The cars and bikes thread!

[Raza]

Can the power grid actually handle that many electric cars?



In simplest terms, yes, it can. But the deeper answer is a bit more complicated. The capacity is there, but to truly handle this new surge in EV grid demand, it will take planning on the part of utility companies across the U.S.

Can the Power Grid Handle the Growing EV Demand?

Despite the big increase, this new level of demand is manageable. But it will take planning on the part of utility companies in order to handle it well. Without proper preparation, a scenario in which our busiest cities see their electrical grids regularly overloaded during peak-demand times is not at all far-fetched. THIS IS AN ISSUE IN SURE - G



The good news is that, even though electric cars will take over eventually, the change in electrical demand won’t happen overnight. There’s time to plan and adjust, and utilities can do three things to prepare.

I didn't read after that

I'm sure it involves planning, what doesn't.

You’re pretty dismissive of execution when the execution will determine whether or not it’ll be a successful transition.

[mlcor]

Can the power grid actually handle that many electric cars?



In simplest terms, yes, it can. But the deeper answer is a bit more complicated. The capacity is there, but to truly handle this new surge in EV grid demand, it will take planning on the part of utility companies across the U.S.

Can the Power Grid Handle the Growing EV Demand?

Despite the big increase, this new level of demand is manageable. But it will take planning on the part of utility companies in order to handle it well. Without proper preparation, a scenario in which our busiest cities see their electrical grids regularly overloaded during peak-demand times is not at all far-fetched. THIS IS AN ISSUE IN SURE - G



The good news is that, even though electric cars will take over eventually, the change in electrical demand won’t happen overnight. There’s time to plan and adjust, and utilities can do three things to prepare.

I didn't read after that

I'm sure it involves planning, what doesn't.

Impatient youth. The article does go on in some detail about the challenges faced.

[geoffbot]

You’re pretty dismissive of execution when the execution will determine whether or not it’ll be a successful transition.

People are saying 'it won't happen because the grid can't support it'

From what I've read... Yeah, it can. Obviously it requires provisions, like everything in life.

We'll see I guess!

[geoffbot]

Impatient youth. .

You're right about the first half of that!

[Raza]

People are saying 'it won't happen because the grid can't support it'

From what I've read... Yeah, it can. Obviously it requires provisions, like everything in life.

We'll see I guess!

Well, at least we can all agree that EVs are garbage to drive, horrible for the environment, and an overall folie á monde that should be nothing more than a footnote in transportation history.

[geoffbot]

Well, at least we can all agree that EVs are garbage to drive, horrible for the environment, and an overall folie á monde that should be nothing more than a footnote in transportation history.

We can't agree on any of those actually! They're deffo not 'garbage' to drive, there just aren't any sports cars yet. New boxster will be interesting..

[Raza]

We can't agree on any of those actually! They're deffo not 'garbage' to drive, there just aren't any sports cars yet. New boxster will be interesting..

Good, I’m glad we agree.

[Samanator]

Can the power grid actually handle that many electric cars?



In simplest terms, yes, it can. But the deeper answer is a bit more complicated. The capacity is there, but to truly handle this new surge in EV grid demand, it will take planning on the part of utility companies across the U.S.

Can the Power Grid Handle the Growing EV Demand?

Despite the big increase, this new level of demand is manageable. But it will take planning on the part of utility companies in order to handle it well. Without proper preparation, a scenario in which our busiest cities see their electrical grids regularly overloaded during peak-demand times is not at all far-fetched. THIS IS AN ISSUE IN SURE - G



The good news is that, even though electric cars will take over eventually, the change in electrical demand won’t happen overnight. There’s time to plan and adjust, and utilities can do three things to prepare.

I didn't read after that

I'm sure it involves planning, what doesn't.

Much more trusted sources say no. Since there are no new nuclear plants which are the only truly green electric sources (dams have other environmental impacts, plus there are not a great deal of places you can put them, Wind too high of failure rate plus dead birds, Solar not efficient and from those I know that have it high failure rate here in FL) currently in any plan in the US we're shifting the fossil fuels from cars to power plants in the majority of cases. Add that there is no significant infrastructure outside the cities and in many cases nothing planned. Manufactures and most car publications have the figure more at 10-15% by 2030. Where I live I doubt it will go over 2%. The bulk of vehicles in rural areas need to tow something for a distance that far exceeds any of the truck based EV ranges. Less that 100 miles EV range (the best is 90 and that is a $110K Hummer) when towing shows the vehicles are not quite baked yet and real world testing shows the EPA range in the real situations are nearly 66% of the actual range new. With age this will go only go down. Just like when they implemented mileage ratings it took several passes until something even close was give on the stickers. Even that has many manufactures putting Fuel injection mapping specific to the test when they are sampled so many are far higher than what they really are. Here would say nearly 70% of the homes have one or more trucks or large two vehicles. Of those it is very close to 100% of those homes have some form of trailer (I have two). I know many of my friends have many more trailers of various sizes than I do. Building a Truck EV that looses 70% of their range on average towing is just dumb. I'm betting doing something like putting in two pallets of sod in the bed also drops range pretty close to towing. Do both which I see being done and you might not make it down the street.

Lisa and I are discussing going down to a single vehicle since we barely put 7K miles combined on the two we have. I'm not even looking at an EV since I need it to tow hundreds of miles four or five times a year. That will increase when I retire and can make more week day runs. Our primary candidate is the 2024 Lexus GX500 which is not even available as a hybrid. We may consider a Jeep Grand Cherokee (which could be a plug in hybrid) that I would need to do a test pull to insure it is capable unless it is the V8. Other option is a Wagoneer or Grand Wagoneer. We need the size since we have the dogs and all of our friends are very tall. I don't think we need three rows, but we can always use more space. The LS 500 Lexus we have is fantastic and hauls five very comfortably. The only tow hitch for the LS (which would kill me putting it on it) is rated for only 1500 lbs which I need 5000 lbs minimum for the boat. My truck is just a bit too small for longer trips with three or more people, but it tows 6700 lbs. So we need something that does both.

[mlcor]

I wouldn't call nuclear power "green" until they figure out how/where to dispose of the nuclear waste.

[pacifico66]

This got me thinking and i found this article somehow there needs to be a compromise if they really want all electric everything .......

I wouldn't call nuclear power "green" until they figure out how/where to dispose of the nuclear waste.

Let’s start with the basics: Why would we even bother with an energy source that generates waste? Well, there’s a pretty easy answer to that question: because*every energy source*generates waste.

The reason we’re so much more aware of*nuclear*waste is that … well, we can see it right there in those concrete casks. It can be contained. All of our other fuel sources, by contrast, send their waste out into the environment.

And here’s the other thing: because nuclear power is so efficient, the amount of waste it generates compared to those other fuel sources is actually incredibly small.*

The amount of power an average person uses in a year … would generate nuclear waste about the size of a brick. And the amount of it that would be high-level waste —*the highly radioactive material we’re all afraid of — would weigh about as much as a sheet of paper.**iii

Think about it this way: For nuclear to generate enough power for one million people, it’d create three cubic meters of high-level waste per year. To get the same amount of power with coal … it’d generate about 300,000 tons of coal ash, which contains contaminants like mercury and arsenic.iv

And, believe it or not, renewables have similar problems. One team of economists estimated that solar power could generate 300,000 metric tons of waste in the U.S. by 2025.v*After all, all those used panels have to go somewhere. As for wind power: 720,000 tons of blade material that must be disposed of over the next 20 years.vi

Starts out green. Doesn’t necessarily end up that way.

Now one big difference, right? The waste from coal or wind isn’t crawling with radiation. But even there the danger is a lot smaller than you might assume. The small amount of high-level nuclear waste can, of course, be dangerous. But only if we’re actually exposed to it.

And have you ever noticed that nuclear waste has been around for a long time and that … you know, nothing’s happened?

There’s a reason for that. We’re really, really good at keeping it safe.

In fact, the most severe accident occurred in 1971, when a driver transporting nuclear waste swerved off a Tennessee highway to avoid a crash, throwing a cask of spent nuclear fuel off of the vehicle. The result? Pretty much nothing. The cask stayed intact and there was no radiation released.vii*They’re built that tough.*

As a matter of fact, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that over 44,000 shipments of nuclear waste have taken place around the world since the early 1960s and … no one’s ever died from — or even been injured by — radiation.viii*In fact, the biggest safety problem has been … activists blocking shipments to protest safety problems.

And that’s not the only time that people with seemingly good intentions have made things worse. Activists also helped to block the use of Nevada’s Yucca Mountain as a permanent storage site for America’s nuclear waste — despite the fact that scientists from the government’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission determined that the site would be safe for …*1 million years.ix

That’s had real consequences for nuclear power. Thirteen states have restrictions on the construction of nuclear power plants, about half of them because there’s no central location to store waste.x

Which is not, by the way, an especially radical idea.**There’s already an underground facility in New Mexico, where the government stores nuclear waste generated for military purposes.xi*Finland is building its own underground storage site.xii*Hell, in Holland they’re so chill about it that they actually store their nuclear waste alongside valuable works of art.xiii*The Dutch, man.

Does nuclear waste have the*potential*to be dangerous? Absolutely. Has it been in practice? Not at all.

Yes, there are risks involved — but that’s true of all our energy sources. So we have to balance those risks against the rewards of cleaner, reliable energy. And so far, all the evidence points to us being able to handle nuclear waste responsibly and safely.



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