The real costs of plug-in car charging still fuzzy

There are a lot of unknown factors when it comes to plug-in vehicle charging, and sooner or later we need to be honest about the costs of plug-ins.

Can the grid handle plug-ins at peak demand?

Peak demand jumped from $100 per MWh to $350 last week in some areas

Most of the US is still baking today. Many claim that such weather is a result of global warming. Let’s say that’s 100 percent true, and the situation is only going to get worse. That means more extreme weather all around, whether via hot summers or extremely cold winters.

So, if the grid is vexed today, what happens if you add millions of plug-ins into the equation?

According to the EIA, electricity prices skyrocketed at the end of last week, almost instantly jumping 3.5 times above normal. If millions of plug-in vehicles were added into this mix, would the problem have exacerbated significantly?

Many grid studies paint a pretty rosy picture of the plug-in impact on the electric grid. Recently, and a bit ironically however, plug-in builder and advocate Better Place painted a less beautiful story regarding the impact of plug-ins on electricity pricing. According to Better Place, without centralized smart grid technologies, plug-ins will add significant costs to electricity prices. Even with such technologies, according to Better Places, plug-ins will still push electricity prices higher.

One way or another it seems quite clear that plug-ins will result in higher electricity prices, although plug-in fueling costs should still be cheaper than oil-based ones. Of course, plug-ins cost more and provide less range, etc than oil-based solutions. So, real world charging costs are an extremely important part of the plug-in success formula.

Nevertheless, whether it’s increased electricity demand, adding smart grid technologies or an entirely new smart grid, global warming, or the need to replace gasoline taxes with VMT taxes for infrastructure, an electric future is going to be more expensive than it is today. At some point, honesty and transparency need to become a bigger part of the plug-in picture, as it does — and should have been — for gasoline-powered cars as well.

For instance, why aren’t the billions of dollars spent every year to secure oil tanker shipping lanes — even during times of peace — not part of the price pump, instead of hidden in military taxes?

Still, disingenuous gasoline pricing shouldn’t be an excuse for disingenuous plug-in potential forecasts.

Eventually, the US is going to be forced to become more serious regarding long term energy policies. Developing the best plans forward without honest transparency only insures the future won’t be as bright as it could.

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