Redrant: If I wanted a conversion I would build or buy a Ford Ranger electric car conversion and mount a gas or diesel generator in the box. The Ford Ranger conversion is the most popular electric car in the USA costing (new) anywhere between $20K for a 40 mile range and $40K for a 200 miles optimal range. The gas tank is removed and the spacious area under the cargo box is used for high end lead deep-cycle batteries. Far cheaper than lithium. You could mount a diesel or gasoline generator set in the front of the cargo box.
If you look, a lot of work trucks have auxiliary engine on them. If your electric Ranger runs low on juice and you "just happen" to have a genset in the cargo box, Oh! let's say a 25 HP 1800 RPM diesel generator you might figure out some way to plug it into your electric vehicle.
The Ford Ranger/Mazda B pickup (identical except for trim) assembly plant is located a couple of miles from my Minneapolis, MN, USA house so I am very interested in this all. Currently Rangers (Mazdas) have to be sent from the Twin Cities to Ohio where they are converted to battery electric. They sell the engines and such. If Ford could sell them "pre-stripped" this should reduce the price a couple thousand dollars. If the highly capable Ranger assembly plant could make the electric version that would save another couple of thousand.
If the Ford assembly plant could install and integrate the cargo box gensets this would save thousands of dollars more. This could give new life to the Ranger assembly plant (in my neighborhood) now scheduled to close in 2011 new life.
The problem is product liability. Thus the "tragic charade" where the conversion needs to be done piecemeal. For some reason I can't fathom the hybrid, electric, etc cars are designed for those with little if any mechanical knowledge or skills. This is definitely a political decision so the elite can use them and report they "work swell!". Real adaption works best with the "motorheads" who figure out how to make it work.
Anyway, if Ford could assemble a commercial electric with genset Ford Ranger at the Twin Cities plant the plant would be humming years into the future. With removal of legal liabilities this would cost little if anything versus billions for the GM Volt BS.
In case you are wondering about using electric Ford Rangers to avoid paying road taxes my answer is GPS on the generator. You can use untaxed dyed fuel and have GPS calculate static versus moving fuel consumption. There can be a button for non mobile use. This can be audited. Not difficult!
I figure a "good" Ranger" conversion will have a 10KW generator set. Show up in a neighborhood after a storm with a 10K genset, you will be a hero even if the electricity you meter you tell them costs a quarter per kilowatt hour. If you keep AC, washers and dryers off of it this could power square block with essential power. in the middle of writing this I checked godaddy.com and RangerAngels.com was available so I spent $8 registering it.
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