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Sometimes, progress comes in baby steps, tiny improvements that move a whole series of events forward. The European Union has just approved regulations requiring that an electric car charger be included in every new and renovated home and all apartment buildings starting in 2019. Why is that important? Because charging infrastructure is vital to convincing mainstream buyers to switch to an electric car.
The regulations don't specify what type of charger has to be installed. Presumably, it won't be just a Level 1 piece of equipment, which is little more than an extension cord plugged into the nearest wall socket. On the other hand, it won't be a 150 kW charger like the one Porsche says its upcoming Mission E can use.
There are all kinds of stipulations in building codes like setbacks. Should a mandatory electric car charger be among them?
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 20 2016, @12:20AM
New construction in the USA typically includes wiring for an electric clothes dryer, mine is 30 amps at 230VAC. Meeting this mandate could be as easy as filling two slots in the breaker panel and installing another one of these outlets in the garage / car parking area. Not sure if it would be such a good idea to have two of these (car charging and dryer) running at the same time. 60 amps continuous on a typical residential 150 or 200 amp service could be pushing things if there is also electric cooking, and air conditioning motors to start in the summer.
Do European houses typically include electric dryers? My memory of touring in Europe includes a lot of clothes hanging out to dry.
(Score: 2) by Whoever on Thursday October 20 2016, @02:25AM
You know that they have these things called breakers, right? But really, 150A should be enough to run a dryer, charger, oven and A/C at the same time.
I think that it varies by country. Electricity is typically more expensive in Europe than in the USA, and I don't think there are residential dryers that are powered by natural gas in Europe, so it is much more expensive to run a dryer in Europe.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 20 2016, @10:17AM
There's also the fact that drying on the air is more ecological. The use of dryers certainly depends a lot on local climate (when it is raining, putting your clothes outside will not cause them to dry!) and on local electricity cost.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 20 2016, @02:35AM
Yes, some people have dryers. Or wash & dry combo machines to save space. At the same time EU pushes for more efficient ones, just like vacuum cleaners (I remember reading news about a new, lower, limit for them). But the thing is that voltage is already 220-240 for homes. Just checked, limiters of 16 and 20, and that is considered small. Higher amps should be no problem, except paying more in the fixed fees (reason companies always whine about "small" even if you are fine for the basics, specially if they are already rather efficient). Going "industrial" voltage could be done too, after all the 230 comes from 400 three phase being delivered to different houses.
The problem, as always, is that builders like to left things for the last moment. Sometimes even beyond the allowed date. Lots of words, lots of laws, yet EU could be way better if things were done right, or even better, earlier than mandatory. We could be pushing renowables and storage solutions, but some big corps want their money even if means EU is highly dependant to external fuel sources, and in some countries R&D is considered taboo.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Ethanol-fueled on Thursday October 20 2016, @02:57AM
Soon it'll be the Europeans themselves who will be left hanging out to dry after Mama Merkel collapses the welfare system and the Islamic savages are executing them in the streets.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 20 2016, @08:06AM
Yes, but drying outside is a lot cheaper. I don't know why you would need 30A, though, most clothes dryers here are selectable between 10A and 16A (at 230 volt).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 20 2016, @02:51PM
Remember that US domestic wiring is almost all 120V, so we're accustomed to higher currents and bigger wires. A circuit of general-purpose outlets typically has a 20A breaker (though each outlet is 15A max) -- 30A doesn't seem like that much to us, even though this is one application where it really is 240V and we could definitely get by with 15A or 20A.
Besides, increasing the power should use pretty near the same total energy (more power, less time), so it's hard to see a downside.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday October 20 2016, @12:16PM
Well, as you americans know from your Fox News reports on solar energy, we have so much more sun over here.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday October 20 2016, @06:56PM
Yep, European latitudes are just special. They make people crazy commie in the head, and build stuff that lasts a millennium.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday October 20 2016, @09:22PM
However, 100 miles (whatever they are) is a very long distance!
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Thursday October 20 2016, @12:45PM
The breaker rating has nothing to do with the appliance load. The dryer might only consume half that with an overhead allotted for surge capacity. Plus dryers have heat settings and newer dryers measure moisture as adjust heat accordingly.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 21 2016, @08:14PM
Normal European sockets are 230V 16A and almost everybody has 3 phase 400V 16A or 32A cee socket in garage .