3 ms·

That's pretty similar to this idea, which I already mentioned: > People talk about EVs putting power back into the grid. Frankly I think that's a pipe dream in

That's pretty similar to this idea, which I already mentioned: > People talk about EVs putting power back into the grid. Frankly I think that's a pipe dream in the near future. Our power companies are barely competent enough to run the grid without causing forest fires -- they aren't going to be capable of implementing that at the kind of scale that would make a difference anytime soon. It's not realistic to expect a broken utility like PG&E to pull that off anytime soon. Most utilities in the United States are as bad as, or worse than, PG&E. Another aspect of this, which I am going through myself with my own EV charger install at my new house, is that many homes need retrofitting to be able to charge an EV or install one of those batteries. I need my electrical panel replaced. Every other house in my neighborhood was built at the same time by the same builder and is going to need a new panel too, if they haven't done it already -- and we aren't talking about old houses, these were built in the 1960s. For many homes, a charger or a battery will require $4k-6k of additional upgrades.

dzhiurgis 4y ago
> many homes need retrofitting to be able to charge an EV FWIW 1kW for 8 hours is ~50km which is enough for most daily drives > I need my electrical panel replaced How much is that, really? Panel itself cost nothing, just some labour which I take is very expensive. You are improving your house tho and cost is likely negligible compared to car cost. FWIW it cost us ~$500 (eastern europe) to get 7kW charger purchased + installed. Which we never used cuz free municipal charger.
- twblalock 4y ago
  The building permit for the panel replacement is $750. Just the permit. The panel install, including parts and labor, is around $4k. Add another $2k or so for the EV charger parts and labor. To replace the panel, my electrical company must make a special appointment to disconnect my house from the grid and reconnect it later the same day. The earliest appointment they were able to offer was one month away. There is no such thing as a cheap electrical panel upgrade, solar install, or battery install in the United States. Yes, I am improving the house, and I would probably need a new panel eventually anyway, but this still goes to show that there is a lot more involved than some people might think.
- prmoustache 4y ago
  One could argue that nobody doing less than 50km a day should need a car. Except if living in a remote mountain village.

dzhiurgis 4y ago

> many homes need retrofitting to be able to charge an EV FWIW 1kW for 8 hours is ~50km which is enough for most daily drives > I need my electrical panel replaced How much is that, really? Panel itself cost nothing, just some labour which I take is very expensive. You are improving your house tho and cost is likely negligible compared to car cost. FWIW it cost us ~$500 (eastern europe) to get 7kW charger purchased + installed. Which we never used cuz free municipal charger.

twblalock 4y ago
The building permit for the panel replacement is $750. Just the permit. The panel install, including parts and labor, is around $4k. Add another $2k or so for the EV charger parts and labor. To replace the panel, my electrical company must make a special appointment to disconnect my house from the grid and reconnect it later the same day. The earliest appointment they were able to offer was one month away. There is no such thing as a cheap electrical panel upgrade, solar install, or battery install in the United States. Yes, I am improving the house, and I would probably need a new panel eventually anyway, but this still goes to show that there is a lot more involved than some people might think.
prmoustache 4y ago
One could argue that nobody doing less than 50km a day should need a car. Except if living in a remote mountain village.