Battery based electric vehicles of today and tomorrow.

[Gale Hawkins]

I put together a 50', 50a. 240v. extension cord for my welder. It was way cheaper than buying another 50' of welding lead.

Conntek 15306 Ergo Grip RV 50A Extension Cord 30 Ft With LED Power Indicator | eBay

This is the 30 ft extension cord I bought in case I wanted to charge out of the other end of the shop.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

The risk of the energy transition is that it only benefits a few, CEO says

He talks about the change is coming one way or another. He also mentions how things are playing out different in Europe than in the USA because we are more dependent on fossil fuel for electricity.

 

[Grumpycat]

A few months ago I had two guys that was out replacing a security lamp that quit burning. They were not pro on home owners selling power back to the grid. What I'm talking about would not be cost-effective but it would just make sure that I could charge an EV even if the grid was down and maybe just quit using the grid for everything depending how much money I put into the system.

The problem is most PV inverters will not run without a 60 Hz pilot signal from grid tie. This is thought to be a safety feature to keep from driving the grid during an outage putting linemen at risk. There are inverters for pure off grid. There are inverters which have simultaneous battery, PV, and grid connections.

One of the more unusual requirements of a grid tie installation is placement and documentation of an accessible disconnect.

Tesla PV installations start with an “Energy Gateway” through which everything is routed. All grid power enters. All PV power fed to the grid exits through it whether utility utilizes 1 or 2 meters. Some utilities accept this as the utility disconnect.

In the event of an outage the Energy Gateway disconnects from the grid so Tesla Powerwalls (battery with built in inverter and charge controller) can continue to power your home. With the added benefit of fooling your grid tie PV inverter into continuing to operate.

One nontrivial trick the Gateway must accomplish is to resync your 60 Hz to the utility 60 Hz when power resumes.

Do not need PV solar to have Powerwalls. They are sold to onerous T.O.U. customers who have excessive daytime rates tgat they can charge at night to have cheaper power during the day. Doubles as backup power.

Am told one Powerwall plus Gateway is $10,000 installed. Additional Powerwalls are $7,000 each. A Powerwall has 13 kWh or storage.

These are important concerns to me too as I am in the early stages of planning a new house. Already own the property. Have given consideration to being totally off-grid but to do so no-compromise looks to be $100-150k. Most of that is battery storage.

 

[airbiscuit]

The entrepreneurs will spring up everywhere using EV concepts, making all kinds of things. We're kind of in the Wright Brothers stage.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Just wait until that rollback is powered by hydrogen.

I don’t have enough years left for that.

 

[MossRoad]

 

[Grumpycat]

New microinverter from the US

Could be one Renewables option.

I don’t see anything new or breakthrough in that article.

Enphase pioneered the microinverter movement. This is the placement of one inverter per PV panel. Output is 120/240VAC ready for use. Requires grid power as a pilot to which it syncs its output.

Solar Edge blurs the definition by placing a power optimizer at each panel. This is a dc-dc converter. The exact voltage for optimal conversion of sunlight to electricity differs with every panel, with the brightness, with the temperature. An optimizer at each panel takes the burden off a central string inverter which can only tune to the average optimum. This is how a solar inverter differs from the inverter you might plug into the cigarette lighter of your car. The PV inverter has to hunt for optimal input voltage to get the most power from the panels.

 

[MoKelly]

Ford’s stock shot up today (in a down market) after announcing they are supplying the engines and transmissions for a huge new fleet for the next generation of USPS vehicles.

Some will be ICE and some will be electric.

The Ford guy made a statement to the effect that electric vehicles are perfect for those vehicles that “travel the same limited route everyday and return home each evening where they can be recharged overnight”.

MoKelly

 

[goeduck]

Harley-Davidson CEO: 'The future is electric' ahead of new motorcycle launch

Another OEM makes the commitment.

Dang, I better get my Harley Fat Boy while I still can.

 

[sd455dan]

Ford’s stock shot up today (in a down market) after announcing they are supplying the engines and transmissions for a huge new fleet for the next generation of USPS vehicles.

Some will be ICE and some will be electric.

The Ford guy made a statement to the effect that electric vehicles are perfect for those vehicles that “travel the same limited route everyday and return home each evening where they can be recharged overnight”.

MoKelly

Good for Ford,

I do hope the new, new electric Fords have better coolant routing and design than the 1st gen Mach E...

WoW
Can imagine busy Ford techs fixing coolant leaks when these cars roll up some real miles