skipro3 wrote:
The electrical grid can not support charging electric cars if people start buying them in any serious quantity. It wasn't designed for that. BUT... electric cars may be a way to store energy for the electric company. Imagine plugging in your car, charging it up at night at a off peak rate, then, during peak hours, selling it back to the electric company. You could actually make money off your car when you aren't using it. This could solve the peaking problem and electrical storage problem with the utility grid.
Good morning.
The electrical grid has no problem with electric vehicles. BC hydro did a study into this. If every vehicle in BC were to switch to hydro tomorrow the additional strain would go up 19 percent. The average electric vehicle household uses the equivalent energy per year as an electric water heater. Their website is good for that kind of thing. The BC grid currently has an over capacity of 30 percent and growing. Sorry, I'm only familiar with the BC grid. However, don't forget that it takes 6 KW of power to produce one gallon of gas. When looking at the grid from a nation wide point of view there is a net return of power when switching to electric vehicles. 6 kw takes an electic vehicle further than a gas vehicle.
Cheers.
