Texas Plans EV Chargers Every 50 Miles on Major Highways

[Cujet]

There is always something better. Let's see when so-called solid-state batteries come. Ni-Mn drill batteries seemed as state of the art not so long ago...

SS batteries eliminate as much as 30% of the size and weight. That seems to be the holy grail. But a change from a 1700 pound battery to a 1300 pound battery is not anywhere near good enough to make this work.

I'm of the opinion we understand the limits. In much the same way as there was never a gallon of gas in 2022 that had 4x the energy of gasoline in WW-II

 

[JeffKeryk]

QuantumScape is an interesting Silicon Valley battery pioneer. Viability? I guess we will see.

"QuantumScape developed the industry’s first anode-less cell design, which delivers high energy density while lowering material costs and simplifying manufacturing. Our innovative battery cell technology can store energy more efficiently and reliably than today’s lithium-ion batteries."

 

[OVERKILL]

QuantumScape is an interesting Silicon Valley battery pioneer. Viability? I guess we will see.

"QuantumScape developed the industry’s first anode-less cell design, which delivers high energy density while lowering material costs and simplifying manufacturing. Our innovative battery cell technology can store energy more efficiently and reliably than today’s lithium-ion batteries."

Still a lithium battery though.

Also, the battery still has an anode, it's just made of lithium metal and added after the fact:

 

[Rmay635703]

QuantumScape is an interesting Silicon Valley battery pioneer. Viability? I guess we will see.

"QuantumScape developed the industry’s first anode-less cell design, which delivers high energy density while lowering material costs and simplifying manufacturing. Our innovative battery cell technology can store energy more efficiently and reliably than today’s lithium-ion batteries."

I have moved to consider that place “scammy”

Lots of hype, unwarranted claims and far too much social media presence to drive individuals to invest in them.

Even though I have had little interest in that company they seem to have reps that troll some of my online hangouts with unrealistically enthusiastic people posting about how they are building better batteries than Toyota (even though neither has publicly shown off solid state in any detail )

So yeah, until I can buy one QS is on ignore

 

[JHZR2]

QuantumScape is an interesting Silicon Valley battery pioneer. Viability? I guess we will see.

"QuantumScape developed the industry’s first anode-less cell design, which delivers high energy density while lowering material costs and simplifying manufacturing. Our innovative battery cell technology can store energy more efficiently and reliably than today’s lithium-ion batteries."

Lithium metal, huh? So then we have a class D metal fire when it goes up??? Lovely! Even harder to put out!

 

[Exhaustgases]

In WA state where electricity production is good due to abundant hydro power, the powers to be want to remove dams.

The timing couldn’t be worse.

It kind of explains it all doesn't it? Kinda like food outfits burning down. Every thing is make the problem to fix the problem.

 

[Rmay635703]

For a level 2 charger at home, you can go up to 80 amps but probably just a 40 or 50 amp circuit and you just draw around 30 amps. Which is still workable for a 100 amp service. Typically large demand items would be the dryer (30 amp) and the stove (40-50amps) so if you don't run those while charging, you could probably still do it. If you have some electric central air heating/cooling system, then you might be maxed out at 100. You just have to do a load calculation.

You can have a smart switching circuit that cuts one device for another. Using a scheme like this you can get up to 60 amps out of 100amp service, you just won’t be charging at 60 amps if you turn on the washer, dryer, hot water heater, stove and ac on at the same time.

Funny part is most BEVs won’t charge any faster than 30amps on L2 no matter what you do, they just aren’t equipped for it.

My illegal 40 amp service at my 1860’s home supports “20amp” charging, but I don’t run much and never blow a breaker

It kind of explains it all doesn't it? Kinda like food outfits burning down. Every thing is make the problem to fix the problem.

Sort of like $200b in profit for the oil industry but they are too poor to spend $500m to repair one of the downed refineries without a bailout (let alone the $5b-$10b to build a new one)

 

[Wolf359]

You can have a smart switching circuit that cuts one device for another. Using a scheme like this you can get up to 60 amps out of 100amp service, you just won’t be charging at 60 amps if you turn on the washer, dryer, hot water heater, stove and ac on at the same time.

Funny part is most BEVs won’t charge any faster than 30amps on L2 no matter what you do, they just aren’t equipped for it.

My illegal 40 amp service at my 1860’s home supports “20amp” charging, but I don’t run much and never blow a breaker

I think they might do 32 amps max. Normally you're not supposed to draw more than 75% of the rate load so the wires don't heat up so you never see them pull the full 30 on a 30 amp circuit. But maybe they do the 32 on a 50 amp breaker.

 

[Malo83]

Harris Ranch off of Hwy 198 and Interstate 5 has really picked up, stopped by yesterday to pick up some ribeyes on the way home. The circled area, just about has all the chargers up.

 

[Rmay635703]

I think they might do 32 amps max. Normally you're not supposed to draw more than 75% of the rate load so the wires don't heat up so you never see them pull the full 30 on a 30 amp circuit. But maybe they do the 32 on a 50 amp breaker.

A 100 amp main is normally but not always 100% rated

There are 80% circuits and others rated for full load

EVSEs are strange beasts with some systems demanding very strange amounts of power forcing you to oversize wire.

 

[Vikas]

I have been in DFW and Austin area for couple of weeks. Teslas or even Prius are rare. Someone said Texas has highest number of electrical cars, next to California but my eyeball says otherwise.

 

[supton]

I have been in DFW and Austin area for couple of weeks. Teslas or even Prius are rare. Someone said Texas has highest number of electrical cars, next to California but my eyeball says otherwise.

Highest number could still be miniscule compared the sheer number of total vehicles.

 

[thastinger]

Right now if you search for a used Tesla, the lowest price is over 30k, at least on Cargurus. It will probably be a long while before they hit the sweet spot of this crowd which is probably more like the 5-20k range.

They would be crusher junk by then because the batteries would need to be replaced, and that would cost more than the car is worth.

 

[Wolf359]

They would be crusher junk by then because the batteries would need to be replaced, and that would cost more than the car is worth.

Probably not. Some say that the battery packs could last 15 years and maybe by then, they'd do the same thing that gets done with a Prius, someone removes the battery pack and just rebuilds or replaces the individual packs or batteries that are bad and they continue to use it. So instead of dropping 8k or more for a new battery pack, probably just 1-2k for a repair/replacement of a few batteries/section.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I have been in DFW and Austin area for couple of weeks. Teslas or even Prius are rare. Someone said Texas has highest number of electrical cars, next to California but my eyeball says otherwise.

A little over a year ago I spent some time in Arlington on 4 separate trips.
It ain't the SF Bay Area, but I saw more especially the last time, just a year ago.

 

[Rmay635703]

I have been in DFW and Austin area for couple of weeks. Teslas or even Prius are rare. Someone said Texas has highest number of electrical cars, next to California but my eyeball says otherwise.

That isn’t saying much, FloRida has you beat, most Republicans love TSLA but are afraid to admit it.

Statewide, about 121,500 electric vehicles have been registered — equating to just 0.5% of all 23.68 million vehicles in Texas.Apr 25, 2022

 

[Malo83]

 

[loneryder]

All this stuff comes out of Austin which is a liberal stronghold. Typical government operation. They never think of any consequences of their great ideas.

 

[loneryder]

ERCOT is capitalist anomaly. TX went beyond any sense to “prove” that business is always better way. In reality it is Ponzi scheme to make just a little bit more money.
@OVERKILL explained grid abive and how France does it. Adam Smith in wealth of nations argued that capitalism cannot survive without strong government, as some things are outside means of free market (at that time navies).
Regardless of demand, few weeks back administration had to infuse $6 billion into nuclear sector to beef it up. Let alone to talk some excess capacity. France as we speak is building 4 new nuclear reactors. Government owned. I highly doubt anyone would argue France is not capitalist society.

I thought France shut down their nuclear power plants to go green.

 

[clinebarger]

I can only speak for my own opinion.

Natural gas is not "cheap" in infrastructure and they also explode (see San Bruno pipeline explosion) once in a while. The call 811 before you dig is a real thing and sometimes, not often, they dig into gas pipeline and would burn down the whole neighborhood.

Earthquake fire are probably mostly caused by gas leak after an earthquake, so there's a serious risk there. One time I smell gas around my neighbor's house and called PG&E, they send an emergency crew there within 6 hours and did a midnight shift digging up driveway and replacing the gas pipe, all the way till 3am with a crew of 4. Yeah natural gas is no joke either. Some older apartment building intentionally not pipe natural gas to the kitchen so the range is electric (that's before the induction days), and skip water heater in each unit and opt for landlord paid / central water heating. I suspect it has to do with risk and regulation.

The biggest problem with our grid in NorCal is actually the power line starting fire in the summer season. Sure it may not handle the load if everyone is charging EV but that's something they can build and plan around. If they shut down your whole town because your powerline will cause fire and they can't handle the risk (no bankruptcy, no insurance, no gov taking your risk for you), then the only thing they would do is to cut the whole town out.

Yeah, EV is the last of your worry, and as I mentioned before, EV1 proves that politics is flexible if the technology is not ready.

Natural Gas is what kept my water pipes/sewer pipes from freezing during that cold spell, MANY of my "all" electric neighbors had to have their plumbing redone.....$10,000-$40,000 depending on the house/slab design.

Had 2 old Dearborn's & the Gas Range burning with NO electricity for 6 days.