The DFW area seems to be having a gas frenzy

[TMC Bubba]

All the Texas ICE drivers are suffering from range anxiety!

 

[TexasTeslaRacing]

Passed four gas stations tonight and all but one was closed . The one open had a line 60 cars deep.

 

[brkaus]

Live in Austin. 4 stations nearby. 2 are out, 1 has a super long line, 1 has a moderate line.

I saw one car filling up multiple gas cans.

I believe the immediate problem mostly caused by the human brain.

I did bump my overnight charge limit from 70% -> 80%, just in case

 

[abasile]

(So tell me again how the electric grid will fail when everybody plugs in their EVs).

Yes, that's a pretty silly excuse on the part of EV naysayers! The utility companies across the southern states (CA to FL) seem to, for the most part, not have trouble with most of their ratepayers simultaneously running power-hungry air conditioners. Where this is a problem, they can institute "demand response" programs and/or charge demand fees for particularly high power draws.

And if worse comes to worst, as others have pointed out, you can generate your own electricity at home, but you can't produce your own gasoline. I think the Powerwall (and similar products) will end up being very popular among those who value having some personal independence.

That said, we still have to rely on one another during trying times - I don't know where we'd be without the hard work of the well-trained firefighters (including some of our neighbors and friends) who regularly defend Western communities like ours from wildfire threats.

 

[jelloslug]

you own a tesla, what do you care about lines at a gas station?

They are fun to look at when I drive by.

 

[jelloslug]

Live in Austin. 4 stations nearby. 2 are out, 1 has a super long line, 1 has a moderate line.

I saw one car filling up multiple gas cans.

I believe the immediate problem mostly caused by the human brain.

I did bump my overnight charge limit from 70% -> 80%, just in case

Here is the problem:

 

[AB4EJ]

Oh no - what's next- a run on electricity ?!

 

[Struja]

Gas is set to hit $5.00 a gallon tomorrow in Toronto, so I imagine $2,89 would look pretty darn good to most Torontonians right now.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Here is the problem:

I don't think those are approved containers.

 

[brkaus]

I don't think those are approved containers.

At least he isn't smoking

 

[Chopr147]

Watching CNN and there showing gas lines in Dallas.

CNN probably took that clip from Hurricane Sandy in NY

After Sandy I no longer look at people filling tanks as a panic move. People were sleeping in cars overnight on gas lines. Personally if a big storm is coming I make sure to fully charge

 

[fwgmills]

It's all a bit ridiculous. There's a gas shortage because Facebook and local news is saying there's a gas shortage, thus panic ensues, especially with a long weekend coming up. I was in a QT this morning (getting air, since the service center totally screwed that up - another story) and three people came in wanting to buy gas cans. I mean, c'mon, at best this 'shortage' will last a few days.

Anybody remember this from Sneakers. I think it applies perfectly. FF to 1:10

 

[jelloslug]

I don't think those are approved containers.

From what I understand, the guy filling the trash cans got busted and fined for that.

 

[Boourns]

It's all a bit ridiculous. There's a gas shortage because Facebook and local news is saying there's a gas shortage, thus panic ensues, especially with a long weekend coming up. I was in a QT this morning (getting air, since the service center totally screwed that up - another story) and three people came in wanting to buy gas cans. I mean, c'mon, at best this 'shortage' will last a few days.

Exactly. If everyone had just gone about their business like normal it would have been fine.

The line for gas at the Costco in Frisco yesterday stretched onto the exit ramp of the tollway. It was insane.

 

[KarenRei]

I'm impressed at how well the supercharger network in SE Texas appears to have weathered Harvey. And it did well in Sandy, too. The chargers themselves seem quite resilient. Also, since they're such high power feeds, they rarely seem to lose power, and would be the first power restored in the area if they did. That is to say, at least in theory, if they're out, so is everyone else

Gas stations are not only very sensitive to fuel supply disruptions during disasters (and being clogged by panick buyers**), but most aren't equipped with battery backups / emergency generators, and go down when the power does. And unlike a supercharger, they're a pretty typical commercial feed, so they're not necessarily going to get power restored as quickly.


** A city of "panick chargers" overwhelmingly just means them adjusting their charge level to 100% at home Not particularly problematic given the proportionally low power levels consumed by home chargers. And how most people charge daily, so it wouldn't even be that much charge being added vs. normal.

 

[KarenRei]

Also, if Tesla ever mounts a battery-buffered supercharger (say, V3 ) to a truck (say, Semi ) in order to provide better roadside service (aka, it could fully fill several cars or top off a couple dozen), think of how quickly they could replace a damaged / destroyed supercharger site. Staff electrician team hops onboard, truck drives to the supercharger site, parks, the team wires the feed from the damaged supercharger to the one aboard the truck, and you're golden - temporary supercharger ready to use. When the damaged hardware has been replaced, the connection is swapped back from the truck to the new permanent hardware, and the truck drives off and goes back into roadside service use.

You'd have to work into the siting contract for the supercharger permission to temporarily park a truck near the supercharger in the event that it's damaged / destroyed, and obviously the utility provider would have to be involved in the process. But overall it seems a really quick, straightforward way to deal with any issues.