Electric Car Ownership - Any Experiences?

[Umbran]

Upgrading the panel seems as though it'd be expensive, but I imagine it'd be like nothing compared to upgrading your incoming line.

The electrician told me that for an above-ground line, it isn't that big a deal - utilities replace lines all the time when trees take 'em down. Utilities apparently often upgrade old ones for free when they have to replace them after storm damage.

We are usually thankful that the line is underground - it means that trees don't take out our power in blizzards and nor'easters. But for this, it is a bit of a bear - cost wise, it would be far cheaper to swap the house to an above-ground line.

 

[Umbran]

Wife used to have a job arranging accident tows, including to and from storage facilities. There’s some slimy tow companies and storage facilities out there. Outright lie about cars location to milk more insurance charges for tow/storage. Make you jump through hoops to try to keep the car longer for even more charges. Etc.

I can imagine. Since the car was totaled, though, we don't really care what happens to it - that's between the tow yard and the insurance company, now.

 

[Zaukrie]

The charging time is a big turn of fior me on trips. I'm loving learning from this thread. Hopefully people keep posting!

 

[Myrdin Potter]

The fast chargers that Tesla has and some non-Tesla networks have really chops the charging time down. Not as fast as stopping at a gas station but fast.

I have 200V service to my house so did not need to upgrade and then the solar system helped.

EMPORIA EV Charger Level 2, 48... Amazon.com

I have a juice box charger and that one. I like the Emporia and it can tie into power motoring as well.

 

[Meech17]

We took the Bolt on a longer trip this weekend - 300+ miles from Boston to just past Philadelphia.

The driving experience of the car is quite nice. The electric motors provide enough torque and oomph that the car isn't sluggish, but it has the added stability of all that battery weight at the bottom of the car. It was good to drive.

Along the corridor we were driving, there were a goodly number of Level 3 chargers (mostly the EVgo network). I didn't have to divert far from my route to reach them. But, the charging process took about 45 minutes, and I had to do that every 150 miles or so. So, it added an hour and a half or so each way.

A little work with Google maps allowed me to plan those power stops. This does kind of lock you into a route, and much of the power of Google is choosing routes to avoid traffic. Somehow, I just got lucky, and spend no significant time in real traffic, even on the holiday weekend.

Also, at one of the charging stops, we found a really enjoyable Mexican restaurant. You don't notice the charging time when it coincides with a meal stop, you see.

Honestly, that's not too bad. I drive back and forth from Detroit to Columbus a few times a year, which is only about 4 hours/250ish miles. When I was younger I used to do 3-4 hour drives non-stop all the time. Now though, I'm more inclined to take at least one, but usually two breaks anyway. Use the bathroom, get out of the car and stretch and walk for a bit.

Granted my breaks are usually only about 15 minutes, but stretching them out to 45 wouldn't be the end of the world.

What did those 45 minute charge sessions cost, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Umbran]

What did those 45 minute charge sessions cost, if you don't mind me asking?

There was some variation, but it worked out to about $24/hour on a Level 3 charger. But, you are paying a premium for the speed. Level 3 gets you full in an hour or less, Level 2 gets you full overnight or over a workday.

But real energy costs may be a better measure.
In the same general market, I recently paid:
$0.25 per kWh for level 2 Charger.
$0.66 per kWh for level 3 Charger.

And at home, I won't be paying the commercial markup.

 

[FrogReaver]

There was some variation, but it worked out to about $24/hour on a Level 3 charger. But, you are paying a premium for the speed. Level 3 gets you full in an hour or less, Level 2 gets you full overnight or over a workday.

But real energy costs may be a better measure.
In the same general market, I recently paid:
$0.25 per kWh for level 2 Charger.
$0.66 per kWh for level 3 Charger.

And at home, I won't be paying the commercial markup.

On a high level the long term economics of such charging stations would seem highly questionable.

Its something that only those traveling larger distances need, that costs more than alternatives (homes charges) so anyone that can avoid them will.

Compare to gas stations where everyone with a car needs them.

Charging stations are never going to proliferate like gas stations. In communities with a lower density of long distance travel they probably make little to no economical sense.

 

[Ryujin]

The electrician told me that for an above-ground line, it isn't that big a deal - utilities replace lines all the time when trees take 'em down. Utilities apparently often upgrade old ones for free when they have to replace them after storm damage.

We are usually thankful that the line is underground - it means that trees don't take out our power in blizzards and nor'easters. But for this, it is a bit of a bear - cost wise, it would be far cheaper to swap the house to an above-ground line.

Underground lines are great for things like ice storms, however, not so much when half your house loses power and there's steam coming up out of the ground.

 

[Meech17]

There was some variation, but it worked out to about $24/hour on a Level 3 charger. But, you are paying a premium for the speed. Level 3 gets you full in an hour or less, Level 2 gets you full overnight or over a workday.

But real energy costs may be a better measure.
In the same general market, I recently paid:
$0.25 per kWh for level 2 Charger.
$0.66 per kWh for level 3 Charger.

And at home, I won't be paying the commercial markup.

Yeah, I know charging at home for daily commuting is going to be as simple as charging your phone over night.

I was just curious what the comparison was to filling up a gas tank for road trips.

For two "Fill-ups" at <$20/ea that doesn't seem horrible. I drive a small hatchback and pay close to $40 to fill the tank. Granted I come out ahead on time.. But if you're mostly doing your day to day commuting and charging at home most of the time, and then paying the occasional ~$20 for a quick charge on the road.. That doesn't seem like a bad deal at all.

 

[Meech17]

On a high level the long term economics of such charging stations would seem highly questionable.

Its something that only those traveling larger distances need, that costs more than alternatives (homes charges) so anyone that can avoid them will.

Compare to gas stations where everyone with a car needs them.

Charging stations are never going to proliferate like gas stations. In communities with a lower density of long distance travel they probably make little to no economical sense.

I don't think we're going to see a massive amount of stand-alone charge stations.. But I can certainly see a future where every grocery store, every Wal-Mart, restaurants and other businesses where you're likely to spend half an hour or more start to install two to a dozen chargers in their parking lots.