Comments by "Kevin Hicks" (@Hickalum) on "I thought Electric Cars Were the Future. I Changed My Mind" video.

@onlyme972 ; It’s only a matter time until the annual inspection (MoT in the UK) includes a battery insulation check. If that fails then you will need a new battery which will cost more than the car is worth.
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The transmission grid only gets you as far as the urban substation. From there power is transmitted on a ‘low’ voltage network, roughly one hundred homes per substation. Even with staggered charging, this network is limited in capacity to just a handful of EVs and a dozen, or so, heat pumps. Basically every road in the country needs to be dug up and the entire LV network replaced. Which might be possible except that we don’t have the Engineers, nor the labourers, nor the money to do it. It will take decades.
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Wind converted to rotation plus losses. That rotation goes through a gearbox to drive generator plus losses Rotation of generator to ac plus losses. That ac is the converted to dc (because it’s the wrong frequency for transmission) plus losses That dc is converted back to ac at the right frequency plus losses. That ac is transformed to very high voltage ac for transmission plus losses. Then you send it hundreds of miles across country plus losses. Then convert it to typically 600 volts for local distribution plus losses. Then convert it to domestic voltage plus losses The convert it to dc to charge a battery plus losses. DC then converted to chemical energy in a battery plus losses. Chemical energy in battery converted to dc to drive a motor plus losses Motor converts dc to rotary motion for the vehicle drive chain plus losses. Basically insane.
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@yodaiam1000 ; “Chargers in apartments” ?!? How does work ?
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@thalesofmiletus2966 ; An insulation check is as about as simple as it gets … If you work in an office, or a factory, have a look at anything that plugs into a mains socket. See that label on the plug … that is certification of an insulation check.
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@GntlTch ; Correct
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The transmission grid only gets you as far as the urban substation. From there power is transmitted on a ‘low’ voltage network, roughly one hundred homes per substation. Even with staggered charging, this network is limited in capacity to just a handful of EVs and a dozen, or so, heat pumps. Every urban road in the country needs to be dug up and the entire LV network upgraded. Which might be possible except that we don’t have the Engineers, the labourers, nor the money to do it.
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Why ?
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Governments are holding off including a battery insulation test in the mandatory car annual inspection (MoT in the UK). But the ferries and Eurotunnel are going to insist on it. At which point, due to the cost of batteries, be prepared to scrap your EV if it fails.
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