Posted on 01/30/2022 10:32:05 AM PST by DUMBGRUNT
A gas station-style forecourt isn't necessarily the best option
I’ve always been of the opinion that you should bring EV chargers to the people, rather than asking people to come to the chargers. But admittedly charging hubs aren’t very common, and until very recently they were all too far away to experience first hand.
But at the tail end of last year, Shell opened up its first EV charging hub in Fulham, in West London. It’s still pretty out of the way for me, and the trip involves driving into the heart of the U.K.’s busiest city from nearby Reading. But it’s not so far that I couldn’t check this out for myself, just in case I’ve been totally wrong about EV charging this whole time.
And yes, for those that didn’t know, Shell the oil company is also in the EV charging business. So is BP, which is all really weird to think about.
According to Shell the Fulham hub uses 100% renewable energy, with on-site solar panels contributing around a quarter of its needs.
It was a very painless experience, only really hampered by the fact the price was so high. £0.49 ($0.66). I’m used to rapid chargers being more expensive, but Shell Recharge is the most expensive I’ve ever seen. Back home a rapid charger will cost me £0.30 to £0.35 ($0.40 to $0.47) per kWh, depending on which company’s chargers I’m using. It’s not just London-centric inflation, either, since that is an all-too real problem in the English capital.
According to ZapMap, which lists the vast majority of available chargers, nearby rapid chargers were charging no more than £0.39 ($0.52) per kWh.
(Excerpt) Read more at tomsguide.com ...
“Some of them, guessing most are bored and want to have some fun trolling about EVs.”
That could be.
Toyota may be the alternative for those who seriously don’t want to depend on electricity, it looks like hydrogen is the route they are taking. Both fuel cell and ICE engines powered by H2. And gasoline may be with us for a long time yet.
All home owners know or should know this.
Here's some info for you:
"Charging at 17.2 kW of power on a 240 volt circuit may require a home electrical panel upgrade to 400-amp service. Read more about amperage requirements for Level 2 EV charger installation."
from Tesla:
"The recommended home charging installation for Tesla vehicles is a 240 volt NEMA 14- 50 outlet. This outlet is commonly used for electric ranges and large recreational vehicles. Installed with a 50-amp circuit breaker, this outlet enables a recharge rate of about 25 miles per hour...."
Lots of older home still have 100 Amp service panels. Newer homes often have 200 Amp service. Doubtful that many have remaining capacity for additional 50 Amp circuits.
Consult your local power company for cost of additional service line. As well as a licensed electrician to install an added service center dedicated to EV charging. Don't forget inspection cost and scheduling....not quite the plug and play that you tout.
—”Will partially charging your battery every day of multiple times of day ruin the integrity of the battery like with the phones?”
Don’t know nothing about no Iphones...
Super-fast charging tends to degrade the overall life of a Tesla battery. And the battery technology changes constantly, new and improved perhaps not so much???
—”So the building has 150 units with 2 working people in each unit with cars
And you think 300 110 vav receptacles is simple?”
And they have parking for all of the cars?
Around here you pay $$$ for each extra parking spot.
Without the proper parking sticker, your car will be towed away in the night.
People get into fights about who gets to park in front of the fire hydrant!
I was a Class III electrician and never ran a circuit where the gauge was 10 or smaller (12, and 14). It may be technically legal now but the receptacles nowadays are cheaply built and you can’t always trust the AL/CU terminal ratings or the coatings, couldn’t do it back then, either. I can’t tell you how many times I had to replace aluminum wiring for old AL installations. They’d corrode, heat up and get brittle and just break off at the least bending. Large gauge, twisted strand with NO-OX I used for feeds and sub panels, and where it was feasible, I used copper. Probably prohibitive these days now, though.
—”So you’re on the road and have to stop every 200 miles for 15 minutes to recharge provided you’re able to find a charge station.”
Should you want to wait longer you can add more to the battery.
Pulling in on the big E (EMPTY) and adding the max of ~400 miles will take one hour.
And be careful about the metric conversion so you do not end up like the UNLUCKY/LUCKY guys in the 767 Gimli Glider!
The Board also recommended the immediate conversion of all Air Canada aircraft from Imperial units to metric units, since a mixed fleet was more dangerous than an all-Imperial or an all-metric fleet.
The aluminum building wire available these days is different. It’s an AA8000 series alloy vs the AA1350 alloy they used before which caused so many problems. This is required by the NEC, has been for many years now. And if you look at the jacket of any aluminum building wire made in say the last 40 years, it will say right on it that it’s an AA8000 alloy.
AA1350 alloy is what is still used for outdoor aerial power transmission and distribution wire. It works fine for that application.
Around here, your electric range, heat pump air handler, AC condensing unit, the feeder between the meter and load center, among other things, are all commonly wired with aluminum wire and have been for many years. The only time I’ve seen a range wired with copper around here, it was in a house built in the 1960s.
You do know most coal plants have been extended
That's why I know that most coal plants have NOT been extended.
As usual - wrong about everything.
Yes, every EV fire in history has been listed on Freerepublic!
But 8,000 fires in Fords and EIGHT MILLION FORDS RECALLED...
Not much is said about it?
Medical Detectives (Forensic Files) - Season 7, Episode 41 - Plastic Fire
An elderly Georgia woman dies in a car fire. Police claim Shelia Bryan, the woman’s daughter, is responsible.
I guess it’s still an interesting question. If you set aside the inherent obsolescence of these EV’s. Those batteries are only good for like 10 years before you have to put $20,000USD into a new set.
But say you get 300 miles out of a charge, how much are they paying for a full charge? So I guess that’s Miles Per Kwh? I imagine that a big heavy F150 gets less Mpkw than a tiny smartcar weighs maybe 200lbs.
My house was built in 2003 and everything but the main feed is copper, including the dryer and range. Also have all copper pipes but that’s another story. Bottom line? I just don’t trust it.
“You might be paying $.50 kWh?
Most in the USA do not.”
I’m in Texas and we get our power mostly from FOSSIL FUELS, so yes, very cheap (maybe 10 cents). Unfortunately, soon, that will no longer be the case, so 50 cents per kWh is probably a good number to use for long-term planning, as it provides a starting point for energy storage (although if we ever get the storage levels being discussed, 50 cents will also seem extremely cheap).
How Much Do Electric Vehicles Cost to ‘Fill Up’ Compared With Buying Gasoline?
A 15 city comparison of EV vs ICE costs.
https://archive.vn/AHI2d#selection-335.5-335.83
“ I still not sure why someone hasn’t built a hybrid where the gas motor only powers the battery, and is not part of the drive train. ”
They have. It’s the Honda Insight.
I’ve never seen a problem with it, even where it’s been in place for 40 years.
“Don’t forget inspection cost and scheduling....not quite the plug and play that you tout.”
I was using that as a play on words. My bad. My mistake. I know you need a separate circuit for a charger.
I have a insulated garage in the basement under our garage that is not heated but stays fairly warm and added a ceiling mounted electric heater last year with a thermostat to keep it at a constant temp for my old cars and had to add a new circuit. I wanted to keep the garage 55 degrees or warmer at all times. It hardly ever runs unless it gets really cold.
Thank you both for your responses. I’ve not seen commercials that touted this aspect of the technology.
Let me know when you can charge a battery in the same time you can fill a gas tank.
So you think there will put chargers at every parking space?
Some people can afford it. Most others can’t.
Tesla and most others come with a 110AVC adapter.
No charger needed, simply a live receptacle.
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