When do you expect ev bikes to become practical road bikes.

[rphillips]

I never thought anything like that, level 2 charger just needs a correct 220V outlet. I've never noticed any, but are there places that have the correct 220V outlets outside and accessible now or will that be like the charging stations, a coming thing?... Something I just learned last wk. I'd have thought all EVs would use the same charging stations, kind'f like all ICE use the same gas pumps. The Ford CEO, on a road trip in a new Lightning Pick-up, said he pulled into a charging station and couldn't use the Tesla Supercharger, using the Ford charger he got 40% charge in 40 min. It did say, later in the article, that Ford, GM, and Ravian was doing something with Tesla to make it where they could use the Tesla chargers. But it's hard to imagine all EVs wouldn't have used the same chargers just from the first get'go... I guess it just took a little thinking to figure out all using the same chargers would be good.

[Suzukian]

Every home in America has 220V coming into it.

[rphillips]

No doubt every home does and every business has 220V available inside of the place. My question was are there places that have the "correct" 220V outlet, outside, that is accessible for people to drive up to and get charged? I haven't looked but don't remember seeing any.

[Suzukian]

That's why you hire an electrician. Depending on where you live, you may have only single phase, which would not get you a station as powerful as a 3 phase, but one that would definitely work, hey just mount a power supply box in parallel next to where you plan to put the charger (that would be outside you home, as it is not recommended you charge any vehicle indoors,as they can go "boom". Voltage remains the same in parallel, so you lose no current or voltage availability to your home,A lot of zoning does now allow 3 phase systems in residential areas, while some don't care if you put in a D.I.Y. fission reactor. There is no one universal answer, only ones specific to an area.

[Baatfam]

No doubt every home does and every business has 220V available inside of the place. My question was are there places that have the "correct" 220V outlet, outside, that is accessible for people to drive up to and get charged? I haven't looked but don't remember seeing any.

Just get out and look around. They are popping up everywhere.
At Norris Dam....New this past spring.

[rphillips]

No doubt more and more charging stations every day. My thought was maybe just a 220V outlet may be more available, "today", than a charging station. I see 110V everywhere, and wondered if 220V here and there that I haven't noticed. The article did say the bike didn't need a charging station, only a 220V outlet.

[Suzukian]

Any place that has 110V going to is has 220V going to it. It is split to give you 110V each side. The only issue is the Main coming off of the transformer, and how many amps it can provide. Amps is the issue, not voltage, 220v is everywhere, it the amps that are the issue. My home is old, small, and only has an 80 amp from the Main. My new Barn is bigger (2X) than my home, and has 200 amp service to it. I could definitely power a power station in the Barn. Amps is always the issue.

[wyly]

Any place that has 110V going to is has 220V going to it. It is split to give you 110V each side. The only issue is the Main coming off of the transformer, and how many amps it can provide. Amps is the issue, not voltage, 220v is everywhere, it the amps that are the issue. My home is old, small, and only has an 80 amp from the Main. My new Barn is bigger (2X) than my home, and has 200 amp service to it. I could definitely power a power station in the Barn. Amps is always the issue.

I'd say you're in an enviable position, not only do you have the right situation but the electrical knowledge to make it a reality. Solar panels/tiles on the barn?

An ev with average range may free you from fuel costs for 98% of your transportation needs. I base that on estimates that most people drive less 80 miles per day for commutes, you may be in the small percentage that need more. An ev scooter or motorcycle for short hops, an ev car/motorcycle for daily commuting, a used ICE/hybrid for longer trips.

And it will only get better as technological improvements keep coming.

Then if you could power your home with solar and sell back to the grid life is golden, energy independence.

[rphillips]

Sounds very good, we'll just have to see how long the batt. evolution takes. . It took, just ball park, 60 yrs for ICE engines to evolve from the 100K mi. range of the 1960's to the 300K mi. engines of today. Hoping the EV's come around much faster... Just sitting here watching the game, I just punched up cost of charging an EV, google said varied by location & charger but roughly from $10 to $30. When I started driving no regular auto would ever hold $10 of gasoline. You could fill a 100 gal. road tractor tank for less than the $30...Dang how things have changed.

[Suzukian]

I'd say you're in an enviable position, not only do you have the right situation but the electrical knowledge to make it a reality. Solar panels/tiles on the barn?

An ev with average range may free you from fuel costs for 98% of your transportation needs. I base that on estimates that most people drive less 80 miles per day for commutes, you may be in the small percentage that need more. An ev scooter or motorcycle for short hops, an ev car/motorcycle for daily commuting, a used ICE/hybrid for longer trips.

And it will only get better as technological improvements keep coming.

Then if you could power your home with solar and sell back to the grid life is golden, energy independence.

I've had people come out for placing solar panels on my house and barn, but the 100 foot tall beautiful trees, which give my property beautiful wonderful shade would have to come down. I would rather have the trees. At best, I would not live long enough to recover the investment, and at this stage of the game, I just don't really care too much. I live on the side on a hill, between two lakes, and I have probably 1 of the 3 flat properties on this hill. If the town would let me put up a Windmill, I' be most interested. The town has zoned them out though. I live in a very short sighted town. There are cylindrical turbine windmills that are silent vertical tubes, with a few solar panels to supply voltage to aim them, in the even a battery went low, these windmills would supply much amperage. The industry it stuck on panels though, so it is what it is.

[dorkburger]

Over the last two years I've been on two jobs where rooftop solar panels started a fire, both causing heavy damage but not a total building loss. These were large commercial installs on big flat warehouse roofs. I never heard of the cause, but it was enough to make me think. With all of the solar panels I've seen on commercial buildings I'd guess the fires are outliers. I asked the last solar solicitor that knocked on my door about fires and he had no answers on the subject and immediately asked who installed it and hinted at poor workmanship.

[rphillips]

I remember roughly 20 or 25 yrs ago several homes around town getting 2 solar panels installed on the roofs, rumors were for water heaters. I thought it was a coming thing, but as time has passed, I don't remember seeing any new ones installed in several yrs. Have seen larger, more commercial, solar banks but not seeing the ones on the homes. The going thing around here these days, many homes are installing generators.

[wyly]

I've had people come out for placing solar panels on my house and barn, but the 100 foot tall beautiful trees, which give my property beautiful wonderful shade would have to come down. I would rather have the trees. At best, I would not live long enough to recover the investment, and at this stage of the game, I just don't really care too much. I live on the side on a hill, between two lakes, and I have probably 1 of the 3 flat properties on this hill. If the town would let me put up a Windmill, I' be most interested. The town has zoned them out though. I live in a very short sighted town. There are cylindrical turbine windmills that are silent vertical tubes, with a few solar panels to supply voltage to aim them, in the even a battery went low, these windmills would supply much amperage. The industry it stuck on panels though, so it is what it is.

You could top the trees that cast shade on the barn roof, doesn't hurt the tree, encourages lower branch growth and the tree is less likely to be toppled in a storm.

I don't understand the opposition to turbines maybe there's a noise issue but on a rural setting that shouldn't be a problem, can't be noisier than my neighbour and her dogs.

It's ironic there are complaints about unsightly turbines while our cities are dotted with cellular towers. Ask a cellular provider to put it's gear on top of a cylindrical turbine

But yes the age vs cost is a factor, will you recoup the expenses in your lifetime? You'd need to really crunch the numbers.

Where I live electrical rates are unregulated and rising fast so people are switching to producing their own power, it's quickly becoming feasible. My bro-in-law did and now sells back to the grid, I don't know what the payback time is, he's got way more money than me and he's younger too. Many new home builds here are now constructed solar panel ready, the owners can add them at a later date.

[wyly]

I remember roughly 20 or 25 yrs ago several homes around town getting 2 solar panels installed on the roofs, rumors were for water heaters. I thought it was a coming thing, but as time has passed, I don't remember seeing any new ones installed in several yrs. Have seen larger, more commercial, solar banks but not seeing the ones on the homes. The going thing around here these days, many homes are installing generators.

Local prices may have something to do with it, once the home electrical bills become a burden people will begin looking for other options. When I was in Hawaii I was amazed at how many homes already had solar panels. Without major rivers to dam electrical 80% of its power comes from imported coal and oil I would think that's very expensive.

[Rob S.]

Many new home builds here are now constructed solar panel ready, the owners can add them at a later date.

Like the 82-83 11E - ready for an oiler cooler. Plug & play.

There's a parkway up in Connecticut where the cell towers are disguised as pine trees. Ugly pine trees.