New GM Electric Pickup Truck

[Salts]

I just read that the new GM all electric pickup truck coming out in 2021-22 will have a 180KWh battery.

Even if someone turned off the Sun, that would power my home for over a week.. But I think I'm going to need more panels to get it charged up. Can you imagine that? 180 KW of storage? How much you want to bet they do something to sabotage it so it can't be used off grid.

[Ampster]

Vehicle to Grid is often debated. On the surface it seems like a good idea. The devil is in the details. By the time GM actually has produced a pick up truck with that capacity there will be plenty of options for Grid Tied battery systems. Tesla, Sonnen, BYD, CALT and LGChem already have products in some markets.

The Off Gridders can comment on the likeliehood of their buying an EV pickup to plug into their Off Grid homes.

[organic farmer]

I drive a plugin hybrid that I recharge from my household solar power system.

I have been following the development of the Bollinger Farm utility truck, I would love to drive one of those.

[Ampster]

I drive a plugin hybrid that I recharge from my household solar power system.

I have been following the development of the Bollinger Farm utility truck, I would love to drive one of those.

The Tesla and Rivian pickups, which supposedly are already in production for 2020 say they will have a 120/240 volt AC receptacle. Ford has invested in Rivian and Bollinger looks promising. GM has some catching up to do if they want a piece of that market.

Those 240 volt plugs might be able to drive some small loads during a blackout.

[Mike90250]

Wow, a self propelled battery !

[Paul Land]

Wow, a self propelled battery !

Brilliant idea if I do say so.

[Ampster]

It looks like the Tesla pickup might not be ready for production until 2022. If is is available for $60k and it has a range of 400 miles that would be $0.43 per kWh for a portable Lithium pack of about 140 kWhours. I am assuming it gets 350 Watts per mile which is how I translated 400 mile range into a 140 kWh pack.

[BoloMKXXVIII]

I figure I will wait about 2 years after they are released then try to find one that was totaled by the insurance company but the battery/electrical system is still intact (I know it will be difficult to find). Instead of trying to re-invent the wheel, just use the vehicle complete as a storage system. Maybe cut off the "truck" parts and put the rest in a shed. Much safer then trying to remove the battery and building a custom charging system.

[Ampster]

Here is a Car and Driver review. https://www.caranddriver.com/tesla/pickup-truck

The issue with using a complete Tesla pack will be finding an inverter that works at the pack voltage. Existing Model S and Model X modules are 24 volts (16 modules in a pack). The modules in the Model 3 are larger and the above article suggests the pickup pack might be 800 volts.
There already is a market for 24 volt modules at about $1,200 which is under $0.30 per Watthour.

[Salts]

I figure I will wait about 2 years after they are released then try to find one that was totaled by the insurance company but the battery/electrical system is still intact (I know it will be difficult to find). Instead of trying to re-invent the wheel, just use the vehicle complete as a storage system. Maybe cut off the "truck" parts and put the rest in a shed. Much safer then trying to remove the battery and building a custom charging system.

I don't think it is any safer, nor do I think this idea would work. Lithium batteries in vehicles are configured for higher voltages than what most off-grid users require. The off-grid portion of my solar system is powered by a Chevy Volt battery that was originally 380 volts. I reconfigured it into 48 volt modules.

Boy would I love to get my hands on a 180kw pack.. I might have to buy a Delorean and build a Flux Capacitor!

[BoloMKXXVIII]

I don't think it is any safer, nor do I think this idea would work. Lithium batteries in vehicles are configured for higher voltages than what most off-grid users require. The off-grid portion of my solar system is powered by a Chevy Volt battery that was originally 380 volts. I reconfigured it into 48 volt modules.

Boy would I love to get my hands on a 180kw pack.. I might have to buy a Delorean and build a Flux Capacitor!

If they are talking about having 240v outputs on these work truck I would just you that. No modification to the vehicle at all.

[Ampster]

If they are talking about having 240v outputs on these work truck I would just you that. No modification to the vehicle at all.

That is until we know the power offered by that output. I would venture that it would be maxed at 20 Amps. That is all that would be needed at most small construction sites or boondocking.

[Salts]

That is until we know the power offered by that output. I would venture that it would be maxed at 20 Amps. That is all that would be needed at most small construction sites or boondocking.

240 volts @ 20amps is a significant amount of power.

[Ampster]

240 volts @ 20amps is a significant amount of power.

Yes, one would hope that 20 Amps could do a lot in that situation. It could keep my refrig and a few lights on during a blackout. At least that is what a bmneighbor did recently with his RV.

[Mike90250]

I predict it will take about a week for some construction guy to figure out how to get unlimited mileage using the welder's 240V generator in the back of the truck.....