Battery based vehicles of today and tomorrow pt 2

[Grumpycat]

We will have to build out our electrical supply to accommodate new load, but that can be rolled into the replacement process. Most of our generating capacity is 50 years old, and some is approaching the century mark. It has to be replaced anyway, so build bigger and better then next time.

One of the beauties of EV is how practical (and cheap) it is to charge at home vs sitting around waiting at a "gas station" at 3-4x the cost.

And when charging at home the natural time to charge is during the night when our power grid has a generating surplus. Selling power at night to EVs generates revenue the utility would not otherwise receive. Revenue to expand day time capacity, and therefore night time capacity.

 

[Grumpycat]

Hmmm...thankfully I haven't experienced any of that. Fortunately the securing of loan and purchasing was all done online.

In 2013 there was a credit union actively soliciting Tesla buyers for auto loans. Applied 100% online, borrowed $70,000 at 1.49% for 72 months.

The AAPL stock I would have sold to pay cash nearly quadrupled during that time.

 

[Grumpycat]

The LOVE of Money is the root of all evil.
Patrick

So clearly you must divest of love else be evil!

 

[Gale Hawkins]

EVs can be expensive!

 

[Grumpycat]

The Tesla model Y is the easiest car I can find to get in and out of that has FSD.

I selected the Y because it is easier to get in/out of than a 3 or S. That an X was a bit excessive and getting long in the tooth.

Don't miss my FSD demo now it has expired. Was not too happy on today's 150 mile mostly 2-lane trip when Autopilot Cruise Control (not even the lane holing option) slammed on the brakes for a distant vehicle crossing in front of me. Had an idiot been following closely there would have been a collision.

Not once, but 4 times. Enough to learn to put my foot over the accelerator when someone may be crossing ahead, that I can override before it gets too bad.

It also has problems panicking when it sees large trucks coming around right hand (left for the truck) turns on 2 lane roads.

Thinking I want to delete the "traffic aware" feature for simple "pace the vehicle ahead" adaptive cruise control.

 

[Grumpycat]

30 mpg out of a hybrid is unacceptable mileage.

Since the Prius made "hybrid" cool there have been many doing the hybrid thing without getting the results.

I think same thing happens with "synthetic" motor oil. There are many who go through the motions to qualify their motor oil as "synthetic" then sell at higher price, but do not deliver a superior product. There are no industry performance standards an oil must meet to be sold as "synthetic", only a marketing standard that, "accepted synthetic manufacturing processes be used." No special requirement of the product produced.

 

[Grumpycat]

I thought a Y would be my next car. But I have plenty of time to see what else is out there. Consumer Reports' criticism's of the Y made me broaden my search.

CR has to be taken with a grain of salt. Learned that long ago when they were comparing soups I was familiar with.

First, they said the touch screen was hard to understand for the non-techie, so my wife would find that a nightmare.

Such a conclusion by CR is almost racist! Every "non-techie" is different, to know how your wife will interact with the Tesla controls you have to put her in front of it and spend some time.

I find much of the user interface convoluted. Just try to find the sound system equalizer control. I know now, but it took 15 minutes to find.

Second, that the ride was unnecessarily harsh, pointed out in their Ioniq writeup, which they much preferred on that aspect.

Agreed. Tesla Metrosexual Designers in California are designing to some standard of their own. Would have been much better had they used a Subaru Outback to pattern the Y. Softer ride and 60 series tires.

And the glass roof. I use a SUV as a real utility vehicle at times and I read that an owner cracked the roof glass adding aftermarket crossbars.

Tesla makes crossbars. That an aftermarket company did it wrong is no slight on Tesla.

And in a Tesla Y forum, there was general agreement among Californians that too much hot California sun required an aftermarket headliner.

I feared as much with my Y in Alabama but so far I forget I have a glass roof most of the time. Almost never opened the sunroof or even the inner liner cover on my Subaru or ML320.

My home is in a place where the joke is you can tell a local because they open the car door then stand back five ft for the blast of superheated air to get our before entering the car. And you may need stove mitts to hold the steering wheel. I realize the Y has pre-conditioning available so maybe this isn't an issue but in the more general sense, I wouldn't prefer a glass roof.

Tesla has a "cabin overheat protection option" that will air condition the cabin keeping temperature below 100°F.

Additionally you can turn the climate controls on/off remotely from the app.

And schedule departure times to precondition the cabin and traction battery (for cold climates).

 

[Grumpycat]

View attachment 871661View attachment 871662View attachment 871664

Found this set up in my new garage. What type of charging system will it support?

That will do 40A on a 1st or 2nd generation Tesla Mobile Connector with the proper adapter. Will charge 29 MPH on my old Model S, I think (after 6 months I keep forgetting to look) near 40 MPH on the Y.

 

[Grumpycat]

Dunno what sort of EV charger is designed to use that. But if it's not familiar to you, that's the classic 50 amp welder outlet. The round center pin is the 240v's neutral.

Modern wiring code wants a fourth pin for the earth ground - the green wire you see in near everything. (different from the electrical circuit's neutral). I don't know if an EV charger requires the earth ground to operate. I suspect it might, its a safety feature.

___________
Edit - correction!
Others who know more pointed out the center terminal is earth ground, And the fourth wire is needed for the 240v's neutral. If that fourth wire exists then you can get 120v from either hot blade to that neutral, for a grinder outlet etc on the welder's panel.

And the EV doesn't need or use neutral.

 

[Grumpycat]

or this

Gen 2 NEMA Adapters

Use a variety of household outlets to charge your Tesla with a Gen 2 NEMA Adapter. Simply attach the appropriate adapter to your Mobile Connector, plug into the corresponding outlet and begin charging. Adapter Max Distance Gained Per Hour of Charge Model S Model 3 Model X Model Y 5-15 3...

shop.tesla.com

I think you want the 6-50.

The 2nd generation Mobile Connector is limited to 32A (vs 40A of the 1st generation).

You might consider purchase of a Wall Connector to replace that outlet. The Wall Connector only uses L1, L2, and Ground.