The Christmas Eve cold snap that affected much of the country produced misery for millions, and unusual pleas from various electric utilities for customers to conserve energy in order to avoid shortages (and temporary blackouts).
In its message to customers, Duke Energy, for example, said customers should:
- If it doesn’t interfere with health or safety, lower your thermostat.
- Manage water heating. Set your water heater to 120 degrees or less.
- Please try to limit the use of your washer, dryer and dishwasher. However, if you must use these appliances run full loads of laundry and dishes. It’s important to run full loads to take advantage of the hot water already being used.
- Unplug standing appliances. Any appliances you leave plugged in, like phone chargers or razors, use energy even when they’re not in use.
- Turn off lights when you leave the room.
Phone chargers and electric razors…that got me thinking about other, bigger appliances, like electric vehicles. Fans of EVs say the grid can handle the current crop of EVs – and can absorb more (if capacity is added). Charges to the contrary, the say, are unfounded and outright wrong.
But the recent, severe and widespread cold underlines just how far major energy companies appear to be from having grids that can charge cars, power furnaces and still allow grandpa’s electric razor to recharge at the same time.
Yes, EVs are the future. But that future is not tomorrow – or even five years from now, as The Wall Street Journal’s Allysia Finley writes:
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda recently caused the climate lobby to blow a fuse by speaking a truth about battery electric vehicles that his fellow auto executives dare not. “Just like the fully autonomous cars that we were all supposed to be driving by now,” Mr. Toyoda said in Thailand, “I think BEVs are just going to take longer to become mainstream than the media would like us to believe.” He added that a “silent majority” in the auto industry share his view, “but they think it’s the trend, so they can’t speak out loudly.”
It will take longer. There will be more, bigger and more expensive problems to solve.
In the meantime…make sure you have a nice, warm sweater and maybe a backup generator to help get yourself, and the electric companies, through the next cold spell.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Let’s see, EVs use range to heat the cars. With 4′ of snow, best be real accurate on your range calculations. When you’re using power to heat(or cool) even EVs have idling waste.
EV Issues:
Battery fires
Charging time
State electric rates
Weight
Locked In/Locked out
Rogue Full Service drive
No roadside Emerg services
No energy
Otherwise plan to RENT 1
You stupid boneheads. You haven
t even got the fore thought to be able to exchange a depleted EV battery at a charging station that has a full charge. The problem with this is because the batteries are to big. I heard that the battery structure takes up the floor board space of the car. You are a crime before its time. Oh by the way how are you people on the east coast enjoying the green new deal that`s pelting you.So let me get this straight: I’m supposed to lower my thermostat in January, and raise it in July, so that EV owners can charge their progressive, virtue signalling electric clown cars? LOL. Hope they like riding the bus.
Close. They are not supposed to charge the cars in the winter or in the summer.