That was one of the baring-dead paths Cali took; stopped producing in state to claim “greener” and had to rely more heavily on out of state.
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Who has or is planning to get an electric car / EV Talk
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That was one of the baring-dead paths Cali took; stopped producing in state to claim “greener” and had to rely more heavily on out of state.
There are efforts to electrify Alaska, to allow for EV use. But for the time being it is more economical for most residents to drive ICE automobiles. There are a few EV's in Anchorage, and Juneau because the weather is milder than in the interior of Alaska.
Arctic Road Rally
Join us in Alaska for the 2022 Arctic Road Rally - an electric vehicle technology proving ground and showcase of transportation technology. Drive your EV from Fairbanks to the Arctic Ocean!
alaskaroadrally.com
But even in Juneau the use of electric busses for public transportation has been a failure through 2022.
Juneau’s first electric bus is a bust, but the city will move forward with electrifying the fleet
Though other places in Alaska have experimented with electric transit, Juneau was the first city in the state to purchase an electric bus for its fleet.
alaskapublic.org
The Mach E came with one. It was great at pointing out where charging stations were but had nothing on status or use. Basically a crap shoot.
My neighbor has a Y and showed me what it was like on his. It showed where, status, and if it was in use. Pretty cool.
Yes, it is political maneuvering. I wonder if the next step is CA to get rid of the use of natural gas? Anyway, what a lot of people don't realize is that a great portion of the smug all over the CA valleys near the coast, is not generated in CA.
Polestar does the same. I've set mine to filter as I'm only interested in 150kWh+ chargers when I'm out and about. The status updates work well, and when used to navigate to one it also ensures that the battery is in prime condition and gets the maximum possible out of the charging curve. Worked very well for us the last 38K Km across 9 countries.
Yeah Europe (+UK) is easier to navigate with an electric vehicle because most of it is more densely populated and smaller (in area) than the US. And each US State has their own (disjointed and poor) EV station plan which doesn't really help the density of chargers problem that is had.
My point is if you’re talking about the limited resource of federal funding, it makes a lot more sense to focus solar in areas with the maximum return on investment. And environmentally speaking that makes the most sense too considering the resources that go into making these. If you installed the same panels in a place like Arizona, you would yield a significant more amount power. And of course, the amount of solar you generate is dependent on the number of panels you have.
I think solar is a great option for augmenting energy needs, but it’s far from an adequate solution. In highly dense urban areas there’s simply not enough surface area. It also doesn’t solve the problem of energy storage. If we envision a future where most cars are electric, solar will be insufficient. Ignoring the amount of solar required to charge an EV, which is not insignificant, the fact most people drive to work during the day creates a bit of an issue unless it can be stored. That’s why I think the future will more likely depend on EV charging stations and perhaps at work parking lot charging than being primarily reliant on home charging.
Perhaps battery technology will progress to where batteries are cheap, more environmentally friendly, and offer substantial longevity. But as it stands right now with lithium ion batteries for home or grid storage on a universal scale, they’re just way too expensive and don’t have the longevity to justify the cost.
Beyond all the obvious environmental conditions where solar is not or less effective, never discussed is the fact that solar does not create the “kinetic inertia” required to maintain the frequency of electricity in the grid as demand changes aka provided grid stability.
It’s also worth noting in some places like CA, in some sense they have too much Solar- there are times when the grid is producing too much energy- which its own type of inefficiency and can cause financial problems for generation companies. There are ways to deal with this, some of which are pretty clever, like using these periods to produce hydrogen via electrolysis. They have a problem of too much power when they don’t need it and not enough when they do.
There’s also a whole geopolitical issue too. If we don’t want to be reliant on some of the worst countries in the world for energy, we can certainly attain that with renewables BUT that means we need to be producing these technologies domestically. Relying of China for cheap Solar panels and batteries (or required materials) is not energy independence.
Again, I’m not anti-solar by any means. I’m just suggesting it’s not a realistic solution to our longterm energy needs if we want to remove ourselves from fossil fuel reliance.
In fact, my sister and I recently inherited my grandfather’s beach house in Rhode Island along the Long Island Sound. We’re in the process of planning a bunch of renovations, including looking into taking advantage of the government subsidies. My sister just installed 13Kw IIRC of solar in her house outside of Denver. The house has an ideal location and positioning to utilize solar. Additionally, we will be installing a heat pump HVAC system as it currently has no AC and baseboard electric heat. Lots of projects to do there… But anyways, I’m all for using it to reduce personal costs and grid energy consumption, but as a population scale issue I don’t see it (along with wind) as anything close to the be-all-end-all of energy.
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Europe is actually slightly larger than the US in area
And each country in Europe also has their EV station plans (even among the EU countries it is not the same). And yes, the average would have the USA less densely populated in my opinion that doesn't tell the whole story; for example in Europe, Iceland would be ~3/km2 whilst in Belgium, it would be 350/km2. Neither area is homogenous.To answer the question about if Solar panels will pay for the charging of an EV. Yesterday I used 16 kWh to charge (2019 Tesla model 3 long range Awd) after a day's use (used 30% of the battery in my 3-hour commute, sitting outside for 9 hrs, and preconditioning on a schedule before I left work). My solar panels generated 21.5 kWh. Yesterday was a warmer winter day, but usual amount of sunlight for a February day (no snow).
So, even on a typical winter day in lower NY (Long Island), I am generating more energy than my EV uses.
It is true that snow will stick to roofs, in my experience, with a pitched roof, my solar panels will shed the snow on the panels after a day or two. I'll come home to a huge pile of snow on the side/back of my house with my panels cleaned off with snow piles still on the rest of the roof. But it requires the sun to be back out, even in freezing temps, at my house they slide off. The higher the pitch, the faster this will happen, just like the less the pitch the longer it will take to clear.
So, even on a typical winter day in lower NY (Long Island), I am generating more energy than my EV uses.
It is true that snow will stick to roofs, in my experience, with a pitched roof, my solar panels will shed the snow on the panels after a day or two. I'll come home to a huge pile of snow on the side/back of my house with my panels cleaned off with snow piles still on the rest of the roof. But it requires the sun to be back out, even in freezing temps, at my house they slide off. The higher the pitch, the faster this will happen, just like the less the pitch the longer it will take to clear.
Europe is actually slightly larger than the US in area
In the US 40% of our population lives along the coasts (as per NOAA). There really is very little population in the US if you move away from the coasts.
Europe has almost 2x the population of the US, with only a slightly larger land area over 100 more people per square mile. Comparing the US to Europe makes no sense at all. We have states larger than a lot of European nations that have more cows than people.
Sources:
Are the USA and Europe the Same Size?
Europe's land area is slightly larger than the US, yet they differ greatly in population density, economic power, and cultural diversity.
Economics and Demographics
NOAA's Office for Coastal Management provides the technology, information, and management strategies used by local, state, and national organizations to address complex coastal issues.
Just like my points were factually correct, so are yoursIn the US 40% of our population lives along the coasts (as per NOAA). There really is very little population in the US if you move away from the coasts.
Europe has almost 2x the population of the US, with only a slightly larger land area over 100 more people per square mile. Comparing the US to Europe makes no sense at all. We have states larger than a lot of European nations that have more cows than people.
Sources:
Are the USA and Europe the Same Size?
Europe's land area is slightly larger than the US, yet they differ greatly in population density, economic power, and cultural diversity.www.worldatlas.com
Economics and Demographics
NOAA's Office for Coastal Management provides the technology, information, and management strategies used by local, state, and national organizations to address complex coastal issues.coast.noaa.gov
But this wasn't
Some countries are more densely populated others are not, no different than that some USA states are more densely populated than some European countries, and others are not. And Europe is most definitely not smaller in area than the US. And the insinuation that the US States have their own plans (and thus is different?) is also not accurate as in Europe each country has their own plans.But sure, Europe does have ~2x the population but also not homogenoues. It is very concentratated in certain countries, and even more so when you start to break a country down to a province/state level. And sure you have states large than most (all/any!?) european country, but again that is a different point.
Ultimately this all comes down to us, our behaviours and the representatives we choose to enact the policies we want. Nobody is argueing that one size fits all, and that extremely rural/remote areas need to have the same density of chargers as other areas. That is not even that different from current service stations in my opinion and experience. Definitely need to search more, and plan a bit more in rural areas even in an ICE powered vehicle.
Yeah my bad I started my post with just the UK, but then thought that the EU overall has better charging infrastructure than the US. Mainly due to population density, clearly less so due to size. But even some of that is a generalization.Just like my points were factually correct, so are yours
But this wasn't
But sure, Europe does have ~2x the population but also not homogenoues. It is very concentratated in certain countries, and even more so when you start to break a country down to a province/state level. And sure you have states large than most (all/any!?) european country, but again that is a different point.
Ultimately this all comes down to us, our behaviours and the representatives we choose to enact the policies we want. Nobody is argueing that one size fits all, and that extremely rural/remote areas need to have the same density of chargers as other areas. That is not even that different from current service stations in my opinion and experience. Definitely need to search more, and plan a bit more in rural areas even in an ICE powered vehicle.
Most I use do that. Zap-Map being my preferred choice. The built in one in the BMW also tells me where petrol stations are! Not that useful.
I had to look this up!
My simple minded thinking, winds blow from West > East. Smog is probably produced by ships, industry, forest fires and the automobiles that get the workers to the coast, plus the mountains to the East provide a perfect bowl to hold it all in.
What I found out. Occasionally, up to one-third of air particulates can be directly attributed to coal burning in China!
Yes, a great portion of the air pollution in CA comes from other places. But Californians will have to decide what to do about the air pollution from automobiles, aircraft, farming, the use of natural gas, and so on. Will Californians be able to afford importing foods and other products, including electricity, from Mexico and other states?
Right now the oil industries generate a lot of money in CA by refining oil, plus the sale of aviation and other fuels.
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476Hp AWD, it has proven to be an excellent car. We've driven it about 18K miles in the past 11 months.
Reported as car porn.
Yes, they’ve released the Polestar 3 last November. It’s large and powerful. They will release the 4 this year. More like a model Y size.
Here in Southern California where I am - within an hour of downtown LA without traffic - I make a point to go check 3rd party charging options just because I like to use them with my Tesla for fun.
MORE times than not, 3rd party charging options are not functional, won't respond, broken, or I can't get them started, OR..... if none of the previous listed issues exist, they're cost prohibitive for any use beyond 3-4 hours with massive fees to prevent >=4 hours of use.
I'm debating whether or not I want to install a CCS adapter on our 2018 Tesla because I'd love to use those options - but there's a waiting list out the door for those I'm told.
3rd Party Charging is funny. I go and plug in and I get handfuls of Tesla owners coming up to me asking how I can charge from those stations. And I get dozens of sentry notifications of Tesla owners coming over to look at how I'm charging at a 3rd party station.
From my perspective, charging at a ChargePoint+ station at 6.8kw and going to walk around the mall is a lot more pleasant than plugging into a Tesla Supercharger, making sure to be back within 30 mins to unplug for idle fees, and then go find parking. (Rancho Cucamonga - Victoria Gardens Mall).
My local grocery store has a free 6-7kW charger (for <2 hrs). So, when I go in, I make use of it. It is a Volta charger. I see in the app that 1 of the 2 is always not working. The other, is the one I use (it's right up front next to the door I go in). I like it, because there is room around the spot, so my car is less likely to get hit. I get a little bit of free juice, and move on with my life.
I just use a J1772 adapter with a Karen lock.
I remember last year I parked my Ram Pickup, and was walking into the grocery store, a lady walked right up to me and felt the need to have a discussion about how EVs weren't useful. I don't know her, and honestly didn't even care to hear her.
I am a vehicle fan, motorcycles, cars, trucks, planes, spaceships, I don't care. They can be ICE, EV, or any other type of engine, I just love them all.
I'm just really happy with my Telsa Model 3!! I haven't gone on any trips, so my home charging is 99% of my charging.
I just use a J1772 adapter with a Karen lock.
I remember last year I parked my Ram Pickup, and was walking into the grocery store, a lady walked right up to me and felt the need to have a discussion about how EVs weren't useful. I don't know her, and honestly didn't even care to hear her.
I am a vehicle fan, motorcycles, cars, trucks, planes, spaceships, I don't care. They can be ICE, EV, or any other type of engine, I just love them all.
I'm just really happy with my Telsa Model 3!! I haven't gone on any trips, so my home charging is 99% of my charging.