A genset trailer is a range extending device for use with

battery electric vehicle A battery electric vehicle (BEV), pure electric vehicle, only-electric vehicle, fully electric vehicle or all-electric vehicle is a type of electric vehicle (EV) that exclusively uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs, wi ...

s consisting of an

internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal co ...

and an

electric generator In electricity generation, a generator is a device that converts motive power ( mechanical energy) or fuel-based power (chemical energy) into electric power for use in an external circuit. Sources of mechanical energy include steam turbines, g ...

(collectively called a genset). They run on traditional fuels such as gasoline or diesel and are sized to provide the continuous power requirements for the vehicle they are used with. Most small to midsized passenger vehicles would require for unlimited freeway travel using fuel. Larger vehicles could require or more of power depending on how heavy or un-aerodynamic they happen to be. This essentially converts an electric vehicle into a series-hybrid. One such trailer was the

AC Propulsion AC Propulsion is a San Dimas, California, USA company founded in 1992 by Alan Cocconi, Wally Rippel, and Paul Carosa, that specializes in alternating current-based drivetrain systems for electric vehicles. It offers AC-induction traction motors ...

backtracking Long Ranger range extending gasoline-fueled trailer, making it a gasoline-electric series

plug-in hybrid electric vehicle A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid electric vehicle whose battery pack can be recharged by plugging a charging cable into an external electric power source, in addition to internally by its on-board internal combustion engin ...

. This trailer used a Kawasaki engine with a fuel tank and achieved . It was rated at DC output and could maintain {{convert, 60, to, 80, mph, km/h, abbr=on. The disadvantages of genset trailers are gaseous emissions from the engine, system maintenance, the additional cost of fuel, and storage when it is not in use on the road. Also, since it is a trailer, it is impractical for some motorists. Advantages of a genset trailer include improved efficiency over a dedicated series hybrid when the trailer is disconnected for local travel, additional cargo space and a simpler and more cost effective basic vehicle. Trailers can additionally be shared or rented for use only when long-distance travel is required. Similar to a series hybrid, such a combined vehicle would require fewer batteries to achieve an effectively longer range.

External links

www.austinev.org/evalbum/pushers.html
nbsp;— pusher example * https://web.archive.org/web/20070928075712/http://www.acpropulsion.com/reports/Low_Emiss_Range_Ext.pdf

nbsp;— experimental model, also by ACPropulsion, for the Toyota RAV4 EV Electric vehicles Trailers Plug-in hybrid vehicles

See also

External links