The shortage of electricity, which often occurs during cold and generally difficult weather conditions, can lead to the fact that charging electric cars will cost a fortune – more than refueling fuel-powered vehicles.
This is exactly the situation observed in Texas, USA over the past few days. The region was hit by record snowfall, leaving most of the population without electricity. As a result, the demand for electricity in the state has grown significantly, so much so that its price has soared by more than 17,900% (!): from 50 to 9,000 dollars per MWh. That is, the cost of one kilowatt-hour in Texas is now about 9 dollars, reports CBS News.
A simple calculation shows that charging a Nissan Leaf with a 40 kWh battery under such conditions costs 360 dollars, and to power a top-end Tesla Model S with a 100 kWh battery, you need to spend 900 dollars (for the car to travel about 550 km). Apparently, these are the most expensive hundreds of kilometers that motorists have ever encountered in principle.
Local media report that, coupled with a shorter range at low temperatures, this has prompted many citizens to reconsider their attitude towards electric vehicles. In addition, supporters of fuel-powered cars have another argument in their favor, although a sharp jump in electricity prices due to bad weather is only a matter of time.
By the way, earlier AvtoPortal named the most popular electric cars in Ukraine for 2020.
