2017 SDG$E more expensive than Gasoline!
After my last post I started to use delayed charging ALL of the time. So off peak, 16kWh of electricity ( $.33/kWh) gets me roughly a full charge. That is $5.28 for about 40 miles worth of my driving. Now, if I charge on peak ($.69 kWh), that's $11.04 for roughly the same distance as a gallon of gasoline! (no, solar is not an option for me,bummer) .
However, I did not post just for a bitch-session. I would like to ask if anyone knows if I set my off-peak charge time to 12AM - 6AM AND set it to latest charge time at 6AM departure time, will the car adjust to 12 amps automatically to try to achieve that charge-time goal? ( I'm charging at 120 VAC )
However, I did not post just for a bitch-session. I would like to ask if anyone knows if I set my off-peak charge time to 12AM - 6AM AND set it to latest charge time at 6AM departure time, will the car adjust to 12 amps automatically to try to achieve that charge-time goal? ( I'm charging at 120 VAC )
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No, the car isn't going to increace the draw. You need to change that setting depending on what is safe for the outlet you are plugged into. (The car will not override this safety feature.)
Where are you located? Do you have an option of installing a 240V charger? If not, do you have a dryer outlet you can plug one into?
The cost of your electricity is very high. I pay $0.11 per kWh average peak and non-peak. A lot of our low power cost is due to the 240V charger. We moved to an hourly pricing plan where we pay market price for power at an hourly spot rate. By reliably charging the car during the night on the hourly plan, we get super cheap power (sometimes as low as $0.02 per kWh), which offsets any peaks we see during the daytime. It also paid for the 240V charger and the intallation a long time ago.
Where are you located? Do you have an option of installing a 240V charger? If not, do you have a dryer outlet you can plug one into?
The cost of your electricity is very high. I pay $0.11 per kWh average peak and non-peak. A lot of our low power cost is due to the 240V charger. We moved to an hourly pricing plan where we pay market price for power at an hourly spot rate. By reliably charging the car during the night on the hourly plan, we get super cheap power (sometimes as low as $0.02 per kWh), which offsets any peaks we see during the daytime. It also paid for the 240V charger and the intallation a long time ago.
Don’t know the forum under which you originally posted this, but I suspect it was a Gen 1 forum, and that’s why Steverino moved this thread to the Gen 1 Volt Use, Care sub-forum. You forgot to mention what year Volt you are driving. I think you drive a 2017 Gen 2 Volt.
With a Gen 2 Volt, you can use Location Based Charging to set a "home" location and a default charging rate for 12 amp charging when charging at home using 120 volts. If you also schedule rate based charging, use Off Peak Only, then your car should only be charging during that midnight to 6 AM off peak rate period.... of course, 6 hours of Off Peak charging at the L1 level won’t give you 16 kWh in only 6 hours...
Perhaps if you want to get a charge that requires more than those 6 Off Peak hours, and don’t mind doing a portion of the charging during the Peak rate period, what might work is ignoring rate based charging and just use Departure Time scheduling... 6 AM departure time setting, and also select Latest Possible for the Charge Completion setting. I would think such a schedule would mean the car calculates how much time would be needed to fully charge by the 6 AM departure, and starts the charging accordingly (which may be during Peak rates, i.e., before midnight, e.g., ~6 PM if it requires 12 hours of charging time, 10 PM if it requires 8 hours, etc.)... but the final 6 hours of charging should occur during your 6-hour Off Peak rate window.
With a Gen 2 Volt, you can use Location Based Charging to set a "home" location and a default charging rate for 12 amp charging when charging at home using 120 volts. If you also schedule rate based charging, use Off Peak Only, then your car should only be charging during that midnight to 6 AM off peak rate period.... of course, 6 hours of Off Peak charging at the L1 level won’t give you 16 kWh in only 6 hours...
Perhaps if you want to get a charge that requires more than those 6 Off Peak hours, and don’t mind doing a portion of the charging during the Peak rate period, what might work is ignoring rate based charging and just use Departure Time scheduling... 6 AM departure time setting, and also select Latest Possible for the Charge Completion setting. I would think such a schedule would mean the car calculates how much time would be needed to fully charge by the 6 AM departure, and starts the charging accordingly (which may be during Peak rates, i.e., before midnight, e.g., ~6 PM if it requires 12 hours of charging time, 10 PM if it requires 8 hours, etc.)... but the final 6 hours of charging should occur during your 6-hour Off Peak rate window.
THAT is a brilliant idea! Actually, both ideas are. The fact is, most of my home charging is not a full charge so I'm going to have to do some calculations and figure out what is "most optimum". And thanks to you, WORDPTOM, I now have more options, thank you.
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SDG&E = San Diego Gas & Electric I think
Wow. Even the EV rate plans are high: Electric Vehicle Pricing Plans | San Diego Gas & Electric
And I don't think their advertised rates include transmission charges. https://www.sdge.com/sites/default/files/regulatory/6-1-22 Schedule TOU-DR Total Rates Table_1.pdf
My brother lives in SD and drives a Honda Clarity but never plugs it in because it's apparently cheaper to run off gas.
They don't, and when you have solar, it gets even uglier with SDG&E. It's one of (the many) reasons I got rid of a Tesla. It was actually more expensive to drive electric many days of the year. I true-up in March, and even though I've overproduced, I can't wait to see how much I owe this year.
I'm hoping this thread brings more light to some of the forum members who like to argue how we can't possibly pay that much for electricity in San Diego, ha!
If 240V is an option, you'd use less electricity charging due to less conversion losses. (Probably on the order of about 10% or so.) And yes, SDG&E rates absolutely suck! (and the PUC (Public Utilities Commission) works relentlessly to make it suck even more for solar owners.)
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"It's one of (the many) reasons I got rid of a Tesla. It was actually more expensive to drive electric many days of the year."
No one ever said it would be cheaper to drive an electric car. A lot of people assume it, though. The same people that assume global carbon emissions will go down in our Green Future (which is not in China or India's future).
No one ever said it would be cheaper to drive an electric car. A lot of people assume it, though. The same people that assume global carbon emissions will go down in our Green Future (which is not in China or India's future).
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and russia's
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Log into your sdge web site. There is a plan comparison tool which estimates your cost over a year for each plan. In paying 21-ish cents per kwh for super off peek. I calculate $0.25 per kwh to be equal to$5.00 gallon gas @42mpg....
You have a slow charger and wrong time of use plan issue.
You have a slow charger and wrong time of use plan issue.
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I just checked myself switching from ev-tou-2 to 5 should save 400$ per year.
I live on the central coast of CA and our rates (Pacific Gas & Electric) in winter are 29¢ (off-peak) and 30¢ (peak) on a TOU plan, but there's also an additional 9¢ charged if you go above a baseline usage. Summer rates are 34¢ and 42¢. I have solar though and it covers most of my driving.
There's a big push in CA by the various electric utilities to charge solar owners for production. Quite a disincentive.
PG&Es poor maintenance of power lines has caused some catastrophic fires in the area and they've been on the edge of bankruptcy for years. I don't see rates coming down ever anywhere in CA. I guess I see it as a price to pay to live in paradise 😊
There's a big push in CA by the various electric utilities to charge solar owners for production. Quite a disincentive.
PG&Es poor maintenance of power lines has caused some catastrophic fires in the area and they've been on the edge of bankruptcy for years. I don't see rates coming down ever anywhere in CA. I guess I see it as a price to pay to live in paradise 😊
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They have catastrophic wildfires in paradise? Who knew?
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Uh, everyone.
Like saying, "they have catastrophic hurricanes in sunny Florida paradise. Who knew?"
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I guess we share different definitions of paradise. My paradise has no hurricanes or wildfires.
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