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Where in Europe is electric car a good idea?

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Re: Where in Europe is electric car a good idea?

#101

Post by kzrdude »

Reason077 wrote: post #20

Electric vehicles can be charged overnight and at off-peak times, so it's reasonable to assume they use a higher-than-average share of low-carbon energy. For example, around 50% of the UK's electricity production is from low-carbon sources (renewables and nuclear). But a much higher percentage of off-peak power is low-carbon. After midnight, close to 100% of the grid is low-carbon because the gas turbines spin down w…

Don't the wind turbines have their lowest production during the night too, on average?

Re: Where in Europe is electric car a good idea?

#102

Post by kzrdude »

kzrdude wrote: post #101
Reason077 wrote: post #20

Electric vehicles can be charged overnight and at off-peak times, so it's reasonable to assume they use a higher-than-average share of low-carbon energy. For example, around 50% of the UK's electricity production is from low-carbon sources (renewables and nuclear). But a much higher percentage of off-peak power is low-carbon. After midnight, close to 100% of the grid is low-carbon because the gas turbines spin down w…

Don't the wind turbines have their lowest production during the night too, on average?

Apparently not. I was under the impression that winds, being powered by temperature differences and energy input into the weather system from the sun, would calm at night.

Apparently the wind producers don't experience anything like that.

https://www.llnl.gov/news/power-generation-blowing-wind

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/wind-power-turbin...

Re: Where in Europe is electric car a good idea?

#103

Post by [deleted] »

captainmuon wrote: post #99
Reason077 wrote: post #20

Electric vehicles can be charged overnight and at off-peak times, so it's reasonable to assume they use a higher-than-average share of low-carbon energy. For example, around 50% of the UK's electricity production is from low-carbon sources (renewables and nuclear). But a much higher percentage of off-peak power is low-carbon. After midnight, close to 100% of the grid is low-carbon because the gas turbines spin down w…

Yeah, but does anybody do that? If I had an electric car, I'd charge it overnight. I don't get different pricing at different times. There has been talk of introducing that for decades now (in Germany), but I'm not sure it is coming soon, nor that I'd like it. Probably, it would become just more expensive when I need it most, without being able to change my usage patterns much.

[deleted]

Re: Where in Europe is electric car a good idea?

#104

Post by the_mitsuhiko »

captainmuon wrote: post #99
Reason077 wrote: post #20

Electric vehicles can be charged overnight and at off-peak times, so it's reasonable to assume they use a higher-than-average share of low-carbon energy. For example, around 50% of the UK's electricity production is from low-carbon sources (renewables and nuclear). But a much higher percentage of off-peak power is low-carbon. After midnight, close to 100% of the grid is low-carbon because the gas turbines spin down w…

Yeah, but does anybody do that? If I had an electric car, I'd charge it overnight. I don't get different pricing at different times. There has been talk of introducing that for decades now (in Germany), but I'm not sure it is coming soon, nor that I'd like it. Probably, it would become just more expensive when I need it most, without being able to change my usage patterns much.

Off peak pricing was ling already available with two meters ans quite common. Now with smart meters you can have hourly pricing.

Re: Where in Europe is electric car a good idea?

#105

Post by ZenoArrow »

greglindahl wrote: post #92
himlion wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This will not scale as more and more people make use of this though. I agree it's a very strong incentive though.

The version that scales better is inexpensive pay charging stations.

Ubitricity is an example of such a scheme:

http://youtu.be/rKaEhBjt1ls

Re: Where in Europe is electric car a good idea?

#106

Post by ZenoArrow »

petra wrote: post #61
Kon5ole wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am one of the "panicky" ones and I want to explain my point of view. When I was a kid, living in the equivalent of Kentucky, a nuclear accident in the equivalent of the Bahamas made it so we couldn't eat wild berries from the woods anymore. Now a middle aged man over 30 years later, sheep from my home area still measure levels of radioactivity too high for human consumption. That's why I feel most options are bette…

If you look at the seriousness the human race dedicated to creating safe nuclear energy, it looks almost comical:we settled on the first technology we found(pressured water reactors), because it fitted best for the requirents of the Navy at the time, not because it offered the best safety for citizens, far from it.And than, in the name of safety, we created an environment that prevented from new designs to become com…

> "But we now have reactors types that (a) can't physically blow up , their temperature is limited, and (b) contain very little to no radioactive gasses , so even in the worst case scenario, we'll be just left with an enclosed pool of radioactive material, which is safe."

Interested in learning more about these reactor types. I hear different reactor names discussed, but I'm not sure what's right on the cutting edge.

Re: Where in Europe is electric car a good idea?

#107

Post by geezerjay »

stephengillie wrote: post #38
zeristor wrote: post #7

A huge benefit of electric cars is removing pollution from cities; this seems to be forgotten. Surely if the pollution is killing thousands of people a year this is an issue.

Electric cars do not remove pollution - they are not trees. They merely pollute at a greatly reduced rate.

> Electric cars do not remove pollution - they are not trees. They merely pollute at a greatly reduced rate.

You seem to be oblivious to the fact that electric cars are replacing cars powered by an internal combustion engine.

If you replace an IC engine with an electric motor then that source of pollution is removed, don't you agree?

Furthermore, electric cars typically get their power from the national power grid, which generates power in a much more efficient way than your typical IC engine.

On top of that, nowadays any power grid is being supplied by sources other fossil fuels. This shift away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy sources is being spearheaded by the European Union and reflected by their national action plans. This already resulted in some EU member-states breaking green energy records such as:

* covering around 35% of their national power generation from renewable sources

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/germany-green...

* running the entire country over 4 days straight on renewable energy alone

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/18/portugal...

This is the energy production that is powering electric vehicles.

Re: Where in Europe is electric car a good idea?

#108

Post by odiroot »

zeristor wrote: post #7

A huge benefit of electric cars is removing pollution from cities; this seems to be forgotten. Surely if the pollution is killing thousands of people a year this is an issue.

There's still pollution from the tire particulates due to friction.

Although I guess it's negligible to gas exhaust.

Re: Where in Europe is electric car a good idea?

#109

Post by [deleted] »

captainmuon wrote: post #99
Reason077 wrote: post #20

Electric vehicles can be charged overnight and at off-peak times, so it's reasonable to assume they use a higher-than-average share of low-carbon energy. For example, around 50% of the UK's electricity production is from low-carbon sources (renewables and nuclear). But a much higher percentage of off-peak power is low-carbon. After midnight, close to 100% of the grid is low-carbon because the gas turbines spin down w…

Yeah, but does anybody do that? If I had an electric car, I'd charge it overnight. I don't get different pricing at different times. There has been talk of introducing that for decades now (in Germany), but I'm not sure it is coming soon, nor that I'd like it. Probably, it would become just more expensive when I need it most, without being able to change my usage patterns much.

[deleted]

Re: Where in Europe is electric car a good idea?

#110

Post by fnoobor »

captainmuon wrote: post #99
Reason077 wrote: post #20

Electric vehicles can be charged overnight and at off-peak times, so it's reasonable to assume they use a higher-than-average share of low-carbon energy. For example, around 50% of the UK's electricity production is from low-carbon sources (renewables and nuclear). But a much higher percentage of off-peak power is low-carbon. After midnight, close to 100% of the grid is low-carbon because the gas turbines spin down w…

Yeah, but does anybody do that? If I had an electric car, I'd charge it overnight. I don't get different pricing at different times. There has been talk of introducing that for decades now (in Germany), but I'm not sure it is coming soon, nor that I'd like it. Probably, it would become just more expensive when I need it most, without being able to change my usage patterns much.

In Germany you can request an off-peak meter in addition to your normal power meter. Alternatively, you can get a power meter that is able to count two tariffs in one device.

There is no "talk of introducing this for decades" since it exists since decades.

Here's all you need to know: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niedertarifstrom

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