In a move that would surely make Nissan engineers cringe, a Dutch EV enthusiast has found an, um, novel way to charge his Nissan Leaf: Towing it behind a truck while applying the brakes.
The video is in Dutch, but according to the subtitles, Vincent Everts ran out of juice and needed to get home to his daughter?s birthday party. He and some friends decided to pull his Nissan Leaf behind a Toyota Tundra to see if the Leaf?s regenerative brakes could recharge the 24-kilowatt-hour battery while being towed.
Turns out they can. It?s a tricky maneuver, because depressing the pedal too far engages the brakes, but if you use just the right touch, the regenerative braking will send energy to the pack. Everts got the pack up to 73 kilometers of range, about half of its capacity, within 10 minutes. The downside, however, is the car?s sophisticated energy management system had no clue what was going on, and there are probably all kinds of warranty implications.
Nissan does not advise towing the Nissan Leaf under any circumstances, suggesting instead that it be hauled on a flatbed truck. And it obviously doesn?t condone Everts? solution.
?The internet is full of strange and goofy examples of things that are neither advisable or smart,? said Nissan spokesman Tim Gallagher, who got a laugh out of the video. ?This is one of them.?
The best solution, Gallagher said, is to not need a solution at all. Mind your driving habits, keep an eye on how much juice you?ve got, and know where you can plug in, and you?ll be fine. And if you?re unfortunate enough to run out of juice, Nissan will provide a free tow. Every car includes three years of roadside assistance.
Tip o? the Autopia hat to Remco.
Video: Leafplan/YouTube
Source: http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/05/video-crazy-genius-charges-an-ev-by-towing-it/
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