[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi]
Would the widespread, sudden, use of plug-ins overload the electrical system?
[/QUOTE]
According to the DOE - no, not unless by “widespread” you mean more than 84%…
That’s today’s grid. Add in some wind here and there (stronger at night, and a better resource specifically where the grid currently is weakest) and you get much higher than 84%.
As far as power outages … a pure BEV may be in trouble or not. Most proposed BEV have an over one hundred mile range and should handle most commuters needs even skipping a night of charge.
And of course it has been pointed out that the transportation infrastructure will not suddenly all turn-over and is unlikely to turn completely electric even if it becomes a dominant option.
[QUOTE=SmackFu]
Does a car pull more energy from the grid than A/C?
[/QUOTE]
No, at least not compared to a whole-house AC.
All the current plug-ins are designed to be recharged from a standard outlet. Even if this was a 20A outlet, it’s at 120v, and ACs are powered off of 30A (or greater) 240V circuits.
[QUOTE=Chronos]
That’s what the gasoline is for. Remember, these are still hybrids we’re talking about, not pure-electric vehicles. Presumably, such storms are rare enough, and the people who are always on-call few enough, that you’d still see a significant decrease in fuel consumption.
[/QUOTE]
I thought we were talking about pure electric vehicles. I know of no hybrid car on the market today that needs to be plugged in. The electric motor gets recharged when the gas motor is running.
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase]
I thought we were talking about pure electric vehicles. I know of no hybrid car on the market today that needs to be plugged in. The electric motor gets recharged when the gas motor is running.
[/QUOTE]
I think this tread is discussing series hybrids, like the mythical Chevy Volt.
Not that needs to be plugged in, but they’re working on some now that can be plugged in. So for short trips (like most commutes), you might not need to burn any gasoline at all. If you go outside the plug-in range, or don’t get a chance to recharge at the outlet, the gas engine still kicks in, though.
[QUOTE=retusaf99]
Still, that’s not the norm in the US or even Europe that I’m aware of. (Scandanavia , probably, possibly? My ignorance is showing. :o )
[/QUOTE]
It seems to be becoming the norm, for new air conditioner installations. The electric utility is pushing it hard. And even for already installed AC, they are pushing retro-fits. That’s how mine was done. I just approved it, and someone from the electric company came out and installed a control box on my AC cutoff box. I wasn’t even home at the time, and it was all done at no cost to me.
But no doubt, there are a lot of ACs out there without this. It will probably take years before they are all converted.
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi]
When the Al Gore wired the nation for the (dial-up) internet, there were some problems. “The System” was designed to have a bunch of people on the phone 24/7.
Well, it takes a long while to recharge an electric car. Would the widespread, sudden, use of plug-ins overload the electrical system?
[/QUOTE]
Not exactly. What the article says is that the electric industry thinks the rollout of electric vehicles will be so slow and gradual that it will be able to cope. Sort of the exact opposite of “widespread, sudden, use.”
And the coping depends on “good planning,” something as likely as pigs flying.
In other words, the whole article is an exercise in wishful thinking and PR for the masses.
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase]
Not exactly. What the article says is that the electric industry thinks the rollout of electric vehicles will be so slow and gradual that it will be able to cope. Sort of the exact opposite of “widespread, sudden, use.”
And the coping depends on “good planning,” something as likely as pigs flying.
In other words, the whole article is an exercise in wishful thinking and PR for the masses.
Some proof.
[/QUOTE]
You think that everyone is going to buy plug-is the first year? Now who’s doing the wishful thinking? What do you think is the best-case number of plug-ins that could be sold in the first decade? I’d bet less than 2 Million - which would be around 20% of new car purchases. There’s not going to be any “widespread, sudden, use.”
[QUOTE=beowulff]
There’s not going to be any “widespread, sudden, use.”
[/QUOTE]
Of course not. But that’s the way you wrote your answer. (Read it again.)
However, if you thought that silly CNN article had any answers whatsoever, you may want to brush up on your reading skills. That piece filled space but had the content equivalent of industrial-grade vacuum. “Something may happen in the future, unless the opposite occurs.” Why even bother quoting it?
[QUOTE=beowulff]
You think that everyone is going to buy plug-is the first year? Now who’s doing the wishful thinking?
[/quote]
The utilities around here would be overwhelmed if a few percent bought one the first year. Tiny co-ops that have multiple blackouts a year due entirely to predictable weather patterns (it storms in the summer and freezes in the winter) aren’t the kinds of people I want influencing my travel options.
(And no, there will be no mass transit unless we all hitch a ride on flying pigs.)
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase]
Of course not. But that’s the way you wrote your answer. (Read it again.)
However, if you thought that silly CNN article had any answers whatsoever, you may want to brush up on your reading skills. That piece filled space but had the content equivalent of industrial-grade vacuum. “Something may happen in the future, unless the opposite occurs.” Why even bother quoting it?
[/QUOTE]
Well, it’s better than all of the “informed” speculation we’ve had up to this point.