Hello, I very much want to purchase an EV and will be doing so within six months (unfortunately I can’t wait for the Model 3)
Question: I know many people must have thought of this but I don’t know the answer. Has anybody purchased an EV (such as the Leaf) and simply bought a second set of batteries and installed them to nearly double the range?
If not, why? Is it plausible?
Thank you!
Possible yes, plausible no. For the most part buying an electric vehicle is done for saving money on fuel or being progressive and different. Maybe both. A battery pack is a rather large heavy cumbersome package. In today’s vehicles it is not designed to be changed out or added to. I might add it’s very expensive and is a big part of the vehicles cost.
In industrial vehicles it has been common practice to change the battery pack daily or at the start of every shift. However current practice has been to change out to propane or diesel equipment.
The charging areas and maintenance take up a lot of floor space in these facilities.
To put this in perspective you would have to have a charging station in your garage, space for your extra battery pack an a handling device to change out the Pack.
IMHO you will see 200 mile range common within 5 years have a little patience.
Industrial battery packs are changed every day or shift because they are in use 24/7. Cars can always be charged overnight. And the extra pack can be wired in with the original pack. The comparison fails.
As to cost, yes there is a problem there but the increased range may easily be worth it. Right now buying a Leaf and moving 300 miles away would require you tow the car or stop every 70 miles for an overnight charge. With the extra battery pack, although still cumbersome, a 300 mile trip would only require one stop overnight instead of 4 nights.
It shouldn’t be long before some enterprising individual not stuck in the OEM paradigm will modify these cars and improve them. The more of them on the road, the more wrecked available to dissect. It’s going to happen.
I had just wondered if it was known anybody had tackled the project yet.
The battery pack is a significant part of the cars total weight. Adding a second would compromise usable load capacity. You could tow it on a small trailer though. (this has been done)