Jalopnik: A Huge Chunk Of America Is Getting A New Electric Car Charging Network

Dave9 said:
Have you priced a solar array sufficient in size to recharge an EV? Do you recognize that you don't just need solar panels but also the roof or land area, and sufficient battery array and inverter? That's tens of thousands of dollars, unless only talking about a minimal survival level of ability to drive a few miles per day, which isn't realistic because if the whole area is devastated to the point where you can't even get gas, you'll have to drive even further to get needs met besides your vehicle power needs.

If you don't have room to store 50 gallons of gas, how do you have room to store solar charging batteries and inverter, in your garage since that's where the vehicle is? I guess you can spend even more for a high current long run from that to your inverter.

Overall, a very expensive way to solve a problem that does not exist for most in the US driving ICE vehicles, who do not need to store any reserve gas for their vehicles.

This does not mean that there aren't certain circumstances where an EV would be easier to keep powered, rather that it is a much smaller % of owners and at more cost and less convenience until the power infrastructure doesn't just get the token gesture improvements that power companies are talking about, but instead over 10X that.
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I am not sure you followed news last few weeks, as TX is prime example that in time of great crisis, this "end of the days" preppers really do not get far without infrastructure. FL i think has a mandate where gas stations have to have generating capabilities to keep gas stations running in case grid collapses, but as far as I have seen it is not something that is enforced thoroughly.
Of course solar panels are still expensive, though my neighbor with one car garage has whole roof covered with solar panels. In the end it might be bit safer than to have 50 gallons of fuel sitting in garage during disaster event. Both approaches have downside. My point is that without governmental response to a disaster, you as individual, whether you have ICE or EV, is in limbo. All our life depends on infrastructure that is possible to survive only through effort for which multi agency and multi state effort supported by a federal govt. is necessary. This BS how you will be independent for days by individually preparing for hurricane that blows 155mph in houses built by cheapest bidder, is at best laughable. There is higher probability guy in a boat will come to get you than that you will be making it using your ICE powered vehicle. So, EV's are coming, whether you like it or not (I don't), and our society will not be any less vulnerable to disruptions than it is now. So, that is really not something I would look at when making decisions about purchase, or cyber attacks, while all your finances are prone to those attacks. Do you also stash your money in the pillow?
 
^ You are doing a great job of making my point for me! TX... I'm quite aware, is another reason why EV isn't always practical, and if you think a solar panel will do much with snow and ice on it... you have not owned solar panels in a snowy climate situation.

There's always this "EVs are coming' argument, which I don't disagree with, rather it is the absurd notion that they're going to be in every other home in the next 20 years.

That cannot happen without 10X the infrastructure addions being planned in that time frame. TX being a great example again, that they aren't even keeping up with current needs.
 
When Chevy originally did the research into the volt their data showed something like 80% of the commute base in the US is 42 miles or less.

With lets just say 250 on on a full charge needs are easily met with 110 power or the very occasional trip to a fast charger.
 
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UncleDave said:
When Chevy originally did the research into the volt their data showed something like 80% of the commute base in the US is 42 miles or less.

With lets just say 250 on on a full charge needs are easily met with 110 power or the very occasional trip to a fast charger.
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UD, these numbers assume a static charging envirornment, when in fact it is rapidly expanding.
So your numbers are pretty conservative at best.

My experience was charging our Model 3 was much different than I imagined.
Much more doable. And never going to a gas station is still pretty amazing, even after over 2 years of ownership.

I believe others will find this to be true, especially as charging options evolve, and as the cars evolve.
 
Dave9 said:
Have you priced a solar array sufficient in size to recharge an EV?
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Solar panels are expensive but cost is coming down rapidly. I realize I live in a solar energy bubble because of where I live.
Beyond all the sunshine, electricity costs in CA are among the highest in the nation.

But your post is missing the benefits of installation.
The value of my house has increased. My electricity costs are less than $15 per month.
And I blow the AC like never before.
Charging the Tesla is icing on the cake; it only gets me to the cost break even point faster.
I expect to reach break even in perhaps 4 more years; probably less.

I do not have a battery, but when costs allow, there may be one in my future.
I expect solar installations to spread across the nation as their performance improves and cost continues to drop.
 
JeffKeryk said:
UD, these numbers assume a static charging envirornment, when in fact it is rapidly expanding.
So your numbers are pretty conservative at best.

My experience was charging our Model 3 was much different than I imagined.
Much more doable. And never going to a gas station is still pretty amazing, even after over 2 years of ownership.

I believe others will find this to be true, especially as charging options evolve, and as the cars evolve.
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I alway try to be conservative in these conversations.

Also expanded is the amount of range EV's have especially when driven conservatively - but its hard to keep your foot out of it when its so fun!

UD
 
wemay said:
Jalopnik: A Huge Chunk Of America Is Getting A New Electric Car Charging Network.
jalopnik.com

A Huge Chunk Of America Is Getting A New Electric Car Charging Network

We’ve been jealous of Europe’s burgeoning electric car charging infrastructure for a while now but the U.S. is finally getting some of that sweet, sweet infrastructure of our own with six American utilities across the South and the Midwest announcing a new EV charging network called the...
jalopnik.com jalopnik.com
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Hope you don't take it the wrong way, but you BITOG's news reporter?
 
FPL has been upgrading the lines into Jupiter and Jupiter Farms lately. It's for higher demand. They very thoughtfully block the entire right lane on the main road.
 
PimTac said:
I would guess the majority of homes don’t have the appropriate circuit and panel to set up a charger. Doesn’t it require 220v?
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What homes don’t have 220v?

Homes don’t have three phase high power infrastructure.
 
OVERKILL said:
The US was just recognized as having the highest frequency of power outages of any first world nation, which I thought was interesting. I was working with one of our US execs last week in PA and his power went out twice. One delayed the work until the following day, the 2nd took several hours the 2nd day. Surprising. We might get an interruption here when we have a massive storm, but these are not long-lasting and quite infrequent.
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That is interesting. Knocking on wood, I don’t recall our last power outage, I dont think we even lost it during Sandy, which was pretty damaging. I’m thinking an ice storm many years before that, so not in 10-12 years?
 
JHZR2 said:
That is interesting. Knocking on wood, I don’t recall our last power outage, I dont think we even lost it during Sandy, which was pretty damaging. I’m thinking an ice storm many years before that, so not in 10-12 years?
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the certainty of misery is better than the misery of uncertainty

I only lost power for 2 hours (from a line break) … seeing 3 bucket trucks there in minutes was reassuring
 
PimTac said:
I was talking about a separate 220v circuit to the garage.
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That would be no more than a few hours work for me, and my garage is detached!

Not that tough for an electrician.

And Im sure folks would pay for the "convenience"... People are willing to pay for every other convenience - charging at home sure would be considered a worthy one compared to most things folks spend money they dont have on...
 
4WD said:
I’m waiting for induction charging driveways 😷
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And in the three car garage, because it has to be less thinking. When we stop, we want charging to begin, we are important and have more important things to think about. Like Facebook.
 
Farnsworth said:
And in the three car garage, because it has to be less thinking. When we stop, we want charging to begin, we are important and have more important things to think about. Like Facebook.
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Frankly I think in-garage charging is a pretty bad idea. At least in wooden and attached garages. Maybe not an issue now, but as cells age, they build up gasses, pressure, flammable, conductive mixtures. And the seals on the cells age and degrade.
 
If this were 1962 and someone said we were going to land on the moon, the posts would be "like how are people going to breathe?"

It can be about building a different better future or continuing to roll under the car in the winter for "cheap insurance" oil changes.

In 20 years, some are going to sound like the gasoline powered naysayers in the 191x's and 192x's. while they rode around in their horse and buggy.

EV is an excellent choice for many applications, not all.
 
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