[jcbarr23]

Why would you think small=electric?

 

[surly Bill]

On a related note they spent a bunch of money to get the EV charger circuit put in their garage.
It's a house from the 50's so they had to do a bit of service upgrading.
It was all peachy for a few months then the county comes out to do an inspection and says there has to be a stanchion (a short pole) in front of the junction box for the EV charger.
There is a specific regulation for this in NY state.
So now only the Prius can fit in the garage with the door down. The Tesla only goes in halfway.
Which has my brother in law livid about his shiny black toy being out in the elements all winter.
Especially with that huge gnarly cherry tree next to the driveway.
Told them to get a Harbor Freight carport tent thing, but my sister is so scared of looking trailer trash.

This sounds like a house problem, not a car problem. Weren't the garages built in the 1950's large enough to fit the much larger cars being made in the 1950's? And didn't civilized people (then AND now) park in their garage rather than like animals in the driveway?
I'd get a correct sized house. Or at least have the garage remodeled to be able to fit a car in it. I'll never have a house that doesn't have a garage without a 10' tall door and 24' deep bay.

 

[Chance]

Why would you think small=electric?
View attachment 182748

Of course not, but shouldn’t they be?

If main reason to convert from ICE to BEV is to reduce impact on environment, shouldn’t part of that conversion include conservation; as in “conserve”?

BEVs make most technical sense for urban local traffic, where affordable small, light, and efficient vehicles could function best even with limited range, yet growth seems to be in large, heavy, and inefficient “expensive” longer-range vehicles many Americans can’t afford.

IMO too many pieces of the “let’s save the planet” big picture are still missing.

 

[Chance]

So one thing to do when comparing all these power options is convert them all to watts.

Normal Plug
15a @ 120vac = 1.8kw

3 Prong RV (30a)
30a @ 120vac = 3.6kw

4 Prong RV (50a)
50a @ 220vac = 11kw

Ev Stations are up to 350kw
Tesla Supercharger V3 is 250kw

12v 500a shunt (most are only 400a)
14.4v @ 500a = 7.2kw

That being said most van build/class b-c RV battery setups are under 6kw. Even with a big 500a shunt you are limited to 7.2kw per hour.

Where the new hummer EV is over 200kw and most teslas are over 75kw now.

The inverter linked in the beginning is limited to 2kw continuous power. So you would still take 3 hours with that inverter when using an EV station. Where 3 hours on that same ev station could fill 2 EV hummers.

Our battery banks aren't large enough (yet) to justify trying to use an ev station. Nor can they handle power at a high rate.

The system minimum you would need IMO to use an EV.
48v battery bank, 30kw or larger

Don’t forget upcoming megawatt-plus charger for Tesla semi trucks. It’s going to take the power of a nuclear plant to charge a few hundred of these trucks simultaneously.

Charging van house batteries with BEV charger is like killing a fly with sledgehammer. While possibly effective, unintended consequences may be quite negative.

 

[surly Bill]

Might be the "main reason", at least the one the marketing departments are saying, but I suspect the actual reason is the same one it's always been: money. The "saving the planet" thing is just greenwashing.

Crude has reached peak, diminishing supplies are left in the ground, and countries a little behind Western Civilization are catching up regarding industry and personal wealth. As fossil fuel prices start climbing globally due to supply/demand, energy independence will involve non-fossil fuels. Thus, electricity. And consumers will flock to vehicles that are cheaper to operate, kind of like they did in the 1970's gas crunch. All these companies want to enter that market and establish themselves (Tesla is already the first company that comes to mind when you hear "EV"). And Merkuns demand large, overpowered vehicles, it is our Constitution Right and obligation. Thus, the stupidly uneconomic Hummer EV. And there will be many more just like it, eEscalade, eSuburban, eF650, etc etc. And they will all be big sellers, because these companies know their customers.

 

[rustythorn]

Don’t forget upcoming megawatt-plus charger for Tesla semi trucks. It’s going to take the power of a nuclear plant to charge a few hundred of these trucks simultaneously.

Charging van house batteries with BEV charger is like killing a fly with sledgehammer. While possibly effective, unintended consequences may be quite negative.

the average house using 30 kwh per day. the tesla semi has a 900 kwh battery or same power that 30 houses use each day, that does not require a whole nuclear plant. of course they want to charge faster than 24 hours. the specs given are 70% in half an hour. that would the same power used, on average, in a half an hour by 1000 homes, still not a whole nuclear plant. ok a few hundred semis, 300? 600? first google search says a nuclear plant powers 690,000 homes so yes it will take a nuclear plant to fast charge 690 semis at the same time. so it would be easy to do if houses in the area could give up power for half an hour. very easy if those houses had their own electric cars 2 way plugged in and/or just a house battery and solar panels wouldn't hurt. looks like all of this is feasible with current tech

 

[Michael Ophus]

Why would you think small=electric?
View attachment 182748

Ok

Caterpillar Successfully Demonstrates First Battery Electric Large Mining Truck and Invests in Sustainable Proving Ground

/PRNewswire/ -- Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) announced today a successful demonstration of its first battery electric 793 large mining truck and a significant...

www.prnewswire.com

 

[Calaverasgrande]

This sounds like a house problem, not a car problem. Weren't the garages built in the 1950's large enough to fit the much larger cars being made in the 1950's? And didn't civilized people (then AND now) park in their garage rather than like animals in the driveway?
I'd get a correct sized house. Or at least have the garage remodeled to be able to fit a car in it. I'll never have a house that doesn't have a garage without a 10' tall door and 24' deep bay.

Not a lot of the other houses around there have a garage. And they all look like they were built at the same time.
Seems a previous owner had it added. It basically goes from the left side of the house right up to the property line.
The main problem with the stanchion is that it has to be about 2 feet out from the junction box
which they didn't know when they installed it.
If they had they would have put it on the back wall.

 

[4fastman]

4 yrs ago purchased all the gear needed to charge using Ecar stations 2 tesla model S batteries 10kwh at Level 2 -
decided to use 24v 50 amp Server Rack power supplies - server gear is Very well made -
110 /220 V - purchased 2 - ( hacking to get to operate was not easy close to zero info available ) -

to control battery charging ---> threw Victron 100/50 solar controller -
using victron i could set charge to what ever needed - works Great -

E Car charge station Controller from E Car Parts -

at the time little gear / info was available -

To me being able to charge up at Ecar stations makes since - 30 minutes = lots of charge
Im Surprise Solar Generator of 5kwh size cant charge at Ecar chargers -

At the time I called 4 ECar charger manufactures to see if they had gear I wanted -
ended up talking to R&D dept at 3 of them -

have all E cooking - dorm Fridge - 2 computers - starlink - lights Fans charge between 2 and 12 camera batteries daily -
and charge Sur ron E bike 1.7kwh 60v battery - every few days -
1200watt victron LF inverter powers everything -
750watts CIGS rollup solar lately getting 3kwh with panels tilted



I

 

[sYfte]

For those still intent on doing this...Legislation Reference - Reserved Parking for Plug-In Vehicle Charging - Plug-In Sites

Don't read the table, scroll down and read the full text of each state's laws.

 

[phil]

I wouldn't worry about it, just don't be stupid, and know the laws before you do it,

It give the enforcers the ability to do something when there is a "karen or ken" event, just unplug and leave

This is California's lawful signage
“Unauthorized vehicles not connected for electric charging purposes will be towed away at owner’s expense. Towed vehicles may be reclaimed at________
or by telephoning (Address) __.”

charging a battery bank is "for electric charging purposes"

Other states actually say electric vehicle.

 

[jkmann]

For those still intent on doing this...Legislation Reference - Reserved Parking for Plug-In Vehicle Charging - Plug-In Sites

That is pretty helpful. What I notice is that most (all?) of the rules are about the parking space, not about the charging equipment itself. It seems like using the charging equipment while parked in an adjacent space might be a loophole in this anti-ICE'ing legislation. I agree with @phil that if you stay with the vehicle and explain to anyone who asks that you are charging your vehicle's batteries that you are highly unlikely to have a problem. But, if someone complains I wouldn't fight it, just move on. It's not worth having to explain or discuss it with a cop who might not know the exact wording of the statute.

 

[kazuo]

I would use the argument that instead of using my inefficient, polluting ICE powered alternator to recharge my batteries, I am doing the Green thing by using clean Electric power. and that they should thank me for being ahead of the curve.

 

[surly Bill]

Letter of the law and intent of the law seldom perfectly overlap.

If the charging stations are strictly "pay to play" and there is a fee, I don't think there should be any restrictions on WHAT you're using the electricity you're buying for. The "free" perk charging stations intended for EVs are another matter. Does anyone know offhand if the 2-3 charging stations they are installing at Interstate rest stops are "free", or are they part of a network you have to join?
For RVs, there are a lot of "free" black tank dump sites everywhere, but I suppose that's to help stop people just dumping it on the ground, cuz that's how a lot of people roll. I don't see why there couldn't also be "free" house-battery charging stations, ostensibly to reduce the number and time people are running loud, smelly generators in campgrounds.

 

[Michael Ophus]

In the early 1980s there were no free blackwater dump stations, The only way to get one was to rent a campsite in a private campground. That or call the Honey wagon and pay him to pump it out.
Needless to say most were dumped in ditches next to the road.
And before the mid 1990s all greywater ran on the ground.
In 1998 my company was fined $12,000 dollars for dumping paint in the creek, They had been dumping paint in that creek for 50 years before that. It was not a huge amount, It was from cleaning paint spraying equipment. But we used Xylene and other nasty chemicals for paint thinner which was also used the clean the spray guns. Before the 1990s this was every company in the united states.

 

[Chance]

.....cut..... I don't see why there couldn't also be "free" house-battery charging stations, ostensibly to reduce the number and time people are running loud, smelly generators in campgrounds.

Since “paid for” electricity should be cheaper than running a generator, I don’t see the need to make any electricity “free” just to discourage generator use. And if generators are that bad for a given location, just restrict or prohibit their use and let campers deal with or choose whatever other options work best for them. People can be creative at finding solutions.

Giving stuff away too often leads to abuse and all kinds of unintended consequences. In my opinion government should set goals and let consumers and free markets find best solution whenever possible. And yes, I know there is no such thing as true free markets, but you know what I mean.

 

[Rolf]

At the local Walmart and Safeway they put up these 4 stall stations and they are
always empty and no Tonka Toy trucks either, I think it should be ok to charge your
House batteries for sure if they don’t seem busy ……

 

[surly Bill]

Since “paid for” electricity should be cheaper than running a generator, I don’t see the need to make any electricity “free” just to discourage generator use. And if generators are that bad for a given location, just restrict or prohibit their use and let campers deal with or choose whatever other options work best for them. People can be creative at finding solutions.

Giving stuff away too often leads to abuse and all kinds of unintended consequences. In my opinion government should set goals and let consumers and free markets find best solution whenever possible. And yes, I know there is no such thing as true free markets, but you know what I mean.

That's why I put "free" in quotation marks. There's always a catch. Kind of like the store you park sort of wants you to shop in their store and not walk down the block to a different one. "free parking".

 

[Chance]

That's why I put "free" in quotation marks. There's always a catch. Kind of like the store you park sort of wants you to shop in their store and not walk down the block to a different one. "free parking".

If “free” electricity is provided by a store like Walmart to attract customers, I’m all for it. If a business gives away 2~3 kWh of electricity which costs them less than a buck to get us in store, it’s their decision and I support it. You’re correct that it’s similar to free parking at that same store, or if they were giving away free samples of food, etc. to gain competitive advantage over other stores. I just prefer the government not give away free electricity with very few exceptions — and charging a camping van is not one of them.

 

[surly Bill]

Often the "free" government stuff is sponsored by some company that uses it as a tax write-off. Maybe the rest area stations are sponsored by, let's say...ChargePoint. And the instructions for use require you to download their app to access this "free" charging.
It's the drug dealer business model; First dose is free. You'll be back for more.