The battery of the Nissan Leaf stores 24 kWh, and the Nissan Leaf requires 34 kW

Question

The battery of the Nissan Leaf stores 24 kWh, and the Nissan Leaf requires 34 kWh for 100 miles of driving. In “Electric Vehicles: Myths vs. Reality,” the Sierra Club claims that the current electrical grid can accommodate wide-scale adoption of these vehicles. Find the day-night variation in the California electrical load curve, and assume that electrical vehicles will be recharged at night. Determine the number of electrical vehicles that the current grid in California can accommodate with night-time charging. Clearly state any assumptions that you make to solve the problem.

Explanation / Answer

Since the invention of the automobile, the vast majority of U.S. cars and trucks have been fueled by oil. “Conventional” cars burn gasoline or diesel in an internal combustion engine, turning the wheels and moving the vehicle.

In contrast, electric cars and trucks use electric motors to partially or entirely replace the internal combustion engine. Instead of supplying all the fuel from a gas tank, electric-drive vehicles use batteries to supply electricity for the motor. Fuel cell vehicles combine hydrogen and oxygen into electricity.

The first electric-drive vehicles were actually developed in the 1830s with non-rechargeable batteries and limited range. The first car to ever exceed 100 kilometers per hour (65.7 miles per hour) and set the world land speed in 1899 was an electric car called the La Jamais Contente, meaning "the never satisfied." Electric-drive vehicles have developed and matured considerably since then.

Because all-electric cars do not use gasoline, they do not produce harmful emissions directly from a tailpipe, though there are emissions associated with making the electricity or hydrogen.

Battery electric vehicles take several hours to fully recharge, though it depends on the rating of the outlet and how much driving the vehicle did that day (less driving means a quicker charge and a lower environmental footprint). Most EVs use any conventional 120 volt electrical socket, just like you do with your cell phone. Most battery cars also have the capacity to be charged by 240 volt outlets for faster charging (the same outlet used by clothes dryers). Plug-in hybrids, because of their smaller battery packs, can rely on 120 volts, but can also use the higher level for a quicker charge.

In a number of cases, home wiring can be upgraded to support chargers that can handle more electric current, lowering the time required to charge the battery.

In addition to charging at home, an infrastructure of commercial electric charging stations is developing in some parts of the country. Some of these stations have higher currents and can fully recharge an electric car in as little as thirty minutes, depending on the voltage and the battery. Car and charging station manufacturers have agreed on standard plugs and outlets, so all electric vehicles should be compatible with all charging stations, though it may take time for this to be true everywhere. Some companies are either considering or moving ahead with carports and charging stations outside their buildings to allow their employees and customers to charge while at work or while shopping.

Fuel cell cars can be filled up at hydrogen refueling stations. There are currently about 60 of these stations as they are currently in their very early stages of growth and are regionally concentrated, with a number of them in Southern California, and several on the East Coast. Honda and others are researching ways commercialize a system for FCEV owners to produce fuel for their vehicles at home.

Check the Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center for hydrogen fuel cell and commercial electric charging stations near you.

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