Have they had blackouts due to people charging their EVs? I'm trying to separate fact from keyboard speculation.
Tesla Free Thanksgiving Charging in CA
- Thread starter JeffKeryk
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They've had blackouts without EV charging making the situation worse. Cali's grid is hardly what one would call "world class". That's going to need to be addressed before significant EV penetration takes place. Places like Quebec are significantly better positioned to accommodate EV adoption expansion.
Hmmm.... I just added 15 gallons of 91 octane fuel to my Jaguar to bring the tank from just past 1/4 up to the full mark. It cost $76,50 and I am averaging 24.2 MPG if I accumulate some freeway miles (actually just over 27 MPG if all freeway miles) on a tankful and about 16 MPG city mileage.
$10-$12 in equivalent electricity cost would make me think it is 1986 again. When Tesla introduces a sexy 4 place sport coupe in the $50-$60k price range I am going to have a serious thought about becoming an owner. Especially if the cost of solar panels comes down. My home is in an ideal location for a solar electricity system but right now the break even point is too many years away.
I used to say that. But every year you wait on a solar project is another year further away from break even. I got a tax credit of 30% of my solar project which included a new roof. My PG&E bill for electricity was $2.50 last month. Usually it is about $9. I pay to be connected to the grid. I love my solar panels!
I'm averaging about .25C a KWH all in with the added line items and nonsense on the bill.
So a half charge (40 KWH) at my house would be 10 bones or more like 11 bones with charging losses.
Superchargers are currently cheaper.
I drove Hwy 58 and I15 to Las Vegas yesterday. Every Tesla station was packed
The grid here is more fragile than most.
Cali had a few hot days last year causing rolling black outs between 5 and 9 PM.
Where I live we get these plus what they call PSPS public safety power shutoffs on dry windy days becuse of fire concerns.
When the power is out you cant charge OR pump gas unless its a freeway truck stop that has its own generators- rare.
There were a few places that had a crunch - the madonna inn was the one most widely publicized.
Couple of detours at the time made that station a focal point, it is enormously popular anyway.
If you showed up at the madonna inn at lunch time expecting to get a charge or a seat at the restaurant good luck.
If that was anyones plan - they chose poorly.
Try showing up at costco tonight at 5PM to fuel up. People will wait in line for an hour to save 10C.
Telsa lowers the charge time to 20 minutes to keep people moving during these periods so poeple aren't camping for long.
None of that at gasoline stations. Get in, fill up and go.
Plus, you get the amount of gasoline you want, not what the oil company decides for you.
California’s infrastructure has many issues now and in the future.
Short term - supercharger/EV support is limited and long charge times compound this issue. California is huge. The distances are immense and the ability to charge outside of your home is critical. It simply hasn’t penetrated far enough to be ready for a wholesale shift to EV. I’m talking about the literal end-user charging structure. I’d have to dig up average refueling times, but as a whole fossil fuel stations move traffic through much quicker. Look at the footprint required for Tesla’s supercharger stations. The equivalent FF station needs to be much smaller to accommodate the same demand.
Long term - California’s electric grid is failing at current demand levels. Environmental regulations and budget issues prevent even simple repairs or upgrades from happening within reasonable timeframes. Money that could go to core grid upgrades has been funneled to renewable projects that often don’t produce during peak demand. On top of that we’ve decommissioned power sources before reliable and capable replacements were in place.
All of this is what happens when something as critical as an energy grid is lead by political whim du jour.
This kind of thing is literally my job.
EV is the probable future - but we are really forcing a square peg into a round hole with zero regard for the mess we make in the process.
Edit: the thing most frustrating with California is that it’s never the wealthy left coast folks who catch the brunt of these issues - it’s always the poor, the interior, and the marginalized. Those folks don’t have the money to virtue signal.
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After spending the first 50 years of my life in California-I would agree. With all due respect-those of us of who have left and never looked back have a mantra; "California-you never know how bad it sucks until you leave".
And yea-EVs are the future regardless of those who are "kicking and screaming" on BITOG.
Mostly.
Gas stations are almost all open, but major holidays sees fuel supply issues at some chains, and lines at times as well.
You will wait in line at costco today and at other times you will wait on the road at busy trucks stops.
True you can put in as much as you want when its your turn.
Its true that major holidays present a challenge for EV's, but aside from a few choke points its mostly no problem.
What you cannot do with a gasoline powered car is start everyday at home with a full "tank" unless you hoard fuel - where the wall provides 99%+ uptime.
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EVs are not for everyone.
EVs are different than ICE cars, not matter how much people expect them to be.
Teslas are different in other ways as well, no matter how bad people want them to be like other cars.
EVs are different than ICE cars, not matter how much people expect them to be.
Teslas are different in other ways as well, no matter how bad people want them to be like other cars.
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Ahhh, so you get "market" rate I suspect, while they charge you retail. Have they completely done away with net metering?
This was predictable and in Australia, they've actually started rejecting/curtailing consumer solar because at times there is too much of it. Grids are a balancing act and everybody was all hot and horny over getting paid to put power on the grid but that's presented obstacles to stability and FCAS and now the organizations responsible for ensuring there is reliable and abundant power and having to impose limits and regulation.
Every one has sufficient infrastructure if you price it so high people refuse to use it. However if you sell your car with "free" energy then everyone will expect you to deliver the promise.
California has grid problem back in Enron days too, not related to clean energy, purely deregulation related.
It "depends". Typically early adopter get tax credit as usual but they pay more for early tech that aren't as good as the later more advanced tech.
Just like the early hybrid days, Pruis 1 wasn't that great, was expensive, but you get carpool lane access. Prius 2 got much better and cheaper but you get less incentive and you have to compete for the carpool lane access with more hybrid. Today you get no incentive for hybrid but it is much better, with known battery reliability, and it is way cheaper than earlier hybrids.
Same for solar, the panels are getting cheaper and better, and of course, the incentive is lowered.
I did the math; solar is a no brainer for me. I am 3 years into solar and love it. Last month I paid under $3 for electricity; usually I pay around $9.
I got 30% off the solar project, including a new roof with the Federal Tax Credit. I should have these stupid low rates for the next 20+ years.
The Tesla gets me to break even faster.
And I got the newest LG panels and Enphase inverter.
I love my solar. You snooze you lose.
That's the thing, you 'need a new roof' anyways. Mine is Spanish Tile and it would be foolish for me to get a "new roof".