When can I charge my 2 electric cars? Shouldn’t that be on the list? Uses 10X more power than the 3 of these things combined. Just sayin with Peace and Love 
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If they are Tesla, then they have programming to know when to charge without overstressing the grid. Not sure if other EVs have the same tech.
Of course, if you’re not driving all over the place in the heat, shouldn’t be an issue. And even then, the strain on the grid due to EVs is minor compared to the extra strain from ACs.
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Oh wow, that’s great to know! The power companies around here never really mention EVs in their “what not to do” power grid warnings, even though we do have tons in the area, from both residents (we have a Tesla Store) and tourists.
But yeah, they’re super fussy about AC temps and run times… 
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Let’s step into reality when it comes to EV’s. I know some of you don’t like this conversation and others may not want this on this forum but I think it’s important to think / talk about it as we consider our future.
The avg EV uses 11.3 Kilowatt hours per day to charge. The damage done to the planet mining for the materials in terms of diesel exhaust output and land stripping far exceeds any benefit for the planet. The equivalent output is = to driving an avg internal combustion vehicle 100K miles - coincidentally, the avg lifespan of an EV’s battery.
Today, there are 282,000,000 vehicles in the US.
If we converted fully to EV’s - that will add 3.167 BILLION Kilowatt hours of demand to the grid daily.
Doing the math, based on the output of electricity being produced, this isn’t going to work, not even close.
We need other alternatives. EV’s are not the future in their current form.
Hydrogen is what we should be working on IMHO. Exhaust = Oxygen and water.
Do with this post what you may, but do think about it because it’s all factual.
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No doubt that work needs to be done on grid infrastructure; but that’s true even without EVs.
Considering how much infrastructure has been built over the years for gasoline use, the same is possible for electricity. We certainly can’t convert overnight, but over decades, it’s not unreasonable.
Hydrogen certainly has some promise; but it’s simply not as efficient, and comes with its own set of problems. I know that Toyota is still working on Hydrogen cars, and has some infrastructure in California, but I suspect building out a full infrastructure of hydrogen distribution will be at least in the same ball park as the difficulty of building out the power grid; probably worse.
And then you have the people who hear “hydrogen” and think “Hindenberg” and are convinced that it’s not safe. If anything, it’s safer than gasoline (if for no other reason, spills auto clean-up). But many people can’t get past a poorly formed fear about it.
I suspect that in another 20 years or so, the idea of buying a gas powered car will be about like buying a film camera or getting a landline phone is now; there will be reasons, but not the norm. But I have a terrible track record for making predictions.
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In 20 years I want my trash to fuel my time machine, thanks
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And has for literally decades. I need to dig more into this to understand why this hasn’t happened yet. Same infrastructure concerns in terms of refueling stations. I don’t know enough about producing the supply needed to make it a viable choice.
Also wondering what happens in the winter on the roads when it’s below 32F when all this water is coming out of tailpipes. LOL Slip and slide an issue?
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I’m not so sure that Nisha would entirely agree with that assessment…
Despite any shin-kicking that you may’ve endured over your long years together, your better half quite demonstrably agrees that your prediction that y’all WERE compatible when you wooed her was a sound take on the prospects, n’est-ce pas?
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The current generation of EVs are limited by batteries that are not up to snuff. Wait a bit, there are astounding developments in battery technology that have me maintaining DeVolvo (a 2004 V70 wagon) in wait for the day when the next generation of EVs hit the market. Remember, the least impact on the planet is to maintain and keep driving what you already own as long as you can.
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This is true
I support many options, and also remember, the more non Gas/Diesel fuel vehicles on the road, the LESS of a demand there is for said fuels, and thus should drive prices down.
Gas & Diesel are not going anywhere anytime soon, and are not being outlawed.
I can’t wait for my Mr Fusion!
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My personal favorite:
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I will not argue in opposition to the other flaws mentioned for EVs.
I have a friend who is a retired engineer who worked for a manufacturer of process control computer systems. He developed systems, managed development, and served as their “firefighter” for troublesome system problems in the field.
He is on his fourth EV.
He has made money on two of the first three.
The first was a Chevy Bolt which GM bought back for its sticker price. Every knows of its flaws. He got to keep the rebates and the state tax credit.
The second which was fully functional, was a Nissan Leaf, off lease it cost him $99/mo. Nobody wanted them used. He got a state tax credit on it. It worked.
The third was a middle equipment level Mustang Mach E. It had dramatic software bugs which caused significant safety issues. Ford could not fix it because they lacked the software talent. The control software had been developed by a company which sells it and safety systems to car manufacturers. Ford has modified it for this level of equipment and missed some of the software which accessed sensors which were not present on this level of equipment. Ford bought it back, at sticker, kept the rebates and tax credits. There has been no recall.
He now is driving a fully equipped Mustang Mach E. He loves it. Got it for a bargain price. He charges it for free at a State charging station while his wife is at the supermarket. He has always had a lead foot and this vehicle is fast. He does have a fast charger in his garage but chooses not to pay to charge it unless he has to.
The real question is when will there be enough software engineers with the real time computing skills to build reliable EVs.
We have all seen articles on how NHSTA is pursuing Tesla who may have the best software engineers in the auto industry for their bugs.
And the number of autonomous processors in one EV is such that every car is its own cloud. The technical challenges are formidable. (This is one reason why EV repair costs are astronimical. Too many computers to be replaced.)
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On the math alone; it doesn’t make sense - but I think Hybrids are the next wave and if battery technology gets better then EV’s - but right now too many QC issues with Tesla - we’ve had a few in the family
I myself got a hybrid
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I often wonder why there can’t be 4 alternators (1 on each wheel) to recharge the battery as it moves. Guess the drag negates the charging capability of something like that but still makes me wonder why regenerative braking isn’t more widely used.
Some of them are getting upwards of 100MPG now.
Should have been the more widely accepted and pushed next step.
The Mrs. needs a new car soon and it will be a hybrid for sure.
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Net energy loss from drag is my guess.
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We were looking into an EV. The extremely limited EVs available in our area and the lack of infrastructure to support them has made them pretty much a dead item here. Can’t find one … can’t buy one … can’t charge one … but plenty of gas ones … (Texas big oil doesn’t want you to have one).
After dancing around for about a year and a half, we finally decided to split the different and got a Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid. After 3 months of owning it, we are delighted with our choice. Our goal was to be electric around our tiny town but have the flexibility when on the open road. The range on this thing is 400+ miles. We have been to cautious to take it that far on a tank so we fill it up around 250 miles … 5.6 gallons (which is about 45 mpg). It is not a plug in hybrid and regenerates what it needs for EV mode. Most plug in hybrids don’t regenerate so you have to buy both gas and electricity to use it.
We would love to have either an EV El Camino style pickup or the EV VW Bus (they’re already out there … just not in the US yet). Both would be more of a novelty thing and a link to past history. We would suffer through the lack of infrastructure … it would be the pure enjoyment of having one of either.
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I’m loving whoever’s current commercial says, “Electric in town; gas for trips.” It’s so simple and makes good sense. Otherwise, EVs just make me a bit nervous.
I asked Mr Papy about this, and he reminded me that when we were on a trip to San Francisco in 2007 (I had a work conference), we rented a Prius (to tour the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose; yes, it’s haunted, can confirm), which at the time was only available as a hybrid, and it recharged itself: the engine would kick in when the battery was low, both for operation and charging. So while nowadays in our area there are EV charging stations everywhere, we never needed to worry about finding one to “plug up”.
Is this what you mean? 
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I have a Chrysler Pacifica plug in hybrid that I love. It has a small battery that I get about 30 miles on which is enough for all my daily errands, shopping taking kids to school. We let it charge overnight on a level 1 charger. Haven’t seen the point yet in spending $500 for a level 2 that will fully charge in 2 hours.
It takes gas as well and it’s nice for road trips. But we mostly run about 95 percent electric. Best part is I never have to go to a gas station because they are so sketchy around here with homeless. Once in awhile I get gas when I go to Costco. It does do some regen thing with the breaks, I don’t really understand it.
Only downside is it seats 7, I really wanted a minivan that seats 8.
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Yes … this is exactly what ours does …
This depends on where you live … I think there are maybe 6 places in the biggest town near us (27 miles away) where you can charge an EV … Best Buy … a couple of hotels … one car dealership. We wouldn’t want to go spend 30 minutes for a quick charge at any of those places. Once you leave the big town and go back to the rural area … well then you would be on your own with an EV.
On the other hand, my sister has a Tesla in Los Angeles. There are plenty of easy places to plug in if needed.
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