This post was on the EVDL, a forum that I listen to a lot and contribute to some. Posters are from all over the place, so they have discussed this before. We could post the Cracker Barrel idea to get feedback if you want to. Is it proper forum etiquette to post another forum's post to a 2nd forum's post? I don't know. Hope so. Fran
Message: 16 Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:38:59 -0800 (PST) From: Ralph Merwin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [EVDL] Fast Charging To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Doug Weathers writes: > > If we had a high-power charging infrastructure in place, we could go > long distances without needing a superbattery. We could use today's EVs > to make long trips. True. But there's the old chicken and egg problem of not having any high power outlets nor many EVs that would use them if they were there. It's difficult to make a case for installing a high power charging station when it would sit unused most of the time. Also, consider the constant EVDL topic of 'cheap chargers'. People seem to cough hairballs at the thought of spending money on chargers. Now imagine their reaction at the cost of a high power charger. Most of "today's EVs" can't take advantage of high power stations. > Granted - if you're only talking about a commuter vehicle. If you want > to occasionally take long trips, then *if there's infrastructure*, you > can, without needing multiple-hour charging stops during the driving day. Again we have the problem of not enough EVs on the road to support a high power infrastructure. Not many businesses will install high power outlets and hope that someday EVs will be able to use them. Plus - there's the issue with the NEC regulations about high power outlets. The regulations require expensive vehicle interconnects, which not many EVs use, which further reduces the number of vehicles that can use a high power station. > The bad news is there's no infrastructure. The good news is that it > would be far cheaper to build this infrastructure than just about any > other EV-enabling infrastructure I can imagine. We're very close. Many > homes and businesses use 220v power already Again, we have the NEC regulations getting in the way of installing 220v outlets. You might be able to get away with non-regulation 220v outlets at home but I'd bet that most businesses won't try. > This is a recurring topic, which Rich Rudman was wont to passionately > argue in favor of. (He builds high-power chargers.) I keep pushing the notion of building a simple infrastructure by giving employers incentives to install outlets for employees that have EVs. This would provide power for EVs where they naturally tend to sit idle for long periods of time. Put simple, inexpensive 120v outlets in places where people/cars are already staying in one place for several hours. Ralph
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