Reality check on electric cars

[Into the Night]

ya i have a good buddy in Vancouver Canada, who has a set up like that. He has the Tesla battery wall in his garage and there roof top solar providing the power to it and each day that is how he charges his car.

That will require about a week and a half to three weeks to charge a Tesla vehicle that way in Vancouver, Canada.

He is typically selling his surplus power back into the city grid, reducing his over all electricity bill. He can also draw the power back out of the car, in a big emergency and use that along with what is in the batteries to power his home, if the grid is down.

The WRIC has never failed, Kewpie.

It did cost a lot to set up but he says it is not in 'pay back' phase and if and when he sells his home he can get most of the sunk cost back then as the continued pay down of utility costs over time are factored in, in the same a good roof or windows gets pay back.

The cost of a home battery ballasting system, associated solar panels, electrical modifications, and maintenance due to damage from wind, snow, hail, rain, critters, and even sunlight; means you will never get the money back that you put into it.

 

[Into the Night]

When I sold Fords in TX I remember the F-150 Lightning we claimed could power a home.

ChatGPT: the Ford F-150 Lightning can power a home, but there are some important limits and setup requirements.


The truck can supply up to 9.6 kW (9,600 watts) of power with the available Pro Power Onboard/Home Backup Power system.


For context:

• A typical U.S. home often uses:
  • 500–2,000 watts during light usage
  • 5,000–8,000 watts with major appliances running
• So the Lightning can usually handle:
  • Refrigerator
  • Lights
  • Internet/Wi-Fi
  • TVs/computers
  • Microwave
  • Furnace blower
  • Some well pumps or small AC units

Unit error. Energy use per hour is not measured in watts.

A Ford F150E is incapable of towing a medium load more than 60 miles.
You can use it to power a few items in your home for a short time. DO NOT CONNECT YOUR TRUCK TO POWER ANY CIRCUIT STILL CONNECTED TO THE POWER LINE!


Then you have a discharged truck, a dark home, and no way to charge it until the power comes back on. When it finally does, it takes hours to recharge the truck.

 

[Into the Night]

Yes. Something that is dramatically increasing over time as would be expected.


That is simply not true. I know a lot of people who travel all over the US in their EV's doing extremely lengthy trips and who have no issues as long as they avoid the most remote areas of the country. If you are traveling along a big city path, you do not even have to think about it.

EVs are just not normally found cross country, Kewpie, except near cities. They are effectively an expensive commuter car.

Agreed on above. Hybrids are quite interesting during this 'gap' period as full EV's close those last gaps, but EV's currently are still often the best vehicles for the majority of city dwellers where 90% of their driving is Home/Work/Errands around town with the occasional 4-5 hour max weekend drive get away. And that is the vast majority of city drivers.

Like I said...an expensive commuter car.

Use the bus and/or the train. You are in the city.

 

[Into the Night]

Because Terry, prior to Tesla and for most of the early years of Tesla the technology and infrastructure were not there for EV's.

Luddite. You are stuck in 80's technology.

It was the same for ICE for over a 100 years against Horse and Buggy. Farmers and other could make fuel and even carry it around and yet the ICE vehicle made almost zero advancements against the Horse and Buggy which dominated the market until advances and infrastructure made the ICE vehicle cheaper, more accessible and convenient due to gas stations and roads advancements.

Lie. Gasoline cars have vastly improved, achieving 50% efficiency in some cases. The use of FADEC engines, level 3 driver assist modes becoming commonplace, ability to carry extra fuel, makes the internal combustion engine not only more efficient than the EV, but is capable of faster speeds and greater power. It is also lightweight. Modern materials make the engine much more reliable as well. The ICE is constantly being improved.

Even the fuel used has improved a lot. Refineries are capable of synthesizing and cutting hydrocarbon lengths virtually to any design desired.

The Tesla has not significantly changed since the 80's.

Just as ICE numbers went in a straight line up and to the right paralleling those advancements we now see the same exact up and to the right adoption of EV's world wide as their advancements are now finally happening.

And that is undeniable.

ICE vehicles are FAR more advanced and continue to improve. EVs are stuck in 1980's technology. EVs use about twice the energy per mile than a comparable sized ICE vehicle does.

 

[Into the Night]

For ICE, a crap ton of.

Through out history the Big 3 auto makers and oil and gas companies have been amongst the biggest subsidy and other government benefit and program recipients

ICE vehicles are not subsidized. Neither is the fuel. Neither are the fueling stations.

EVs are heavily subsidized, required by abusive laws, and their charging stations are also heavily subsidized.