by planet4ever (Posted Sun, 14 Apr 2013 02:44:35 GMT)
The part I don't buy is that newer EV technologies will make slower EVSEs obsolete. I would expect that EVs will become slightly more efficient over time, so the old EVSE will actually provide a few more miles in the same amount of time as it does today. One enhancement that is almost certainly coming is larger batteries. That obviously means that my old, slow, EVSE can't fill the battery from empty to full in the time it does today, but paradoxically that too may make it more effective than it is now. Given an average number of miles traveled per day, a small battery constricts you to daily charging and limited excursions beyond the average. If your battery capacity is (say) six times your average travel distance, you will need to charge only once or sometimes twice a week, and a storm knocking out your power will be much less of a concern. You can also float your charge up and down, letting the battery itself act as a buffer. The EVSE now needs only to be able to handle your average usage, not your maximum usage.
Personally, I expect to use my 12A (yes, 12, not 16) EVSEupgrade for the rest of my life if it doesn't wear out before I do, because I don't expect to ever average more than 100 miles/day (i.e. 36K miles/year). Nine hours average charging/day would handle that forever into the future.
Ray
ehunter wrote:
Now and then I HAVE to run out after work to do an errands, or Fridays meet friends in the city for beers. The faster charge has value and adds convience. Plus, where I live on the coast, about a one week of the year, a storm knocks out the neighborhood power. I could easily see myself struggling to gain/have enough charge to get to work in the morning. Why pinch pennies and gamble away such freedom? To add further to this, in the coming years the more powerful systems may still be able to support the newest technologies. The older less powerfull ones purchased now... money potientially out the window.
I can certainly accept that you may want faster charging on occasion, so more power to you. [pun intended]The part I don't buy is that newer EV technologies will make slower EVSEs obsolete. I would expect that EVs will become slightly more efficient over time, so the old EVSE will actually provide a few more miles in the same amount of time as it does today. One enhancement that is almost certainly coming is larger batteries. That obviously means that my old, slow, EVSE can't fill the battery from empty to full in the time it does today, but paradoxically that too may make it more effective than it is now. Given an average number of miles traveled per day, a small battery constricts you to daily charging and limited excursions beyond the average. If your battery capacity is (say) six times your average travel distance, you will need to charge only once or sometimes twice a week, and a storm knocking out your power will be much less of a concern. You can also float your charge up and down, letting the battery itself act as a buffer. The EVSE now needs only to be able to handle your average usage, not your maximum usage.
Personally, I expect to use my 12A (yes, 12, not 16) EVSEupgrade for the rest of my life if it doesn't wear out before I do, because I don't expect to ever average more than 100 miles/day (i.e. 36K miles/year). Nine hours average charging/day would handle that forever into the future.
Ray
