Range anxiety remains an issue to deal with if you own an EV, with a battery not as quick and easy to replenish as filling up on gas, and public charging stations not as numerous as gas stations. Towing dramatically reduces your EV’s range, and Rivian says that towing the full rated 11,000 pounds behind its R1T truck will cut its range in half to just 159 miles.
Tesla lets you order a range-extender battery for the Cybertruck that eats up some bed space to fix the problem, but in a filing with the European Patent Office, Audi proposes an intelligent portable power solution instead that can be placed in the vehicle or the trailer. It alleviates range anxiety and gives you extra battery capacity on long drives. Here’s how it works.
Audi’s Integrated Energy-Management System
The auxiliary battery can store additional energy to virtually expand your EV’s battery capacity. Audi stresses that it’s not just a separate charging device, but that software in the portable charging station fully integrates it into the vehicle’s charging system, intelligently managing the power flow between the auxiliary battery and the vehicle’s main battery. This enables smarter energy management and the most efficient possible use of the auxiliary battery.
The system maximizes efficiency and is adaptable to various driving conditions. The auxiliary battery can take into account state of charge and battery temperature to ensure smarter engine management, powering the vehicle’s systems and electric motors, while also taking advantage of regenerative braking. The charging station can be carried in the vehicle or on the trailer and includes the cabling and connectors to integrate it with the vehicle’s charging system.
Ticks All The Boxes
There have been many range-extender solutions, but most supplemental battery options are fixed and take up space permanently. The only other viable alternative has been combustion generators that burn gas to provide current to the electric motor. Audi’s patent is unique in that the power station is not only portable, but becomes part of an integrated energy-management system that makes intelligent use of the auxiliary battery capacity.
