Drained Tesla Model S Being Charged By BYD PHEV Shows How EVs Can Help Each Other

Running out of battery is one of the biggest reason of anxiety for electric vehicle users. The stakeholders in the EV industry, however, are trying to find ways around it. On such way is vehicle-to-vehicle charging, a solid example of which was recently seen in China.

An electric sedan owner had run out of charge in her car in China. The owner¡¯s car was then charged by another electric car using vehicle-to-vehicle charging to make it start. Interestingly enough, both the electric cars in this situation were different.

While the one with the drained battery was Tesla Model S, the other one was BYD Song PRO DM. The lady seen in a traditional qipao in the images pulled over her Tesla Model S and a while later, a BYD Song PRO DM with dealership plates stopped and offered a charge.

While most of us are aware of the Tesla Model S, the BYD Song PRO DM seen in the images is a plug-in hybrid with a 15.7 kWh battery and a range of 81 km on battery alone.

The small yet capable battery of the Song PRO DM PHEV was able to charge the Tesla Model S just enough to let it reach the nearby charging station. It should, however, be noted that the cars took around 2 hours for the same.

This is because vehicle-to-vehicle charging is currently possible only at a slow rate of about 2KW.

The underlying issue that the incident highlights is different though. It can be observed how people are still in the habit of driving IC engine cars with an option of refuelling at almost every other turn. Battery electric vehicles need a bit more planning than this and should be charged appropriately before the intended trip begins. Or the balance charge should be measures just right to let the car reach the nearest charging station for charging.

Tesla Model S being charged via BYD PHEV (Image: Facebook/ CarNewsChina)

The silver lining in this case turns out to be the vehicle-to-vehicle charging that made the Model S run after its batteries had been depleted. With this incident as an example, it is easy to say that as the number of EVs on the roads of a region increase, the interconnected network formed will make sure that no electric car gets stranded due to a lack of charge.

A holistic approach is being taken by EV OEMs to ensure this. While charging stations and home charging equipment have already become the primary sources for charging EVs, companies are identifying other areas wherein EVs can benefit with a charge. Volkswagen, for instance, imagines car parking lots to be a great place to do so, with the help of some robots. Here is how.