7.2kW Powerboost ProPower generator put to the test.... max sustained draw / output

[HammaMan]

90 minutes, 11.34kWh generated, average load of 7.56kW, no issues. Seems to be okay with the load staying below 7.6kW. Will have a ~5hr test on the road in a few days, wanted to test the setup now. I'll have to build a box to get a more-accurate reading -- wish it displayed actual wattage. Specifically found a charger rated at 30a delivery. Most are 25 or 32a rated delivery, not input. 32a rated chargers without the vehicle being able to limit amperage (tesla), will trip the system. This is the only charger as of yet that's been able to keep the truck maxed out / working.

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[HammaMan]

7.6kWh delivered at 1hr mark.

 

[HammaMan]

Some FLIR imaging of it...

Power point in bed, left side of 240v connector (NEMA 14-30)

Right side of same plug

Targeting NEMA 14-50 Plug on dog bone

Cord at EV charger

Truck Bed -- can you guess where the muffler is located?

EV's power port

Truck's power point for temp reference

 

[HammaMan]

Right at the 90m mark.

Unplugged a minute later and within 10 seconds the truck shut off.

93 minute trip to nowhere.

 

[Snakebitten]

What's the experiment for?
Just curious why you might need the full pull for a long period.

What's the device giving you the ~31A reading at 239 volts?

I don't know how accurate the Sync4 display is, but if it's driven by the onboard electronics used to manage all the sophisticated components that make up the battery management system and the various converters/inverters, would you expect it to be accurate enough considering?

You've seen the PIDs that I use regarding, and although they are not specific to what ProPower itself is drawing, it seems that they would be worth watching just as a secondary data set?

(SOC, HV Battery V, Draw on HV Battery in Amps)

 

[HammaMan]

What's the experiment for?
Just curious why you might need the full pull for a long period.

What's the device giving you the ~31A reading at 239 volts?

I wanted to see what max sustained draw the truck could output if needed to be called upon to do it as it sits. It was charging an EV. The reason I wanted to obtain its max sustained was for EV and battery bank charging purposes. I'll be picking one up in a couple days that will have only 20% of its battery remaining and plan to charge it on the 360 mile journey back home as a further test of its sustained ability (plus see its effect on mileage).


Being able to charge an EV at the rate it was, is quite handy if it needs to be called upon in the future (about 6 miles range for 15m of charging). It's just another data point in the utility of the vehicle. Quite happy with the result. I've tried other tests to see what peak could be, but it generally just trips its e-breaker (sees a big load and just shuts off - doesn't actually trip a mechanical device).

 

[Snakebitten]

Yea, didn't TFL do the same thing on a couple of different EVs with the Powerboost when it had just come out?

I think they kept it pegged even longer than 5 hours

 

[HammaMan]

Yea, didn't TFL do the same thing on a couple of different EVs with the Powerboost when it had just come out?

I think they kept it pegged even longer than 5 hours

They did something similar for generating content and used a 14a charger.
They charged 111 minutes and produced 6.15kWh.
I let it run for 90 minutes and produced 11.34kWh.
Thus you can see why testing for purpose and not 'content' is a much better indicator of utility.

vs

I checked the voltage with a meter while it was going, the charger's displayed voltage was within .3v of my fluke's reading.

 

[Snakebitten]

The video I mentioned the Powerboost stayed maxed out at 7200watts for a couple of hours without complaint, and only reduced output as a result of the BMW EV reducing its rate of charge as it reached the upper level of SOC.

I know that's not 5 hours like your intended test, but it seemed like a good video for those that wanted to know what the Powerboost was actually capable of.

 

[HammaMan]

The video I mentioned the Powerboost stayed maxed out at 7200watts for a couple of hours without complaint, and only reduced output as a result of the BMW EV reducing its rate of charge as it reached the upper level of SOC.

I know that's not 5 hours like your intended test, but it seemed like a good video for those that wanted to know what the Powerboost was actually capable of.

I believe this is the video you're speaking of? That's where I pulled 'their' numbers from / screenshot.



For me the situation is a little different. The vehicle in question will be making a drive that uses 70-80% of its battery, that is the point at which I take possession of it.

Why it matters -- I will be driving the truck ~350 miles for intercept. Along that route at a point YTBD, I will pickup a rental vehicle trailer. It (trailer) will then be pulled the remaining distance for the intercept (empty, obviously). The EV will be picked up and charging commence along the return trip. About 4 to 5 hours into the return trip (at the same point the trailer was picked up), the vehicle will be unloaded, the trailer returned, and both vehicles under their own power will return back to the truck's start point.

As such, the truck's ability to deliver as much power as possible shrinks the time the trailer will be required. Basically, I've put far more thought into complicating something that would otherwise be a simple trailering.

 

[Snakebitten]

This is the first video I think they did with the Powerboost

Or at least it's the one I was referencing.
At the time I was really pleased to see that the Powerboost could stay calmly pegged at 30.5A for hours. I was not expecting that.

 

[HammaMan]

At the time I was really pleased to see that the Powerboost could stay calmly pegged at 30.5A for hours. I was not expecting that.

I didn't catch that one. Such is the case with a channel / group of channels that outputs qty > quality.

As for sustained power output, the inverter is water cooled and isn't subject to random over-heating. Given the truck is capable of 40kW worth of power generation, and the inverter is water cooled, if it works on a static load for 15 seconds, it should work for 15 days. I was surprised to see that the inverter was tied into the high voltage cooling system (which will use the AC compressor if needed).

 

[Beercity]

New business idea.... intellectual property owned by me.
Powber, a service charging dead EVs on the road.
Rate of charge based on surge pricing of dead EVs on the road.
Base charging price = % of distance gained plus trucks mpg cost to get to vehicle on current gas prices plus 3x minimum wage(watch out $15 states).

 

[Snakebitten]

Yep! One of my first discoveries when I started climbing around underneath the Powerboost the first time.

It's one of the catalyst for me purchasing the 15,000 page service manual, since I had a million questions about "what the heck?"

 

[mbouck3]

This is the first video I think they did with the Powerboost

Or at least it's the one I was referencing.
At the time I was really pleased to see that the Powerboost could stay calmly pegged at 30.5A for hours. I was not expecting that.

this is what put the powerboost on my radar and intrigued me enough to dig deeper and realize this is my retirement truck.

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