I don't know about a wheel on the ground especially in michigan. The road would probably rip it off. But...I have been thinking of a possible rig that could be fed off of the back wheel and run an alternator but this is only in my mind and in theory only. I need to find someone that can answer my questions about ev cars since I don't own one myself. Just out of curiosity how many batteries do you have powering your vehicle?? and how are they set up
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generator is the way to go! by: Anonymous
This is the way to do it!
a honda generator which I use on my boat to charge my house battery bank is very quiet and very clean. forget the cheap crap from the local store. you'll need to get a good one.
high output charger (IOATA, XANTREX) can output as much as 150 amps to your battery bank and this can be powered by a smaller generator.
I do this on my boat all the time... I use a honda eu2000i (1800watt ) generator (quiet! 50-60 db) which powers my XANTREX unit which is an inverter/charger which charges my bank at 100 amps. for a comparison most car alternators put out approx 14 amps. most charges you buy at the local store do 20 amps.
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Generator by: Jason
I'm was thinking more for extended trips. If I wanted to drive from Chicago to Detroit using only battery power it would be near impossible it being 300 miles point to point. That is why I'm wondering how efficient would a normal Honda generator be in recharging batteries in the car.
My other question was has anybody rigged a generator up to be spinning while the vehicle is in motion? Say via a wheel that touches the ground. That would be the most efficient way to charge in my mind and I would make the conversion this weekend if somebody could get me some range figures from trial and error. I really don't want to risk driving through rural Michigan with no way to charge and I don't want to invest the money if it isn't possible.