Want that EV? Expect power outages!
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Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Fairfax Station, VA. Formally Long Island :(
Want that EV? Expect power outages!
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=20211
Damn, I didn't realize that a fast charger will draw 6600 watts of power. According to the article, that power draw alone is almost twice of what an entire house draws. Our electrical grid is in bad shape and EVs are going to force an updated infrastructure. Of course that means we are going to foot the bill.
EVs will mean more profits, but possible power outages
The electric car is coming no matter what oil companies and consumers think. Several electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt are both going to start showing up in driveways very soon.
These cars will reduce the need for consumers to buy gasoline, but they will increase the load on the electric infrastructure in neighborhoods and cities. In some areas, this won’t be an issue. However, in places where the transformers serving homes are already taxed, adding EVs could spell trouble for America's aging electrical grid.
Electric companies are both excited and worried at the rush of EVs set to hit the infrastructure around the country. They are excited because if they can grab even a small portion of the $325 billion each year spent on gasoline it will be huge for them. The electric companies worry because adding one or two EVs in a neighborhood could result in power outages.
The Detroit News reports that the last time electric companies were faced with such a huge potential for increased demand in power consumption by consumers was in the 50's and 60's when air conditioning systems were widely installed around the country. The utility companies say that a single EV could draw more power than an average size home in some states.
When an EV is plugged into a 120V outlet, it draws 1500W. However, when an EV is hooked up to a fast charger, which most are, they can draw much more power. The first Leaf and Volt EVs to hit homes will slurp down 3,300W of power and there are plans to boost that consumption to 6,600W soon. That 6,600W of power is twice the 3,000W an average home without AC in the San Francisco Bay area consumes.
The problem is expected to be worse in some areas like more affluent cities in California and Texas. The bad news for people in areas where hardware has to be upgraded is that the costs of the upgrades could well be figured into the rates for all people in an area. An EV at a neighbor's home could cost all homeowners more each month on their electric bill.
A spokesperson from Duke Energy said, "It's like you're about to have a baby. You know it's going to be good, but you also know there's going to be some throw up and some dirty diapers, and you just hope that it's something you are prepared for."
The electric car is coming no matter what oil companies and consumers think. Several electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt are both going to start showing up in driveways very soon.
These cars will reduce the need for consumers to buy gasoline, but they will increase the load on the electric infrastructure in neighborhoods and cities. In some areas, this won’t be an issue. However, in places where the transformers serving homes are already taxed, adding EVs could spell trouble for America's aging electrical grid.
Electric companies are both excited and worried at the rush of EVs set to hit the infrastructure around the country. They are excited because if they can grab even a small portion of the $325 billion each year spent on gasoline it will be huge for them. The electric companies worry because adding one or two EVs in a neighborhood could result in power outages.
The Detroit News reports that the last time electric companies were faced with such a huge potential for increased demand in power consumption by consumers was in the 50's and 60's when air conditioning systems were widely installed around the country. The utility companies say that a single EV could draw more power than an average size home in some states.
When an EV is plugged into a 120V outlet, it draws 1500W. However, when an EV is hooked up to a fast charger, which most are, they can draw much more power. The first Leaf and Volt EVs to hit homes will slurp down 3,300W of power and there are plans to boost that consumption to 6,600W soon. That 6,600W of power is twice the 3,000W an average home without AC in the San Francisco Bay area consumes.
The problem is expected to be worse in some areas like more affluent cities in California and Texas. The bad news for people in areas where hardware has to be upgraded is that the costs of the upgrades could well be figured into the rates for all people in an area. An EV at a neighbor's home could cost all homeowners more each month on their electric bill.
A spokesperson from Duke Energy said, "It's like you're about to have a baby. You know it's going to be good, but you also know there's going to be some throw up and some dirty diapers, and you just hope that it's something you are prepared for."
Damn, I didn't realize that a fast charger will draw 6600 watts of power. According to the article, that power draw alone is almost twice of what an entire house draws. Our electrical grid is in bad shape and EVs are going to force an updated infrastructure. Of course that means we are going to foot the bill.
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,705
From: Oakland, California
Re: Want that EV? Expect power outages!
Who wrote the article? Chicken Little? 
I've already decided that before I buy an EV that requires a charging station, I'm installing solar panels on my roof.
I've already decided that before I buy an EV that requires a charging station, I'm installing solar panels on my roof.
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 112
From: Racine, WI
Re: Want that EV? Expect power outages!
One square meter of solar panels can produce up to 150 watts of maintenance-free power for up to thirty years. They even work on diffuse light on overcast days, albeit with less output. The voltage produced by PV panels remains roughly the same regardless of the weather, but the current (amps) and the power (watts) will vary.
So on the best days you'll need 10m^2 of panels to charge your car. If the average home in the US has a 30'x40' roof, this would seem to be adequate if your roof was covered in panels.
Now this only works if your car is plugged in while the sun is out right? Or do we have battery technology to capture the day's sunlight and hold it until you plug in after work.
So on the best days you'll need 10m^2 of panels to charge your car. If the average home in the US has a 30'x40' roof, this would seem to be adequate if your roof was covered in panels.
Now this only works if your car is plugged in while the sun is out right? Or do we have battery technology to capture the day's sunlight and hold it until you plug in after work.
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 279
Re: Want that EV? Expect power outages!
Your completely right, and its not like it would effect anything if a few neighbors did a few more laundry loads a week. Until these cars become cheaper, their isnt going to be many of them around at all. If a company builds a Volt or leaf type vehicle for 20k, then I could see a point in the article.
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,705
From: Oakland, California
Re: Want that EV? Expect power outages!
One square meter of solar panels can produce up to 150 watts of maintenance-free power for up to thirty years. They even work on diffuse light on overcast days, albeit with less output. The voltage produced by PV panels remains roughly the same regardless of the weather, but the current (amps) and the power (watts) will vary.
So on the best days you'll need 10m^2 of panels to charge your car. If the average home in the US has a 30'x40' roof, this would seem to be adequate if your roof was covered in panels.
Now this only works if your car is plugged in while the sun is out right? Or do we have battery technology to capture the day's sunlight and hold it until you plug in after work.
So on the best days you'll need 10m^2 of panels to charge your car. If the average home in the US has a 30'x40' roof, this would seem to be adequate if your roof was covered in panels.
Now this only works if your car is plugged in while the sun is out right? Or do we have battery technology to capture the day's sunlight and hold it until you plug in after work.
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 10,285
From: Albany, NY
Re: Want that EV? Expect power outages!
During daylight hours when most of us are working, the load is less than what the what the solar panels would be collecting, so essentially your electric meter would be spinning in reverse and you'd be supplying power to the grid. Then in the evening when you are home, you'd draw power from the grid as you normally do, except that your net draw for the day would be less because of the credit you get from what your solar panels collected earlier in the day.
Originally Posted by zachisageek
Now this only works if your car is plugged in while the sun is out right? Or do we have battery technology to capture the day's sunlight and hold it until you plug in after work.
Another reason a smart grid would be great, it could charge cars at different times, or change prices to encourage or discourage charging at certain times. 2am-5am would be the cheapest time and also when the grid is the most under used.
If I ever build my own house, or a new garage, it is getting a large solar array.
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 2,977
From: SeVa
Re: Want that EV? Expect power outages!
Has the cost relative to longevity for solar reached the point where its no longer a money pit? I dig solar, but every time I read about it, the cost maintainign and replacing the array never quite adds up.
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