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Updating California’s grid for EVs may cost up to $20 billion
(arstechnica.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
It's strange to see all this whining about electric cars from the US.
In the UK people have been charging cars at home, work, and at car parks for ages, and we've not heard the electric companies whining about infrastructure costs. They've been rubbing their hands at the thought of all that electricity they're going to sell, and got the fuck on with it.
I suspect articles like this are just more pro-oil propaganda.
I read that there's a huge backlog in the UK for new connections to the grid for solar farms because the infrastructure isn't there due to a lack of investment. Sounds like the other side of the same coin.
It's just that in America they realized if they complain enough, they get to rub they're hands gleefully at the thought of all that electricity they're going to sell, AND all the public money they're going to get to upgrade the grid!
To be fair they are on a third world 110v electrical system which means they need twice the cable size to carry the same current as the UK
The US has a split phase electrical system, meaning that for high current applications (like charging cars!!) 220v is readily available. The current regular outlets are rated for really has no bearing on this discussion. (No excuses for Americans!)