Cybertruck can have ladder rack after all...

ShinerBock wrote:

Reisender wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:

Reisender wrote:


It is a valid concern Shiner but as you and I have discussed infrastructure is not static. Adding a half dozen J1772 32 amp Level 2 locations would probably suffice for the next couple decades and would be compatible with every EV. Probably just get a company like ChargePoint to put them in and then just share the profit. Maybe do it modular. A couple at first, a couple more when they get busy etc. ChargePoint is good at that kind of thing. I noticed on one of my appraisal trips that one of the campgrounds near Kelowna put a clipper creek 40 amp unit in last year. Probably the first campground close to us with a permanent J1772.

But what about getting power to these chargers? The more chargers they add, the more they need to upgrade the lines going to these chargers. You are not dealing with just one utility company here. You are dealing with hundreds of independent entities with different budgets, manpower, supplies, priorities, and so on. Then you have the cost to upgrade these lines which will go to the end user causing their electric bill to increase. The ones this will hurt the most will be the poor.

All I am saying is that it is not as simple as some tend to think and you these changes will require more than just putting in a charger and will effect more than just the EV owner.

Agreed, that is why I say infrastructure is not static. It is constantly evolving. Take the Clipper creek unit in my pictures. That company made a decision to spend probably a few grand on putting that unit in. At this point I don't think it draws a lot of clientele but who knows in the future. They have a start though. That park is kind of a summer Vacation park with lots of permanents on leased lots. My guess is there are a bunch of owners/leasers with EV's (common in this area) and they got together and put it in. Just a guess. Surprisingly it is not a pay unit. Essentially free. That is the advantage of going with a company like chargepoint. They do all the work and just cut you in on the profits.

You are missing my point. I am not talking about the people putting in the chargers needing to upgrade their infrastructure. I am talking about the utility company that sends the power to that charger. A few or maybe even a dozen chargers are fine especially when there are so few EV's out their. However, adding more chargers and and more people using them will require more power, larger lines to send that power, and more substations to keep up the volume. Things that will cost a lot of money and that over 80% of the different utility companies are even ready for and will not be ready for in the next 20 or 30 years according to the smart electric power alliance.

My brother works for City Public Service in San Antonio in underground utilities. His main job is adding new lines or upgrading existing lines to larger ones due to demand along with repairing old lines in the underground areas downtown. They can't even keep up with the demand of adding new or upgraded lines for new buildings and the added pollution let alone alone what would happen if hundreds of chargers were added.

A few here and there are fine, but hundreds were require a major overhaul of their downtown grid. They have enough power due to their coal plants, wind mills, solar, and nuclear plants, but the infrastructure to meet the demand is way behind and they don't have the money or manpower to meet it even in the coming decades due to barely being able to keep up now. This would require additional funding and manpower which will come at the expense of people's electric bill. Some estimates say that the bills could double or even triple which will have a significant impact on the poor and will likely push many in the middle class below the poverty line.

Yes, the next few decades will definitely bring change. I can't really relate to the US situation which I hear is dire. From what I hear from posters on this forum and others the US grid is hopelessly out of date and constantly on the verge of collapse with very little hope of keeping up. I get that but many countries around the world are seeing their way to adjust to the estimated 19 to 22 percent increase of power needed to electrify the personal passenger fleet of vehicles. Sorry, I don't know much about the US grid issues, just what I read here.

New micro grid technologies will be employed to get a better handle on it as well. Here is an example of a covered enclosure that will suit the daily power needs of the average daily commuter. (6-8 KW) This kind of approach will work in some areas lightening the load on the grid in others. This kind of thing is actually getting more common in California. I have seen this type of installation in Germany as well but the roofs were much steeper. :)



Variations on a theme.





This one is in a Washington State park. 10 minute setup. About 35000 bucks. Truck drives in and drops it off. Built in storage. Great for isolated areas. Built in San diego. There is no singe solution but rather a collage.