While I do agree that the original poster's calculation price per Kilowatt/Hour is very high (averages around 13 cents around here), I do think that he makes some very good points that really need to be considered. It is true that our power distribution system can not handle charging everyone's cars without major improvements. Geese, we have "Brown outs" in the summertime now because of everyone running their A/C. He also makes a valid point about electric cars not paying their fair share of taxes at the pump, but some States are beginning to catch on to this and charging extra at registration as also mentioned by another poster, however, an added $50.00 seems pretty reasonable to me. Another factor to consider is the manufacture and disposal of all the batteries needed and their "New Forms" of pollution. Frankly, many of the toxic metals used in these batteries end up in our ground water and this could prove to be an even bigger problem than current air pollution and we need to research this throughly before making a leap of faith to electric powered vehicles.

Frankly, we need to research every possible source of alternative energy and make smart decisions going forward rather than make such a leap of faith to abandon fossil fuels. Maybe we can at some point, but at 67 I don't expect to see it in my lifetime. It would take at least that long to update the power grid enough to allow everyone to charge their electric cars and no one really knows how we're going to pay for that. Unfortunately, this sort of thing can be a very emotional issue, especially for those that want something done right now, but in depth research is needed and only actual science will tell the real tale and guide us properly. We need to push in the right direction, but have reasonable expectations as well.

In my opinion, hydrogen is a good candidate for the future. It's one of the most plentiful elements in the universe and it has a huge energy potential and burns cleaner than anything that I no of out there. The typical by product from hydrogen combustion is water. However, there are big problems to fix before hydrogen can become mainstream. First of all, typical generation of hydrogen is not cost effective and can also pollute. The cleanest way to produce hydrogen is through electrolosis, but this is time consuming and also requires power to produce and the volumes needed would be extrodinary to say the least. Secondly, storage of the hydrogen produced is also a tricky matter. It is very explosive and large quantities stored in any one location could be a huge hazard to public safety. Therefore, we need to find a way to safely store and handle this gas or maybe chemically convert it into a less explosive solid that can be converted back to a gas when used. However, this is going to be expensive and take time to develop as well.

All in all, electric cars are probably not the immediate solution many are hoping for and I pray that the leaders of this country and the world are smart enough to realize this and invest in other technologies and research before trying to eliminate the internal combustion engine and the use of fossil fuels in our everyday lives. Meanwhile, we do need to continue to reduce emissions and limit the air pollution from the use of fossil fuels as much as possible. Frankly, we have made some real progress in our cars and our power plants over the last 10 to 20 years and we need to continue these efforts while we continue to invest in alternatives and the science to lead us in the proper direction.

I think you mean 100 and 200 amp servIce, not watts. The fact is that since you can slow charge EVs overnight from a standard 115VAC circuit, there’s no practical way to regulate it or require a separate meter. Your clothes dryer, HW heater, A/C and electric stove all draw as much current as an electric car charging on 230V, and I’m betting there are times when you use at least 2 or maybe 3 of these devices at the same time during a given day, so if the EV charges while you’re asleep when only the A/C is on, no service upgrade necessary. Also, as houses get larger, a good percentage of modern houses are built with 200 Amp service anyway.