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There are a number of challenges. Wiring charging stations for surface parking in condo complexes is quite a challenge as is wiring a parking garage with spaces with no wall nearby. The tech isn't there yet for practical solutions in these configurations. Additionally, the line voltage required is hampered in many places. Providing 300 220v, individually-metered Level II charging stations in one place is no small task. Rapid chargers are an even bigger issue and companies like Tesla are brand specific limiting future use.
While it can be a challenge, it's also possibly quite a bit cheaper, more versatile, and with more flexibility in siting than a gas station.
The brand limiting bit is annoying, but the US realistically only has two rapid charging standards: the Tesla one and CCS which everyone else has taken to. There was chaDeMo that the Leaf and i-MiEV use, but that's essentially defunct at this point as no new releases in the US plan to support them. It would have been nice if it was just one standard though as it is in Europe and China.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 06-22-2021 at 09:14 AM..
You don't need special charging site if you have a reliable 115v electric outlet. If I'm at work for hours, I'm ok with charging at 4watts/hr. It will get me 5 miles of range per hour. So 6 hours will get me 30miles of range. What needs to happen is more public outlets as well as solar grid to add additional supply. The US solar adoption is slower than other countries because there's too many political zealots or people who don't like the looks of solar panels on their rooftops.
An issue I don't see talked about much, is that EVs in very hot or very cold climates need to stay plugged in even when not charging. Thermal management will not work as well if the car isn't plugged in. My Volt's owner's manual states the car should be plugged in if the ambient temp is above 90 degrees, and the Bolt is the same way.
Leaving an EV sitting outside, unplugged, in a 105 degree parking lot everyday will eventually ruin the battery.
You don't need special charging site if you have a reliable 115v electric outlet. If I'm at work for hours, I'm ok with charging at 4watts/hr. It will get me 5 miles of range per hour. So 6 hours will get me 30miles of range. What needs to happen is more public outlets as well as solar grid to add additional supply. The US solar adoption is slower than other countries because there's too many political zealots or people who don't like the looks of solar panels on their rooftops.
I would not put solar panels in the front of my house where they can be seen from the street. I'd be open to putting them on the back (which faces south), but this is hurricane country and I worry about the wind getting under them and ripping them off, or tree branches falling on them and breaking them.
An issue I don't see talked about much, is that EVs in very hot or very cold climates need to stay plugged in even when not charging. Thermal management will not work as well if the car isn't plugged in. My Volt's owner's manual states the car should be plugged in if the ambient temp is above 90 degrees, and the Bolt is the same way.
Leaving an EV sitting outside, unplugged, in a 105 degree parking lot everyday will eventually ruin the battery.
I think that gets better with more battery capacity and active thermal management systems. The thermal management systems are what keep the batteries in a good state, but it draws power while doing so, so that can be a problem if a vehicle isn't drawing power externally as it'd drain the battery instead. However, if the battery capacity is larger, then the draw essentially becomes less of an issue since there is more power on reserve.
For places that get a lot of solar insolation (which usually corresponds with being hot unless at high altitude), it'll be interesting to see if solar roofs on EVs end up becoming a popular feature as solar cells get cheaper and more efficient. Among the large automakers, it seems like Hyundai seems most keen on pursuing this though other automakers like Tesla and Toyota seem to have at least some passing interest in exploring the idea.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 06-22-2021 at 09:08 AM..
I would not put solar panels in the front of my house where they can be seen from the street. I'd be open to putting them on the back (which faces south), but this is hurricane country and I worry about the wind getting under them and ripping them off, or tree branches falling on them and breaking them.
That makes sense since if it takes several years for the ROI on solar panels to be good, but there's a high chance of them being damaged within the next few years, then that doesn't work out until the years for solar panels to reach break even get even lower.
There are a somewhat greater variety of solar panels in terms of color and form these days that are still pretty usable and expanding from the black and shades of blue to darker reds, browns, greens, purples, and gold, so if it's an aesthetic thing then I guess it's at least promising that there's increasingly more varieties available. To me, the aesthetically displeasing part is when they look like just a random rectangles placed on the roof whereas if the roof is more or less uniformly that, then it looks fine. The (expensive) Tesla Solar Roof tiles actually put in cheaper, "dummy" tiles that look like the ones with solar cells so you can have those put in on the parts of the roof where the ROI won't work out very well and still have a uniform look to it.
I think that gets better with more battery capacity and active thermal management systems. The thermal management systems are what keep the batteries in a good state, but it draws power while doing so, so that can be a problem if a vehicle isn't drawing power externally as it'd drain the battery. However, if the battery capacity is larger, then the draw essentially becomes less of an issue since there is more power on reserve.
For places that get a lot of solar insolation (which usually corresponds with being hot unless at high altitude), it'll be interesting to see if solar roofs on EVs end up becoming a popular feature as solar cells get cheaper and more efficient. Among the large automakers, it seems like Hyundai seems most keen on pursuing this though other automakers like Tesla and Toyota seem to have at least some passing interest in exploring the idea.
The threshold is set much higher if the vehicle isn't plugged in, even if it has a full charge. Unplugged, I believe the battery is allowed to get up to 104 degrees, which is considered an emergency situation.
I'm fortunate that my job is just around the corner from my house, and I'm able to go home for an hour lunch break. On a really hot summer day (95f+), as soon as I plug my car in when I get home, the a/c system starts up to cool the battery. By the time my lunch break is over, the battery has cooled back down.
The threshold is set much higher if the vehicle isn't plugged in, even if it has a full charge. Unplugged, I believe the battery is allowed to get up to 104 degrees, which is considered an emergency situation.
I'm fortunate that my job is just around the corner from my house, and I'm able to go home for an hour lunch break. On a really hot summer day (95f+), as soon as I plug my car in when I get home, the a/c system starts up to cool the battery. By the time my lunch break is over, the battery has cooled back down.
Right, I was thinking more about with current / near future EVs. The Volt is pretty fantastic and has a large battery for a plug-in hybrid, but it's still small enough that having thermal management kick in at lower temperatures would mean a large percentage of the battery is drained. I think with much larger battery capacities, that becomes less of an issue as there's more capacity in reserve.
I really wish GM hadn't discontinued work on the Voltec powertrain, because I feel like the Volt really offered something great but was just unfortunate in that the Volt was in an automotive segment whose sales kept tanking. Right now Toyota can't make enough RAV4 Prime's to meet demand, and I imagine that an even better third generation Voltec powertrain in a crossover form factor (not that I like crossovers, just that it's what sells) would probably be killing it in the market right now. I understand there are a lot of factors that point to straight BEVs being ultimately the better choice as battery improvements keep going for the near future, but I think the Voltec powertrain should have gotten at least one if not two or three more iterations because it's a really clever piece of engineering.
Right, I was thinking more about with current / near future EVs. The Volt is pretty fantastic and has a large battery for a plug-in hybrid, but it's still small enough that having thermal management kick in at lower temperatures would mean a large percentage of the battery is drained. I think with much larger battery capacities, that becomes less of an issue as there's more capacity in reserve.
I really wish GM hadn't discontinued work on the Voltec powertrain, because I feel like the Volt really offered something great but was just unfortunate in that the Volt was in an automotive segment whose sales kept tanking. Right now Toyota can't make enough RAV4 Prime's to meet demand, and I imagine that an even better third generation Voltec powertrain in a crossover form factor (not that I like crossovers, just that it's what sells) would probably be killing it in the market right now.
As far as I know the Bolt is the same way. I have read the Bolt owners manual online and the recommendations seem to be the same.
But yes, GM should have used to Voltec system in something like the Equinox or TrailBlazer. I just traded my 2014 Volt for a 2018. I'm getting 62 miles of EV range with the 2018.
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