A quick sum: if you drive 20km to work every day in a small EV which needs 200Wh/km. That means 40*0.2=20kWh per day. With 46 work weeks in a year that adds up to 46*5*20kWh=4600kWh just for one person to go to work.
According to the energy use comparison chart from my power company which services about 5 million people, The average power consumption for a 2 person home is about 16 KWH a day and a 4 person is about 22 KWH/ day.
Statistics also show like the US and Canada, average home ownership is about 2.4 cars per household.
But lets take 20 Km as a number. Someone in the UK will say they travel a 10/th of that and someone in the US will say it's 10 times that but I think 10 KM each way is on the short side here but we'll go with it. In the US the figure is 16 miles which is 20 KM and that adds up with what I can find for oz as a minimum.
IF the average house is using 20KWh a day and the average EV is going to use 20KWh day, you just doubled the domestic power consumption levels. For one car. No one I know has just one car or resident going to work each day. Mimimum is 2, average would be 4 Max whom I visited yesterday is 7.
The average says 2 so we just tripled the house hold consumption and that is if people are only going 20 KM. Thinking of my friends and associates, no one lives that close to work. Even before we moved here and my wife worked in the same council area as which we lived, her commute was 12 Km each way and everyone would say wasn't it good she lives so close? When my kids were at school the trip was 14 Km each way for primary and 11 when they went to high school.
The amount of power EV's are going to require is constantly downplayed but here were we can't even turn on the AC on hot days when the solar generation is at it's highest without blackouts, being able to support triple at least the donmestic power consumption is going to be a miracle. Yes, it will come in gradualy but I was reading a report by an industry body the other night that said there is no planned significan't increase in power generation planned atm and even if there was, from concept through approval to construction to completeion is 5 years minimum.
Yeah, there are a bunch of unreliables planned and in the process but as Impressive as they sound on their own, are another half drop of water in the swimming pool let alone the bucket.
I have been telling a few people about my Home generators I have been working on of late and much to my great surprise, even those whom I was sure would ridicule it as another of my hair brained ideas and muching around have had nothing but compliments and sad agreement that it's more than a worthwhile thing and a good idea. Main comment has been can you came and put one in at my house when you have finished yours?
I'm very surprised at how many people are aware of the problems here with power and are due far more credit than I gave them.
Most also see that we are heading in opposing directions. Taking dependable thermal power generation out of the equation to replace it with more unreliables at the same time we are planning to go down a road which will require massively more power.
There is going to be a BIG shortfall and it's coming quick. We are already starting behind the 8 ball and playing catch up but then again I don't know a lot of places other than a couple that have power to spare before we start down the EV road.
I also disagree about low maintenance costs. A lot of the charging points will be public and subject to weather and abuse.
While I am not against Hydrogen I don't see it as a competitor on a mainstream scale.
That said, reading through several comments here going on about the amount and cost of infrastructure to get it to common use is funny as Fk in it's hypocrisy.
I can't tell if people are really that stupid, ignorant or just kidding themselves and trying it on with others that the transition to EVs is going to be simple and such a walk up start. Pretty much for every objection they level at hydrogen the same could be leveled at electric. Just because we have power generators or whatever type and poles and wires coming to our homes does not mean they are OK or will automaticaly support EV's.
Clearly as usualy, people are completely ignorant to electrical principals and whats involved.
I spose if you don't know how to Run a new power circuit for an outlet in your own home and thing that's a job only a professional should handle, then it is easy to see how people can be ignorant and not have a clue of what is involved with changing over the domestic fleet or any significan't part of it to EV's.
But Ill just wait for the retorts about how cheap, easy straight forward is all going to be and sit back and have a laugh.
It will be really amusing to come back to these threads in 5 years time and read all about how cheap batteries are going to become and how ev's will be cheaper to drive and there will be plenty of power for them and recharging will never be a problem and all these things people are so adamant about. Maybe by then we will have all been educated in practical knowledge to a lot of things none of us have thought of. I'm sure some of my thoughts will be proven wrong but I'm damned sure a lot of the EV evangelists are going to have egg laid by elephants on their faces with the things they are trying to push which will be shown up as fallacy.