Quote:
Originally Posted by wodin
That, of course assumes that you house wiring is adequate for the job. I my case; I live in a 50 year old converted plantation house. The wiring was never adequate, even when the house was new and electrical loads low. It would take a major renovation/upgrade to even begin to recharge an electric vehicle.
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Well, when compared to the cost of a new car ($20,000 and up), the renovations (could be less than a grand... even less than $500, depending on the situation) wouldn't be as significant a cost
for most. Obviously, some homes and some locations will have different upgrade issues. But any home in the U.S. that can run a washer and dryer should be able to charge an electric car. Remember, a slow-charge doesn't usually require such a heavy load as to put a severe strain on existing electrical lines.
Today's reality is that an electric car buyer will probably have to have an electrician come in to place a properly-code charge box in a location accessible by the car, such as a garage or a box by the parking area. Many electric car sellers already help this process along, and some throw it into the cost of the car (or make it part of the loan to buy the car).
Hopefully in the future, more homes will come with such wiring standard (maybe without the actual charging box), and some cars will be able to charge off of standard wiring systems. There will probably be add-on systems available as well, perhaps charged off of alternative sources like wind and solar, and if you have a bit of property, it could be run independently of your house system.
The real issue is how to provide those systems for people in high-density areas, many of whom do not have dedicated parking options. This is why a standardized charging system, simple enough to be wired into any existing parking spot, is needed.