Submitted by [deleted] t3_10b6y4f in newhampshire
Strict_Zebra_3585 t1_j4b1kxf wrote
The problem is the cost of natural gas. The New England grid relies on power produced by natural gas, and the cost of that has skyrocketed. You probably aren't using an obscene amount of electricity, it's just that electricity costs an obscene amount here in New England.
Everyone is blaming the utility companies, but in actuality, it is the natural gas suppliers that are raping and pillaging our wallets. It's no different than what went on with gas prices post covid. Supply and demand.
This is why electric cars are receiving the pushback that they are. First off, the power plants will generate more emissions than a gas car does in order for you to charge it. Secondly, you will still be at the mercy of a supplier regarding the cost of operation, and thirdly our infrastructure is not capable right now of handling the demand if we were all plugging in our cars everyday.
It's a wild time to be alive. We have put the cart before the horse in our attempts to "fix" these problems.
magellanNH t1_j4b8h1o wrote
>First off, the power plants will generate more emissions than a gas car does in order for you to charge it.
You've been mislead. Even after accounting for power plant emissions and vehicle life-cycle emissions (from manufacturing the car and battery), EVs generate lower emissions than gas cars.
This is especially true in New England because our electricity comes mostly from natural gas and nuclear power and these are relatively clean power sources compared to coal which is used in some other places.
https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths
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>and thirdly our infrastructure is not capable right now of handling the demand if we were all plugging in our cars everyday.
This is also untrue. Electric vehicles are typically charged overnight when the grid is running at a fraction of its peak capacity. As more EVs are sold, it will be important for utility regulators to ensure EV owners are properly incentivized to charge when grid demand is lowest.
Programs to do this are already being deployed all around the country. Unfortunately, NH is a laggard here but they'll eventually tag along in the tailwind of more forward thinking states. Some states even have special programs where grid operators can pull power from EVs to help the grid out during emergencies.
Here's an example of an EV rate plan in Georgia where charging overnight costs 1.4 cents per kWh compared to 7 cents during normal times and 20 cents during the busiest times.
Here's an article about a Telsa pilot program in CA that helped out during the grid emergency they had over the summer:
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