# Bob\_Blaylock hates Electric Vehicles and was happy to highjack a thread about it **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 13, 2024, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798 "2024-03-13T00:22:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/141 "2024-03-14T14:04:00Z")
Fast versus slow charging isn’t the issue from what I have been reading as a brand new Tesla owner. The way to preserve battery life is to only charge to 80% in general. Only charge to the max if you are taking a long trip and need the range. Try not to let it get to below 20%. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/142 "2024-03-14T14:13:58Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Anyone know how much it degrades the battery to do supercharging all of the time instead of just occassionally? Studies show that fast charging is not bad for the batteries. I linked to several studies via this Blog. [Does DC Fast Charging Damage EV Batteries? - EVESCO](https://www.power-sonic.com/blog/fast-charging-battery-life/#:~:text=The%20findings%20revealed%20no%20significant,lead%20to%20notable%20battery%20degradation). The Lead-Acid batteries did have this issue and I think the NiMH did also but the Lithium Ion batteries do not seem to suffer this issue. That blog also has 6 sound best practices. I think 1 & 6 are the most important: _(Not quotes)_ **1:** Try to keep the charge between 20% & 80%. Full charges for long trips or if you’re afraid you’ll lose power due to a storm. **6:** Try to charge off-hours to get the cheaper rates. Typically this is overnight. Check with your power company. I’ll add, some people are beginning to use their EV cars as a battery backup system for their home. So consider a bidirectional charger if doing a new install. > [Electric car batteries hold](https://environmentamerica.org/texas/resources/can-i-power-my-house-with-an-electric-car/#:~:text=Electric%20car%20batteries%20hold%20an,and%20can%20provide%20more%20power.) [an average of 69.5 kilowatt hours](https://ev-database.org/cheatsheet/useable-battery-capacity-electric-car) (kWh) of energy, enough to provide back-up power to an average U.S. household for two days. I took too long to find my cites and **hajario** ninja’d one of my points. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/143 "2024-03-14T14:24:17Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I got a pi tattoo back when I was in college. Is it done yet? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/144 "2024-03-14T14:30:55Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Is it done yet? Getting the exact value seemed like it was going to take forever, so I got the symbol instead. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/145 "2024-03-14T14:34:42Z")
So your tattoo is just a piece of pi? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/146 "2024-03-14T14:42:57Z")
I was thinking more along the lines of public safety in general; fire trucks might often have the need to operate for long periods without being charged, or in situations where the power is out. Same thing for police cars- I wouldn’t be surprised if they were operated for long periods with the AC going and driving 100-200+ miles a day in the city in normal, everyday operation. Throw in some sort of crisis, and the flexibility offered by ICE looks much more appealing, especially with the speed differential and inflexibility of recharging versus just using the city credit card at the nearest gas station. Look at it this way… how would EVs have done in the Texas 2021 winter storm, where power went out to huge swathes of the state for days on end? That’s the sort of situation where I suspect ICE vehicles have a decided advantage over EVs. Everyday patrolling? Not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/147 "2024-03-14T14:47:25Z")
I agree that, at least as of right now, EVs probably wouldn’t be a good idea for first responders, however: > [@bump](#): > > especially with the speed differential What speed differential is that? I hear the speed/torque thing brought up from time to time, but while electric cars are new(ish), electric motors aren’t. We’re perfectly good at making very powerful motors and I don’t think that’s going to be a limiting factor. Hell, I can spin the wheels on my Kia without much effort. > [@bump](#): > > how would EVs have done in the Texas 2021 winter storm, where power went out to huge swathes of the state for days on end? How were people pumping gas during that time? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/148 "2024-03-14T14:48:13Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > So your tattoo is just a piece of pi? I think he said it was the whole π. But if someone wanted to give me a piece of it in decimal form, I could dig it. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/149 "2024-03-14T14:49:58Z")
Thanks! I still have a hard time getting my mind around this, but I can’t quibble. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/150 "2024-03-14T14:51:01Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > **6:** Try to charge off-hours to get the cheaper rates. Typically this is overnight. Check with your power company. Rates are nearly double for me from 4pm to 9pm. All charger apps are configurable so that charging is only off peak. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/151 "2024-03-14T14:55:23Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > What speed differential is that? I meant speed in filling with gas vs. recharging. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > How were people pumping gas during that time? I don’t think they were, but I’d bet police departments had emergency generators capable of running a gas pump and enough fuel to do that for a long time. The generation infrastructure needed to recharge EVs in that situation is a whole different level. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/152 "2024-03-14T15:03:03Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Rates are nearly double for me from 4pm to 9pm. Your power company probably services primarily suburbia. If they service mix use, the office, school, manufacturing, warehousing and etc. they typically shift the cheaper rates to evenings and pretty much all have cheaper rates after midnight. My company’s reduced rate 8pm to 8am. The other major NJ company is on-peak 2pm to 9pm so kind of like yours. Con-Ed in NYC area of NY is off-peak midnight to 8am. Setting up your charging schedule should be done with your power company’s hourly rate structure. It varies a lot by company. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/153 "2024-03-14T15:05:15Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Setting up your charging schedule should be done with your power company’s hourly rate structure. It varies a lot by company. Our rates are constant all 24 hours, but I think it’s going to change. I’m getting surveys about “what time do you typically charge your EV?” and “Would you modify your schedule for cheaper rates?” I’d be happy to. In fact, I’d do it for free if they told me when they wanted me to charge. I assume midnight is a safe bet, but you’d think they would just tell me what they prefer. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/154 "2024-03-14T15:14:35Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Our rates are constant all 24 hours, but I think it’s going to change. I’m getting surveys about “what time do you typically charge your EV?” and “Would you modify your schedule for cheaper rates?” I’d be happy to. In fact, I’d do it for free if they told me when they wanted me to charge. I assume midnight is a safe bet, but you’d think they would just tell me what they prefer. All of that is the same for me, except I don’t know that they are considering varied pricing. But, if they would ask me to charge our EV from 9PM-6AM (or whatever), I’d be happy to do it right now, even with pricing the same 24/7. Update - Just checked their website and I found this: Most EV charging can be done overnight. Whenever possible, this is the best time to charge as it utilizes the electric grid in the most efficient way. I’m going to start doing this. Thanks for putting the thought in my head. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/155 "2024-03-14T15:15:25Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I think he said it was the whole π. But if someone wanted to give me a piece of it in decimal form, I could dig it. And previously, getting ink would be looked down upon. But now it’s so mainstream you could almost say that pi’s are square. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/156 "2024-03-14T15:39:08Z")
> [@bump](#): > > fire trucks might often have the need to operate for long periods without being charged, or in situations where the power is out. Mesa FD just got a fully electric fire truck. The first in AZ, but not the first in the country. They love it. The union is fully behind it. The thing about fire trucks, they sit around a lot. And they leave the engine running. Lung damage to firefighters from the diesel exhaust is actually a bigger hazard than the average fire. So for the majority of calls, such as EMT responses, the truck just sits there, not putting out pollution. The truck can pump for four hours on the charge. > **[Mesa Fire Department debuts fully electric fire truck](https://www.azfamily.com/2024/01/04/mesa-fire-department-debuts-fully-electric-fire-truck/)** > > The charge lasts roughly four hours, allowing firefighters to respond, fight fires, and return to the firehouse — all on electric power. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/157 "2024-03-14T15:42:33Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Mesa FD just got a fully electric fire truck. The first in AZ, but not the first in the country. They love it. The union is fully behind it. For a truck that also sits idle most of the time, inside a garage, it seems ideal to convert to EV. Around here, they don’t have to travel far for calls. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/158 "2024-03-14T15:47:49Z")
The OP’s use case is one where an EV truly is NOT the right answer… yet. And this is why internal combustion engines need to remain for a while yet. My daughter lives in a building with no charger; she’d like to get an EV (well, first she needs to get her license!) but like the OP, it just would not be practical. Last time we visited, we actually saw a power cord running to a car from the downstairs neighbor’s window, but my daughter does not have a window on that side, so that’s no help. Even a PHEV wouldn’t do for the OP, yet (and even if he had a charger at home, a PHEV wouldn’t get him all the way to work and back). The pit topic really ought to be not EVs per se, but the lack of infrastructure to support them. There’s no point in pitting an entire category of vehicles just because they don’t meet your own needs. PHEVs didn’t come in a form factor we needed, last time we car-shopped, but I’m not pitting them. Hell, low-slung, noisy, goes-too-fast sports cars utterly SUCK in my mind, but I don’t pit them. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/159 "2024-03-14T15:48:01Z")
Yes, that’s the thing about contingency planning. You can plan for all possible emergencies, but mostly we don’t. It becomes increasingly expensive to plan and be prepared for the rare situations that may only come up once a decade or even once every few years. So, if that works for them 99.9% or 99.99% of the time, maybe that’s fine and they have to live with the 0.1% of the time it doesn’t. Or wherever they set their bar. And it’s not like they’re replacing their entire fleet of vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/160 "2024-03-14T15:51:42Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > My daughter lives in a building with no charger I have a niece that lives in Seattle. She has a pure EV and lives in an apartment that has no charging. Her commute isn’t long so a charge lasts her quite a while. When she goes grocery shopping, she plugs in to the EV charging station in the lot (I’ve noticed them in Fred Meyers and other large shopping center lots) and it’s ready by the time she is done. She loves the car (it’s a Kia) and wouldn’t go back to an ICE. It can be done with no home charging possible. You don’t save as much money, but it’s possible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798.md?page=9)