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posted by Fnord666 on Thursday June 23 2022, @05:26PM   Printer-friendly
from the driving-on-a-cloud dept.

Study shows electric vehicles could be charged on the go via peer-to-peer system

Every day, Americans see more battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) on the road. According to Fortune Business Insights, the market for electric vehicles in the U.S. is expected to grow from $28.24 billion in 2021 to $137.43 billion in 2028. [...]

However, one drawback has made some consumers wary of purchasing a BEV — limited range. Unlike those plentiful gas stations, charging stations for EVs still can be few and far in between, and recharging a BEV's lithium-ion battery might take hours, making EVs impractical for some long-range road trips.

Now, a researcher at the University of Kansas School of Engineering has co-written a study in Scientific Reports proposing a peer-to-peer system for BEVs to share charge among each other while driving down the road by being matched-up with a cloud-based control system.

[...] A cloud-based system would match the two BEVs in the same vicinity, likely along major interstates. Like bicyclists in a Peloton, the two matched cars could travel close together, sharing charge en route with no need to stop for hours at a charging station. The cars would drive at the same locked speed while charging cables would link the vehicles automatically.

[...] "We'd have a complete cloud-based framework that analyzes the charging state of all participating vehicles in the network, and based on that the cloud tells you, 'Hey, you can actually pair up with this car which is nearby and share charge,'" Hoque said. "All of this has to be controlled by cloud infrastructure, which has algorithms to efficiently charge all the different BEVs."

[...] Hoque said the initial setup of a peer-to-peer charging infrastructure likely would require support from a major manufacturer of BEVs but then could expand organically.

"People who have electric vehicles will have this incentive of selling charge and earning extra money — these two things will work in parallel to grow this idea," he said.

Journal Reference:
Prabuddha Chakraborty, Robert Parker, Tamzidul Hoque, et al. Addressing the range anxiety of battery electric vehicles with charging en route [open]. Sci Rep 12, 5588 (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08942-2


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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Snospar on Thursday June 23 2022, @05:41PM (18 children)

    by Snospar (5366) Subscriber Badge on Thursday June 23 2022, @05:41PM (#1255627)

    They can't even agree on a standard one-size-fits-all plug to charge these vehicles. There is no chance that cars will ever link up automatically while travelling down the road, this is pure science fiction.

    Now go away and work on better batteries to improve the range and decrease the charging time. Stop for a break and car is back to 90% charge in 10 minutes will be doable soon and much more likely than linked vehicles.

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    • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @05:58PM (13 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @05:58PM (#1255631)

      Also part of their plan that didn't make the summary was a need for two types of batteries in a vehicle, a lower capacity quick-charging one and a slow-charging large storage one. The idea is that the quick charging ones would be topped up in transit. They even suggested you could have a large truck with a huge battery capacity driving up and down the freeways acting as a mobile charging hub. It is a neat sci-fi kind of idea, but to implement it would require autonomous vehicles and cars standardized with battery interfaces and peer-to-peer communication (as well as an integrated payment system, etc.), so I figure if we ever get there, it is 20+ years out.

      • (Score: 5, Touché) by FatPhil on Thursday June 23 2022, @08:14PM (10 children)

        by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Thursday June 23 2022, @08:14PM (#1255671) Homepage
        So a big thing at the front with all the power, and a chain of things connected behind it? Where have I seen that form of transportation before?
        --
        Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Thexalon on Friday June 24 2022, @11:38AM (9 children)

          by Thexalon (636) on Friday June 24 2022, @11:38AM (#1255788)

          But that form of transport is socialism, y'see, so it's out of the question. It's clearly much more efficient to move a person + 2 tons of metal around them than any solution that involves removing the metal box. Even if the metal box is quite expensive to buy, and annoyingly expensive to operate.

          It won't happen in the US at least for a while, because too many people are afraid that those who can't afford a metal box might use any other form of transportation anywhere near them to get to their house and rob it. Because when you're stealing a television, you definitely want to be seen by a professional driver and a bunch of other passengers going to and from the place you're stealing it from.

          --
          The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
          • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday June 24 2022, @01:51PM (6 children)

            by Phoenix666 (552) on Friday June 24 2022, @01:51PM (#1255812) Journal

            But that form of transport is socialism, y'see, so it's out of the question. It's clearly much more efficient to move a person + 2 tons of metal around them than any solution that involves removing the metal box. Even if the metal box is quite expensive to buy, and annoyingly expensive to operate.

            I love trains. Until they bring zeppelins back they're the only civilized way to travel. Rail spurs do not, however, go everywhere I want to go the way that roads do. Nor do they travel at the times I want them to travel. And other passengers tend to get uptight when I pile all my camping gear in the aisle. And if my rambunctious kids annoy the crap out of me then they'll be even less appreciated by strangers; at least in my car society can be temporarily spared their energy.

            Another thing to consider is that EVs don't take that much money to operate. There is very little maintenance involved, because they have vastly fewer moving parts.

            It is a fact that EVs are still a little pricey. The prices are coming down, though, as more companies get into the game and the cost of batteries falls. Me, I'm waiting for the battery-powered TRON light cycle I've always craved.

            --
            Washington DC delenda est.
            • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday June 24 2022, @02:47PM (1 child)

              by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Friday June 24 2022, @02:47PM (#1255820) Homepage
              If you wannt turn heads on 2 wheels, Verge have something fairly futuristic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7oTg6XJsnk
              --
              Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
              • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Sunday June 26 2022, @11:17AM

                by Phoenix666 (552) on Sunday June 26 2022, @11:17AM (#1256286) Journal

                Thanks for the link. I've been waiting for bikes to get to a level comparable with Teslas. The thing I loved about bikes is that you're part of the ride in a way that you never are in a car; it's almost like an extension of your body. Being able to do that on something that is totally silent would be sublime, like flying low over the ground.

                --
                Washington DC delenda est.
            • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Friday June 24 2022, @09:43PM (3 children)

              by Thexalon (636) on Friday June 24 2022, @09:43PM (#1255925)

              Once you eliminate the idea of bringing a large metal box with you everywhere you go, there's a plan C available, namely bicycles. Which the Netherlands has demonstrated can absolutely be part of transportation in the civilized world.

              --
              The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
              • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Sunday June 26 2022, @11:28AM (2 children)

                by Phoenix666 (552) on Sunday June 26 2022, @11:28AM (#1256288) Journal

                Once you eliminate the idea of bringing a large metal box with you everywhere you go, there's a plan C available, namely bicycles.

                Absolutely they are. I have a folding mountain bike and a bike bag I can pop it into that I take on light rail and unfold when I disembark. I think it's a solution that would suit many commuters better than sitting in traffic.

                But bikes and mass transit don't satisfy every use-case. When I was a single guy they did, but as soon as I had kids with all their accoutrements hauling them onto the Long Island Railroad every weekend got real old, real fast.

                --
                Washington DC delenda est.
                • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Sunday June 26 2022, @02:31PM (1 child)

                  by Thexalon (636) on Sunday June 26 2022, @02:31PM (#1256308)

                  They don't need to satisfy every use case to be incredibly useful. If, for example, you have a train route that a lot of people like to use for commuting, you've just pulled thousands of cars off the roads. Which makes things safer and easier for the people who do need to drive because they're hauling lots of kids and stuff around.

                  You kind of touched on another reason the US transit system is messed up, though: In a lot of the US, it's illegal to let your kids bike or hop on a bus or a train to go somewhere without you. Like, if you watch E.T., now imagine that in the aftermath the parents get arrested not for harboring an alien life form but for child neglect because their kids were able to travel around town without a supervising adult. Which encourages parents + kids to not use transit or bicycles as a practical way of getting around, which means kids don't develop the habit of it being an option, which means they think they need a car to be at high school or college.

                  --
                  The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
                  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Monday June 27 2022, @02:24PM

                    by Phoenix666 (552) on Monday June 27 2022, @02:24PM (#1256528) Journal

                    They don't need to satisfy every use case to be incredibly useful. If, for example, you have a train route that a lot of people like to use for commuting, you've just pulled thousands of cars off the roads. Which makes things safer and easier for the people who do need to drive because they're hauling lots of kids and stuff around.

                    I agree.

                    You kind of touched on another reason the US transit system is messed up, though: In a lot of the US, it's illegal to let your kids bike or hop on a bus or a train to go somewhere without you. Like, if you watch E.T., now imagine that in the aftermath the parents get arrested not for harboring an alien life form but for child neglect because their kids were able to travel around town without a supervising adult. Which encourages parents + kids to not use transit or bicycles as a practical way of getting around, which means kids don't develop the habit of it being an option, which means they think they need a car to be at high school or college.

                    School kids do ride the bus and subway unaccompanied in NYC and in some other places. They acquire the lifelong commuting patterns that calculate with mass transit in mind. In many places travelling by bike and foot are afterthoughts at best. Changing federal highway standards such that highway dollars require that bike & jogging paths be laid alongside them would ensure safe alternatives to car travel. Cycling in NYC has skyrocketed since Mayor Bloomberg started building protected bike lanes for commuters. City residents are probably getting healthier because of it, too.

                    --
                    Washington DC delenda est.
          • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Sunday June 26 2022, @12:46AM (1 child)

            by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 26 2022, @12:46AM (#1256180) Journal

            We must keep the expensive metal boxes. They are the only sure way to smuggle an automatic weapon to school.

            Public transport or school busses make this task more difficulter for our childrens to conceal their weapons.

            --
            People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
            • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Sunday June 26 2022, @03:40AM

              by Thexalon (636) on Sunday June 26 2022, @03:40AM (#1256244)

              Who said the automatic weapons had to be concealed? This is 'Murica!

              --
              The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
      • (Score: 3, Funny) by tangomargarine on Thursday June 23 2022, @09:24PM (1 child)

        by tangomargarine (667) on Thursday June 23 2022, @09:24PM (#1255685)

        They even suggested you could have a large truck with a huge battery capacity driving up and down the freeways acting as a mobile charging hub.

        Oh good--I was just wondering how we could take this idea of electric vehicles which is supposed to be more environmentally-friendly, and get rid of that whole part of it. /s

        --
        "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
        • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Sunday June 26 2022, @12:48AM

          by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 26 2022, @12:48AM (#1256183) Journal

          Imagine electric trains. But how to power them?

          Brilliant idea! Have separate charging trains go up and down the tracks to recharge the primary freight and passenger trains!

          --
          People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    • (Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Friday June 24 2022, @10:55AM (2 children)

      by PiMuNu (3823) on Friday June 24 2022, @10:55AM (#1255781)

      Note chinese are working on battery swapping rather than fast battery charging. Much better solution IMHO (but requires marginally more infrastructure and some management for battery degradation).

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 24 2022, @12:14PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 24 2022, @12:14PM (#1255792)

        This idea sounds interesting to me. It sounds "disruptive" and perhaps attractive to bringing in VC money. I could see EV stations where you have something like an oil change pit that you stop over and someone/something like a robot swaps out a battery mounted under your car. This would make sense if you can get the battery interface and format somewhat standardized. You'd have people pay for the first battery and they'd get swapped out after that, sort of like how it works with propane tank refills. Most of the time you're charging your car at home or work, but have these stations set up along the major interstates, like at truck plazas. You'd need all that cloud computing BS to make sure that when you're 100 miles away that there will still be a battery for you when you get there.

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Sunday June 26 2022, @12:41AM

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 26 2022, @12:41AM (#1256179) Journal

      They can't even agree on a standard one-size-fits-all plug to charge these vehicles.

      It is already mandated in the EU.

      It is called USB-C.

      But not mandated in the UK.

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @06:02PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @06:02PM (#1255633)

    How many cars travel parallel paths long enough for any real charging to happen? If they are spending hours along the same route, what are the odds one of them has significant battery to spare? Current batteries are size/built to provide enough power at a time to satisfy the motors - not extra to also charge another battery pack.

    TLDR trickle charging for a few minutes during your commute isn't worth the massive investment.

  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @06:14PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @06:14PM (#1255639)

    And what happens when everyone decides that they can just leech some electricity off of other drivers? Or is the assumption that everyone else will be conscientious enough to keep their car charged so that you don't have to?

    • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @06:53PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @06:53PM (#1255646)

      Note how much TFS mentions "cloud-based" this or "cloud-based" that. I expect in addition to spying on folks to sell data to the highest bidder, they'll use this to bill people based on usage.

  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @06:41PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @06:41PM (#1255642)

    This moron doesn't seem to realize that one car has to lose charge for the other to gain it. And the amount the loser will be paid after network fees, cloud fees, peer-to-peer pairing fees, etc. will dwarf his cost of electricity (and that's before the cost of getting towed home). Here's a better idea: drive a normal car, keep a spare can of gasoline in the back and you can top yourself up anytime - no network required.

    • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 24 2022, @12:44AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 24 2022, @12:44AM (#1255712)

      omg, second that.
      This is the dumbest fucking idea I have ever heard of.
      Let alone all the "fees"
      What are we going to have, extra double lanes made?
      No accident will ever happen...nope.

    • (Score: 1) by anubi on Friday June 24 2022, @11:16AM

      by anubi (2828) on Friday June 24 2022, @11:16AM (#1255786) Journal

      I was thinking of the BEV having a trailer hitch as the one being towed.

      And charged via regenerative braking.

      I could even see gassers welcoming BEV braking on really long downgrades, saving brake shoes.

      --
      "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Sunday June 26 2022, @12:51AM

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 26 2022, @12:51AM (#1256185) Journal

      Opinion: if one must carry a container of gasoline in the trunk in case they run out of fuel, they are an idiot.

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Sunday June 26 2022, @12:54AM

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 26 2022, @12:54AM (#1256188) Journal

      Here's a better idea: drive a normal car, keep a spare can of gasoline in the back and you can top yourself up anytime - no network required.

      Opinion: a driver of a gasoline car who needs to have a spare can of gas in the back to not run out of fuel is an idiot. IMO.

      If you drive an electric car you need to adapt to managing the charging just as a gasoline car driver must manage refueling. An electric vehicle may not (yet) be for everyone.

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @07:26PM (13 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @07:26PM (#1255655)

    This is such an easy problem. If you want extend the range of an EV, attach a range extender. It can be as simple as a trailer holding a battery. Rent one with a full battery and return it a few hundred miles down the road when the battery is empty. If you have further to go, rent another one. In a world where we rent cars and bicycles and scooters and propane canisters, why do we keep coming up with such complex unworkable solutions for EV charging?

    • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @07:31PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @07:31PM (#1255657)

      Put that range extender on the blockchain and you've got a workable solution.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @07:37PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @07:37PM (#1255658)

      So much simpler than stopping at any gas station and filling up the tank!

      • (Score: 2) by captain normal on Thursday June 23 2022, @09:23PM

        by captain normal (2205) on Thursday June 23 2022, @09:23PM (#1255684)

        Simpler?? Have you rented many autos or trucks lately? Takes a lot longer than pumping 10~20 gallons into your tank and also taking a pee and grabbing a snack and a drink before hitting the road to continue your journey.

        --
        When life isn't going right, go left.
    • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @07:39PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @07:39PM (#1255659)

      If you put a gasoline-powered generator in the trailer, your range is unlimited (with occasional 5-minute fill-ups). Since the generator only has to provide an average amount of power sufficient to produce a net increase in the battery level, it can run at a constant speed and be made more efficient.

      I always thought that made sense for EVs (especially the pre-Tesla ones that had terrible mileage per charge). For day-to-day use, you leave the trailer at home. For long trips, you attach the trailer and take advantage of the hundreds of thousands of gas stations.

      Of course, this lack of purity will make environmental wacko's heads explode, so that's another advantage.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @07:58PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @07:58PM (#1255665)

        You may actually be able to make it with a turbine, or even an external combustion heat engine like a Stirling engine.

        Then, to save on the aerodynamic factors, you could build that into the main body of the car and permanently attach it to the charging system.

        Serial hybrid for the win.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @07:59PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 23 2022, @07:59PM (#1255666)

        If you put a gasoline-powered generator in the trailer, your range is unlimited (with occasional 5-minute fill-ups). Since the generator only has to provide an average amount of power sufficient to produce a net increase in the battery level, it can run at a constant speed and be made more efficient.

        I always thought that made sense for EVs (especially the pre-Tesla ones that had terrible mileage per charge). For day-to-day use, you leave the trailer at home. For long trips, you attach the trailer and take advantage of the hundreds of thousands of gas stations.

        It seems that what you describe is basically a plug-in hybrid like the Chevy Volt except with the gas generator in a detachable trailer rather than integrated into the car.

        Plug-in hybrids are actually really effective for road trips because you get very good gas mileage on sustained-high-speed freeway driving, and also get the benefits of the EV for the low speed portions of the trip. The use of a trailer will hurt mileage a bit but maybe not a huge amount, particularly if the car and trailer are designed together.

        But I guess plug-in hybrids are not that popular since Chevy discontinued the Volt. There may also be practical obstacles to hauling a trailer full of gasoline and a running engine.

    • (Score: 4, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Thursday June 23 2022, @08:03PM (6 children)

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Thursday June 23 2022, @08:03PM (#1255668)

      The battery trailer is a "too obvious" solution for EVs.

      Contemplating an EV sports car for application in short duration racing, the battery-trailer is basically the only viable solution - there's no reason to be lugging around 100x more battery capacity than you need to achieve the objective.

      Same applies in real life. Sure, we all want a car that we can hop in in Miami and drive to Vancouver non-stop on a single charge, but when 90% of trips are in the local area less than 60km traveled between leaving home and returning, and 90% of the remaining trips are moderate excursions less than 150km between charging opportunities, why would we lug around batteries capable of 1000km trips all the time?

      Answer: don't. Maybe it's not a trailer, maybe it's a battery pack that slides in to a compartment under the middle of the vehicle. The vehicle can have a 100km capable battery hardwired onboard, and space to attach up to 6 additional 100km modules low and central in the vehicle. We already know that SUVs sell, so seat those passengers high up in the air where they can block everyone else's view get a good view of the road ahead. and seat them over the removable/exchangeable battery packs. Or. if we can't agree on what an exchangeable battery pack looks like, just hook on a trailer with all the battery you need, or possibly even a fuel powered generator.

      --
      🌻🌻 [google.com]
      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Immerman on Thursday June 23 2022, @10:51PM (1 child)

        by Immerman (3985) on Thursday June 23 2022, @10:51PM (#1255694)

        Of course, a taller vehicle = more wind resistance = lower efficiency - so you might need most of those expansion batteries just to have the same range as a shorter car.

        Some sort of modular battery system could be handy - but personally I'd want that space available for cargo when not using the battery. I'm kinda fond of something in the trunk, etc. that works with batteries that are small enough to be swapped by a person - if you need heavy equipment to move a battery that fills the space under the rear seats it makes everything far more complicated and expensive.

        I like something like a mini server rack that takes pizza-box batteries - you could stick a few racks under seats, in the trunk, etc. Heck, if you're not doing frame-integral batteries you could make them all that type, and relatively easily swap them out as they wear. Ideally with a controller that can direct the majority of abuse to the most marginal batteries that will need to be replaced soon anyway.

        A trailer has much to recommend it though: You're most likely to need the extra range when you're on a road trip - for which you'll also likely want as much cargo capacity as possible, and really regret losing it to batteries. A trailer can add both. And of course it simplifies fuel-based power as well, which generally has much less flexible shape constraints.

        Of course the flip side is that many/most people are kinda incompetent at pulling trailers safely - and dragging what is basically a big bomb behind them through traffic might have... unintended consequences.

        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Thursday June 23 2022, @11:46PM

          by JoeMerchant (3937) on Thursday June 23 2022, @11:46PM (#1255702)

          Nothing says it has to be an articulated trailer. Something that clamps to the back of the vehicle with a single central caster support wheel should be simple enough to maneuver, especially with backup cameras, and better aerodynamically too.

          The problem is: it looks weird, and the majority of the buying market doesn't do weird. Politicians don't support weird. Weird needs protection from discrimination and new car designs making exestential threats on the establishment won't be getting that protection.

          --
          🌻🌻 [google.com]
      • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday June 24 2022, @03:11PM (3 children)

        by tangomargarine (667) on Friday June 24 2022, @03:11PM (#1255825)

        Sure, we all want a car that we can hop in in Miami and drive to Vancouver non-stop on a single charge

        We do? What kind of stimulants are you taking that you're okay with 52 hours straight of driving, and where can I get some?

        --
        "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
        • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday June 24 2022, @03:33PM (2 children)

          by JoeMerchant (3937) on Friday June 24 2022, @03:33PM (#1255832)

          I drove Manhattan (New York)->Coral Gables (Miami) in 22.5 hours once... didn't intend to initially, but around Myrtle Beach I changed my mind about stopping for the night. Somewhere around Jupiter, FL I started seriously regretting the decision, but by then it was too late - too close to the goal to quit then.

          Of course, in the brave new world of self-driving cars, we'll just lay the seats flat for the night shifts.

          --
          🌻🌻 [google.com]
          • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday June 24 2022, @03:48PM (1 child)

            by tangomargarine (667) on Friday June 24 2022, @03:48PM (#1255835)

            You probably made pit stops in amongst those 22.5 hours though, right? I know I couldn't drive more than 6 hours at a time without getting out to stretch my legs and wake up.

            --
            "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
            • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday June 24 2022, @04:03PM

              by JoeMerchant (3937) on Friday June 24 2022, @04:03PM (#1255840)

              Took a 45 minute meal break somewhere in the afternoon, obviously stopped for gas more than once, mostly just snacked on the road otherwise, but the last hour into Miami I did stop a few times to get out and jog around the car to make sure I wasn't falling asleep.

              --
              🌻🌻 [google.com]
  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Thursday June 23 2022, @07:55PM

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Thursday June 23 2022, @07:55PM (#1255664)

    Let's ignore the inefficiency of transferring charge from one battery pack to another.

    Are we really going to have vehicles driving lock-step (presumably slowly and carefully) while transferring charge all over our highways?

    Hopefully they do this in a head-to-tail configuration, if they do it side by side on a 2 lane single direction stretch of highway, I'm gonna have to do more than roll coal on 'em.

    --
    🌻🌻 [google.com]
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by donkeyhotay on Thursday June 23 2022, @08:00PM (5 children)

    by donkeyhotay (2540) on Thursday June 23 2022, @08:00PM (#1255667)

    My electric company is asking people to adjust their air conditioners to prevent overloading the grid. Meanwhile, the world is telling us all to buy electric vehicles. Now this dumbassery.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Thursday June 23 2022, @11:53PM (4 children)

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Thursday June 23 2022, @11:53PM (#1255704)

      Next they will be asking to use your car battery for load smoothing.

      --
      🌻🌻 [google.com]
      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by bradley13 on Friday June 24 2022, @08:19AM (2 children)

        by bradley13 (3053) on Friday June 24 2022, @08:19AM (#1255758) Homepage Journal

        I think you meant that jokingly, but it is definitely true. More and more vehicles offer V2H (vehicle-to-home) power flow. Power companies have already proposed this as a solution to the storage problem. All those people with 70kwh batteries in their garages - why not use them for load smoothing?

        The problem, of course, is that those batteries are mostly connected overnight, whereas the load peaks generally occur during the day. Still, it is one potential factor to consider.

        --
        Everyone is somebody else's weirdo.
        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Friday June 24 2022, @01:05PM

          by JoeMerchant (3937) on Friday June 24 2022, @01:05PM (#1255800)

          I'm not joking. What will be a joke is the inadequate compensation offered by the power company for charge/discharge cycling of your batteries. They could offer more than fair compensation and it would still be a profitable thing for them to do (compared with idle generation capacity) but most people won't understand how cycling reduces the remaining life, and value, in their expensive battery.

          For people who commute to work, they could plug in at work and just reserve 200% of the capacity they require after work before the evening charge. If they arrive home during high demand hours, they could continue to discharge into the grid down to a threshold and wait to recharge during lower demand hours. If the power company offers one free Starbucks latte per day in exchange, they will sign up at least 50% of EV owners for no additional compensation.

          --
          🌻🌻 [google.com]
        • (Score: 2) by sfm on Friday June 24 2022, @05:46PM

          by sfm (675) on Friday June 24 2022, @05:46PM (#1255867)

          Powering the "house" with your car battery will decrease the life
          of your battery. I hope the power company offers incentives to
          to offset this. Not sure it makes sense otherwise.

      • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Sunday June 26 2022, @01:10AM

        by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 26 2022, @01:10AM (#1256193) Journal

        Next they will be asking to use your car battery for load smoothing.

        I think 'asking' is the wrong word here.

        Citizens will charge their vehicle at night during off peak hours. They will dutifully drive to work in the morning. They will plug their cars into the grid during the workday. When they leave work, they will still have enough charge to run a couple, or no more than 3 errands, and get home to recharge their vehicle.

        And they will smile and have a pleasant attitude.

        --
        People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 1) by UncleBen on Thursday June 23 2022, @08:35PM

    by UncleBen (8563) on Thursday June 23 2022, @08:35PM (#1255674)

    Has no one seen Long Way Up? Ewen's LiveWire died near the entry to the port where they were boarding the ferry. The producer drove one of the Rivians up the hill rolls down the windows, Ewen grabs the door frame, and they drag him downhill into the port. Technically, the LiveWire was charging during this short drive. EV-to-EV on-road charging captured on video.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 24 2022, @12:34AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 24 2022, @12:34AM (#1255709)

    for movie makers which need to have new more interesting ways for actors to dangle from and climb from car to car in a high stakes chasem action scene.

  • (Score: 2) by ilsa on Friday June 24 2022, @03:24AM

    by ilsa (6082) Subscriber Badge on Friday June 24 2022, @03:24AM (#1255728)

    So many things wrong with this idea. Here's one that I don't think anybody mentioned yet:

    The likelyhood that two Cool Kids(tm) lock their cars together on a road or highway, effectively creating a wall and blocking the traffic behind them and pouring pricey gasoline onto the road rage fire.

  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday June 24 2022, @02:00PM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Friday June 24 2022, @02:00PM (#1255814) Journal

    The cars would drive at the same locked speed while charging cables would link the vehicles automatically.

    I guess there aren't many bikers in this crowd because the first thing I thought of was how this kind of thing would wind up clotheslining anybody on a motorcycle.

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.
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