Random EV Thoughts 2 - The Jimnying

the_amazing_raisin · 24-09-2025 08:12PM

https://electrek.co/2025/09/24/this-75-mph-electric-car-with-bicycle-pedals-to-charge-it-is-apparently-the-real-deal/

Is a car, is it a bike, or is is an accident waiting to happen?

Well, it's basically a Sinclair C5 with a roof that can go at 120km/h

So.... motorway speeds in a vehicle you can pedal and weighs around 100kg probably. Yeah definitely not going to cause a problem 😂

I assume if it makes it to production it'll be limited to a far more sensible speed. I'm struggling to figure out if this thing is a good idea and who it's for

One the one hand, I really like things like electric cargo bikes and trikes that are still small and nimble in cities but can also haul a decent amount of stuff or a passenger if needed. Adding some weather protection and more power would be a nice improvement

The problem with this thing is it kind of loses a lot of the advantages of a bike and gains some of the drawbacks. Presumably if it's rated over 250W then it'll be licensed as something like a quad bike and requires tax, insurance and loses access to bike lanes (which it probably wouldn't fit into anyway). All that for a roof over your head

Perhaps the better comparison would be a Twizy with pedals 🤔

fits · 27-09-2025 08:33PM

Didn’t log into this thread for a while but just wanted to say that I have these little dinky things attached to the mirror in both of our cars.

It’s not easy to open the doors of the model y and especially not if under pressure to get out.

resqme car escape tool. P

https://resqme.com/product/resqme/?srsltid=AfmBOorrDwkF1XU7iJi9z8vlrdNTcQCZgADjSq8Jmg6yi-EaaEbdT9tN

https://resqme.com/product/resqme/?srsltid=AfmBOorrDwkF1XU7iJi9z8vlrdNTcQCZgADjSq8Jmg6yi-EaaEbdT9tN

Gumbo · 30-09-2025 08:18AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123856811#Comment_123856811

Have seen these in many cars over the years. Like a torch, they sit there doing nothing until that one time you need them, then you're very thankful!

the_amazing_raisin · 30-09-2025 11:03AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123856811#Comment_123856811

One of those things that's good to have but hopefully never needed

I might actually look at getting one of these, I have one that doesn't attach to anything so sits in the glove compartment

Problem is with the seatbelt locked I probably can't reach it, and I don't want to put it in the divers bin since it might fly out if the car rolls

I could put it in the centre console which is covered but then the junior kleptomaniacs in the backseats might swipe it and bring it to school to show to their friends

That's one parent teacher conversation that I definitely want to avoid 🫣

fits · 30-09-2025 03:44PM

I taught one of my kids how to use it. And I’m considering leaving one within his reach in the back in case the driver can’t help.

sk8board · 01-10-2025 08:04AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123864526#Comment_123864526

if you've ever been in a bad enough car accident that would require one of these, you should know that anything that’s not secured very firmly in the car ends up either in the boot or on the dash. even sunglasses on your face end up in the boot if you’re hit hard enough from behind for example, speaking from experience.

mr chips · 01-10-2025 11:56AM

No point putting this in the for sale thread as the car is in England and it's really just a curiosity, but as low-range EVs go this Audi TT is probably a bit more desirable and fun to drive than an original Nissan Leaf, even now that it's FWD (certainly a lot easier on the eye!). Wonder could the battery pack be added to for a bit more range - sure who needs boot space in a car like that …

AndyBoBandy · 02-10-2025 08:08AM

finally Tesla making some progress with V2L

innrain · 02-10-2025 09:20AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123869252#Comment_123869252

https://shop.tesla.com/product/powershare-outlet-adapter

seems was there for the truck. Clever design

the_amazing_raisin · 02-10-2025 10:45AM

So does the car have a built in inverter or is the adapter the inverter?

Busman Paddy Lasty · 02-10-2025 07:49PM

Is it 120V only?

wassie · 02-10-2025 08:29PM

Note sure I would want to use V2L with current battery tech. Only contributing to battery degradation for potentially not a lot of gain. Maybe Im wrong if someone had done the economics of it.

September1 · 02-10-2025 08:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123871875#Comment_123871875

I think people use V2L during power outages, camping and other unusual situations. It very unlikely that V2L would contribute meaningfully to degradation. On other hand V2G and perhaps V2H could use more and probably would be more suited for LFP batteries.

innrain · 03-10-2025 11:37AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123869861#Comment_123869861

The mobile charger acts as V2L https://shop.tesla.com/product/mobile-connector. You just replace the plug with the socket.

It's available only for south of Canada at max 240V @ 20A 2.4kW. This is a pseudo 3phase so if and when would be available east of Canada I'd say it could go up to 11kW. They used to have UMCs up to 11kW, now the maximum is 7kW with industrial blue socket single phase.

They seem to have a V2H system as well, so far available only for Cybertruck so probably the new Model Y would follow.

https://shop.tesla.com/product/powershare-home-backup

MojoMaker · 03-10-2025 12:27PM

Isn't V2L a bit of a gimmick though?

Like, literally nobody is going camping in their model 3 or Y in Ireland, and the image of some crusty traveller paused on the side of the road boiling a camping kettle for a beverage just begs ridicule.

V2H or V2G much more likely used, and useful.

josip · 03-10-2025 12:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123873727#Comment_123873727

I've a laptop that draws too much for the USB C. I would use a V2L if available. But wouldn't need it in Ireland.

Over the years we've occasionally found ourselves at a busy campsite (not in Ireland) where we didn't have power at the pitch. V2L would have been useful in those few cases also.

zg3409 · 03-10-2025 01:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123873520#Comment_123873520

240v at 20 amps is 5kW, most v2l is 240v 10 amp (2.4kW) max or with a blue plug 16 amp.

The inverter needs to be in the car, usually the cars charger switches in reverse. The say Tesla is against V2H & V2L as they sell home batteries.

innrain · 03-10-2025 01:39PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123873727#Comment_123873727

I'm not a camper but I saw some pictures from a guy here in Ireland with this kind of tent. https://mkcamp.store/collections/tents

For applications, I would probably think of electric bbq, but places where you can mix cars and bbq's are rare. Another application I can think of is rescuing some other car especially if V2L is high in power. Anyway, I agree with you that V2H is potentially more useful.

innrain · 03-10-2025 01:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123873893#Comment_123873893

You're right when used as power share is using just one of the phases so 120V Is the American way where the 240V is tapped in the middle to get 120V. If you read the links above you will see it is the mobile charger and only V3 which has the powershare logo

the_amazing_raisin · 03-10-2025 05:55PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123873727#Comment_123873727

Every time I've been camping in the last 2 years (about 7 for context) I've seen several EVs including Teslas

It's a little bit of a gimmick since a lot of pitches have electricity but there's still several sites that don't do electric points for tents so it would be a handy option to have

the_amazing_raisin · 03-10-2025 06:10PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123874018#Comment_123874018

Having electricity when camping is really handy

I've a portable fridge freezer which keeps the food good. Just pre cool it before leaving and load it up in the car. It powers off the cars 12V when travelling but I hook it up to the electricity at the pitch

Also use the electric to pump up the airbeds (and I might grab an electric pump for the tent) and I also bring the air fryer and induction hob to cook dinner

As I mentioned to Mojomaker, there's still a fair number of sites that don't have electricity at the tent pitches, so having V2L would open up a lot of possibilities

Personally I view V2L as a commodity, inverters are cheap enough at this point that every car should be able to output 2-3kW AC

JohnySwan · 03-10-2025 06:22PM

Vehicle to Load can also be used to power your house in a power cut. Some offer 3-4 kw. In an extended power cut you could power your home for weeks. We get multiple power cuts per year and were without for a week after Ophelia.

AndyBoBandy · 03-10-2025 06:40PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123874930#Comment_123874930

I've a portable fridge freezer which keeps the food good. Just pre cool it before leaving and load it up in the car. It powers off the cars 12V when travelling but I hook it up to the electricity at the pitch

I got one of these about 8 months ago for the boat/car and they are very cool….. I got an Alpicool C15

I took it to Lithuania and it was brilliant!! We left Dublin on a Friday morning and didn’t get to the house in Lithuania til the Sunday night, and it was turned on the whole time set at -18, including a 22 hour ferry journey!! I brought over enough rashers, sausages, pudding, Kerrygold & Cashel Blue cheese to last us (me) the full 6 weeks!!

I froze everything in advance as well as a few bottles of drinking water for the 2 nights we had on ferries, I could throw a few bottles of ice into a cool bag to bring up to the cabin..

*I didn’t have it under the boot on the trip, it was above the lower trunk in the ‘normal boot’, and when on all 3 ferries, I’d pull a rear seat forward to allow some ventilation into the main cabin. When I was buying it, I just wanted to make sure it would fit in the lower boot for storage..

MojoMaker · 03-10-2025 07:45PM

In other words perfectly usable without V2L.

MojoMaker · 03-10-2025 07:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123874971#Comment_123874971

End of the world stuff alright 😎

Last power cut where I live was circa 2014.

Thought he ability to push power back into the home was V2H?

the_amazing_raisin · 03-10-2025 08:00PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123875022#Comment_123875022

Yeah I got the bigger brother, the T50 with 2 zones

Had a scary moment because I wasn't sure the boot would close despite measuring it out before buying. Scary because my wife was watching and was ready to have a good laugh at my expense 😅

Dead handy for camping, load it up with a weekend of food and away you go

I will say, I find it struggles a bit when both compartments are full. I think it requires a decent amount of air circulation

If I was buying again I'd be tempted to get 2 smaller ones as it seems to do better in single zone mode

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123875207#Comment_123875207

Actually the V2L would be handy because the fridge works better off mains. It has a battery protection system where it shuts down as the 12V supply goes down

V2L would presumably work off the traction battery which would have no problem keeping up

Anyway, I get that it isn't the most useful feature to everyone but it is handy and I think its silly having all this unusable energy locked away in the battery when needed. At least give customers the option and let them decide

JohnySwan · 04-10-2025 07:08AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123875212#Comment_123875212

Lucky you, and when you have someone in the house who is relying on the ability to charge batteries for medical equipment, it can be end of the world stuff.

You can hook up the VTL to a distribution board just as you would a small petrol generator. Just need to be mindful of earthing arrangements.