It appears tie BMW i3REx may have competition in the range extended EV market - The Ford F-150 EV Ford F-150 Electric's edge against rivals like the Tesla Cybertruck may be a gas generator Ford patented a range extending gas generator for the F-150.
They're finally coming around the "all or nothing" stance. That's what we've been saying. It doesn't matter if the buyer doesn't choose an EV. It matters that the buyer doesn't choose another ICE. A hybrid is still more efficient than an ICE and works for some people. A PHEV is still the better of both worlds for some people. Not everyone can charge. I'm seeing it among my group of friends - those that can charge at home, have chosen EVs. Those that haven't, haven't jumped in. But worse, they don't want hybrids because they want an EV (thanks to all those "all or nothing" people) so now we're left with people buying ICE instead of hybrids or PHEVs because they want that aspirational EV and not "compromise" on something in between. Sigh.
Neat, it's removable. In which case, this unlikely provide any more power to the truck than what the i3 REx engine did, relatively, or it won't be very portable. Not sure what that means for emission regulations. The appeal will mostly be for those that already regularly use a portable generator, and the 'what ifers' with range anxiety. Many of their commenters aren't. One is convinced people will just use gas all the time with this.
Admittedly, I didn’t read the entire article, but yeah, I heard about that on TEN (Transport Evolved YouTube channel). My immediate reaction was that if it’s installable by hand (or hands — presumably at least four hands) in the bed, then I doubt it could hold much of an engine or gas tank (i.e., questionable amount of range extension).
I like it although the patent is light on specifics. I suspect it'll weigh no more than a medium sized motorcycle. Optimized for efficiency, this will be a great truck. I suspect it will be more semi-removable. Also, I can see two orientations, parallel to the rear seat or axial on the passenger side. I would prefer one that fit in the frunk ... if there is space. For good measure, heat capture for the cabin which is missing from my BMW i3-REx. Bob Wilson
We quickly figured out how to patch: (1) enable REx at 75%, and (2) increase tank usable capacity. If I had not gotten a Tesla Model 3, I would have added cooled exhaust recirculation and possibly waste heat to the cabin. Bob Wilson
Seems like a good idea using a tool box enclosed removable ice. The problem I see are gas tank and exhaust. I would think that you would put the gas tank under the bed, and have the exhaust run under and to the side or back. This would make 3 hook ups (electrical, fuel, exhaust), but could be one type plug, and perhaps a tool box that had an electronic safety to close off these things and just drop the ice in and out. I could see people putting a hoist in their garage to simply drop in the ice and remove it. Definitely would allow long range towing for those occasions and perhaps ford dealers could have range extender rentals for those that bought the range extender tool box but not the engine.
My point in the comments of the article. Unless the truck has a front tailgate(facegate?) like Bollinger, removing it from the frunk will be difficult. The main reason for not being there is that it would require the truck to have plumbing to take the exhaust out past the cabin. Another hook up point that can become problematic with the high heat involved. Another hook up and extra equipment on the truck would be required to provide cabin heat. Yes, it was, but it is still possible for the user to reduce the battery SOC to the point of reduced power with the car working as intended by BMW. A REx gets more ZEV credits than a PHEV, so this will very likely have the same hobbles in place. Assuming the design doesn't already have them built in. The article has a copy of the patent. Exhaust and fuel is contained within the unit. It is literally a portable generator that; is completely enclosed, can be secured to the bed, and directly provide electricity to the truck. The most powerful portable generator on Home Depot's site is rated for 12kW continuous. It uses a 725cc engine with 10.5gal tank. With a full tank, it supply 6kW for 9hrs. Ford can have a more powerful one, and still call it removable; I guess they could easily use their 1L engine, maybe go up to 1.5L. But this is still a pick up truck. It will be heavier and less aerodynamic than a carbon fiber minicar. Like the upgraded power supply on the F150 hybrid, this will be aimed at contractors, and those that spend time in 'the field', like campers and RVers. If Ford actually decides to bring it to market.
Here's my problem with the patent, it may not be the only one. For sure you can put the gas tank with the generator, but that makes it a lot less portable. If you want to remove it you need to remove the weight of the gasoline too. @25 mpg a 10 gallon tank would give you a reasonable 250 miles, but a full tank would weigh an additional 60 lbs. The bigger problem and its likely in a different application is exhaust. If you are going to put it in the tool box area (front of the bed) then exhaust is either going to blow on your cargo and/or trailer, or get pumped out the side toward other cars and trucks. Neither is a good solution. I guess you could use some long pipes again making it tougher to remove and put back in. My guess is it would be a 3 cyclinder 1L rex, and ford knows how to build these well ;-) A truck has plenty of payload for a Rex and plenty of years to develop tool boxes for the beds.
Of course there could be other patents, but without them we would just speculating about what Ford could do, and not discussing what they might actually intend to do. A few years ago, a Tesla patent came out about using a primary battery for a range extender to a rechargable one. We could talk about what chemistry they were thinking about using based on it, or speculate about them putting in an ICE range extender instead. Ford can easily just make a PHEV F150 based on the hybrid at this point for those that want an EV and still unsure about range and charging, if that is the goal. Another skim of the patent yields Ford thinking about 3 different sizes. Small is a 5kW generator with 5 gallon tank, medium is 5kW with 10 gallons, and large is 15kW with 20 gallon. What isn't clear from the toolbox term alone is that they referring to a saddle type box that rests on the bed rails, and is semi-permanently bolted to the truck. It doesn't rest on the bed floor, and there is enough of a gap there for sliding things like lumber to the back(front) of the bed. The large unit may extend halfway down the length of the bed. The fuel tank adds weight, but that hasn't hindered the use of portable generators. It might be possible to remove the small unit by one person, but you'd two to avoid damaging the paint, and the others will need two or more, or the use of a hoist. having the tank separate means a hook up point that be a point of spills, evap emissions, and fuel contamination. Truck exhaust is already blowing on the trailer or other traffic. The pipe end is already higher than that of a car's. If getting on the cargo is a concern, Ford could probably get some profit by offering an upright stack kit. People already pay money to drill holes in the bed to look like a semi now.
