Quote:
Originally Posted by ShadeTreeMech
The reason to have an electric vehicle is to make use of electricity from the power grid...
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Only secondarily. The main reason is to make use of the energy I'd collect from my solar PV and/or wind generation, which I'd install if I had an electric/PHEV vehicle to use the surplus instead of giving it back to the power company. (The drawbacks of a $40/month power bill :-))
On a different point, what I've heard from the EV builders I've spoken with (other than Tesla owners) is that typical EVs just don't climb hills all that well, if at all. It's a matter of current draw and how much sustained current the batteries can provide. Typical flatland operation would be a few seconds of high current to accelerate to cruising speed, then modest draw to maintain speed on the flat. But around here, it's not uncommon to climb 4000 vertical feet or more at 6-7% grade, which requires acceleration power levels to be maintained for 20-30 minutes instead of 10-20 seconds.