"The infrastructure for large scale EV usage doesn't exist."
That is incorrect. Charging the average electric car takes about as much power as running an electric dryer for an hour. If every house did that, it would not strain the power grid as long as most did it overnight. Power consumption falls by half or two-thirds at night, so there…
"The infrastructure for large scale EV usage doesn't exist."
That is incorrect. Charging the average electric car takes about as much power as running an electric dryer for an hour. If every house did that, it would not strain the power grid as long as most did it overnight. Power consumption falls by half or two-thirds at night, so there is plenty of capacity. Power companies offer very low rates at night, especially for electric car owners (including me).
Electric power at night in Texas is free, because they have so much wind power. They charge a flat fee for the month. Electric cars are recharged with 100% renewable, carbon-free electricity.
My car is recharged with nuclear power, in Georgia, at night.
Only about 20% of US power generation is renewable. Nuclear power has it's own associated problems (like infrastructure cost and waste disposal)--about which I know a fair bit having been in the nuclear navy and having associates working in civilian nuclear power.
Is a large scale shift to EVs an improvement? Yes. But there is no larger infrastructure currently in existence (like the equivalent of gas stations) which severely limits the range of EVs and their larger functionality. Much like the functionality of IC engines was originally constrained in the shift from animal power.
I can fill a gas tank in minutes. How long to charge an EV at current state of art?
If you live in a metro area where travel ranges are short and you can recharge every night at home, no real problems. What if you don't? What if you are traveling on vacation? What if you are a long-haul trucker?
It is far more complex and we are far less ready for it than most people understand.
"I can fill a gas tank in minutes. How long to charge an EV at current state of art?"
30 seconds. You come home, plug in the charger, and go in for supper. The charger works in the middle of the night when rates are low.
It takes you much longer to fill with gasoline because you have to stop off at a gas station and wait around while the tank fills. Obviously, gasoline fueling delivers more megajoules of potential energy per second, but recharging an EV at home takes less human operator time. Most EVs are charged at home.
You do not need to charge every night unless you drive ~150 miles a day. Once or twice a week is enough for most people.
Long range trips on the highway are a problem. They will be until range reaches about 600 miles, which is about how far a person can drive in one day.
Well, Joe Manchin would still have been a Senator.... and the current energy sector would still have had the political pull it does. I am thinking not that much different.
"The infrastructure for large scale EV usage doesn't exist."
That is incorrect. Charging the average electric car takes about as much power as running an electric dryer for an hour. If every house did that, it would not strain the power grid as long as most did it overnight. Power consumption falls by half or two-thirds at night, so there is plenty of capacity. Power companies offer very low rates at night, especially for electric car owners (including me).
Electric power at night in Texas is free, because they have so much wind power. They charge a flat fee for the month. Electric cars are recharged with 100% renewable, carbon-free electricity.
My car is recharged with nuclear power, in Georgia, at night.
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php
Only about 20% of US power generation is renewable. Nuclear power has it's own associated problems (like infrastructure cost and waste disposal)--about which I know a fair bit having been in the nuclear navy and having associates working in civilian nuclear power.
Is a large scale shift to EVs an improvement? Yes. But there is no larger infrastructure currently in existence (like the equivalent of gas stations) which severely limits the range of EVs and their larger functionality. Much like the functionality of IC engines was originally constrained in the shift from animal power.
I can fill a gas tank in minutes. How long to charge an EV at current state of art?
If you live in a metro area where travel ranges are short and you can recharge every night at home, no real problems. What if you don't? What if you are traveling on vacation? What if you are a long-haul trucker?
It is far more complex and we are far less ready for it than most people understand.
"I can fill a gas tank in minutes. How long to charge an EV at current state of art?"
30 seconds. You come home, plug in the charger, and go in for supper. The charger works in the middle of the night when rates are low.
It takes you much longer to fill with gasoline because you have to stop off at a gas station and wait around while the tank fills. Obviously, gasoline fueling delivers more megajoules of potential energy per second, but recharging an EV at home takes less human operator time. Most EVs are charged at home.
You do not need to charge every night unless you drive ~150 miles a day. Once or twice a week is enough for most people.
Long range trips on the highway are a problem. They will be until range reaches about 600 miles, which is about how far a person can drive in one day.
Also:
https://insideevs.com/news/549267/manufacturing-evs-70percent-more-emissions/
https://insideevs.com/news/444542/evs-45-percent-more-expensive-make-ice/#:~:text=The%20E-drive%20adds%20%E2%82%AC2%2C000%20to%20the%20production%20expenses%2C,is%20pursuing%20new%20ways%20to%20manufacture%20a%20car.
Well, Joe Manchin would still have been a Senator.... and the current energy sector would still have had the political pull it does. I am thinking not that much different.