# What are your electric vehicle plans? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 22, 2020, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614 "2020-10-22T18:45:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 39
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/786 "2022-06-16T21:51:26Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > We have two “small” kayaks. They’re 14 feet long. The poster I was responding to had a 6’5" Kayak. No, yours won’t fit of course. There are solutions for those problems, though. For example, a ladder rack: > **[TrailFX Multi-Fit Contractor Ladder Rack - Ford F-150 | AutoEQ.ca Canada](https://www.autoeq.ca/trailfx-ladder-rack-f150?gclid=CjwKCAjwqauVBhBGEiwAXOepkU2-9GOQ9TmbgANhxE7HIlfxIJScTymuLHVPR5W1GN7Y8gRYmxzToRoCGZUQAvD_BwE)** > > TrailFX Contractor Ladder Racks are designed and manufactured with functionality, adjustability, along with a heavy duty carrying capacity as the top priority. Support Up To 1,500 Pounds Loads. Adjustable To Fit Long And Short Bed. TrailFX FCLR001B... Your kayaks will fit on that easily. And you have full access to the bed for all your other gear. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/787 "2022-06-16T22:06:24Z")
The problem with a quad cab truck with a long bed is that it becomes a huge vehicle to manoever around, and will not fit in a typical garage either. A SuperCrew F-150 with an 8’ bed is 24 ft long! A lightning is 19.3 ft long. If you even hope to get it into your garagemfor charging, this is about as large as you want. And given the options available for the rate care of hauling long stuff, I’d never buy a long bed pickup unless I needed to haul long stuff every day, and even then I might rather use a shorter truck with a ladder rack. ---
**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/788 "2022-06-16T22:11:09Z")
I’m waiting for the current craze for battery powered ev’s to end. Hydrogen fuel cells are the future. ([Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) | Toyota Canada](https://www.toyota.ca/toyota/en/electrified/hydrogen-fuel-cell)) ---
**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/789 "2022-06-16T22:16:24Z")
And for all those that think Hindenburg when hydrogen is brought up[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVeagFmmwA0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVeagFmmwA0) . ---
**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:** [June 16, 2022, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/790 "2022-06-16T22:20:43Z")
Fuel cells are a dead end. They’re just EVs with extra steps. And unlike EVs, which in many areas truly use green energy (whether solar or nuclear), almost all hydrogen is produced using fossil fuels. Toyota made a bad bet and is now paying the cost. ETA: Fuel cells _might_ make sense for cargo ships, which have relatively low power requirements compared to mass, but must store enough fuel to run for weeks. Batteries aren’t a good solution there. Their large size means the low density and insulation requirements of liquid hydrogen aren’t as problematic. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/791 "2022-06-17T00:28:44Z")
Fuel cells \*might be a partial solution for grid storage. We could generate hydrogen when the wind is blowing and the sun is shining, store it, then use it to provide energy for peaking power and to replace solar at night. But fuel cells in cars have turned out to be expensive, finicky, and lack a refueling infrastructure. Hydrogen embrittlement makes it hard to pump and store without ruining the infrastructure to do so. They might still find a home in heavy long-haul trucks, ships, and other places where batteries don’t scale. ---
**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:** [June 17, 2022, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/792 "2022-06-17T00:36:39Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > The poster I was responding to had a 6’5" Kayak. No, yours won’t fit of course. No, you misread it. He wanted a bed longer than 6.5 feet for his kayaks. Probably not an issue worth our extended tangent. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/793 "2022-06-17T03:14:32Z")
Oh, could be. In any event, a ladder frame solves that problem nicely. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/794 "2022-07-27T14:50:20Z")
Here is an interesting news story about a home charging option that does not require upgrading the service panel. It is a meter collar, which attaches to the electric meter, not the panel, and the charging adapter is then connected to the collar. It will adjust charging speed based on the demand from the rest of the home. All for a “fraction of the cost of a service panel upgrade.” Assuming this actually comes to market in 2023 (or whenever), it looks like a good solution for those people who have full panels, or only 100 amp service, or whatever. > **[Siemens' new home EV charger adapter ends need for electrical panel upgrades](https://electrek.co/2022/07/27/siemens-home-ev-charger-adapter/)** > > Siemens' game-changing EV charger adapter can end costly electrical panel upgrades and enable home chargers to be connected in minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/795 "2022-07-27T16:29:51Z")
That’s very cool and hopefully cost effective but whenever I see “a fraction of the cost”, I get skeptical. Is it 1/3, 7/8, 53/15? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/796 "2022-07-27T16:33:13Z")
That does look like a good solution. Then at least people have some comtrol over the charging rate on a small swrvice. You could do things like run your dryer when the car is away, or choose to barbecue instead of running the electric stove if you need more charge for the car. We are at serious risk of running into electricity shortages and rationing, I’d rather have that under my control than some bureaucrat’s. This device would allow,me to choose, assuming I can’t upgrade the service. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/797 "2022-07-27T22:34:11Z")
No one touched my service panel when I had my EVSE installed. The electrician installed a new meter can, new disconnect, several meters of conduit, a j-box, and my EVSE. A few days later Detroit Edison installed the meter, and I was in business. Of possible concern might be the service drop from the utility. This was almost a concern when I installed geothermal at my last house; DTE wanted to install a transformer in my yard to boost my service drop, but I convinced them I didn’t need it. (By the way, that involved a new meter and separate disconnect, too, with no effect on my existing service panel.) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/798 "2022-07-28T02:16:57Z")
Perhaps you had a large enough service that no one cared. I got a quote to put a 40A charger in my house, and it requires either a subpanel with a ‘load miser’ installed, or a service upgrade. We have a 100A service. The city says that upgrading the service will cost between $15,000 and $35,000. ---
**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:** [July 28, 2022, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/799 "2022-07-28T04:51:40Z")
You don’t have to go with the full 40a. I used a 30a circuit that I installed for a welder and set the EVSE to max out at 24a. > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > The city says that upgrading the service will cost between $15,000 and $35,000. If your garage (or wherever your car is parked) is detached, I wonder if it would be cheaper to have a separate service installed there. FWIW, installing a sub panel in your garage isn’t a bad idea since it’ll give you a bit of future proofing. Whether you eventually add a second EVSE or just to make life easier if you ever want additional outlets or lights. And I can’t imagine it’s going to be all that much more expensive than just adding a 40a outlet and certainly cheaper than the 15-35k for upgrading the service. Regarding that price for upgrading the service, that sounds high enough that I wonder if they’re charging you to upgrade or add a transformer. If that’s the case, wait a while and see if they upgrade it for someone else (on that person’s dime) first. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/800 "2022-09-09T14:58:21Z")
I don’t think it’s been mentioned yet – just saw this on the CNN site … the Chevy Equinox EV will have a base price of around $30K and a 250-mile range, making it perhaps one of the most attractive EV options out there in terms of value and practicality … > **[GM unveils $30,000 electric SUV that will be one of the cheapest EVs available...](https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/08/business/chevrolet-equinox-ev/index.html)** > > General Motors revealed a new electric SUV Thursday that the automaker expects will be the cheapest compact electric SUV on the market when it goes into product in about a year. The Chevrolet Equinox EV will have a starting price around $30,000... Site with more pictures, including interior: [https://gmauthority.com/blog/2022/09/2024-chevy-equinox-ev-makes-official-debut/](https://gmauthority.com/blog/2022/09/2024-chevy-equinox-ev-makes-official-debut/) ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/801 "2022-09-12T04:02:17Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > Here is an interesting news story about a home charging option that does not require upgrading the service panel. My home charging option involves plugging into a regular GFI 15 amp circuit - the outside plug in my driveway that was installed in 1975 or so. ---
**Author:** ![LivingGhost371](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@LivingGhost371](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingGhost371)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/802 "2022-09-12T04:20:26Z")
Will be interesting to see what the all wheel drive models cost. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2022, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/803 "2022-09-12T12:00:07Z")
I know the people that need this information aren’t likely jump into a thread with nearly 800 posts already, but I’m assuming everyone that owns a EV gets regularly asked these types of questions by people that are starting to look into them. This video might make a good resource you can pass along to them. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Iyp_X3mwE1w/maxresdefault.jpg "A Complete Beginner's Guide to Electric Vehicles") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyp_X3mwE1w) ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/804 "2022-10-05T18:12:23Z")
> [@What are your electric vehicle plans?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/215): > > I leased a 2020 Bolt a few weeks ago and so far it’s been great. I’ve been interested in EVs for many years and considered a Leaf about 8 years ago when I replaced my last car but life circumstances at the time were not quite right. My car was wrecked back in October and we have not needed to replace it due to working and schooling at home, and just relied on my wife’s car. My job has now shifted to working from home permanently, but our kid will be returning to school soon and going to various … I’m now about 18 months into EV life and recently swapped my 2020 Bolt for a 2023 Bolt EUV. Charging and range anxiety have not really been much of a concern, even with the restricted charging recommendations from GM when the Bolt batteries were recalled. I can definitely see buying this thing when the lease is up, or maybe trying one of the many other new EV options that I’m sure will be on offer in another 18 months. ---
**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:** [November 11, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614/805 "2022-11-11T21:09:28Z")
It would have been better had they done this years ago, but this is definitely a nice move: > **[Opening the North American Charging Standard | Tesla](https://www.tesla.com/blog/opening-north-american-charging-standard)** The Tesla connector has long been superior to the alternatives. Just take a look: [![](https://tesla-cdn.thron.com/delivery/public/image/tesla/e02e5475-05f2-49b1-a685-7615d83dd7db/bvlatuR/std/2032x874/NACS-Blog-Image-02?redirect=no) ](https://tesla-cdn.thron.com/delivery/public/image/tesla/e02e5475-05f2-49b1-a685-7615d83dd7db/bvlatuR/std/2032x874/NACS-Blog-Image-02?redirect=no) The standard version is 500V, but they have a 1000V configuration as well (no Tesla uses that yet, but some other cars have 800+V systems). There’s no maximum current rating but they claim to have tested 900A charging. That’s nearly a megawatt. Hopefully they can convince some other makers to adopt the standard. They’d immediately be able to use the existing Supercharger network. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614.md?page=38) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-electric-vehicle-plans/923614.md?page=40)