# Largest EV there ever was? 1,600 kwh trailer mounted battery!



## MN Driver (Sep 29, 2009)

I haven't seen this posted here yet and I've browsed the Thunder Sky site many times and haven't noticed this until today.

http://www.thunder-sky.com/products_en.asp?fid=111&fid2=115

A 1,600 kwh truck mounted battery "Mobile Storage Type Emergency Power Station" denoted as 200kw/8hr.
There is also a 600 kwh version on the site too.

So this crazy question popped into my head. If that battery pack was connected to an appropriately sized controller and motor. How far do you gander it could travel?

Of course other thoughts pop into my head such as using such a battery for small scale immediate demand peak load power, although longevity to the power company and cost would probably make it impractical but I know people have discussed this sort of thing on this forum before.


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## WSJ (Sep 18, 2008)

8 Megamiles


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## mjcrow (Jan 5, 2008)

One of the largest electric drive vehicles ever (excluding trains) was the LeTourneau TC-497 Overland Train Mark II (designed to go where no other vehicle could), which had an electric motor for each wheel, and was powered by four 1,170 hp gas turbine engines, it was over 30 feet tall, 570 feet long, had independent steering on each trailer so it could actually take a right angled corner, and it was built in the USA in 1961. Some of the wheels from the MK1 version are currently being used on the "Bigfoot 5".

Wiki Link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overland_train
You Tube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvmnc0TJFto&feature=related

A123 also do mobile power units 2MW http://www.a123systems.com/a123/applications/grid-stabilization (click on Field Deployed Technology)


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## IamIan (Mar 29, 2009)

MN Driver said:


> http://www.thunder-sky.com/products_en.asp?fid=111&fid2=115
> 
> A 1,600 kwh truck mounted battery "Mobile Storage Type Emergency Power Station" denoted as 200kw/8hr.
> There is also a 600 kwh version on the site too.
> ...


I know this is an old thread ... but I just noticed it today.

I've been told a loaded tractor trailers average around ~6 MPG.
With ~40kwh/Gallon Diesel fuel ... and if they got as much as ~40% ICE efficiency ... that ~6 MPG is ... ~2.6 kwh per Mile.

~200kw @ ~2.6 kwh/mile would let them go up to as fast as ... ~76 MPH.

~1,600 Kwh @ ~2.6 Kwh/Mile would last ... ~615 Miles.

- - - - - - - 

The A123 Grid back up full 53' 141,000 Lbs trailer will go further.
It stores up to 4MWH ... can discharge as fast as 1/2C or 2MW.

@up to 2MW of electrical battery power... the tractor trailer can go as fast or faster than current ICE versions.

with up to 4MWH of available electrical power ... @~2.6kwh/mile ... that's ~1,538 miles.

The irony is that one could deliver such a trailer to Site A , Disconnect and pick up a 2nd such trailer and be back on the road again in a few minutes... now that's a battery swapping station.

- - - - - - - - - - 

Although ... even the 4MWH of A123 cells is only about ~74,000 Lbs of A123 Batteries the rest of the ~141,000 Lbs Trailer is not battery weight... ie about ~67,000 Lbs of other stuff.

If instead of A123 Cells ... We filled that ~74,000 Lbs with Envia's 400Wh/kg cells... we could up that 4MWH to ~13MWH.

~13MWH would push the range up to ~5,100 Miles per charge.

And if we gave up the DC to AC inverters and some of that other stuff in the other ~67,000 Lbs ... we could push it still a bit higher.

At about ~2,800 Miles Coast to Coast across the U.S. ... It is possible to build a BEV Tractor Trailer that could make a complete loop across the U.S. NewYork to LA , and Back to NewYork ... all on one battery Charge... with virtually no cargo


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## McRat (Jul 10, 2012)

Looks like Envia is in trouble. GM pulled their support recently after Envia could not replicate their claims. And there are IP lawsuits aimed at them.


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## IamIan (Mar 29, 2009)

McRat said:


> Looks like Envia is in trouble. GM pulled their support recently after Envia could not replicate their claims. And there are IP lawsuits aimed at them.


I suspect they will stay in trouble with or without GM support.

The U.S. Navy has provided independent 3rd party validation. But also showed other significant problems. 

#1>
Comparative Low power density C/3 ... although for the hypothetical trailer (discussed in this thread) that isn't an issue C/3 of 13MWH is still over 4MW , and way more power than the real time power of any current ICE driven tractor trailer diesel engine.

#2>
Capacity loss per cycle. The ones the Navy tested went from 426wh/kg down to ~300wh/kg in 7 cycles. After which the degradation slowed but eventually capacity went to ~222 wh/kg in ~400 cycles.

#3>
And as far as a barrier to market. No serious volume production means very high $.

From my perspective those are strikes 1, 2, 3 ... GM or no GM.

If they survive and find ways to remove or mitigate some of these issues they might be ok ... but if not ... I think it's a sinking ship... law suit or not .. GM or not.

From my point of view the two most viable battery directions in the near term are LiFEPO4 ( A123 and similar ) ~120wh/kg ... and the ~300wh/kg 18650 Li cells Panasonic came out with.

Long term ... like several decades away (if ever) ... Li-Air batteries.


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