The Slow Death of the Internal Combustion Engine

[sendler]

This is the problem with trying to build out a for profit charging network. EV drivers are spoiled by charging for nearly nothing, off peak at home. So that $0.30/ kWh seems like too much to pay. There is no profit in it for a private company to maintain the stations. Traditional gas station convenience stores will have an easier time offering fast charging for a profit.

[RedDevil]

There's the rent of the place, the relatively high cost of public fast chargers (as long as they don't get mass produced at 50,000 units per year or so) and the relatively low numbers of customers per day.

Come more EVs and faster charging the overhead costs will drop, and so will the price.

[sendler]

Another possibility would be to mandate that all plug in vehicles be capable of a cell or satellite connection which would alow logging and billing from a vast network of 14-50 outlets which could charge level 2 at 30 amps all day from any existing street lamp or by the dozens in any parking lot for a very cheap install price. Car owners would just carry their own level 2 charge adapter with them from home with a plug on it.

[oil pan 4]

The duosida 16 amp 240v evse was only $160 when I bought mine. People still complain about having to spend that.

[Xist]

I complain about spending $160 on a phone. That is unamerican?

[hayden55]

I understand what you're saying but that would push it price wise as about equivalent of 39 mpg vs my Prius at 46 mpg highway (c/mi). Besides cool factor you still aren't saving a cent driving one of those things so I'm definitely going to give it time before I'd decide to hop in. Unless I got a P100d then it could 100% be worth it.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by Xist

I complain about spending $160 on a phone. That is unamerican?

No. Completely American to complain about having money to spend.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by hayden55

I understand what you're saying but that would push it price wise as about equivalent of 39 mpg vs my Prius at 46 mpg highway (c/mi). Besides cool factor you still aren't saving a cent driving one of those things so I'm definitely going to give it time before I'd decide to hop in. Unless I got a P100d then it could 100% be worth it.

The key factor is that most EV owners change at home and very rarely need to charge at expensive DC fast chargers. It makes no sense to buy an EV if you have to rely on public chargers.

Charging my Spark EV at home is 3 times cheaper than putting fuel in the Prius that it replaced. However, I generally use the free chargers at my work.

[redpoint5]

There's no money in DCFC. I think it was the EVGO president that said their break even point is 30% utilization. That means it's being used 30% of the day, every day, to make zero dollars. That's 7 hours every day.

I can't see DCFC ever turning a profit unless it's linked to other profit generators where people spend money because they have an hour to kill and boredom has them spending money for entertainment/eating.

[hayden55]

Originally Posted by JSH

The key factor is that most EV owners change at home and very rarely need to charge at expensive DC fast chargers. It makes no sense to buy an EV if you have to rely on public chargers.

Charging my Spark EV at home is 3 times cheaper than putting fuel in the Prius that it replaced. However, I generally use the free chargers at my work.

True there. At my rates where I live the spark would half the price of the Prius around town.
I think plug in hybrid is the way to go (ie: not volt, but Ioniq or Prius prime)