Electric Vehicles here to stay, for good or bad?

[striker55]

Switzerland Could Become First Country in World to Ban Electric Vehicles, Here's Why - News18

Switzerland is currently facing energy crisis at a large scale due to the Russia-Ukraine war, which has disrupted its electricity import from France and Germany

www.news18.com

 

[leVieux]

Switzerland Could Become First Country in World to Ban Electric Vehicles, Here's Why - News18

Switzerland is currently facing energy crisis at a large scale due to the Russia-Ukraine war, which has disrupted its electricity import from France and Germany

www.news18.com

Having visited the Helvetian Convention (Switzerland), I saw little “energy production” excepting some hydroelectric. Looks that they are mostly dependent on imports, making them very vulnerable to events elsewhere in the World.

 

[Havok1]

Yes, for certain applications. Urban areas have long used electric transit busses, trans, & trolleys on CLOSED CIRCUITS with wired-in power to move people.

I recently spoke w/ a mid-size Tesla driver, who told of being unable to drive New Orleans to Houston with his A/C on. He had to stop in Lake Charles or Beaumont for a few-hours “partial charge” to complete the trip. That is impractical.

leVieux
.

Yep. I wouldn’t want to make long trips in one. A few years back, I looked and there wasn’t so much as a single charging station along the route between here and Baton Rouge, so you couldn’t make that drive in a Tesla if you wanted to. Glad it has come far enough that now you just have to turn the AC off!

 

[Brains]

Baton Rouge isn't even that far of a drive from Houston. Even my gas guzzlin' land barge would get there with enough gas left over to drive around the whole weekend before refilling (in <5 mins) for the return trip.

 

[Tnhawk]

Yep. I wouldn’t want to make long trips in one. A few years back, I looked and there wasn’t so much as a single charging station along the route between here and Baton Rouge, so you couldn’t make that drive in a Tesla if you wanted to. Glad it has come far enough that now you just have to turn the AC off!

There are months that I couldn't make that drive without AC.

 

[no2gates]

There are months that I couldn't make that drive without AC.

But if it can save the life of just one butterfly, isn't it worth it?

 

[TheDan]

As a STATE, we either embrace the need (develop charging stations, upgrade our roads, etc.) or become a ghost town.

That is impractical.

It's impractical even with the infrastructure. Took a friend's Tesla to Ft Worth. Plenty of superchargers along the way so infrastructure wasn't an issue. Stopping to charge added an hour and half to the trip. Started out will full battery, too.

 

[Tnhawk]

But if it can save the life of just one butterfly, isn't it worth it?

If it hits my windshield, it's dead.

 

[candcallen]

If it hits my windshield, it's dead.

Unless it's a moose, then it gets sporty.

 

[Shady]

It's impractical even with the infrastructure. Took a friend's Tesla to Ft Worth. Plenty of superchargers along the way so infrastructure wasn't an issue. Stopping to charge added an hour and half to the trip. Started out will full battery, too.

Austin to Ft Worth is +-200 miles so other than when you got there why would you need to stop and charge in a Tesla

Unless you were just driving and turning around to come back

How long ago was this charging has came a long way in the last few years.

 

[leVieux]

It's impractical even with the infrastructure. Took a friend's Tesla to Ft Worth. Plenty of superchargers along the way so infrastructure wasn't an issue. Stopping to charge added an hour and half to the trip. Started out will full battery, too.

That degree of limitation would be a significant issue for me. A while back, I had to drive Fayetteville AR to my home, some 625 miles, in one day. Current battery technology would have made that impossible or extremely difficult.

My bottom line: Absolutely not worth any benefit !

leVieux

 

[no2gates]

 

[benenglish]

I consider it to be a long and painful three days driving from my home to LA for business. At least I can leave on Friday and be ready to work on Monday morning.

I don't want to contemplate making that drive on that schedule in an EV.

Yet another reason I'm glad I'm retired.

 

[Ozzman]

How does TxDOT expect to pay for this infrastructure?

One word... Taxes

 

[Havok1]

It's impractical even with the infrastructure. Took a friend's Tesla to Ft Worth. Plenty of superchargers along the way so infrastructure wasn't an issue. Stopping to charge added an hour and half to the trip. Started out will full battery, too.

Infrastructure is an issue. as of last year there were 22 million vehicles registered in texas. Of those, less than 81000, or .36%, were electric vehicles. Imagine if everyone was making that trip and had to stop for an hour and a half to charge their car.

 

[Ozzman]

the difference is that people were not forced to buy automobiles or transport on rail. In fact, in the beginning, only the rich could afford automobiles. The situation with EV’s is nothing like that. People are being forced to buy products that are currently not superior to the current ICE offerings. Maybe they will be in time, but they aren’t currently. The other problem is that infrastructure is not built up enough for this, but of course everyone here already knows that. The question(rhetorical of course) is that if they think it’s so much better, why do they have so much concern about people not wanting them?

Yes, the State recognizes this as part of the problem.
Thus why they are putting it on the Engineers to find a solution to these issues.

Outside-the-box thinking on ITS strategies and charging port locations is a high priority on their list.
I have seen ideas/pitches where they plan on adding 1 or 2 charging ports to every parking lot illumination pole in parking lots, utility poles, and taps to underground sources/boxes.

The fact is, we still have a choice... get a diesel/gas-powered car. Just prepare for those that don't.

"If we don't, someone else will and Texas can be bypassed" - Short Course
The technology will improve. They are projecting that within the next 3 years EVs and gas-powered cars will be priced the same. Battery technology is advancing just quickly.

Only 12 years ago, the Nissan Leaf had a max range of 40+ miles.... look where they are a little over a decade... The tech will improve.

 

[Havok1]

Yes, the State recognizes this as part of the problem.
Thus why they are putting it on the Engineers to find a solution to these issues.

Outside-the-box thinking on ITS strategies and charging port locations is a high priority on their list.
I have seen ideas/pitches where they plan on adding 1 or 2 charging ports to every parking lot illumination pole in parking lots, utility poles, and taps to underground sources/boxes.

The fact is, we still have a choice... get a diesel/gas-powered car. Just prepare for those that don't.

"If we don't, someone else will and Texas can be bypassed" - Short Course
The technology will improve. They are projecting that within the next 3 years EVs and gas-powered cars will be priced the same. Battery technology is advancing just quickly.

Only 12 years ago, the Nissan Leaf had a max range of 40+ miles.... look where they are a little over a decade... The tech will improve.

I’m not an electrical guy, so explain this to me. Superchargers are 440v. I’m assuming parking lot lights are 110. How do they plan to make these chargers work? if they will only be 110 chargers then the cars will charge so slow that someone would have to spend hours in the store to see any noticable difference in charge. Are the same engineers that are in charge of figuring out this mess also in charge of making sure there is enough power output to run it all? Having one group in charge of ideas for chargers, another group managing the power grid, and expecting other people to pay for these chargers would not end well.


And yes, electric vehicles have come a long way in 12 years. So have gas vehicles. You can buy a Camry hybrid that gets 50+mpg for $28k and never have to worry about any of these issues.

 

[TheDan]

why would you need to stop

I let the Tesla do it's thing and stopped when and where it told me to. Like I said, finding a supercharger was not an issue.

Unless you were just driving and turning around to come back

Yeah round trip. Do you just go somewhere and never come back? Normally a 6 hr drive. Instead it was a 7.5hr one.

How long ago was this

10 months ago.

 

[no2gates]

I’m not an electrical guy, so explain this to me. Superchargers are 440v. I’m assuming parking lot lights are 110. How do they plan to make these chargers work? if they will only be 110 chargers then the cars will charge so slow that someone would have to spend hours in the store to see any noticable difference in charge. Are the same engineers that are in charge of figuring out this mess also in charge of making sure there is enough power output to run it all? Having one group in charge of ideas for chargers, another group managing the power grid, and expecting other people to pay for these chargers would not end well.


And yes, electric vehicles have come a long way in 12 years. So have gas vehicles. You can buy a Camry hybrid that gets 50+mpg for $28k and never have to worry about any of these issues.

I don't think parking lot lights are 110v, probably 220, but even it they are 110, just put a 4:1 transformer on it to increase the voltage.
The level 3 superchargers are also DC, not AC.

Any parking lot chargers are most likely going to be a level 2 220v charger, which would still take at least 5 hours to charge.

 

[Havok1]

I don't think parking lot lights are 110v, probably 220, but even it they are 110, just put a 4:1 transformer on it to increase the voltage.
The level 3 superchargers are also DC, not AC.

Any parking lot chargers are most likely going to be a level 2 220v charger, which would still take at least 5 hours to charge.

So no issue with the wiring running to all of this?