this post was submitted on 15 May 2026
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Climate
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Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.
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In the US, I'm worried our power grid wouldn't handle the load if everyone swapped to EVs. We're already struggling with all the data centers moving in.
For those downviting, I encourage you to read up on the areas where data centers are being built. Their power bills are going up and in some cases have to come up with alternate power solutions because there isn't enough power being generated to support the data centers and people.
Oil refineries use so much energy that they quite often have a dedicated power plant. The energy required to refine enough fuel to drive 100km could instead be used to drive an EV more than 50km.
Switching to EVs will have much less of an impact on the grid than it initially appears. With overnight or midday charging, EVs can even help spread the load throughout the day and help reduce the evening peak.
V2G/V2H can reduce this peak even further, while only using a tiny amount from each car battery.
Air-conditioning is also a big concern for the energy grid, but as with all new technologies, the grid will be upgraded to handle it. Unless you are employed by a grid operator to plan for the future, you don't need to worry about it.
I'm a electrical designer and this is a discussion we have nearly weekly. Charging EVs on a commercial scale is very different on a residential scale. Our energy grid is in shambles.