However, once there are enough panels across the grid that midday solar generation exceeds midday consumption, some form of energy storage needs to be added so that the energy can be used later (late afternoon and early evening are typical peak consumption times).
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The new rules apply to an electric car purchased or leased after January 1, 2022, but there’s a kicker. Starting January 1, 2023, a whole new set of rules kick in that affect the tax credit in two ways. First, those electric cars will need to be manufactured in North America. Second, the batteries in those cars must contain components or materials sourced from the US or countries the US has a free trade agreement with, or that have been recycled in North America*.*
Here’s a list of electric cars sold in the US that Consumer Reports says qualify for the federal tax credit today that won’t qualify next year:
- Audi E-Tron
- Fisker Ocean
- Genesis GV60
- Hyundai Ioniq 5
- Hyundai Ioniq 6
- Hyundai Kona Electric
- Hyundai Nexo
- Jaguar I-Pace
- Kia EV6
- Kia Niro Electric
- Lexus RZ
- Mazda MX-30
- Mercedes-Benz EQB
- Nissan Ariya
- Polestar 2
- Subaru Solterra
- Toyota bZ4x
- Toyota Mirai
- Volkswagen ID.4 (only certain models)
- Volvo C40
If you have your heart set on one of the cars on that list, you had best buy it before the end of this year. Also, according to Consumer Reports, here are the cars that will qualify for the new federal tax credit (assuming they do not run afoul of the battery materials sourcing restrictions):
- Cadillac Lyriq (but only if it is classified as an SUV)
- Chevrolet Blazer EV
- Chevrolet Bolt
- Chevrolet Bolt EUV
- Chevrolet Silverado EV (with certain options and trim levels)
- Ford F-150 Lightning (with certain options and trim levels)
- Ford Mustang Mach-E
- Nissan Leaf
- Rivian R1S (with certain options and trim levels)
- Rivian R1T (with certain options and trim levels)
- Tesla Cybertruck (with certain options and trim levels)
- Tesla Model 3 (with certain options and trim levels)
- Tesla Model Y (only if it is classified as an SUV — it appears that it is — and only with certain options and trim levels)
- Volkswagen ID.4 (only 2023+ models made in Tennessee)
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The article is inaccurate in a few ways.
First, vehicles placed in service prior to August 16 are unaffected by the new law.
Second, the North American assembly requirement went into effect the day the act was signed (yesterday). Any vehicle purchased after that must meet the North American assembly requirement unless it qualifies under the transition rule. Most of the cars in that first list no longer qualify if purchased after august 15.
Third, there is a key transition rule. If you had a binding written agreement to purchase an EV prior to august 16 but placed it into service after august 16, you can receive the credit under the rules that were in force on August 15.
Most of the rest of the requirements—income caps, price caps, removal of manufacturer caps, battery critical mineral and component requirements—will become effective starting in 2023. (Battery requirements could take effect as soon as Treasury issues guidance, but the IRS seems to have indicated this won’t happen until 12/31/2022).
The IRS has updated their guidance here:
The tl;dr is that most EVs will not be eligible for the remainder of this year, although some will. Future eligibility will require North American production and battery requirements that very few EVs currently meet.
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Those of us in that same circumstance can take some comfort in the following reasoning: As long as electric vehicles are in short supply, the best thing those of us who drive fewer miles can do for the environment is to not buy them. Each one we buy (and then don’t drive much) will not be available for purchase by someone with a long daily commute, forcing them to buy/drive a more-polluting vehicle instead.
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Electric vehicles can’t sit for long without driving them - as my BIL learned during the Pandemic. It was an expensive fix and a long wait because many owners didn’t realize that.
ETA that BIL had a Toyota Prius - a hybrid, not a pure EV, but it was still the battery that had expensive repair issues due to sitting too long without being driven - as per his mechanic.
“Battery” storage of electricity at scale has been a tough nut to crack, but there is one solar-fueled energy storage method currently in use that works: Purpose-built reservoirs raising water from a lower to a higher elevation via electric pumps. So it’s hydroelectric power, but from solar-elevated water rather than a naturally downward-flowing water source.
I’m guessing the mechanical efficiency isn’t all that great (maybe ~5% loss each from the electric motors, tubines, and viscous friction?), but it’s (solar) energy which would have gone to waste otherwise.
One other thing regarding plug-in hybrid or pure electric vehicles which I don’t recall having been touched on in this thread (been a few weeks) is the source of the electricity. Back when EV’s and plug-in’s were first getting going, Southern California for example was getting nearly half of its electricity from coal-fired plants in Arizona. That was about the break-even point in terms of carbon footprint for coming out ahead of a standard hybrid, so more or less a wash. The percentage has dropped since then in SoCal, but in West Virginia it’s still well north of 80%. Probably better off with a gas-engine ULEV there, unless solar can be employed.
What’s the definition of “long” here? I’ve read many reports of people letting their cars sit multiple weeks without an issue – a little bit of vampire drain, but not enough to matter. Many ICE vehicles would have a problem after a couple weeks with no use too.
You may be referring to maps like this one from Ask a Scientist: As Predicted, Electric Vehicles Are Getting Cleaner - Union of Concerned Scientists
Based on the map, WV appears to be part of a grid with IN (also coal heavy), OH (natural gas heavy), and western PA (PA is natural gas and nuclear heavy), so its heavily coal-based generation is “diluted” with whatever is generated in OH and PA (of course, that means that electricity in OH and western PA is “dirtier” because there is WV and IN coal generation mixed in). The reason HI is bad is that most electricity is generated from petroleum. Southern IL and western MO are relatively coal-heavy.
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I bought a certified used hybrid 2 years ago and absolutely love it! Honda accord has power, and handles very well.
Indeed. Vampire drain on my Tesla is 1-2 ‘miles’ per day in the garage, depending on the temperature. I routinely leave it unplugged for 10+ days when we go out of town. OTOH, will full security cameras on, parking outside in public can use 15+ miles overnight.
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Did he park it unplugged for so long that it self-drained the main battery to below 0% (probably due to topping up the 12V battery) or it stopped topping up the 12V battery because the main battery was at or close to 0% (so the 12V battery failed)?
Gasoline cars that are parked for a while can also have 12V battery problems, which is why there are 12V battery trickle chargers for them. For an electric vehicle, the simplest way to do long term parking would be to leave it plugged in (but set to charge to a lower level instead of 100%). Some may have other long term parking procedures listed in the owner’s manual.
Of course, with any vehicle, checking and maintaining tire air pressure and other things not related to how it is powered (e.g. preventing rodent infestations) can still be relevant for long term parking.
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LOL I’ve never heard it called “vampire drain”. I think its more typically referred to as phantom drain.
They are both pretty common and interchangeable, though when I Googled both just now vampire drain have more results (847,000 vs 548,000 for phantom drain).
I’ve not heard of vampire or phantom drain. Around the car forums we call it parasitic drain.
446,000 results for parasitic…
The # of Google results is meaningless to me. For one thing, vampire drain would probably have some results related to, oh I don’t know, vampires. 
But look, call it whatever you want to call it, I don’t care. But no one on the car forums that I frequent call it anything other than a parasitic drain.
Never thought of that. Excellent point.
I just asked H as he knows more than I do. BIL left his car, a Toyota Hybrid, so not a pure EV like I thought, totally unused while he was with FIL at the beginning of the pandemic - we’re guessing 30-60 days with no use at all. He went home and tried to use it, but “something” wasn’t right - H doesn’t know the details specifically. BIL told us he had to have some battery cells in it (3?) completely redone and the mechanic told him there were others he was already working on, so he had to wait to be fit into the schedule. It was a relatively common pandemic problem according to BIL as per his mechanic.
Our warning from BIL is he loves his vehicle, but don’t let it sit.
It was fairly important info for us because we can travel for a month or two at a time. Our regular vehicles left home while we travel have never had a problem starting right up. If we get an EV or Hybrid and don’t take it on the trip we’ll be sure to have our farm sitter drive it at least once per week, maybe more.
Are you sure that it wasn’t just that the 12V battery discharged and failed? That is a relatively common problem with any car that is left parked for a long period of time. For a non-EV, connecting the 12V battery to a trickle charger would be advised for long term parking. For an EV, plugging it in for charging (to about 50% or so) will allow the main battery to keep the 12V battery topped up. Check the owner’s manual for any vehicle-specific instructions.
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