HYBRID - THE GOOD SAMARITAN
"What's the worst thing you can imagine in an electric vehicle battery car? Probably running out of juice as you climb a mountain pass in the cold of winter?" Well, Chip and Big Tess have seen this happen.
The Schneiders, Buzz and Debbie, were loaded up for a short vacation trip with a rack on top of their Nissan Leaf EV stacked full of vacation supplies as they planned to head to their Airbnb on the other side of the mountains at Wenatchee Lake in the beautiful Cascade Mountain range. This Airbnb even has an electric vehicle charger in the garage, so everything is perfect. Everyone was very excited, up and around early on Wednesday morning to get on the road from their home in the Tri-Cities. They had done some EV trips before, so it was no big deal - just a little bit longer and over the pass.
Dad had the car plugged in the night before, and immediately after breakfast, everyone jumped in their Nissan to head out. The two boys, Bryan and Chris, were full of chatter, talking up a storm with mom and dad about what they planned to do: hiking, rock climbing, and exploring the area and the parks. Mom and Dad were trying to keep up with the boys, listening to their plans to be sure it all sounded safe and interjecting some boundaries on how far they could go and when they would have to be back and check-in.
As they were traveling past Ellensburg, Buzz noticed the charge level was down farther than it should be, and he kind of remembers the cable plug being warmer than usual when he unplugged earlier that morning. A bit later, "Maybe it didn't get a full charge?" Buzz quips. So, Debbie did some quick internet checking on her phone and found that this means the charger plug at home may have a defect. Buzz still thinks they can make it no problem, but mom is worried. As they climb the mountain pass to get closer to the Wenatchee area, the charge level starts dipping faster and getting too low as the cold weather, heavier load, and climbing a pass are chewing up a lot of kilowatts.
Suddenly, Dad realizes they won't make it to the top to coast down the other side and generate some electricity. He pulls over and turns on the flashers and checks his phone reception. His good buddy Stan knows a whole lot about Electric vehicles & trucks, so he gives him a call to go over the situation.
"Stan, we have a little predicament here," Buzz says and elaborates further. Stan totally understands what happened and why it's going on, and he has an idea. Stan knows that it is possible for Compound Electric Hybrid trucks that travel the highways also to have the ability to plug into. "Buzz," he says, "I'll call you right back." Stan makes a distress request on his "Mercury Sky" truckers' convoy app to connect with truckers in that area that are driving Compound Electric Hybrid trucks. And sure enough, Chip is driving Big Tess, a Zero Emissions - Compound Electric Hybrid that was heading that way and would be close to their position in about 15 minutes.
"Buzz, I've got good news for you," Stan says. "Chip, a good buddy who drives a semi-truck with Compound Electric Hybrid is heading your way, and he can charge you up. Can you pull over to a passing area where he can be beside you?" Buzz is so grateful, "you are a lifesaver Stan!" he says. "Let Chip know we will be just after mile marker 160, and 4-way flashers going in our Nissan Leaf pulled over there." Making it to this spot 1/2 mile up the road, they sit there and wait for Chip and Big Tess to show up.
As they wait for Chip to arrive, Mom keeps the boys entertained by playing a game of "I Spy." Despite their good spirits, the boys are incredibly excited at the prospect of seeing a big semi-truck that can charge up their car. Eventually, Big Tess pulls up alongside them, and Chip quickly gets to work. He has all the necessary cable adapters and can generate up to 150KW, so the Schneiders will be back on the road in just ten minutes, with enough energy to reach a charging station in Leavenworth.
Meanwhile, Chip takes Bryan and Chris on a tour of his truck, showing them the inside of the cab and the battery packs underneath. He explains the Infinitely Variable Transmission that makes this Compound Electric Hybrid possible, and the boys are so fascinated that they now want to become truck drivers themselves!
