your charging station
What is an external battery for electric cars?
The innovation in question would be a battery that can be towed so that it can be connected to your electric vehicle to recharge it while driving, giving your electric car extrarange.
This recharging trailer would be towed at the rear of the vehicle, and could be plugged directly into the electrical socket, providing extra range without having to stop to recharge your eco-friendly means of locomotion. To give you an idea, an 85 kWh battery could give you an extra 450 km on top of the range provided by your electric car's battery. Enough to go on a trip without stopping if you have a long journey planned, for example.
Advantages of the battery trailer
This type of solution could have a major impact on the expansion of clean vehicles on the road.
In fact, there are several notable advantages, including :
- Relieve congestion at charging stations and facilitate the flow of users so that they can charge without long waits
- Double your vehicle's range
- Travel longer distances without having to stop and wait for your vehicle to load
- Not be forced to buy a car with a longer range, thus reducing costs
- To have an electric vehicle suitable for city use, but also for long journeys.
The major drawback of this innovation
We're talking here about an external battery that can be towed behind your electric vehicle. But the question here is whether all electric cars can tow. Unfortunately, the answer is no.
Not all electric cars are approved for this purpose, for example city cars, but also compact SUVs.
However, even if their electric car doesn't allow it, some motorists still choose, for example, to place a trailer on a hitch ball designed solely for light accessories.
The practice can be dangerous, prohibited and not covered by insurance. Here is a non-exhaustive list of electric cars approved for towing trailers:
In short, although a wide range of electric cars allow you to tow something at the rear, many of them are not compatible, which is why you need to find out more beforehand.
For more information, see our article on towing an electric car may be of interest to you.
A battery-powered trailer: an opportunity to electrify your company fleet
Many companies have not taken the plunge into the energy transition. One of the reasons for this is the need to recharge the vehicle on a regular basis. In their view, this can have a direct impact on the productivity of employees on business trips.
This external battery for electric cars is a big step forward in overcoming this problem, and could be useful for companies with high travel needs or operating in areas where recharging infrastructures are still limited. As a result, this battery trailer could help businesses to go green.
Autonomy extender: the 3 projects behind this innovation
Several projects have been launched to extend the range of electric vehicles. We'll look at 3 of them in this article, all relatively similar to each other.
EP Tender: French know-how at the service of clean vehicle users
The EP Tender concept
In response to the major reluctance of motorists towards electric cars, EP Tender offers a rental service for electric cars with extended range, for a daily fee. This solution is ideal for motorists who want to go on vacation without worrying about running out of charging points. This removable battery booster for electric cars with limited range, would increase their range by 300 km. This battery would be towed at the rear of the vehicle like a trailer, with a capacity of 60 kWh.
Indeed, affordable electric cars generally have a limited range, which the EP Tender makes up for.
As a result, this project could enable buyers to choose less expensive electric vehicles with shorter ranges, and add the trailer only for occasional road trips when drivers can't or don't want to stop to recharge. This could be seen as a cheaper alternative to replacing the battery with a larger one.
If you'd like to find out more, our article on battery replacement for electric cars may help to clarify things for you.
EP Tender's value proposition
This innovation is a real plus:
- Extra range for your electric vehicle electric vehicle 60 kWh of battery power are added to your vehicle in just 2 minutes, giving you a range of around 300 km at highway speeds.
- Tender exchange possible An empty Tender can be exchanged for a full one in just two minutes!
- A silent, environmentally-friendly innovation The Tenders fleet can be used as a silent, emission-free electricity generator, reducing noise and emissions in urban areas, and raising awareness of environmental issues.
- From renewable energy The Tenders are recharged off-line: this means they use renewable energy and have no impact on power grid infrastructure.
- Delivering services to the power grid The Tenders fleet is aggregated and provides services to the power grid.
- Battery backup for discharged vehicles The Tender can be used as a charging station for vehicles running out of battery power.
Read also: Electric car battery autonomy: where do we stand?
In just a few minutes, drivers will be able to swap their discharged battery for a charged one, reserved in advance on their smartphone. A guidance system for reversing will enable the trailer to hook up automatically to the car.
That said, Jean-Baptiste Segard, the man behind the project, plans to offer self-service rentals at freeway entrances and car-sharing areas. The reason? It's too expensive.
The trailer would therefore cost 17 euros per day and 7 euros per hour of operation. The company's aim is to charge as fairly as possible according to the power used. Thus, a user using the trailer at very high power for the entire rental period would be charged more than another using it in economy mode.
Mobat.Me: the prototype designed by the German start-up
The Mobat.Me concept
This time, a start-up from Germany, BVB-Innovate, has developed a prototype electric trailer capable of carrying 40 to 85 kWh of batteries.
This lithium-ion trailer battery could both charge an electric vehicle on the move and act as a mobile charging station. According to managing engineer Manfred Baumgärtner, it will be able to add 500 km of range while charging in just a few minutes.
These trailers can be recharged from any electrical outlet, according to their designer.
They will be available in two versions:
- a 50 kW "mobile rapid charger" version
- a range-extender version that can recharge during the journey, requiring a special kit to be fitted to the vehicle.
- An optional function will also supply alternating current.
Mobat.Me's value proposition
There are 3 versions of this project available:
- 40 kWh
- 60 kWh
- 85 kWh
BVB-Innovate adapts to the needs and budget of each electrical user.
What's more, these electric recharging trailers can be used as emergency generators, or as a source of electricity when camping or on building sites. So they could be of interest to a wider audience than just electric vehicle owners.
The purchase price is estimated at 19,000 euros for the 40 kWh version and 29,000 euros for the 85 kWh version.
Colorado Teardrops: American company offering a range-extending caravan
The Colorado Teardrops concept
More imposing than a small battery trailer, the American company Colorado Teardrops, known for its teardrop-shaped caravans, has announced that it will be introducing two new models to its range. They will be equipped respectively with a 19 kWh battery for one, and 38 kWh for the other. This would be the first caravan to extend the range of electric cars.
In fact, the model equipped with a 38 kWh battery can power an average house for more than a day in the event of a power failure. It can be charged during off-peak hours and release electricity during peak hours. It can also store electricity generated by solar panels for later use.
The value proposition
This caravan features a battery that enables electric vehicle owners to travel long distances without having to stop frequently to recharge, even with a large caravan attached to their hitch. This innovation opens up new possibilities for families who want to go camping with a zero-emission car.
In fact, electric cars towing a trailer consume more energy and fatally reduce their range. In addition to camping use, Colorado Teardrops caravans can also be used as back-up batteries at home.
What about these pilot projects?
At present, electric vehicles do not allow charging while driving. The concept of a range-extending battery that can be towed is interesting and innovative, but probably utopian.
Fast charging has come a long way since the various projects were first proposed. That said, the idea remains an ingenious strategy for making long electric vehicle journeys practical and quick.
What's more, with the development of the electric vehicle market, electric vehicles now offer greater range. On the other hand, recharging infrastructures have been improved and deployed on a large scale throughout France, making this type of product less necessary.
To illustrate this point, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 offers a range of over 600 km, making it possible to drive from Paris to Bordeaux in one go. In addition, our electric car expert had the opportunity to test drive the new electric sedan, the video is available here :
What can we conclude from this?
A multitude of projects in favor of electric mobility have emerged in recent years, being very encouraging for the democratization of clean mobility. However, in view of the efforts made by the government, manufacturers and innovations in recharging solutions, an external battery for electric cars may not appeal to public opinion.
That's why the projects mentioned throughout this article have not come to fruition. Despite this, we're optimistic that green mobility will become widespread, as more and more entrepreneurs with innovative ideas want to help reduce CO2 emissions from transport.
