I'm pro electric vs. gas, but as someone who doesn't have and cannot easily install a level 2 charger in my home, I find it grating that every single one of these proEV articles refuses to fathom the notion that some people don't have level 2 chargers in their homes.
Average daily miles driven in the US is 37-41. Level 1 charging can add around 4mi/hr of range, so that’s like 10 hours of charging to replace those miles. I’m willing to bet that a majority of cars that drive average daily distances are parked overnight for at least that long.
Yeah man, I'm aware. Not particularly relevant to the situation of needing to prepare for an incoming hurricane or other disaster, which is the context here.
You don't need a level 2 charger, unless you drive a ton every single day. You can get 50 miles overnight with most vehicles, which covers most average commuting, and if you're doing a road trip you probably don't then need the car to be full the day right after
yeah man, I know all that. I was referring to this article about being prepared for a friggin hurricane where the guy is saying just plug in at home the day before and you'll be fine. Not so much if you can't plug in at home or it takes 40 hrs to fully charge.
I mean yes, if the car is empty. But why are you coming home with a 0% charge the day before a hurricane? If you're just using it normally you absolutely could use a day to charge it up fully or near full from a medium state of charge. A Level 2 helps a lot, sure, but not strictly needed
to game it out, days before a major storm event you are likely driving around buying all the supplies you need, so yes, you are probably coming home with a low charge. if you live on L1, you generally aren't starting your day fully charged. I had a BEV for a few years. Speaking from experience.
Also, a 70 kWh battery ( attempting to pick a roughly avg number) needs 50 hrs to go from 0-100% at 1.4 kW. I was not starting from 0.
It sounds like you've got more experience with this, so fair enough! I'm assuming 50 miles for instance would be plenty to hit up everything you'd need, but if you're coming home with an empty battery, a level 1 definitely wouldn't be enough.
I had a 64 kWh BEV for a few years. After a normal commuting day I'd be ~25% and need 30+ hrs to fully charge. I notice these articles almost never acknowledge situations that aren't the ideal setup (e.g. ppl in condos and apts aren't likely to make use of V2L). Just preaching to the choir.
If the point is to help people who don't know much about EVs make an educated choice about what's best for them, then at least acknowledge these different situations.
Not being able to charge at home is absolutely a valid concern though, and we definitely need more curbside charging infrastructure like they have in other places, so everyone can charge overnight, and we don't have people swarming fast chargers before an emergency
And I actually have a friend who has an EV6 and no level 2, so I'm not speaking hypothetically. A level 2 is nice but not a deal breaker
I know people who manage too. It personally isn't for me, but to each their own. But thanks for jumping in to explain basic concepts that aren't particularly relevant to the specific topic.
I have friends with a Bolt and no level 2; they've done fine for years. Proviso: They WFH or are retired so the commute question is off the table.
If you want a great deep dive, @techconnectify.bsky.social explains really well why you don't need a Level 2 charger m.youtube.com/watch?v=W96a...
He's great about many topics.