Electrical Grid Argument Against EVs rebuttal

[ShadowCVL]

When you say your rate is 8 cents per kWh you’re only talking of the generation rate. Be aware that for each kWh you probably pay another 19 cents for delivery/transmission cost. True cost is 25-27 cents per kWh. If solar off a leased system (no money down) costs 17 cents per KWh, it’s significant savings. I have a net meter so excess generation is banked at the utility.

Holy bananas that’s a hell of a charge, where I live my rate is $.0867 per kWh, and a delivery charge of $.00083 we don’t have peak times here though. In the summer the highest drain is everyone’s A/c but usually not as strong at night, and the winter is something between 70 and 80 percent gas so grid usage is heavily reduced, delivery cost is usually 0 from October to may.

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[Garbone]

If I can keep my usage below 1000kw a month my rate stays at about 8 cents. Will be looking at solar withing the year. Can not keep usage down that low in the summer.

When you say your rate is 8 cents per kWh you’re only talking of the generation rate. Be aware that for each kWh you probably pay another 19 cents for delivery/transmission cost. True cost is 25-27 cents per kWh. If solar off a leased system (no money down) costs 17 cents per KWh, it’s significant savings. I have a net meter so excess generation is banked at the utility.

My bill for 885kw last month.

Turned of the air for the winter. I love love love Florida.

 

[igotnoclevername]

8 cents an hour sounds like a dream.

 

[Blackbluff]

8 cents an hour sounds like a dream.

Yeah, Florida has some excellent rates. Ours in Tennessee aren't bad either. We pay $0.065 with an adjustment for fuel in the neighborhood of $0.025 per KWh. So we are between 9 and 10 cents per KWh. I see what other parts of the country are paying and wondering how do they survive paying so much for energy.

 

[RMoore]

Interesting back and forth here. There's an article in today's NY Times that makes several of the points brought up here about how the infrastructure has to play catch up (sorry, you might need a subscription to read it). Much of the focus is on solar power but there is also discussion of EVs, Electrify America, and off peak charging. One interesting quote about EV charging that was a bit scary:

The big challenge for policymakers and the utility industry is figuring out how quickly to invest in the grid while keeping the energy affordable.

It would cost hundreds of billions of dollars to upgrade the distribution networks across the country to meet the country’s clean energy goals, said Ben Hertz-Shargel, global head of Grid Edge, a division of Wood Mackenzie, a research and consulting firm. That does not include spending on long-distance transmission lines and power generating equipment like solar and wind farms.

Mr. Hertz-Shargel has personal experience with the shortcomings of the electric grid. When he was recently charging his Tesla at his home on Long Island, the electrical equipment that connected the utility’s power line to his home became so hot that it melted.

“I’m the only E.V. on my block and even that modest use was enough to overwhelm the secondary side of the grid on my house,” he said. “It just shows how many weak links there are in the utility distribution system.”

 

[Blackbluff]

Interesting back and forth here. There's an article in today's NY Times that makes several of the points brought up here about how the infrastructure has to play catch up (sorry, you might need a subscription to read it). Much of the focus is on solar power but there is also discussion of EVs, Electrify America, and off peak charging. One interesting quote about EV charging that was a bit scary:

The big challenge for policymakers and the utility industry is figuring out how quickly to invest in the grid while keeping the energy affordable.

It would cost hundreds of billions of dollars to upgrade the distribution networks across the country to meet the country’s clean energy goals, said Ben Hertz-Shargel, global head of Grid Edge, a division of Wood Mackenzie, a research and consulting firm. That does not include spending on long-distance transmission lines and power generating equipment like solar and wind farms.

Mr. Hertz-Shargel has personal experience with the shortcomings of the electric grid. When he was recently charging his Tesla at his home on Long Island, the electrical equipment that connected the utility’s power line to his home became so hot that it melted.

“I’m the only E.V. on my block and even that modest use was enough to overwhelm the secondary side of the grid on my house,” he said. “It just shows how many weak links there are in the utility distribution system.”

Very unusual event and demonstrates a few places where utility delivering is a problem. Most EV charging draws no more current than a typical house A/C central unit(s). Tesla does allow a faster or higher KWh transfer to their cars and it's possible he had a more robust charging system installed for his car at home, one that overloaded his individual hook up with the utility.

 

[timbop]

Very unusual event and demonstrates a few places where utility delivering is a problem. Most EV charging draws no more current than a typical house A/C central unit(s). Tesla does allow a faster or higher KWh transfer to their cars and it's possible he had a more robust charging system installed for his car at home, one that overloaded his individual hook up with the utility.

It actually strains credibility, IMO - almost as if someone screwed up when doing the job or used undersized wire and/or he knew it. 15 years ago I put an addition on my house, which included adding a second A/C (40A circuit) and upgrading my service to 200A. That kind of thing happens all the time.

While it is likely in this particular instance he was charging at 80(64)A, that is not a lot of power added to a residential grid.

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