On 4/26/15 11:04 PM, bob haller wrote:
the feds should require all electric cars come equipped with a hitch and power input jack. a standard all vehicles would use.

u haaul type places would rent. or vehicle owner could buy a unlimited extended range power trailer.

need your electric for a long trip?

just hitch up and go.

making this standard would help make it easier to use

I believe the charger for a Chevy Volt takes 3.3 kW. A Briggs &
Stratton 30466 generator, 3.5 kW, weighs 133 pounds. That wouldn't need
a big trailer.

In 8 hours at half load, it would produce 13.6 kWh for 4 gallons of gas.
That looks like a dollar or so per kWh. Plugging in would be cheaper.

Around here, a lot of people use golf carts. Some are electric and
others hybrid. A neighbor had a hybrid that had sat in the garage 8
months. I thought the battery should be put on a smart charger at least
24 hours, but she stepped on the accelerator and it moved forward. She
pressed it harder and the very quiet engine started instantly to
supplement and charge the battery.

It seated two and had a sort of pickup-truck body. The battery looked
ordinary and inexpensive. That vehicle could handle lots of errands.

That's my personal experience with hybrids. The idea looks practical to me.