"The Grid Can't Handle Electric Cars!"

By Engineering Explained

Community Score: 50% | 137.6K views | 2mo

0 community ratings: null thumbs up, null thumbs down

“The grid can’t handle electric cars.” That statement checks out, if you’re bad at math. You see, Americans drive their cars about 3 trillion miles per year. EVs use about 0.337 kWh per mile, meaning total energy demand would be 1 trillion kWh annually. Factoring in transmission and charging losses, that rises to 1.25 trillion kWh. Since the U.S. already produces 4 trillion kWh per year, fully switching to EVs would require just 31% more energy. Historically, U.S. electricity production grew 1,100% from 1950 to 2005, averaging 4.6% yearly growth. At that rate, we could meet EV demand in just six years—incredible, especially considering that a consumer shift to fully electric would easily take decades. The grid will need updates, sure, but history proves it’s easily possible. The U.S. energy grid: able to handle millions of air conditioners on a summer afternoon, but somehow collapses at the thought of an EV charging overnight. Full Grid EV Video - https://youtu.be/7dfyG6FXsUU Energy

More from Engineering Explained

  • Bore vs Stroke - What Makes More Power? — Score: 50%
  • I Bought The Wrong Truck – Ford Maverick EcoBoost vs Hybrid — Score: 50%
  • Horsepower vs Torque - A Simple Explanation — Score: 50%
  • How To Ruin Your Electric Car's Battery - NMC Edition! — Score: 50%
  • Americans Have No Idea How Much Fuel Idling Uses — Score: 50%
  • Don’t Hate — eCVTs Are Genius Transmissions! — Score: 50%