# Electric vehicles, emergencies, and evacuations **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 18, 2017, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-vehicles-emergencies-and-evacuations/796647 "2017-09-18T16:16:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-vehicles-emergencies-and-evacuations/796647/101 "2017-09-26T23:08:26Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > You’re Barking. 4 miles per hr charging is completely unacceptable to most people who use a car. It makes them a prisoner in their own home. 4 miles per hr is perfectly adequate for many people. It means if you drive 40 miles for commuting + errands and get home at 7 pm, your car will be fully charged by 5 am. Our Chevy Volt is even slower at default charging rate (8 amps at 120V, it takes a few presses on the screen to switch it to 12 amp charging mode). Granted, it has a gasoline backup, but we haven’t burnt any gas in it since we bought the car 6 weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-vehicles-emergencies-and-evacuations/796647/102 "2017-09-26T23:11:38Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I seriously disagree with you on a number of things. “Just getting by” is not an acceptable condition people want in their car. Crap happens. Getting stuck in traffic in the heat or cold means having enough energy to get through it and then be able to reroute around it. You still aren’t thinking clearly. In an emergency situation, _your car is already charged_. Because all that matters is what happened the day before, and that was your normal commute. An electric is actually far more desirable in an emergency situation for just this reason. My gas tank may be randomly at any state from full to empty. If an emergency happens and I got unlucky, I have to refuel. That could be tough when a lot of other people have the same problem. On the other hand, even with a slow trickle charge, a long-range electric will basically always be within 10-20% of the peak charge. EVs have another benefit in that they can provide emergency power for the home itself. You wouldn’t want to dry your laundry with one, but they can keep your small appliances and mobile devices going for many days. No need for an extra generator to maintain. ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-vehicles-emergencies-and-evacuations/796647/103 "2017-09-26T23:24:05Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > And as far as what most EV owners do now that represents a wealthy demographic who have garages and the money to upgrade. Think in terms of the full spectrum of future drivers. When batteries meet consumer expectations EV’s will be the major form of personal transport in a very short period of time. That means people on a budget. That means people without a garage. Option B, the one I think is more sensible, is just for the NTSB to tell apartment owners “doesn’t matter what state or local laws are, residents have the right to have a licensed electrician install a level 2 charger”. And then, later, just start requiring that level 2 chargers be installed in the parking lot, same way that they have handicap spots now. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-vehicles-emergencies-and-evacuations/796647/104 "2017-09-27T01:46:37Z")
> [@SamuelA](#): > > Option B, the one I think is more sensible, is just for the NTSB to tell apartment owners “doesn’t matter what state or local laws are, residents have the right to have a licensed electrician install a level 2 charger”. > > And then, later, just start requiring that level 2 chargers be installed in the parking lot, same way that they have handicap spots now. why would they do this when they can just charge the car like they fill their gas tank? The NTSB has ZERO regulatory power over private property. This is pure fantasy on your part. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-vehicles-emergencies-and-evacuations/796647/105 "2017-09-27T01:47:37Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > You still aren’t thinking clearly. In an emergency situation, _your car is already charged_. n. There is no way that is true. on any level. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-vehicles-emergencies-and-evacuations/796647/106 "2017-09-27T01:59:34Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > There is no way that is true. on any level. So… you’re just outright denying that EV owners typically keep their cars more-or-less topped off overnight? ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-vehicles-emergencies-and-evacuations/796647/107 "2017-09-27T01:59:57Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > why would they do this when they can just charge the car like they fill their gas tank? The NTSB has ZERO regulatory power over private property. This is pure fantasy on your part. Right. Fantasy. It’s[not like the Federal government has any say over private property](https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/installing-consumer-owned-antennas-and-satellite-dishes). ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-vehicles-emergencies-and-evacuations/796647/108 "2017-09-27T16:46:47Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > So… you’re just outright denying that EV owners typically keep their cars more-or-less topped off overnight? It depends on the type of emergency. If a disaster strikes in the middle of the day without prior warning - earthquake, tsunami, tornado, nuclear attack, etc - there will be many cars out there that aren’t fully charged. If the disaster is anticipated - e.g. hurricanes - then almost every car will start out fully charged, and there won’t be any fuel shortages leading up to the event either. I thin in general, it’s the latter kind that prompts a long-distance evacuation. (A tsunami definitely requires an evacuation, but getting a few miles inland is generally enough.) We once had a series of tornados cut off power to our city. This happened on a weekday evening, and the total loss of power was not expected. When it became clear we wouldn’t have power for a few days, many drove out of the city seeking the comfort of air-conditioned hotels. If we only had electric cars, we may have had no way to get out of the city. Then again, this wasn’t exactly an emergency, it was just a matter of toughing it out for a few days without electricity. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-vehicles-emergencies-and-evacuations/796647/109 "2017-09-27T17:31:47Z")
Which goes back to the idea that you could use something like Tesla’s Camper Mode and draw off your EV if you are going to be at home without power for a few days. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-vehicles-emergencies-and-evacuations/796647.md?page=5)