Where is the Electricity going to come to charge EVs ?

[JeffKeryk]

How is your bill only $9 a month? Even if you have a massive solar array and power wall I figured the connection fee to the grid would cost more? That's a great deal obviously, is this the case for many other people?

I pay $15 per month to be connected to the PG&E grid. I have no battery (Powerwall). There are other adjustments that bring it down a little.
I have a yearly true up; so far my true up has been zero. I bought more solar than what was recommended, just in case. Glad I did because there are horror stories of people under-buying and ending up with surprises.

 

[K.Aoi]

Will they output enough heat to maintain the setpoint at that temp?

I mean, my single-stage Trane XB 15 will work at 5F, it just won't heat the house any warmer than 60F (at that 5F outdoor temp) without aux heat (and my house is way better insulated and air sealed than the average house in this area).

A lot of the modern models can yes, at least a substantial percentage. Here's a recent video on the topic

 

[64bawagon]

The power company has been humping my leg for 3 yrs to put an interruptible service on my house and last year implemented a noon to 7 PM rate increase due to demand but somehow I am supposed to believe that adding our transportation system to an already insufficient system thats not robust enough for todays demands ? No Thanks, I aint buying it.

 

[OVERKILL]

I don't know much about the Prius, except they sold a ton of them around here. Toyota knows their hybrids!
I am guessing they are automatic transmissions, maybe CVT? I imagine there is an efficienct hit getting that energy to the ground.

Kind of. The Prius works a bit more like a diesel/electric locomotive (though not exactly), here's what the power unit looks like:

There's a great Wiki on it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_Synergy_Drive

Toyota's HSD system replaces a normal geared transmission with an electromechanical system. An internal combustion engine (ICE) delivers power most efficiently over a small speed range, but the wheels need to be driven over the vehicle's full speed range.

*snip*

An HSD vehicle will typically run the engine at its optimal efficiency whenever power is needed to charge batteries or accelerate the car, shutting down the engine entirely when less power is required.

Like a CVT, an HSD transmission continuously adjusts the effective gear ratio between the engine and the wheels to maintain the engine speed while the wheels increase their rotational speed during acceleration. This is why Toyota describes HSD-equipped vehicles as having an e-CVT (electronic continuously variable transmission) when required to classify the transmission type for standards specification lists or regulatory purposes.

It's apparently extremely efficient, and the engine is always operated in its most efficient range.

 

[OVERKILL]

That includes a new roof. There is no doubt the subsidies played a part in my decision.
Same with the Tesla.

And that's the issue, these systems receive a lot of "assistance" which increases costs elsewhere.

 

[OVERKILL]

I think it will go beyond that. The flex times will become permanent. Smart meters will enforce the idea.

Yep, and it works both ways. That's what Australia has done with rooftop solar now. They can reject output on more modern installs, essentially cutting off supply, and thus revenue, for these folks.

 

[Silver]

Name a car with a V8 from the 90's that got close to 30mpg. I don't remember any. The big difference is probably the safety aspect of it. Side impact protection, air bags, ABS etc all added extra weight.

If you do a search, there's basically two cars that come close at 26/28 mpg on the highway, there's no car that even comes close on the combined cycle.

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Pow...ge=&tCharge=&startstop=&cylDeact=&rowLimit=50

And there's actually one car in the last 10 years that gets 30 mpg on the highway with a V8.

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Pow...ge=&tCharge=&startstop=&cylDeact=&rowLimit=50

So you're wrong on both counts.

Sorry I'm going by real world experience, not internetz. '95 Camaro z28 6 speed, '89-mid 2000's fullsize GM's with the 5.7. This is limited to my personal experiences, so surely I'm not the only person on the globe to have miraculously ended up with the only two lines of vehicles that could get close to 30. I just don't think of myself as a lucky person in that regard.

To your point not city driving and takes some light throttle, but 30 years ago? Even a 20 mpg fullsize V8 vehicle will make a logical person question why we haven't come further. Come on, we should be over that hump easy without all the trickery. Those that have had experience with the above era GM's in particular know today's mpg ratings don't make sense.

And there's a lot more plastic on vehicles now where metal was decades ago, and far more advanced tuning. I mean vehicles are now being mortgaged and in some aspects perform worse than they did.

Sorry you're inexperienced on both counts.

 

[K.Aoi]

The power company has been humping my leg for 3 yrs to put an interruptible service on my house and last year implemented a noon to 7 PM rate increase due to demand but somehow I am supposed to believe that adding our transportation system to an already insufficient system thats not robust enough for todays demands ? No Thanks, I aint buying it.

Well our power grid is in desperate need of being modernized and upgraded anyway, so again, "don't let perfect be the enemy of good".

 

[JeffKeryk]

And that's the issue, these systems receive a lot of "assistance" which increases costs elsewhere.

Isn't that generally true of all subsidies, bailouts, etc?

By the way, TSLA is up $53 today... Why did I buy that stupid car when I shoulda bought stock?

 

[K.Aoi]

Sorry I'm going by real world experience, not internetz. '95 Camaro z28 6 speed, '89-mid 2000's fullsize GM's with the 5.7. This is limited to my personal experiences, so surely I'm not the only person on the globe to have miraculously ended up with the only two lines of vehicles that could get close to 30. I just don't think of myself as a lucky person in that regard.

To your point not city driving and takes some light throttle, but 30 years ago? Even a 20 mpg fullsize V8 vehicle will make a logical person question why we haven't come further. Come on, we should be over that hump easy without all the trickery. Those that have had experience with the above era GM's in particular know today's mpg ratings don't make sense.

And there's a lot more plastic on vehicles now where metal was decades ago, and far more advanced tuning. I mean vehicles are now being mortgaged and in some aspects perform worse than they did.

Sorry you're inexperienced on both counts.

And you got 30mpg in those vehicles by driving how fast? 55mph? 45?

 

[64bawagon]

Reinforcing my long held theory that men will lie about measuring 2 things, one of them is MPG.

 

[Shel_B]

I believe you have. Substantiate yourself when the heat wave comes and they again tell you to not charge, Californian

You have a myopic view of the big picture, focusing on a small part of the overall situation. Your thinking is in the past, your vision is rearward focused.

It seems many naysayers want everything now, and don't seem to acknowledge that this move to electric and alternative energy is an evolving process. Tomorrow will be better, and next week, better yet.

They scoffed at the Wright Brothers, and now we're headed to Mars and living in space; Edison tried to halt electricity's progress, but he was run over by the ideas and skill of Westinghouse; Nikola Tesla was considered by some to be a madman, now we're driving around in cars that carry his name.

 

[K.Aoi]

You have a myopic view of the big picture, focusing on a small part of the overall situation. Your thinking is in the past, your vision is rearward focused.

It seems many of you naysayers want everything now, and don't seem to acknowledge that this move to electric and alternative energy is an evolving process. Tomorrow will be better, and next week, better yet.

They scoffed at the Wright Brothers, and now we're headed to Mars and living in space; Edison tried to halt electricity's progress, but he was run over by the ideas and skill of Westinghouse; Nikola Tesla was considered by some to be a madman, now we're driving around in cars that carry his name.

"But sometimes" and "it's not a perfect solution so it's bad" are the favorite excuses

 

[ArrestMeRedZ]

Actually, he said close to 30. In my 2002 Camaro Z28 M6 I tried and tried to hit 30 mpg. Couldn't do it. Best was 29 by not going over 75 mph. Normal highway was 27 to 28 mpg with a max speed of 9 over the 70 mph limit.
Could I have hit 30 mpg at 55 mph? The question is moot. Like Sammy Hagar, I was not capable of driving 55.

 

[Silver]

And you got 30mpg in those vehicles by driving how fast? 55mph? 45?

Flat country roads mostly. Speed limits typically 55, 55-60 average. Not expected values (obviously, based on the lack of experience), just like one would not expect a 2022 to be below 30.

 

[Silver]

Reinforcing my long held theory that men will lie about measuring 2 things, one of them is MPG.

And their real world experience.

 

[Silver]

Actually, he said close to 30. In my 2002 Camaro Z28 M6 I tried and tried to hit 30 mpg. Couldn't do it. Best was 29 by not going over 75 mph. Normal highway was 27 to 28 mpg with a max speed of 9 over the 70 mph limit.
Could I have hit 30 mpg at 55 mph? The question is moot. Like Sammy Hagar, I was not capable of driving 55.

Consider an LS1 or better yet an LT1 with better low end torque in, say, a front wheel drive midsize sedan. 4th gen Camaros were heavy. Seriously, such a setup could probably out-mpg a 2022 Accord V6.

 

[alarmguy]

Sorry I'm going by real world experience, not internetz. '95 Camaro z28 6 speed, '89-mid 2000's fullsize GM's with the 5.7. This is limited to my personal experiences, so surely I'm not the only person on the globe to have miraculously ended up with the only two lines of vehicles that could get close to 30. I just don't think of myself as a lucky person in that regard.

To your point not city driving and takes some light throttle, but 30 years ago? Even a 20 mpg fullsize V8 vehicle will make a logical person question why we haven't come further. Come on, we should be over that hump easy without all the trickery. Those that have had experience with the above era GM's in particular know today's mpg ratings don't make sense.

And there's a lot more plastic on vehicles now where metal was decades ago, and far more advanced tuning. I mean vehicles are now being mortgaged and in some aspects perform worse than they did.

Sorry you're inexperienced on both counts.

Until lithium batteries are replaced with something better such as solid state. I can see gasoline vehicles becoming a "status symbol"
You can drive wherever you want without a fear of recharging.
Im only half kidding about status symbol, every American family with a home will have at least one gas powered vehicle, if they dont that would lack some status not being able to take to the open road without the inconvenience of having to recharge a vehicle. Im only talking about the next 10 to 15 years or so ... again, solid state batteries that can be recharged in minutes will hold the key, lithium powered vehicle's will be obsolete.
For this reason I dont see our electric grid collapsing anytime soon but its going to need some MAJOR investment to get it up to par.

I mean, the electric car has been around 100 years, nothing much has changed.

 

[OVERKILL]

Isn't that generally true of all subsidies, bailouts, etc?

By the way, TSLA is up $53 today... Why did I buy that stupid car when I shoulda bought stock?

Absolutely.

 

[SevenBizzos]

Wind and solar. Duh.