Quote:
Originally Posted by oil pan 4
Each one of these would require some where around a 1000lb to a ton of lead acid batteries and a solar tracker that will need to be replaced every 5 to 10 years.
|
They are using "integrated lithium-ion battery pack" not lead acid.
The tracker looks fairly heavy duty, it would have to be considering the size of the array it is going to move. It is possible that their tracker is over engineered enough to last longer than 5 to 10 years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oil pan 4
I have stated before that each daily mile you want to support driving with grid tied solar is some where around $400 to $500 per mile, this breaks the bank at around $1000 per mile.
|
I have a 4.5kW grid tied (interactive) setup at home which has been running for a couple of years and the daily average over that time has been 17.4kWH produced per day. My EV battery pack won't even come close to requiring that much energy. So the excess will be sold to the grid.
The solar inverter pumps the electricity into the grid during the day and the EV will take back what it needs when charging overnight. So more energy goes into the grid than comes back out. Financially this works out even more in my favour as the amount paid by the grid during the day is a lot more per kWH than what it costs at night with the off-peak electricity rates.
Yes there was the initial outlay to pay for the set up and the installation but i am about 12 months from recouping the entire cost. Return on investment is 30%. I don't think there are many investments that give a guaranteed 30% return. Also once the cost is fully recouped i will still have the system so i will be ahead by the depreciated value of the system. I haven't even factored in the reduction in cost from using electricity rather than petrol in the car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oil pan 4
Then when it gets hit by lightning, replace everything, to include the vehicle plugged into it. Because the scenario they present is "set it on the ground and plug a vehicle to it and forgetaboutit" because permitting and codes don't apply to this device (as is with any new thing).
|
You are correct, lightning would be a risk. Especially without a protective earth connection. They didn't give specific details on the earthing but they did imply that the unit is just dumped in place and it is fully self contained.
To quote their web site "Mounted on an attractive, ballasted pad, the EV ARC™ does not require any foundations, trenching, electrical upgrades or even a building permit. It is 100% self-contained and is delivered to the site ready to use on it’s own undercarriage. Deployment time is about 5 minutes instead of several weeks for a traditional, grid tied EV charger."
Even so, I sure wouldn't complain if they wanted to put one in my driveway.
