Crazy Charging Idea

I have an idea that could potentially change the way electric cars are charged but I need the smart people on this forum to tell my why it's not a good idea. I'm not sure how efficient the on-board charger is, but what if the source electricity from the charging station was used to spin the motor to act as a generator to DC-charge the battery, just like regen? The motor is somewhat efficient as a generator but I'm not sure how efficient it is vs. the on-board charger. If it is almost as efficient, then this idea would negate the need for chargers (single or dual). The motor runs on AC, right?

To me, this seems like a cheap and simple way to charge the car and would allow you to maximize charge rates based on the amount of amps available with no need for dual chargers, etc. Plus it would sound cool having the motor spin-up as a generator while charging :biggrin:

I know this sounds silly, using electricity to generate electricity, but you're using electricity for the same thing when charging the batteries through the charger so it's not really that much different. It all depends on the efficiency of the motor as a generator.

rdrcrmatt, I think you misunderstood me. I wasn't talking about turning the tires with a reverse dyno. I envision the drivetrain being put in neutral and the power from the EVSE be used to directly spin the motor....the motor is fed from the EVSE instead of the battery and runs in reverse to charge the battery.

ElSupreme said:

Like GaryREM said you can't both generate and power at the same time.

AC propulsion and the Renault Zoe use the windings in the electric motor to facilitate charging (if you search you can find references to these). But it basically just functions like the onboard chargers that Tesla already has in place.

Click to expand...

Here's what I found (sounds pretty good) -->

"The Chameleon charger is a solution developed by Renault to fit electric cars with a powerful onboard charger at limited cost. The basic idea is to “divert” the motor and inverter from their role in providing traction so that they also contribute to the charging of the battery. The Junction Box, a new sub-system developed by Renault, manages the charging process, changes the alternating current to direct current and communicates with the charging station. The Chameleon charger’s Junction Box is only slightly bigger and heavier than the 3V charger found on most other electric vehicles on the market but, thanks to the use of the inverter and motor windings, charging power can reach 43 kW."

This is kind of what I was getting-at. Saving cost and having the ability to charge at a higher kW using the motor. My thought wasn't exactly implemented this way, but the ultimate goal is the same.