plug straight into. It wouldn’t be practical for stop-charge-go use cases since you’ll only get about 16 miles of range per hour of charge (and probably way less if you’re off-roading), but it would allow you to charge overnight while you’re camping. I bought it on sale at Costco last summer for under $900. I think they are selling for $1200+ now 😳.

 

[jbubby101]

I have a portable Firman 10kW tri-fuel generator that I keep at my cabin. If needed I could roll it into the bed of the truck and get L2 charging from it. It will output 8kW @240V continuous and has a NEMA 14-50 outlet that the Rivian portable charging cable can plug straight into. It wouldn’t be practical for stop-charge-go use cases since you’ll only get about 16 miles of range per hour of charge (and probably way less if you’re off-roading), but it would allow you to charge overnight while you’re camping. I bought it on sale at Costco last summer for under $900. I think they are selling for $1200+ now 😳.

8kW is not bad at all. I think that's the perfect solution! Hopefully, the generator isn't too loud. Although, I'm used to it by now I Fisker Karma so I'm used to turning gas into ⚡. On a separate note, how do display your vehicles under your name?

 

[joshtish]

I have an 8Kw continuous portable genny that I use to power my entire house, minus the A/C and the electric oven. Amazing that this amount of power only gets you 16 miles of range per hour.

You could absolutely fit one into the bed of the truck. Mine has about a 6-Gal capacity inside, and you could easily carry additional jerry cans for fuel.

 

[archiboy]

IMO I'd forget carrying the generator. Look to Good Sam or other databases of RV parks along your route. Most RV parks are basically a parking lot full of NEMA 14-50 outlets. Carry some extra cash to pay the park manager for an hour of parking in a vacant RV spot. That's the way many Tesla folks traveled before the Supercharger network was up and running.

 

[Blakeney]

can also check out Ecoflow electric generators. You can charge the generator from your EV and vice versa. Also charge the Ecoflow via solar. Could be an option

 

[joshtish]

can also check out Ecoflow electric generators. You can charge the generator from your EV and vice versa. Also charge the Ecoflow via solar. Could be an option

The EcoFlow portable power stations are just lithium batteries with an inverter built-in. While it would work as a very inefficient method of turning sunshine into miles, you’d be giving a trickle at best, of 1-2 miles of range per day. Don’t get me wrong, I have a Yeti power station, and they have their uses. Charging an EV is not one of them.

A 2000w tailgate genny like the Honda that was mentioned earlier could provide 1-2 miles of range per hour, and could charge the truck from empty to full in about 3 days if ran continuously (however, it’ll need an oil change for every ~50-100 hours of use, a new air filter every 50 hours of use, and spark plug inspection/adjustment at 100 hours, and replacement at 200. These small generators are built to handle a tailgate party, not to be run continuously.

Even the bigger 8kw continuous generators generally have a 50-100 engine-hour oil interval.