joebedford wrote:
Ida thunk that with regenerative braking, the EV could charge itself as you drag it down the road. Hey maybe I'll patent that idea.
There is that pesky problem of physics. You cannot create energy out of thin air. On top of that, no system is 100% efficient. It will take more energy to drag that EV with it's brakes engaged than will be stored in the batteries.
As for charging at the RV Park. We do not, and will not, ever allow it. It isn't about the money. I don't think there is an RV'er that hasn't experienced a park where the voltage drops on a hot day when the park is full. EV charging draws significant amperage for long periods of time. RV park electrical systems are not designed to be able to handle the additional demands of charging EVs. As that voltage drop indicates, many parks are almost unable to handle the current demand without adding EV charging.
A blanket "No EV charging" is our way of preventing problems. We are not interested in a policy of "It's OK to charge if there are only a few EVs", or "You can charge if the park isn't very full" or "Charging is OK unless it is hot outside".
There have been many threads recommending parks just upgrade or install charging stations, or have some kind of gizmo that charges for power at each site. All those "solutions" come with significant costs and hidden problems.
For example, in rural areas there is often not significant power available from the power supplier to just add capacity. I looked at purchasing a property that had only 30 amp services. During my due diligence I had the electrical system engineered to upgrade all the sites to 50 amp and expand the park by about 25%. When I inquired with the Co-op power provider about costs and time frame I was told the current section of the grid servicing the park could not supply the additional power. If I wanted to move forward I would be responsible for upgrading several miles of transmission lines, providing the upgraded transformer and paying for all the costs of that plan. The estimate was 7 figures. That shut down that deal on the spot. Simple projects sometimes aren't so simple.