Any GTAM'ers own an electric vehicle?

[GreyGhost]

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Wouldn't the block heater circuits be the equivalent of a class 1 charger, 8 KMs per hour of charge.

Has winter driving been factored in with the batteries supplying the heat? Heat exchangers are better but a friend got stuck on the 400 and the two and a half hour crawl didn't suck out the watts as much as the heating system.

Air conditioning in summer has a similar effect.

Most block heaters are 400-1500 watts. I think some (but not all) are thermostat controlled so they have a duty cycle. I would be surprised if every plug in a parking lot could supply 1400 watts continuous. My guess is they are designed for something under 1000 watts per receptacle.

 

[Brian P]

Block heater circuits would have to be 120V 15A (or 20A) dedicated circuits with GFCI. Sure, block heaters can duty-cycle or thermostat-cycle, but if you even had two big ones on the same circuit and they thermostat-cycled together, pop goes the circuit breaker!

That's good enough for a Level 1 charger ... but very slow.

 

[GreyGhost]

Block heater circuits would have to be 120V 15A (or 20A) dedicated circuits with GFCI. Sure, block heaters can duty-cycle or thermostat-cycle, but if you even had two big ones on the same circuit and they thermostat-cycled together, pop goes the circuit breaker!

That's good enough for a Level 1 charger ... but very slow.

I was thinking more upstream. Parking lots have hundreds of receptacles. Assuming they are all pulling 13A vs 10A means you need a much larger transformer and supply. You may be right though and they are sized for 15A on every receptacle to deal with the worst day of the year. Not quick but 8-10 hours a day at 15A is more than enough for most commutes.

 

[nobbie48]

I was thinking more upstream. Parking lots have hundreds of receptacles. Assuming they are all pulling 13A vs 10A means you need a much larger transformer and supply. You may be right though and they are sized for 15A on every receptacle to deal with the worst day of the year. Not quick but 8-10 hours a day at 15A is more than enough for most commutes.

A ten hour recharge buys you 80 Km minus heating load to keep the cabin cozy. It's been mentioned that some commuters bundle up to avoid using the heater, especially if it's resistive. Unless everyone holds their breath, defrosters are needed.

Obviously if you live 79 Kms from the parking lot you might want to rethink your mileage math, allowing for traffic, but what does the typical commuter go through each working morning and how long does it take. Where is the home, parking lot and workplace?

I've heard of parents getting up at 4:30 AM to prep breakfast for the kids and get them to day care for 6:00 AM. Then a two hour commute to work and a reverse pattern getting home at 6:30 PM for a crash dinner and in bed by 9:00 PM to be ready for the next day. Meaningful surcharges apply to late pick ups.

Travel time: 5 hours
Work time: 8 hours
Family time: 1.5 hours

Does anyone wonder about why the world is going screwy?

If head office has a negative fixation on WFH why don't they just build satellite offices at the commuter lots? Giving your worker an extra four hours a day family time has to relate to some economic value. Who is the winner with a four hour commute other than the auto industries, including energy?

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