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330 messages, Last post on Nov 13, 2008 at 12:13 PM
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Replying to: pf_flyer (Jan 16, 2008 5:31 am) Even public recharging stations that are used during the day don't need to be drawing from the grid at that time. These stations could have their own, very large, bank of batteries that was charged at night and would now be drawn on to recharge vehicles. Altairnano has already developed and delivered a 1 mega-watt-hour battery that could be used for this purpose. I haven't lived in CA for quite some time. Do they still have rolling blackouts? |
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Replying to: tpe (Jan 16, 2008 6:41 am)
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Replying to: pf_flyer (Jan 16, 2008 9:57 am) Absolutely not, it only makes sense. However for utilities to be interested in this new customer implies that they have available product to sell. To hear some people talk you'd think that wasn't the case. The utility companies' position is that this vast amount of excess capacity at night represents an untapped resource. Right now it also represents an inefficient use of the utility's assets since they have to keep these power plants running at night even though they aren't selling much electricity. Also, the more kilowatt-hours a plant can sell the quicker it will pay for itself. Theoretically this could drive down the cost of electricity since part of that cost goes to recouping the initial investment. I'm not holding my breath on that one. There are a lot of knowledgeable groups promoting EVs and PHEVs that have a very good understanding of the grids present and future capacities. Not all of these groups have a financial interest in promoting this technology. The basis of this argument against EVs seems to be very simplistic. We've had brown-outs therefore that proves there is no available electricity to charge these vehicles. I guess we'll be finding out who's right in the not too distant future. |
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Replying to: tpe (Jan 16, 2008 6:41 am) I just scrutinized my latest SDG&E bill. There is no lower rate any time of day or night. It is a progressive rate. The more you use the higher the rate per KWH. The base lowest rate is up to 380 KWH. It starts at a little over 11 cents per KWH. My top rate last month was over 19 cents per KWH. There are some other charges all on a progressively higher scale. So yes they may want us to use more especially at night. It would not save me any money whether I plug in during the day or night. My Hawaii electric bill is also progressive only much higher KWH rate. It looks to me like we would be paying a much higher rate for charging our EV. PS A lot of generation is shut down during low draw periods. That is when maintenance is performed. The utility where I worked only brought generators up to meet the load. On diesel engines it is not good to run without a load. Not sure how they do with coal fired steam turbines.
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Replying to: gagrice (Jan 19, 2008 8:13 am) I don't think that power plants can efficiently shut down. They can reduce their production but not to a level that matches demand. So there is some waste involved. |
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The comment I found most interesting in this article was in regards to the OEMtek's BREEZ. Toyota stated that if this mod was done correctly it would not void the warranty. If that's true it represents another big departure from Toyota's previous position regarding PHEVs. However at $12,500 it's a modification that very few Prius owners will be making. evs |
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Replying to: tpe (Jan 21, 2008 10:29 am)
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Replying to: gagrice (Jan 21, 2008 5:54 pm) |
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Replying to: gagrice (Jan 21, 2008 5:54 pm) http://www.valence.com/technology/safety_video.html#
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Replying to: tranhv68 (Apr 19, 2008 9:33 am) Interesting video. I guess you would be running a real risk driving your Tesla on the LA freeways with all the random bullets flying around. I'm still waiting to hear the pricing. I don't think it will be cheap. |
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