dave_j

So let's give rise to a few speculative concerns that might come our way in the future especially about infraastrcture like water, roads, trains etc.

My first is the rise of the electric car and its effect on my bank balance.

I'd like one, my car drinks gas and because diesels are getting a bad name I'm reluctant to change, although when I was in the UK it was all I drove, but I don't admit to that nowadays. So let's think about this upcoming revolution in transport.

BC Hydro informs me that the average (throughout the year) electricity consumption per household is about 30kWh/day (seems a lot to me, but we don't have electric heating) and the supply infrastructure is presumably higher than this to cope with winter usage but I couldn't find any reliable figures for the actual limit.

When I looked at some specs for electric cars it was apparent that like their gas counterparts, they soak up energy. I had a look at the new Tesla 3, about to flood our streets and learn that the larger 75kWh battery will deliver about 310 miles (about 495km). Now we all like our cars but public transport.. well it's ok for London but not for serious travel so let's examine a short commute of 50km each way. A 100km charge, providing you drive slowly and don't use the air conditioning, radio, lights, wipers, or plug in your iphone will discharge a fifth of 75kWh or about 15kWh/day or an increase in the average electricity usage, if you charge overnight at home, of 50%.

Now some of us will want to travel a little further occasionally so this is a minimum and I've deliberately been conservative. If you choose to drive somewhere and flatten your battery, you'll want to charge it up overnight for say 10 hours, which means you'll need a connected supply of 7.5kWh/h or about 80amp at 110V, 40amps at 240V. if your charger has been installed to give you that. It also means that, unless you carry your charger with you and tap into the local 240V panel simply plugging it into the nearest 110V socket will mean a delayed departure of a day or two. And remember the Tesla 3 isn't a big truck, no doubt they'll come later and have BIGGER batteries.

Imagine every man and his dog has an electric car (I'm dreaming of course so don't take this literally) that soaks up at least an extra 50% of the available electricity supply.

My questions are these. Is the typical provincial supply infrastructure being uprated to cope with such an easily anticipated increase in consumption and will my bill go up?

Of course not and yes it will, we don't ever think about doing anything until it's too late. We pay people great big wadges of cash to anticipate scenarios like this and they cock it up every time and we pay in the end.

Rant over.. I need to refill my glass now.

MarkG

We're fine. Between VR, drones, and local manufacturing, there soon won't be much need for roads any more.

Technology is changing far too fast for central planning.

BristolUK

Nothing to do with electric cars but this made me curious as it's meaningless to me.

I looked at my latest "roll call of shame" notice from NB Power which compares our house with others in the area - even though there's really little around in terms of size, number of occupants and heat pumps/AC for accurate comparison.

Apparently our daily rate for the month of August was 40 (27 for neighbours) and the notice also gives previous months, the highest of which is, unsurprisingly, January and that works out to 100 daily.

From Sept last year to August this, our lowest month (on a graph) looks about 900 for October, or 29. Just about the only month in the year with no AC or heating on.

Shard

Just checked my lecky bill and seems to be 15 kw/day August bill and 12 kw/day Feburary bill. We have gas heating and, obviously no AC, so maybe that is why it is lower. I don't think we have a 'roll call of shame' but I keep mean to go to U-switch and get a cheaper tariff.

BristolUK

How nice that used to be when there was a bit of a chill but putting the gas fire on in one room was cozy and enough.

Pulaski

It seems to me that countries like Canada have two trends that will lead to the infrastructure issues you are concerned about, but you have only mentioned one of them. The other being sucking in immigrants like they are going out of style.

Either of these trends will create a need for substantial infrastructure upgrades, but both things happening simultaneously will greatly increase the size of the task to be addressed.

Snowy560

Range Anxiety: that's the term that's used to describe the worry people have that an electric car won't have enough power to make it to a destination.

Women have electric cars too it's not just "every man and his dog".

Shard

I do like to do that. Especially now that the nights are drawing in.

bats

We do that now, though we are a bit open plan the gas heating stove heats the living room up nicely leaving the bedrooms cooler.

PS last months leccy was 23kw doodads. Previous were 18, 19.

Teaandtoday5

Sometimes my commitment to this forum wanes, and then someone says 'doodads' and I love it again.