Gigafactory

June 19th, 2015 at 9:52:31 AM permalink
AZDuffman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
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Quote: reno

But I completely disagree about BMW owners (with a home garage) not bothering to plug in. Yuppies are in a hurry. A weekly trip to the gas station is a needless waste of time if your BMW can be charged at home. It takes all of 10 seconds to plug it in at night, and 10 seconds to unplug it in the morning. (If anything, I'm exagerating-- it probably takes less than 10 seconds.) A stop at the gas station probably takes 5 or 6 minutes, sometimes more if the station is crowded and you have to wait for a pump.

For Yuppies in a hurry with no time to spare, the EV is much more convenient.


We are looking different. They are in a hurry, but that is why I don't see then doing the plug-in every night and morning. They will probably need gas anyways. People assume all folks go to a stationary work space and the car sits all day. For some, yes. For others, they are banging around all day, seeing clients or going to meetings. While owners of a Volt are going to plug in all the time, after all they intentionally bought it, owners who have no choice I am not as sure about. I know when I had a corporate gas card I would rarely if ever have bothered plugging in. Not for cost, but for hassle.

Only time will tell.
The President is a fink.
June 19th, 2015 at 11:13:43 AM permalink
TheCesspit
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 23
Posts: 1929
I look forward to driving an electric 3-series in 2032. Probably. Assuming they last ten years, I'll be the person buying them at that point. If batteries need replacing at huge cost, I guess I'll be buying someone else's old luxury cars.
It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die.... it's called Life
June 19th, 2015 at 11:30:18 AM permalink
Face
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 61
Posts: 3941
The plug in, at least at home, shouldn't be a big deal for most. I have a 110 outlet in the middle of my backyard. Just run conduit, wire, and wire in the outlet. You could easily do that right on the side of your own driveway. Even make a decorative post for it or whatever. Might one day be as common as having a mailbox at the end of your driveway. And I can see some businesses possibly catering to this in the future. Places offer priority motorcycle parking, right next to doors to attract clientele; sure, I could see an "electric only" section.

But real talk, the biggest consumers of the electric vehicle would likely be urbanites. Those who live in smog infested areas, who have short commutes, who live in liberal, left-leaning zones. Most park in garages, or alongside their street. Personal garages, driveways, these aren't as common as they are in the sticks. Seems a bit of a hurdle to overcome. Could a private company start installing commercial posts on city property, such as the curbside?
Be bold and risk defeat, or be cautious and encourage it.
June 19th, 2015 at 9:10:18 PM permalink
reno
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 58
Posts: 1384
Quote: Face
Could a private company start installing commercial posts on city property, such as the curbside?


Just turn every parking meter into a charging station. An even cheaper solution: street lights! Street lights are already wired with electricity, hence the cost savings. The crazy Germans are already one step ahead of us which partly explains why BMW is so comfortable with their suicidal gamble.
June 20th, 2015 at 5:24:43 AM permalink
Dalex64
Member since: Mar 8, 2014
Threads: 3
Posts: 3687
A plug-in would be more difficult for people who, at home, have to park on the street, in a structure, the sort of parking garage they have under a high-rise, or on a lot.
"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." Daniel Patrick Moynihan
June 20th, 2015 at 3:52:45 PM permalink
kenarman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 14
Posts: 4470
Quote: reno
Just turn every parking meter into a charging station. An even cheaper solution: street lights! Street lights are already wired with electricity, hence the cost savings. The crazy Germans are already one step ahead of us which partly explains why BMW is so comfortable with their suicidal gamble.


This technology is not feasible for more than a couple of vehicles in a block. Even then depending on how the system is wired you might only be able to charge at night because the conductors in the streetlight are not energized in the daytime. The article you linked to mentioned this. The next problem is that your EV wants 1000 Watts to charge (about what your 4 slice toaster draws). That is roughly what 6 street lights use. You can see that it doesn't take very many vehicles to seriously overload the whole system so the street light circuits need to be completely rewired to charge any significant number of vehicle. Probably cheaper to start from scratch.

What people consistenly forget to take into consideration is how much electricity it would take to go all EV. If the vehicles end up with better batteries and extended range they might require an average 25KWH a day times 30 days is 750 KWH per month. Average power usuage for a residence in the US is 909 KWH. This is not that far from doubling the residential electricity usuage. If this power can't be generated at the house then the upgrades to the grid to make this feasible is billions if not trillions of dollars. This will be paid for by serious increases to electrical rates.
"but if you make yourselves sheep, the wolves will eat you." Benjamin Franklin
June 20th, 2015 at 5:42:00 PM permalink
Dalex64
Member since: Mar 8, 2014
Threads: 3
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A Tesla, charging at 120 Volts, 1,800 Watts, would take over 30 hours to charge fully. I know people probably wouldn't be pulling up to street lights on empty, but another way to look at it is at that wattage, a Tesla can get 5 miles of range per hour of charging.
"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." Daniel Patrick Moynihan
June 20th, 2015 at 9:18:05 PM permalink
rxwine
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 188
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Quote: Dalex64
A Tesla, charging at 120 Volts, 1,800 Watts, would take over 30 hours to charge fully. I know people probably wouldn't be pulling up to street lights on empty, but another way to look at it is at that wattage, a Tesla can get 5 miles of range per hour of charging.


Ideally, you want a system that you don't have to do anything but pull into a spot. Kinda like when my Roomba parks, it parks in its charger.,

So that you take advantage of even a 5 minute stop without even thinking about it.

Doesn't sound too impossible -- and probably some ways will end up working better than others.
You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really?
June 21st, 2015 at 3:24:44 AM permalink
AZDuffman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18136
Quote: rxwine
Ideally, you want a system that you don't have to do anything but pull into a spot. Kinda like when my Roomba parks, it parks in its charger.,

So that you take advantage of even a 5 minute stop without even thinking about it.

Doesn't sound too impossible -- and probably some ways will end up working better than others.


The issue will not be impossible from a tech standpoint. We can probably figure out wireless recharging. It will be from cost and practicality. If you have to close a parking garage for a month then spend $10K per spot, then hope that snow and crud on the underside of the car does not impede the charging, well that is another thing.
The President is a fink.
June 21st, 2015 at 3:46:46 AM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Fun Facts
The 24 kWh Nissan Leaf battery weights 648 lbs and the same amount of energy can be stored in 2.49 pounds of gasoline. So in order to run on electric power you must at the very least carry the weight of three people with you. Add to that all the other issues of range, refueling/recharging time, resale value, etc.