So after EVs take over, what's our next trick?

[RegGuheert]

Ooh, how about a flexible, thin film pv panel built into the roof that supplies 10kW?

You'd only need to charge if you lived in the PNW

Of course, with panels like that, every house or apt could produce all the power we need.

How far out is that?

Forever. The amount of sunlight that hits the ground at sea level on a clear day is about 1kW/m^2. Even if you had 100% efficient PV panels, you still wouldn't have nearly enough roof area on the LEAF to produce 10kW, even with the sun directly overhead (in the boresight of the array).

 

[Nubo]

...The 5 minute recharge requirement will take some marketing to overcome but that's what Madison Avenue is for -- explaining the benefit of low cost, over night fueling in your own garage.

Agreed, but also the "5 minute refuel" is a hallucination. One that I used to share, until I actually looked at the amount of time spent, not just pumping, but total time off-course. For me it was more like 15 minutes. That's time that I never have to spend anymore getting back and forth to work.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

...The 5 minute recharge requirement will take some marketing to overcome but that's what Madison Avenue is for -- explaining the benefit of low cost, over night fueling in your own garage.

Agreed, but also the "5 minute refuel" is a hallucination. One that I used to share, until I actually looked at the amount of time spent, not just pumping, but total time off-course. For me it was more like 15 minutes. That's time that I never have to spend anymore getting back and forth to work.

BINGO! a Priuschatter got a plug in kit and took polls on how much time we spent getting gas. now he wanted us to time it from the second we pulled into the gas station until we pulled out. i timed mine from the second i varied my route to get gas (which was a 200 yard detour from my route but required a left turn near one of the busiest intersections in town to drive thru a very busy shopping mall to the station which is MUCH faster than going to the corner then turning) until i was back in the left turn lane to get back on the route (about 2 blocks and 2 lights from where i left the road)


and I found the average was 22 minutes. the fastest I could do it was 13 minutes one time but that was luck of the lights and a pump immediately available. Because of waiting for a pump (This is at Costco where 12 cars can fuel at once so lines move fast) I also had 3 fillups that took over 30 minutes.