Range anxiety remains a key concern among motorists who are on the fence with regard to adopting fully electric vehicles into their lives, and even for seasoned users of battery electric vehicles, longer trips out of town in urban-use EVs where charging facilities are scarce will take more forward planning.
In some instances, charging points aren’t available to figure into said plans, and that is where back-up measures are required. When a petrol or diesel-engined vehicle has run out, or is about to run out of fuel with no refuelling station close enough, a jerry can is typically the answer.
Where most people have taken on new skills and craft through various stages of our pandemic-driven lockdown, electric vehicle enthusiast Datuk Abdul Ghaffar Ramli devised a form of flat-battery rescue for BEVs – the EV Jerry Can, beginning work on this project in June this year, and fully self-funded.
First entering government service in 1979, Ghaffar joined the Tun Ismail Atomic Research Centre (PUSPATI) as a research officer. He was then appointed the head of nuclear technology programme in 1984. Ghaffar held the post of director at the defence science and technology centre, then become director-general of the science and technology research institute for defence (STRIDE) in 2002, until retirement in 2013.
Essentially a “very large powerbank” for electric vehicles, the EV Jerry Can prototype was presented virtually to an EV enthusiasts’ community in a video call. The unit takes the form of a case approximately the size of an airline carry-on trolley bag.
This is housed within a series of 32650 LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) battery cells, and a 500 W external charger will recharge the EV Jerry Can to full capacity (2.4 kWh) in about four to five hours, said Ghaffar. Connectivity to the electric vehicle is with the CEE 16 protocol, which then connects to a portable EVSE and either a Type 1 or Type 2 connector, depending on the vehicle’s need. Ghaffar’s Renault Zoe EV uses a Type 2 connector.
Despite the battery pack being rated at 2.4 kWh, Ghaffar says he has not been able to squeeze the maximum from the pack due to some dud cells. However, early measurements indicate AC to DC conversion at 82% efficiency, which should yield around 2 kWh. With the Zoe’s energy consumption rate of 140 Wh per km, the 2 kWh provided by the Jerry Can should provide an additional 14 to 15 km of range.
Granted, 14 or 15 km isn’t much, and really is intended to get you to a more substantial port of replenishment. Looking ahead, Ghaffar is working on his second, supplementary pack which will use 16 prismatic-cell batteries, instead of the 128 cylindrical 32650 battery cells of the present unit, which weighs 35.4 kg.
The second battery pack will not have its own inverter, and instead pairs with that of the existing battery pack. Ghaffar decided to cap the second battery pack’s capacity to 2.5 kWh in the interests of weight saving to 28 kg, instead of an earlier 4 or 5 kWh capacity target that would have weighed 37 kg.
This would theoretically give 4.9 kWh in total battery capacity, and essentially double the 14 to 15 km additional range to around 30 km with the second pack. However, this has to be consumed not all at once, but sequentially – since the voltages in each pack may be different, the packs need to be used one at a time for safety, says Ghaffar.
With costs of developing this battery pack tallying RM3,500 so far, will this eventually go on sale as an end-user product? “I don’t intend to commercialise it, although I have talked to some companies to see if they are keen,” said Ghaffar, who is also considering renting out the packs or offering them to vehicle recovery firms for roadside emergency charging of EVs. It “would be cheaper than towing them,” he said.
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Might as well put pasar malam genset at the boot to charge a flat EV. See this is the problem with EV cars, when your in problem your in BIG PROBLEM.
ev wont accept power from genset, the output not smooth.
A giant power bank. My best bet is, it’s going no where and G will not even encourage or help this kind of innovation. They are only willing to pay RM80k per months to the so called advisors, not for innovation. Lastly, join the Grab fray to Singapore and other country. Brain drain. History keep repeating itself in Malaysia.
Copy paste: “All the talk about EV but Malaysia doesn’t have the infrastructure of facilities to charge the Electric Vehicles… People are sceptical about EV just like the Hybrid cars whereby the replacement cost of the lithium batteries are atrocious. That’s the main reason no 2nd value…”
Copy paste: “I believe use EV not affordable in Malaysia. Our electric tariff is not cheap unless charging buy solar.”
Even when EV can be charged @ 5mins to 300km like ICE refuelling,
This is still an excellent emergency kit.
At least can bring the EV to nearby charging station so he can stay there for another 30mins for 30km of charging so he can go back to his landed property to continue to charge.
it’s a good opportunity for GoCar Garage.
https://paultan.org/2021/08/04/gocar-launches-gocar-garage-end-to-end-vehicle-maintenance-solution-with-pick-up-and-drop-off/
Rescue Team Service by the GoCar Garage.
1 click and wait for a EV rescue by the road side, then get up to 15km mileage to go to office/meeting client.
Then, call for another Rescue service after the work/meeting.
How long does it take to charge an ev at petrol station using std 3 pin plug for 15 km drive?
currently our 3 pin power outlet can give 3.7kw per hour.
ev typically gives 5 km per kwh of range.
so to get that 15 km, roughly about 48 mins of charging.
so You can see 3.7kwh is really not that practical, only when you are desperate.
The better solution is to get a 7.4 kw travel charger, which still plugs into the same 3-pin plug but gives you double charging speed at 7.4kw per hour.
There are 11kw or even 22kw home chargers but that involves changing your home power supply to 3 phase, which means applying to tnb, they will send a technician to come to your house and upgrade your power supply lines to 4 lines.
Most of the on board charger of the evs can only accept 11kw ac charging speed, except Renault Zoe and NIO, which are 22kw ac capable.
But if you see 22kwh ac chargers out there, and if it is about the same price as 11kw charger, just buy it for the sake of future proofing.
For me, I am waiting for solid state batteries and 22kw ac capability for evs before actually buying them. Hyundai Kona 64KWH is currently on my top list but still not that perfect.
I hope the use of potable charger will not void car manufacturer’s warranty should things go wrong. Claiming warranty would be disaster, right?
EV charger stations are still very, very, very inadequate in Malaysia. Presently, EV are good for errand, wet-market trips, or fixed-mileage trips. Besides EV are expensive to buy, and not many independent workshop can or dare fixing it.
For now, EV isn’t the cup of tea for majority of malaysian. Sadly, its the truth.
Innovations are always good, but one question: unless this thing can dumps all its stored energy within 5 minutes, or absolutely need to charge quietly, how is this thing any better than a portable generator? I guess the point might be not to rely on petroleum, but this is just for emergency use right?
Considering the price of RM3500 I would guess that nobody will buy it bcos of the steep price. But if the inventor wants to rent or sell to roadside recovery firms, which company will be interested in view of the pricing and lack of EVs on the road? When are these companies gonna recover the investment spent or whether it’s economically feasible?
36 KG for 15KM. OK…
Bet 90% of the parts are bought from Lazada and Taobao.
Basically a set of batteries powering a portable DC to AC inverter.. Not really ground breaking..
it the IDEA
Renault Zoe
Despite interior slightly better than Renault Captur,
It still a flopped EV for Malaysian Market.
Reason:
1. Low Mileage
2. Slow charging.
3. Top speed not far from 180km/h, only 135km/h
Overall quite like the Mini Cooper SE, quite meaningless to compete with ICE Engine car of similar price. We expect EV to be more advanced than ICE, not less capable.
That’s why it’s meaningless.
Good to assemble an oversize powerbank
Pay rm3500 for additional 37kg for life…This is nonsense
Just tow the car man. It will charge it self via regen.
Is this a true practical results or on paper calculation results?