Dual CT running on one motor

[FutureBoy]

You are bring up a real corner case:

It is kind of an edge case yes. But if hydroelectric equipment was small and portable it could be an interesting case.

6) There just happens to be a suitable hydro stream source nearby.

There isn’t always a suitable stream but there often are streams with a good drop in the vicinity it seems around here in the mountains. But those drops usually are not within extension chord length.

Most sites like this will have some solar exposure so installing a "solar carport" would probably be the lowest hassle way to charge, even if it's temporary. That would require much of the Cybertrucks cargo capacity (as would a mini-hydro system) but would be super cool - It would be like having your own personal gas station at your remote site!

The interesting part is that most often the daylight time is when people are up and moving their vehicles. So at night when everyone is sleeping it would be interesting to be able to charge. But solar doesn’t work at night. So hydro could get interesting.

But of course there are problems. The prerequisites that you listed are a good start. Additionally there is the need to be within extension chord length of the generator. Also, it is not easy to set up and will require different equipment depending on the exact location. And if it’s too cold or hot the water may not even be flowing. Or if there wasn’t enough moisture this year. Basically reliability is not truly reliable.

But for solar you just need to find sun exposure. And have the hardware with you.

There are very few places in the lower 48 you cannot take a Cybertruck due to range issues as long as you exercise reasonable trip planning.

And here is a key point. If you are traveling somewhere, hydroelectric is a very unreliable and impractical source of energy.

But if you are on your own land and it just happens to have he right conditions, and you have put in the planning / work to install a good hydroelectric system, and you have run electricity from your hydroelectric installation to a convenient parking spot for your EV, then hydroelectric could be WAY more convenient / reliable than solar.

I’d love to have a homestead with hydroelectric power. But the chances are slim that will happen. Too many things need to be just right.

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[Diehard]

You are bring up a real corner case:.

The idea behind the question was to see if there is a solution that can be a part of the planning for camping in remote areas where wind and water flow may be more reliable (camping near beach or by a river) Where you would stay and get enough additional energy to make it back or to explore where you are..

Thanks for great tips. Especially the Gas station idea. Did you ever do this? Is the reaction always positive? Can you count on it for your planing? and how do you pay them?

 

[Diehard]

I’d love to have a homestead with hydroelectric power. But the chances are slim that will happen. Too many things need to be just right.

I stayed at a place in Costa Rica that was running multiple units off of that. It was mighty cool but too large to take with you on a camping trip.

More than how to make that work on my property, I want to know which user on this site is Franz Von Holzhausen. There is just no way he does not have an account here (If he is not the site owner).

 

[HaulingAss]

The idea behind the question was to see if there is a solution that can be a part of the planning for camping in remote areas where wind and water flow may be more reliable (camping near beach or by a river) Where you would stay and get enough additional energy to make it back or to explore where you are..

For the kind of trips you want to do in really remote areas, it sounds like you are a prime candidate for the longest range version. Then you shouldn't need to worry too much assuming basic trip planning skills.

Thanks for great tips. Especially the Gas station idea. Did you ever do this? Is the reaction always positive? Can you count on it for your planing? and how do you pay them?

The Supercharger network has been built out extensively in the last several years and they are adding new locations every month. So, no, I've never needed to ask someone to let me plug in. It would be more of an emergency thing if you were in the middle of nowhere with not quite enough range to make it to the nearest fast charger. But people are generally willing to help out a fellow human in such situations. Not always but Babe Ruth didn't bat 1.000 either! If

I were to do it at a motel or campground I would know how many kWh my vehicle needed to draw from the grid and just do some napkin math and offer to compensate the owner at current electrical rates. It's cheap enough you can add 25% for gratuity/good measure and it's still going to be cheaper than gas (and cheaper than a Supercharger).

 

[Luke42]

I do. That is the reason for the freak out.. Replacing a $500 tablet or smartphone is within my risk tolerance. Replacing a $50K Cybertruck, not so much. I guess longer warranty on battery that is going to be a part of the structure helps a little.

I started my career as a computer technician, rather than as a mechanic.

Replacing circuit boards is *much* easier than replacing mechanical bits, especially if the machine is designed with serviceability in mind.

Most high end computers are pretty easy to work on.

Smartphones and iPads are some of the hardest devices to service out there, because they're often glued together and sealed tight. Still, it can be done.

It you'd like to learn how to service consumer electronics, the following website is really good:
http://ifixit.com

Their business model is to sell parts that are matched the exact variant of your device, for a higher price than you'd pay elsewhere. It's a fair deal, and you can take it or leave it.

My point is that laptops and iPads are not unrepairable. It's a different skillset than troubleshooting a purely mechanical device, but the difficulty and learning curve are pretty similar in my experience.

 

[Diehard]

I were to do it at a motel or campground I would know how many kWh my vehicle needed to draw from the grid and just do some napkin math and offer to compensate the owner at current electrical rates. It's cheap enough you can add 25% for gratuity/good measure and it's still going to be cheaper than gas (and cheaper than a Supercharger).

I stayed at a bed and breakfast once with a Tesla Charger. I hear Tesla is planning to get more businesses into this kind of setup.

 

[Diehard]

It you'd like to learn how to service consumer electronics, the following website is really good:
http://ifixit.com

Great tip. I used to be an electronic technician a few decades ago. Replacing, diodes, resistors and capacitor was not much of a big deal. Where I hit the wall was when I tried to fix the control unit for my Oldsmobile. It had less parts than a Transistor Radio but apparently the part that needed replacing was the main chip. I had to go through GM which would only sell the whole unit for $1000. I was not about to pay so I made my own home made workaround (Very Inconvenient) My fear is unless you see a blown capacitor, diagnosing the problem with Tesla control units without their own diagnostic tools may be challenging (depending on the problem). And getting the part from the third party (depending on the part) could present a challenge too. Once the cars get popular and old, things may be different. With so much riding on the electronics, I hope you are correct and we are less dependent than I fear.

 

[Crissa]

The components in an EV do tend to be more expensive, but there are far, far fewer of them.

Gluing things together can increase their durability and heat-related properties. Which is why things are glued together. The battery pack is glued together, for instance, with a thermal paste which is also fire supressing.

-Crissa.

 

[Luke42]

It had less parts than a Transistor Radio but apparently the part that needed replacing was the main chip. I had to go through GM which would only sell the whole unit for $1000.

It really helps of the vendor has a customer service orientation.

Any component with any of complexity has firmware, and writing your own is an engineering project. So, even if you replace an STM32 with an identical STM32, it won't work until you write the right bits into it's flash memory. (My team at work writes a lot of firmware, so I'm on both sides of the table here.)

The flip side of this is that using microcontrollers removes a metric fuckton of complexity from the physical and electronic design. It also makes manufacturing easier. Plus, the vendor can fix some design defects in the field after-the-sale via firmware updates.

But, just like most people don't have a machine shop to make their own mechanical parts, most people aren't going to write their own firmware. Either way, having the vendor support the owners is critical.

Hopefully the Tesla Cyber vehicles will be around long enough that the driveway hackers will build free/open source alternatives for a lot of the components.

Hopefully Tesla will improve their support for driveway mechanics until that happens. This aspect of being a good company appears to be taking a backseat to building factories.

I'm not saying electronics/microcontroller designs don't have issues, I'm saying that I find these challenges far much more approachable than the way they did things in the old days.

P.S. There are a few vehicles with great aftermarket tinkerer support. The Jeep Wrangler and the Mazda Miata are both special this way -- but, alas, neither one is well suited to my needs.

 

[Diehard]

P.S. There are a few vehicles with great aftermarket tinkerer support. The Jeep Wrangler and the Mazda Miata are both special this way -- but, alas, neither one is well suited to my needs.

Cybertruck is a different animal than Model 3, S, Y and X. The owners are closer in mindset to Jeep owners. I have a feeling there is a better chance of having aftermarket hacks and solutions. Let’s hope that is the case.

 

[Crissa]

Yeah, firmware is a big issue. I can buy a new charger or controller or mainboard or battery for my bike... But they all have to be programmed to work with my exact configuration. That really flummoxes some people when faced with repairs. And why service centers are a big deal.

I could easily replace the charger on my bike or battery on my bike - it just plugs in - but then it wouldn't know what to do.

-Crissa

 

[HaulingAss]

I stayed at a bed and breakfast once with a Tesla Charger. I hear Tesla is planning to get more businesses into this kind of setup.

Yeah, I stayed at a hotel in Kalispell, MT that had two 48 amp Tesla WC's and they are free for guest usage. I think I only used about $5 or $10 worth over my two day stay. They are scattered about but growing rapidly. Tesla's new program will be offering to sell businesses chargers with the ability to charge customers. If the business owners wants they can set the rates high enough to make a profit, just cover the cost of charging or offer it free to customers. Tesla will handle all billing so it will be just like plugging into a Supercharger from the perspective of a Tesla owner - no credit cards or membership cards to mess with. I really like that about Tesla Superchargers - you don't even have to think about billing - just plug in and they start charging. Unplug and drive away. So much better than the various charging solutions offered by third parties. They never seem to work for me an they all require different authentication and dedicated accounts. Why can't they just recognize your car?