Escaping From Power Outages

[KenC]

Totally agree with the suggestion. In a pinch, definitely a viable option. The mile estimate sounded a bit optimistic though. Doing some napkin math...

12hrs of 500w (25% of 2000w) = 6kW⋅h

94% charging efficiency ~5.6kW⋅h gets to the battery.

Assuming 250Wh/mi, a gallon would get ~22.5 miles of range.

Am I way off somewhere?

View attachment 603903

Math looks great! I get 4hrs at full-load, and that's about the same. When I wrote, "might", I was thinking, in an emergency, you'd drive far slower on backroads, there, you'd get optimal range, in excess of 5 miles a kWh. Now, that I see the math, it's still alot less than 50! Oh well. Should have paid more attention in school.

It's interesting to throw in a 25mph max speed into ABRP and see how far you can go. It spits out 411 miles!

 

[jjrandorin]

Wow, at that TUE peak rate, you might do better stopping at the supercharger for a few minutes on the way home. Of course, if you're already home when the news of the impending storm is approaching, you bite the bullet and refuel the car.

Time of use electricity rates in california are pretty high (so is the price of gas, though). For most out here, 16 cents a kWh is "cheap off peak energy" where in a lot of places that is expensive energy. Pacific gas and electric (PGE), San Diego Gas and electric (SDGE) and Southern California Edison (SCE) are particularly expensive. Its one of the reasons so many in CA are jumping (or have already jumped) on Solar / PV. Expensive energy costs, that never go down and are only going to get more expensive, coupled with the fact we get plenty of sun, makes it a great place for solar.

The powerwalls (battery storage) is (for many) part of the equation to not only provide backup like a generator, but also store solar power generated during the day to power your home through the peak periods, ensuring you never are paying those peak rates that can be close to triple the off peak rate charges.

 

[Black306]

Math looks great! I get 4hrs at full-load, and that's about the same. When I wrote, "might", I was thinking, in an emergency, you'd drive far slower on backroads, there, you'd get optimal range, in excess of 5 miles a kWh. Now, that I see the math, it's still alot less than 50! Oh well. Should have paid more attention in school.

It's interesting to throw in a 25mph max speed into ABRP and see how far you can go. It spits out 411 miles!

Tried the ‘ABRP speed set at 25mph for a distance’ and it was giving me crap efficiency numbers. LOL

So I just searched for a low Wh/mi and it seems ~150 is possible. That said, a gallon may be good for ~37 miles.

 

[Rottenapplr]

IMHO the times electricity has been cut off have been due to winds and we get a warning 24 to 48 hrs. I just charge to 90% before that happens in case I need to use the car. All gas stations would be out of power and can’t charge so it’s the same thing for them (full tank before power outage). Only difference is you can fill up cans of gas really easily.

 

[henderrj]

IMHO the times electricity has been cut off have been due to winds and we get a warning 24 to 48 hrs. I just charge to 90% before that happens in case I need to use the car. All gas stations would be out of power and can’t charge so it’s the same thing for them (full tank before power outage). Only difference is you can fill up cans of gas really easily.

Our problem now is that our old 85 has some kind of protection going on where there's air conditioning running whenever it's charged over 75%. If I charge to 100% and leave it unplugged by the next day it's down to 75%.

 

[Rottenapplr]

Oh well that’s weird. Is this a defect or did Tesla say it’s normal?

 

[henderrj]

Oh well that’s weird. Is this a defect or did Tesla say it’s normal?

This is, I'm afraid, the new normal for the older Tesla batteries. apparently it's for longevity. One can't argue too much as I've got over 220,000 mi on my original battery now. Still, it is frustrating. They also slowed down our supercharging to a Max of about 80 KW and that only lasts about 2 minutes. Mostly it sits around 50 and 60.

 

[PianoAl]

IMHO the times electricity has been cut off have been due to winds and we get a warning 24 to 48 hrs.

Our local grid is apparently managed by the Three Stooges. We had another outage yesterday—no wind, rain, or acts of God. They called it "maintenance" but there was no advanced notice. I saw a crew working on the lines on my way out of town. The power came back on after five hours.

85% will be our new normal charge level.

 

[Rottenapplr]

This is, I'm afraid, the new normal for the older Tesla batteries. apparently it's for longevity. One can't argue too much as I've got over 220,000 mi on my original battery now. Still, it is frustrating. They also slowed down our supercharging to a Max of about 80 KW and that only lasts about 2 minutes. Mostly it sits around 50 and 60.

I wonder if that’s going to be the fate of the model 3 to preserve battery life. I figure that will be the case as the battery ages and tesla discovers techniques to make the battery last longer.

 

[PianoAl]

Two power outages today (so far)!

 

[Transformer]

One more option: If you get stuck with a power outage and a low battery, get a Lyft, assuming that's available in your neck of the woods.

 

[MrMassTransit]

Two power outages today (so far)!

Wow. If my electric were that unreliable, I’d have a Powerwall or two out of necessity, even if solar were not viable.

 

[Rottenapplr]

Wow. If my electric were that unreliable, I’d have a Powerwall or two out of necessity, even if solar were not viable.

Well that’s not good. A power wall would serve you well.
How often do these outages last on average?

 

[PianoAl]

Well that’s not good. A power wall would serve you well.
How often do these outages last on average?

Well, four outages in two days is pretty unusual, so I'm overstating things.

I'd estimate that in a typical winter, we have six outages, and the median outage duration is about an hour, with a range from several minutes to twenty-four hours.

Most are caused by trees falling on power lines.

In 2006, it was out for two weeks, but that was unusual.

 

[Rottenapplr]

Oh darn. Well one power wall would be great and serve your needs. I would get that before getting a solar. Do you charge to 70-80% daily? That might be enough range to get you out if you consistently have your car charged. I personally do 50% since I've been working from home but I have a Prius as a second car.