Forget 'Baby on board'

[Malcolm McLeod]

I'm guessing yours is not a diesel dually. ...

Not dually or HD, alas. Sierra 1500 Duramax 3.0L turbodiesel for towing in the nosebleed seats (:: CO). (Tried to put a receiver hitch on a Cayman but mechanic just laughed at me.)

[Alan Lightstone]

PS: I have always wondered what a fully autonomous car would do if I am going straight through a busy intersection, while a big truck is going fast running the light, and there is a troop of Girl Scouts on the opposite sidewalk. Will it sacrifice my car full of Nuns, or the Girl Scouts? I know the manufacturers have thought of this, and I suspect they have addressed it somehow. I also suspect it will remain a dark secret.

Live long and prosper.

Ah, the "Trolley Problem". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem
This is the real reason that I think true, fully autonomous cars are in the more distant future. It's the real reason why we don't see fully autonomous cars, not the technology.

I also have a FSD Tesla Model S Plaid. It now is on the "Supervised" mode (an odd term they use now instead of beta). It truly does get better with each iteration. This latest one finally understands and slows down for speed bumps, and just seems to travel better. How it chooses road speed to go depending on traffic is a little odd, but I think that will get better too. And yes, the car is stupid quick and passenger cars should not be able to go 0-60 faster than Indy Light cars, but I digress.

I actually just turned down my reservation for a Foundation Series Cybertruck, because its blind spots are so large, it needs the most up-to-date full self driving software, which it doesn't have yet. When that arrives, I'll likely purchase mine. Also waiting on realistic all-season tires, not the off-road ones that are the only option now. I'll love that it can act as a battery backup for my house in case of a hurricane. Now the big question that no-one can answer is when Duke Energy cuts off my power due to line issues (islanding) , can my solar cells recharge the Cybertruck batteries so that I can go without power for days.

[Rick Potter]

Hi Alan,

About charging off solar....When my system was first installed, they showed me how to do that, but I have forgotten the instructions. So, it can be done.

The most important thing is that the system be disconnected from the grid, so that someone working on a downed line elsewhere does not get a nasty surprise. That is why systems automatically disengage when power goes out. What the installer was showing me was how to keep it useable just for my house, not off property.

We have never lost power here for more than 6-8 hours. Just lucky, I guess. Still hoping to outwait THE BIG ONE.

[Alan Lightstone]

My system automatically disconnects, to prevent injury to linemen. But there are several big honkin disconnects on the system, which even if I flipped, the system supposedly does not supply any energy to the house if the utility is offline. They call this Islanding.

That being said, why couldn't a couple of big contactors that would flip and prevent energy to being sent back to the utility be able to be installed and prevent that. Really not a big deal, but supposedly illegal here. Yet if you have backup battery system, it can operate with no utility power. Not sure how they do that.

[Rick Potter]

Maybe when you buy the Tesla power wall, it might include those provisions. I never looked into it, as we don't have many outages, as mentioned.

[Ron Selzer]

My system automatically disconnects, to prevent injury to linemen. But there are several big honkin disconnects on the system, which even if I flipped, the system supposedly does not supply any energy to the house if the utility is offline. They call this Islanding.

That being said, why couldn't a couple of big contactors that would flip and prevent energy to being sent back to the utility be able to be installed and prevent that. Really not a big deal, but supposedly illegal here. Yet if you have backup battery system, it can operate with no utility power. Not sure how they do that.

They are called transfer switches commonly used with generators. If your system automatically drops out, sure seems like it could be stand alone.
Automatic Transfer Switches - Electric Generators Direct
Ron

[Bill Howatt]

I really don't know for certain, but I'd be wary equating a transfer switch for a generator with the requirements for a solar source that is feeding power all the time. If the solar connected only when the power failed then it would be acting like a generator installation but I don't believe that is how it is done.

[Alan Lightstone]

I can see issues with a solar installation, even as large as mine, being the sole provider of power during all the daylight hours. Production is a bell curve, and early morning and early evening it would clearly not produce enough energy for even selected loads in the house. On the other hand, if it charges batteries, and they produce even amounts or sufficient amounts of energy, it would not harm appliances.

Early morning, and early evening would act as brownouts.

But I really want my solar cells to be able to charge the large battery bank of a Cybertruck, which then could provide power to the house, even after sunset during a blackout.

[Ron Selzer]

I really don't know for certain, but I'd be wary equating a transfer switch for a generator with the requirements for a solar source that is feeding power all the time. If the solar connected only when the power failed then it would be acting like a generator installation but I don't believe that is how it is done.

Alan stated that the solar disconnects when Utility Co. power is lost. Also he has several disconnects already. Now it would be possible to install an Automatic Transfer switch OR a manual transfer switch to totally disconnect off of the incoming Power Lines and use the Cybertruck to power the house. OR might only need some more control circuitry.
DEFINITLY WOULD NEED LOOKED AT CLOSELY TO MEET LOCAL RULES.
Somebody would have to get up close and personal with what is there and design what is needed. Probably lots more money, however only Alan can say how much it is worth to him.
Ron

[Brian Elfert]

Most grid tie solar inverters need a source of power to sync to. Even if you had a transfer switch to isolate your solar the panels won't produce any power. This is starting to change. The latest Enphase microinverters can produce power even if the grid is down.

[Jim Koepke]

Does anyone actually think this all hasn't already been worked out by the power companies? When my neighbor installed solar panels the power company installed equipment so they could provide power to the grid.

The only real problem would be if someone is trying to instal solar and connecting to the grid without the power company knowing. Those are likely the ones who end up with a pile of ashes where their home once was.

jtk

[Alan Lightstone]

Does anyone actually think this all hasn't already been worked out by the power companies? When my neighbor installed solar panels the power company installed equipment so they could provide power to the grid.

The only real problem would be if someone is trying to instal solar and connecting to the grid without the power company knowing. Those are likely the ones who end up with a pile of ashes where their home once was.

jtk

Jim:

I think you are misunderstanding the issue. I provide a nice surplus to Duke Energy, for which they pay me <1/4 what I would pay them. On virtually every sunny day I send power to the grid.

It's when the grid goes down, and I want to have my large solar array provide my house with power that it is blocked.

Ultimately, some form of battery backup will be necessary. Tesla will have their Cybertrucks able to provide power to a house. Not available yet. But when it is, that's my battery backup. My question, which no one at Tesla can/will answer is whether or not my solar array can recharge the Cybertruck batteries when the grid is down.

[Bill Howatt]

If your solar array can provide the Kw capacity I don't see why it can't charge the battery assuming somewhere in your equipment is an accessible inverter outlet that converts the solar DC into 240V, 60Hz AC.
If the power (Kw) available from either array size of poor sunlight is low then isn't it just an issue of taking longer? But I can't say if Tesla puts any quirks into a generic situation.

[Alan Lightstone]

If your solar array can provide the Kw capacity I don't see why it can't charge the battery assuming somewhere in your equipment is an accessible inverter outlet that converts the solar DC into 240V, 60Hz AC.
If the power (Kw) available from either array size of poor sunlight is low then isn't it just an issue of taking longer? But I can't say if Tesla puts any quirks into a generic situation.

Oh no doubt it would be physically capable of charging the car batteries. The question is whether or not their system (it will be proprietary) will allow it. Especially as Tesla Solar did not install my solar array and it is not their inverters. There are devices that they say will be necessary to install to use the car to power the house.

Tesla calls it Powershare Home Backup and there is something about a Gateway V3 adapter/device. That's really about all the information that they say on the Cybertruck order website.

[Bill George]

It would be possible to install an another Inverter in parallel to to the existing just to feed a 240 circuit that only feeds the Tesla charging station, not connected to the grid. I could do it to mine if needed.