Making a Connextras video

I have a 12 kW EVSE at home, and we don't drive long distances every day. While we don't absolutely need it (I'm sure we could find some fast chargers), it's great for our use case of "once a week, we make two, hundred fifty mile trips in a single day" PSA: High-powered EVSEs are better off being hard-wired instead of being plugged into a receptacle. There are EVSE rated receptacles that are safe (if the plug is inserted correctly), but most NEMA 14-50Rs will degrade over time if they're used at max current for several hours at a time, and eventually they'll cause a fire.

Ok. So if I’m understanding you correctly I will need to upgrade my service to 500amp if I want to charge my car to full in 5 minutes at home. 🤔 Being serious though. I drive 15,000 miles a year in my model Y. Last year I only charged on a standard 15Amp 120v outlet. Yes I did have some days when it only got charged to 195 mile. And then within a week I would have a low mileage day and I would charge up to 280 miles of range.

Hi, I am a long time supporter of you channel and don't usually comment here, but when watching the video I noticed a few issues. First let me say, that I agree with your positions on renewable energy and think it is a great idea to release a video about EVs now! However the video is quite rambly, not focused enough on persuing and informing people and is partisan in a way that I feel is not helpful. It starts with the insert about city planning, which is off-topic and should come at the end of the video if you feel you want to mention it. Then focusing on the adapters early in the video means introducing the viewers to a problem first, instead of focusing on the positive case for EVs, which I would suggest presenting again more broadly in the beginning. Also saying that we are going the wrong way about setting up the charging infrastructure may make some people feel insecure about the readyness of the infrastructure, so I would suggest focussing on how people can operate an EV even more conveniently and just say that having fast chargers locally is a nice luxury that we have. The video is very long for a more general audience that might discover the video without beeing a subscriber. And then it is one thing to speak out for renewable energy, against war and for or against a party, but I think it is worth reaching viewers across the political spectrum, so I would avoid declaring some policies or solutions bluntly as dumb or alike and rather state the disadvantages and contradictions of it and thereby explain politely why you disapprove it. I would really like to ask you to consider rerecording the video before releasing it, even if that means a delay. Best, Ben

One thing worth considering is how we think about batteries in general. Growing up, batteries were disposable — single-use and done. Rechargeable options existed but were unreliable, with frustrating memory effects and limited usefulness. So we developed a throwaway mindset around them. That carried over into modern life. Most of the rechargeable batteries we encounter today — in cheap electronics, earbuds, whatever — are still essentially disposable. They last a year or two and get tossed. Even the better batteries in our laptops and phones degrade faster than we'd like, partly because we use those devices so hard. EV batteries are a different category entirely, and I think we need a mental reset to appreciate that. These are long-life, reusable goods designed to last well over a decade, and once they do finally wear out, they can be recycled.

Did you say Volt or Bolt? If you're asking about the Chevy Bolt EV, that needs a coolant flush at five years or 150,000 miles.

Do you need a 30 amp, 40 amp, 60 amp, 80 amp charger in your home? No, probably not. So what if it takes your car 10-12 hours to charge? Well, I'm sure there will be some point where I get home late with a dead battery and need to leave early in the morning, and it'll come in handy. I'd rather have the option, if the price isn't too much higher.

Slamming energy into batteries as fast as possible generally isn't the best idea for their longevity (yes, newer chemistries can handle it, doesn't mean they should), and you clearly know about the 80/20 'rule', so I'll not preach that one. Here, DC fast chargers are often to be found at rest stops, so bathroom break and refreshments while the EV is fast charging outside. No bother at all really - providing the fast charger is actually working. And then there's the whole charger app situation - oh boy - but that's just another silly case of companies making it hard for people to give them money.

Regarding Global Events: My truck is 18 years old. It is literally falling apart in a bunch of areas. I no longer need a truck, I no longer want a truck. So I have been looking for an EV to purchase this spring _anyway_. The "euphemism" in the gulf kicked that to top priority. Used EVs are going EXTREMELY quick now. I had three EVs bought out from under me when I already had financing and was arranging _interstate trips_ to pick them up. I ended up buying locally but that was 6 weeks after telling the dealer exactly what I was looking for, and then someone _just happening_ to turn in their lease at that location. In the time from when I started looking to now prices have gone up like $4-5k. I would expect this to accelerate ALSO because people who have leases can just... buy their cars! There won't be the torrent of lease returns if gas goes to $6 and everyone on lease just says "ya know, i'm fine for now!"

As a microbiologist in the Pharma industry in California who isn't very in-tune with fixing mechanical things....thank you for the work you do. I have so many different anxieties and "work stuff" that I have to worry about on a day-to-day level, it is so helpful to have a good breakdown of the misconceptions on mechanical and EV topics. I am fortunate enough to live in a rental house, so looking at a L1 connector would be right in my bracket. I have a "minimal fix-it" landlord, but my work commute is only 20 miles per day. I previously thought that if I couldn't set up an L2 connector....why bother? I wonder if this common thought of "it must charge as fast as possible for future-proofing" comes from society's focus on phone chargers being as fast as possible, and the gamer's focus on buying the highest tier computer, because it will be "obsolete" in a few years. For me, looking at EVs as infrastructure, instead of a novelty "tech toy", is helpful. I'll need to sit down and do a cost analysis with the absurd California energy costs vs our quickly rising gas prices. Right now, non-TOU costs are ~23 cents per kWh (for up to 276 kWh baseline allowance), and ~34 cents per kWh over that allowance (I have a WFH spouse, so TOU rates aren't great for us). Thank you for giving me the push to sit down and weigh out infrastructure cost vs opportunity cost vs emergency fund costs. I look forward to your updated EV video you mentioned.

THANK YOU for the part at the start of the video. I have the latest Atun-Shei Films video rattling around in my brain the past few days, and I just can't shake the feeling that people like him who think that we need to forcibly drag people away from ... for lack of a better word, *our* standard of living ... are choosing to conflate their personal preferences with The Only Way Forward To Save The Planet and refusing to see that one of the things we have in our current society is viable, no-effort-to-the-end-consumer alternatives to all the things that are killing the planet. We can, RIGHT NOW, stop selling gas-powered cars OUTRIGHT. Full-gas or hybrid. Yes, car culture will continue for a little while longer. But car culture didn't inherently kill the planet; gasoline power did. And the car companies are not going to care what powers the cars as long as they keep selling the cars, so this idea will not ruffle their feathers as much as fully banning cars will, and peoples' lifestyles will not fundametally change. We just need to convince car companies and gas station owners that batteries and EV engines do not have to mean super high tech modern car experiences; cheap economy cars with basic controls should be able to have EV engines too (and either you or Aging Wheels already did the rant about the classist aversion to gas stations).

Great video. Nice device that can allow people with say a dryer outlet in the garage to share it with a charger (they make them with various plugs): https://www.amazon.com/islewire-Splitter-Certified-Auto-Switching-Thousands/dp/B0DJLHY74D/ref=sr_1_6?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.D-cN-CG4SkulbVfJ3gOhKxs0JA587SG7J462JKfn26lJ09EXSaPGMtq3ZOamsR0f8AQ23ijfJP5PxSP783_UQIi_038WOj8BMZuX3c9xY_4eYtZYaI0kZSSZcg-HVA4fh4WpyYBREWYyS6e4RU1y_0pzZ2dDB1gpf3j8avNhp5pd9GqoMbp9WJS50fLC_b8onov5FJMQYKiGrSE6XrxsMT36jzAKA9kdaXUZ25T4CNNHxDJ5hKEkehhe3Np4xnZUX641fPOuyOT1enPuWiAvgpnRKEEhiY6Qzg24WlEvee4.IdLeBz526LF18o3VQPA4O8oisdj6TZZHBqjH2rrr87Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=NEMA+smart+splitter+14-50&qid=1774711290&sr=8-6

That last bit of the video, about 'Why can't I give you money for your service?', reminds me a lot of what the videogame industry went through in the 2000s. Gabe Newell famously said that piracy is a service problem. Basically: If users want to give you money, but you do not give them the option to do so, then the end result will likely be piracy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imf-QeQCexk I am only pointing this out because in your solar video it also came up: These kinds of issues are everywhere around society, and there is so much to learn from how these systems are organized in general, that once you understand it, you will start to see similar origin points of these issues all around.

It's been a while since your setup, but I just wanted to mention because I specifically noticed it: The sound's really solid.

I've been bitten by the EV bug after having borrowed a friend's EV and driving it 900 miles last weekend to Orlando. I'm considering a Model Y (hate the man, love the car), an IONIQ 9, and a Rivian. You mentioned in one of the earlier EV/charging videos something about the Rivian and a battery contactor? issue. A simple Google search didn't give me many hits. Would you be able to elaborate on this so I can research if it is still an issue?

I really do want to get an EV. I currently drive a Subaru Impreza and it's not half bad but yeah soon I want to make the switch. My commute is short and level 1 charging would be just fine for me. Only thing I'm caught up on is the accessory power of them. I like to run heavy high draw audio systems in my cars and it's definitely going to hurt an EVs range but their DC to DC converter is pretty similar to a gas cars stock alternator and I can make it work with a stock alternator. Idk I'll probably switch when my Impreza dies.

Don't really care for the way you explained how the solar video was condescending. Seemed a bit like you were explaining the obvious reaction to me in a way you felt like I was unable to understand without the explanation

The section on misconceptions about battery life made me realize I'd like to see your take on a "how batteries work" type video. Similar to the power-energy one it's a basic concept that really lets you think more critically about the things you're being told. It's hard to grasp how the battery is different from one in a phone, what battery degradation actually is, etc. if you don't actually know how a battery works.

Imma drop the list of the "concerns" I've heard about evs 1. Range anxiety-I think you have put this in the ground 2. Apartment/renting. I think this will fix itself in time but I think its a genuine concern and while apartments and work plasmces SHOULD have them, a lot dont. Especially lower cost housing. However, I don't think these are the people that this video is preaching to. 3. The cold. Its something that is overstated by folks that want to dunk on evs. 4. Maintenance costs. I think part of this is lack of competition, but also, it is my understanding evs require less (not no) maintenance. The bill is usually higher when you take it in, but I suspect you take it in less. I'd love the perspective from you. Hank Green has mentioned it in passing but not in your level of detail. (Nvm you awnsered it at the end, but I think if you do an updated video that section will be very valuable so I left this bit in) 5. Fires. Battery fires scare the crap out of people because they are infact scary. My own personal thoughts are cars full of a very combustible material is also pretty scary. I've never seen a fire department put out a ice vehicle fire either but we accept that fact but evs scare people more. I haven't personally looked into these stats but I think its an important conversation that we ignore when talking about the switch. I hope this all comes off as the feedback you mentioned you were looking for vs the thing you mentioned about losing the plot I think you covered a lot of what people who are on the fense might have hang ups on.

Here’s the thing about road trips. You can charge overnight at hotels. You drive 250 to 300 miles, charge for 40 minutes, drive another 250 to 300 miles to your hotel, and charge there. You’re only stopping to charge once on your road trip. You’re basically stopping when you need a break anyway. With an ICE vehicle, you have to fill up as soon as you start your trip, and still probably stopping once for a break.

Did your teleprompter setup finally kick the bucket? :P See that phone sitting there with a bunch of text on it that you keep glancing at when you seem stuck for words.

Love your content! Many of my friends and family have electric vehicles, and I had no clue there is a standard outlet option. I really think a lot more people, me included would entertain the idea of having an EV if they knew half of what you just shared. Thank you for continuing to widen my viewpoint and expand my knowledge. Also, can I just say I love how gentle you are in your videos and how clear it is that you just want everyone to have the best options available to them. Totally right on the car dealers. Keep up the great work!

14:20 I’m going to suggest that point #3 is that slow charging is said to be better for long-term battery health. The discussion about partially charging your battery could be related to partially filling your gas tank, which people do frequently, especially when fuel is expensive or they’re in a hurry.

Another great option to consider is E-bikes. If I buy an electric car, there are only 2 ways I can charge it: public fast chargers, or run potentially over 100 feet of extension cord to my 2nd floor apartment. My folding E-bike is an EV that I can carry up the stairs, and charge from dead to full in 3 hours with an outlet in my living room. That full charge will get me 20 miles with no pedaling, or I can double that if I use a low pedal assist setting. Even if the battery dies, I can still ride it like a normal bike.

You make strong content, presented well, and I’ve been happy to pay for your vids for over six years now. I’m not sure if you truly believe all of your fellow citizens except those who share your policy preferences are “morons”; this sort of statement is a common rhetorical device in some circles. As rhetorical devices go, it may be effective at establishing in-group bona fides, but at the expense of actually being persuasive to those who are persuadable.

Your videos have helped convince me that it is the time for EVs, and I've now had a nice new bZ for a month now, now that they're finally available in the mass market.

I am in the process of buying an EV right now! But it is a motorcycle, since i think cars suck, and a lot of people do not really need one, and could get around by motorcycle + cargo bicycle or something :) I understand that that is easier said then done when you live in Europe, i heard that it is really hard to live without a car in modern America (not just bikes channel)

Probably worth mentioning that the 2025 and earlier Nissan leafs are chademo but 2026 model year and onward is a modern connector. A weird setup with a j-1772 on one side and a NACS on the other. (They probably got caught by surprise by the quick adoption of NACS.)

I love my rapidly depreciating 2018 Nissan Leaf. Not looking to replace it anytime soon.

I won't ever buy an EV from anyone ever again. Chinese, Korean, American... I don't care. It's all proprietary, and when it breaks, you get to keep both pieces. You have no recourse other than the original manufacturer, who holds ALL the cards. Getting it repaired is usually more expensive than a new vehicle, and if it's not, it's usually a 9-month-plus living hell. Which sucks, because when they work, they're great, like you say, and I loved it. When I buy an ICE I can have anyone work on it, I can get service manuals and parts for it, and even put a new engine in it if necessary. If/When EVs become less proprietary, I'll consider one again.