Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
Cost has always been the primary driver of behavior. Slaves went away in the west not because it developed ethical DNA, but because slaves are expensive compared to machines.
People and organizations will tend to make decisions on what is least costly to them.
Regarding electricity reliability, around here if there's no electricity then there's no petrol, because the stations use electric pumps to operate. If electricity were sporadic here, an EV might be more reliable since it would charge whenever electricity were available, vs having to time a gasoline fill up when electricity is available. Perhaps it's a wash since people would change their behavior to just always have a topped up fuel tank.
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That's basically the case here as well. New Zealand doesn't refine or drill for fossil fuels (even though it has them), and 90% or so of the grid comes from hydro, wind, solar and geothermal. I haven't experienced a power outage of even a second since I moved here mid-2022. I'm unaware of people owning backup generators, though some add personal solar or wind just to bring prices down a bit more.
Electricity is typically around US13 cents per kwh uncontrolled, with lower rates if you have a smart meter or EV plan. Meanwhile gasoline is ballpark US$6.50 per gallon, after road repair taxes and such. Running anything and everything possible on electricity is a no-brainer.