Harvester Real World Highway Range?

[rcfun33]

I put down a deposit, because the Range Extender seemed perfect to me. I have a long commute with a daily distance of about 90 miles, so running it as an EV for my commute is perfect. Then on those occasions where I need to go somewhere other then home, I would have the range extender, so wouldn't need to worry about charging. Finally, we do a lot of long distance trips and the overall range with the range extender seemed fantastic.

However, after looking at the details of the implementation, I don't think it is ideal for long distance road trips. We often drive between northern Colorado and Bozeman, MT. We currently have older diesel BMW's and normally only need to stop once for fuel. The speed limits are high, so we are often at 85MPH and we often have 40MPH crosswinds across Wyoming. The 115HP 4 cylinder engine being used as a generator will need to run at or very close to max power to keep up. The efficiency won't be there. Perhaps at the beginning with a full charge it can let the battery slowly drain, but eventually the engine needs to supply the average power being consumed.

Has anyone else done the analysis on this?

 

[PMurphy]

There is a thread named “Towing Range with Scout EREV vs EV…” and another about “charging rate at idle” that have some estimates but it’s all a guess right now. The scenario you explained is the real world. May have to wait for actual road test results to have any real answers.

To look at past thread’s hit the home (house icon) at the bottom of the screen and scroll down to the list.

 

[cptcolo]

Yeah, I am skeptical of the whole concept, but I really want it to be success, but that is on them to make it work. It certainly looks like it has the potential to be awesome, but if it doesn't work well I am not going to buy just because it looks cool (which it does IMO). For longer road trips and towing, I think we will have to wait until it is out. The other concerns I have are high insurance costs and deprecation. I have a 2023 BMW X5 45e PHEV and overall it is awesome and I would get it again. The additional upfront cost and greater deprecation have been worth it IMO, as the car is much more refined and more powerful that the standard X5 40i. Harry's Garage YouTube channel has a few videos covering its benefits in detail and he was a big fan of the car and the reason I bought one.

 

[4sallypat]

I put down a deposit, because the Range Extender seemed perfect to me. I have a long commute with a daily distance of about 90 miles, so running it as an EV for my commute is perfect. Then on those occasions where I need to go somewhere other then home, I would have the range extender, so wouldn't need to worry about charging. Finally, we do a lot of long distance trips and the overall range with the range extender seemed fantastic.

However, after looking at the details of the implementation, I don't think it is ideal for long distance road trips. We often drive between northern Colorado and Bozeman, MT. We currently have older diesel BMW's and normally only need to stop once for fuel. The speed limits are high, so we are often at 85MPH and we often have 40MPH crosswinds across Wyoming. The 115HP 4 cylinder engine being used as a generator will need to run at or very close to max power to keep up. The efficiency won't be there. Perhaps at the beginning with a full charge it can let the battery slowly drain, but eventually the engine needs to supply the average power being consumed.

Has anyone else done the analysis on this?

Driving that fast, cold temps, towing, hauling, and mountainous terrain will seriously hit the range.
Scout may not be the correct tool for the job.

You should look at either the light duty F150 Ford Powerboosted Hybrid gas truck or heavy duty high efficiency modern diesel engine trucks & SUVs.

For me, the EREV will be perfect in sunny, always warm So Calif as I never tow nor haul and speeds are limited to 70MPH.

When I do visit MT for fly fishing, I am planning on flying my small plane into Helena or Great Falls.

 

[rcfun33]

I do think it has its place, but I don't think it's the do everything vehicle I originally thought.

I have a pickup for hauling things around, etc, but they really aren't the efficient vehicles to do everything when you put on the kind of miles I do.

 

[4sallypat]

I do think it has its place, but I don't think it's the do everything vehicle I originally thought.

I have a pickup for hauling things around, etc, but they really aren't the efficient vehicles to do everything when you put on the kind of miles I do.

Gas / diesel prices would also be a factor.

I know that in most of the country, fuel prices are very low.

Unfortunately I live in a very expensive fuel priced area ($5/gallon gas, $6/gallon diesel, $6/gallon JetA fuel) so it makes sense to go EV.

Gone are the days of $400/month gasoline bills - now I pay about $70 / month for my EVs covering the same distance.

I just don't like to have to pull over every 200 miles on the highways for long distance travels to recharge.

An EREV will be a perfect fit in the event I run out of EV charge....

 

[SkipW]

I put down a deposit, because the Range Extender seemed perfect to me. I have a long commute with a daily distance of about 90 miles, so running it as an EV for my commute is perfect. Then on those occasions where I need to go somewhere other then home, I would have the range extender, so wouldn't need to worry about charging. Finally, we do a lot of long distance trips and the overall range with the range extender seemed fantastic.

However, after looking at the details of the implementation, I don't think it is ideal for long distance road trips. We often drive between northern Colorado and Bozeman, MT. We currently have older diesel BMW's and normally only need to stop once for fuel. The speed limits are high, so we are often at 85MPH and we often have 40MPH crosswinds across Wyoming. The 115HP 4 cylinder engine being used as a generator will need to run at or very close to max power to keep up. The efficiency won't be there. Perhaps at the beginning with a full charge it can let the battery slowly drain, but eventually the engine needs to supply the average power being consumed.

Has anyone else done the analysis on this?

I like your thought process about your driving conditions and how the EREV might not work out. I too don’t think the EREV will work for me for a different reason. I was excited for the option to stop burning fossil fuel for the planet and the simplicity of reducing my potential maintenance expense by not having oil changes, ICE tune ups, fuel tank, potential condensation in the fuel tank, from infrequent gas fill ups, not to mention the increased computer complexity of having two propulsion systems onboard. The key is to not loose sight of how you drive and where and get the right BEV or EREV.
Have a great Super Bowl day. By for now from Seattle. Go Hawks

 

[Flyinglow]

Do we know the gas tank size? One issue with EREV's is that your initial starting range including the pure EV range, is good. Once you are on pure range extender, you are dependent on the size of the gas tank and that is often relatively small.

 

[Bkenyon53]

Do we know the gas tank size? One issue with EREV's is that your initial starting range including the pure EV range, is good. Once you are on pure range extender, you are dependent on the size of the gas tank and that is often relatively small.

This is the point where I think it loses people. When your range from the battery is gone, how much range do you get on JUST a tank of gas? Is it truly 350 miles (150 EV + 350 with the extender gets 500) So on a road trip you leave with a full tank and battery, go 500 miles...on your fill up, how long can you go before you need to fill up again with charging the battery?

 

[Mr._Bill]

This is the point where I think it loses people. When your range from the battery is gone, how much range do you get on JUST a tank of gas? Is it truly 350 miles (150 EV + 350 with the extender gets 500) So on a road trip you leave with a full tank and battery, go 500 miles...on your fill up, how long can you go before you need to fill up again with charging the battery?

It's all speculation until they release details about the generator, fuel tank size, and actual battery capacity.

 

[bpdougd]

Gas / diesel prices would also be a factor.

I know that in most of the country, fuel prices are very low.

Unfortunately I live in a very expensive fuel priced area ($5/gallon gas, $6/gallon diesel, $6/gallon JetA fuel) so it makes sense to go EV.

Gone are the days of $400/month gasoline bills - now I pay about $70 / month for my EVs covering the same distance.

I just don't like to have to pull over every 200 miles on the highways for long distance travels to recharge.

An EREV will be a perfect fit in the event I run out of EV charge....

Good points. My 2015 Ram Ecodiesel gets a solid 20mpg pure city and 30mpg pure highway. It’s rated to tow 7700 pounds but that is largely a cooling limitation. I have hauled a skid steer plus implements plus an over 2k pounds trailer (total over 14k) from Craig, Colorado to our cabin. The last bit has a lot of steep, near-4wd roads. The trick is that it is a short drive (~50 miles). The drivetrain is stout. Cooling system, not so much.

Gasoline and diesel in Colorado Springs whipsaws high and low by the week. My last fill up was a $2.75 a gallon.

My point is that I am not going to be an early adopter. My truck has about 120K on the clock. I intend to get another 100k (at least). (One member of an Ecodiesel forum I used to frequent put 400k+ on one and his son got 390k on another.) I can wait until there is actual, shipping product to evaluate and, then, will probably wait another couple of years for Scout to get over the inevitable teething pains.

One last observation: I am not as sanguine as some here about the pace of improvement in battery technology. But, as noted, I can wait and see. Heck, I’m 78. The point may become moot.