Electric cars

[Lee DeRaud]

Martinsburg is no further from DC than Hagerstown, and when I worked in Crystal City probably half the building (all white collar government jobs) commuted from either Hagerstown or Frederick.

You are correct: both of them are very nearly within the 75-mile radius I mentioned, half of the 150-mile distance I originally commented on. (Frederick is significantly closer at 45 miles.)

So, getting back on topic, what do you consider a "long commute", and will a Tesla/Bolt/whatever handle it? Hint: the answer is 'yes' for the places you've mentioned. A first-gen Leaf won't, but it will handle one-way...I assume the number of charging stations in Crystal City has increased greatly since I was there last.

[Lee DeRaud]

Pretty much everything where I am is bedroom communities. Lots of people live here, most people don't work here. They work on the other side of a mountain because that's where the jobs are.

This conversation might be a bit more productive if you would give us a clue where you are.

[Doug Garson]

According to the Economist, the average commute in the US is less than 60 min per day so for all those with long commutes there must be a bunch of people with much shorter commutes.

[Malcolm McLeod]

I don't understand the basis for your 240v comment. Are you thinking we would need 3 phase power to charge a battery? Wrong. Everyone in America thats on the grid already has 220v power. That is plenty. You can run an entire home off that, no doubt it will charge a battery.

Sweeping statements can get ya.... He said 240V, not 3 phase. And, I have worked on a number of homes with only 120V fuse panels (admittedly old).

[Pat Barry]

Sweeping statements can get ya.... He said 240V, not 3 phase. And, I have worked on a number of homes with only 120V fuse panels (admittedly old).

He said 240 like it was some sort of industrial application, thats why I asked if he meant 3 phase power. Everyone has 120v fuse / breaker panels. I doubt having only a 120v feed to your house is typical. Sure there are sone, but if one is limited to 120v only then they need to be more concerned with other things than electric cars.

[Simon MacGowen]

It is just a matter of time that electric cars will dominate, and that time may come sooner than we may expect:

https://wsoe.org/electric-cars-will-...battery-maker/

Simon

[Art Mann]

It has to be true. I read it on the internet!

[Ken Combs]

I don't understand the basis for your 240v comment. Are you thinking we would need 3 phase power to charge a battery? Wrong. Everyone in America thats on the grid already has 220v power. That is plenty. You can run an entire home off that, no doubt it will charge a battery.

Just to pick a nit: 220v has been obsolete for a long time. What we have is 120/240 single phase.
For some 240v is the only viable voltage for reasonable charge times.

[Matt Mattingley]

Just to pick a nit: 220v has been obsolete for a long time. What we have is 120/240 single phase.
For some 240v is the only viable voltage for reasonable charge times.

A’ll second this. For those who are in residential or light commercial with no three phase, generally you are on what is called split single phase. This is “one” leg of what the generation plant makes and then it becomes a split phase just before it enters your home or light commercial .

A split phase is usually anywhere between 230 V to 255 V. I am currently sitting at 241 V as I type this. So I have 120 V positive and 121 V negative on the split phase. I believe 110 V/220 V has been gone since the early 70s???

[Bill Dufour]

220 volts has been gone in the USA since about the time that electric starters became standard on automobiles. I would guess after electric headlights and decades before electric wiper motors.
Bill

[Pat Barry]

I give up....

[Mike Lassiter]

I have a 2017 Chevy Bolt. Purchased "new" sort of in March 2018. Previously titled with 699 miles on it when I took it home. Currently something over 18,000 miles on it. Drive 22.1 miles each way to work 6 days a week. Charge the car Sunday night at home with the 240 volt charger I installed. Last check of commercial electric rates was $0.1148 per KWH if memory is right. I have regularly drove it and gotten 4.5 miles per KW of battery. Several trips have used 14 miles of battery making the 22.1 mile drive. Electric is the only vehicle that can put energy back into the "tank" during a drive. Last time I calculated my cost was between 2 and 3 cents per mile for electricity. Zero maintenance other than having tires rotated every 7500 miles. I drove a Ford Fusion Energi (plug in hybrid) for over a year. How about driving over a month, and 2300 miles on 13 gallons of gas? Plugged car in a 240 volt charger at home and drove to work. Owner allows me to charge at work, so with both cars the cost of commuting to work is cut into half. The Fusion was what persuaded me to go full electric.
All electric has some short comings, the range issue is one. I have charged once in Nashville and drove back to home using a EV charging station. That cost more than gas would have cost, especially in the Fusion which would go over 700 miles on a tank on a long trip. I don't drive long trips often. The all electric Bolt has served me great. Excellent power, drive all week after charging Sunday night without plugging it back in. Note even if I don't charge it at work I can drive nearly all week without having to charge it unless extra trips are made besides work. Electric range drops a good deal in cold weather, going from 4.5 miles per KW to around 3 - 3.5 when heat is needed. The car is best for city driving in my opinion, as it will regen charge the battery much more due to starting and stopping or slowing down which puts power back into the battery much more so than highway driving. Car is extremely quite! Wind noise, some tire noise going down the highway. Maybe they aren't for everyone, but I see many have preconceived thoughts and opinions about them without any first hand knowledge or even ever drove one. It has very good power, zero to sixty @ 6.5 seconds I think; however it isn't a Demon or Hellcat, but it's no golf cart either.
Consider what oil changes, tune ups and all the emission control and engine management stuff cost to repair, converters in exhaust systems with some vehicles having 4 of them. All of that is gone. Trains are propelled by - electric motors powered by diesel engines running generators. They are extremely reliable, and have one moving part rather than dozens that could fail.
Arguing pros and cons seems pointless to me when most arguments are more opinion based than factual.

[Matt Mattingley]

I have a 2017 Chevy Bolt. Purchased "new" sort of in March 2018. Previously titled with 699 miles on it when I took it home. Currently something over 18,000 miles on it. Drive 22.1 miles each way to work 6 days a week. Charge the car Sunday night at home with the 240 volt charger I installed. Last check of commercial electric rates was $0.1148 per KWH if memory is right. I have regularly drove it and gotten 4.5 miles per KW of battery. Several trips have used 14 miles of battery making the 22.1 mile drive. Electric is the only vehicle that can put energy back into the "tank" during a drive. Last time I calculated my cost was between 2 and 3 cents per mile for electricity. Zero maintenance other than having tires rotated every 7500 miles. I drove a Ford Fusion Energi (plug in hybrid) for over a year. How about driving over a month, and 2300 miles on 13 gallons of gas? Plugged car in a 240 volt charger at home and drove to work. Owner allows me to charge at work, so with both cars the cost of commuting to work is cut into half. The Fusion was what persuaded me to go full electric.
All electric has some short comings, the range issue is one. I have charged once in Nashville and drove back to home using a EV charging station. That cost more than gas would have cost, especially in the Fusion which would go over 700 miles on a tank on a long trip. I don't drive long trips often. The all electric Bolt has served me great. Excellent power, drive all week after charging Sunday night without plugging it back in. Note even if I don't charge it at work I can drive nearly all week without having to charge it unless extra trips are made besides work. Electric range drops a good deal in cold weather, going from 4.5 miles per KW to around 3 - 3.5 when heat is needed. The car is best for city driving in my opinion, as it will regen charge the battery much more due to starting and stopping or slowing down which puts power back into the battery much more so than highway driving. Car is extremely quite! Wind noise, some tire noise going down the highway. Maybe they aren't for everyone, but I see many have preconceived thoughts and opinions about them without any first hand knowledge or even ever drove one. It has very good power, zero to sixty @ 6.5 seconds I think; however it isn't a Demon or Hellcat, but it's no golf cart either.
Consider what oil changes, tune ups and all the emission control and engine management stuff cost to repair, converters in exhaust systems with some vehicles having 4 of them. All of that is gone. Trains are propelled by - electric motors powered by diesel engines running generators. They are extremely reliable, and have one moving part rather than dozens that could fail.
Arguing pros and cons seems pointless to me when most arguments are more opinion based than factual.

I’ve been working with electric motors for over 30 years. Your point has great merit. But what does it cost to swap out the battery outside of a 5 warranty? I’ve swapped out motors in my own driveway for $1000. Could I do the same with a battery in a car???

[Jim Falsetti]

Mike, I would suggest charging the car more often, unless you are topping off each day at work. I'm pretty sure the battery will last much longer if you minimize the depth of charge.

[Kevin Beitz]

All I can say is this is a good read... Keep it coming. I love playing with electric.
I put time into fuel cells and I don't see that happening ... Waiting for solar cells on the roof tops of cars.