Lightnings powering homes after Hurricane Helene -- "North Carolina's Coming Run on Electric Cars" (The Atlantic Article)

[Peter P]

North Carolina's Coming Run on Electric Cars - The Atlantic

More than 1 million Americans are still without electricity. EV owners are using their cars to keep the lights on.

ARTICLE: https://www.theatlantic.com/technol...-helene-electric-vehicle-power-outage/680106/


Here's a video by one such owner...

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[TaxmanHog]

I think this video was shared in another thread.

 

[Montecarlossfan]

People don’t realize how much 130kwh is… a fridge and necessities can run for weeks

 

[hturnerfamily]

this video, and the horrific happenings during this weather event, expose a lot of truth, and, unfortunately, a lot of confusion and unknowns about how 'real' devastation makes life difficult... much more than we imagine when we discuss power outages under more 'normal' conditions...

- if you were flooded, and your home and truck were lost, ProPower means nothing.

- if your truck was saved, but your home was lost, or the flood waters or winds damaged your home's main panel or wiring, your ProPower may not can help much.

- if you simply had a power outage, yes, your ProPower will 'power your home', or can provide power to things you plug into it. Now, how 'long' is now one of those questions that MANY folks are asking in the North Carolina mountains - there is no answer, as it depends on WHAT you are wanting to power, and even whether it needs power 'all the time', or only infrequently, or, like air conditioning, at times when you have to have it. Fortunately, most of these areas are not in summer condition temperatures right now, and are not yet dipping into cold temps overnight.
........ this exposes what we all know is the truth, but sometimes gets lost in the 'arguments' about 'powering your home', and how some will turn their noses up to this idea that our truck can do this for the 'long' term... yes, it can, IF it was charged to 100% the moment before this even happened, and IF the usage is minimal. Fans, cell phone chargers, internet devices, lights, refrigerators, freezers, and even hot water heaters... your microwave would come very much in handy, as well. You might should already have a can opener. You won't be buying bread and milk for a while. Having bottled water is a plus, or, for some, maybe a REQUIREMENT right now.

no, it's not just about electricity, but we DO seem to live on and around the idea that POWER is required to live, at least comfortably... or, in these cases, even UNCOMFORTABLY, at least for some time in the foreseeable future.. the unknown. The unknown might just be the hardest part.

even this great machine will eventually 'run out of power', if the timing is too long - and finding 'where' and how to charge it will also be problematic, maybe for weeks, for many.

This is a very sad situation. It is not comfortable. We appreciate ANYTHING this machine can do for us. And, while we are spoiled for much of our regular everyday usage of this amazing power plant, having even a 'little' of it's huge battery pack as a savior to this situation is welcomed, for those who have it.

 

[strmwzrd]

My 2023 ER Lariat ran my large full-sized fridge and stand up model freezer and some misc small stuff like chargers and lamps for 4 days. I averaged 7% battery loss daily using the 220V (with 110 splitter) and 120V in the bed. My only complaint was leaving the truck "running" the whole time. I couldn't be more pleased.

 

[Literider150]

What is a 110 splitter?

 

[strmwzrd]

What is a 110 splitter?

A 220V extension cord that pulls off the 110V arms. That way I only had one cord into the house and then used 110 extensions in the house. My plan is to never need that option again. I am installing a generator transfer switch...someday.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Firman-Fir...Q1GjSLxmnCfUEWGibOBoCUL8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

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