Some things that we are led to believe can hardly function, at least not so easily. Thinking helps enormously to separate the wheat from the chaff, but there is still a lot to do in terms of recalculation. It's best to start by acting stupid.

We normally understand electricity in the form of a socket to which we connect electrical appliances. Since the industry does not supply us with any devices anymore, which overextend this socket or to the electrical network, we do not learn much about the limits of the load. They depend quite simply on the fuse for this part of the network and on what else is connected to this part of this network.

As a rule, part of the overall network is fused with 16 amps. The splitting has the sense that always parts of the electrical supply still function, if a subnetwork fails. If a fuse jumps out again and again after switching on, then you could save the freezer hanging on it by connecting it to an extension cable with an intact subnet. connects and so save the goods within.

The idea is absurd to want to achieve higher consumption by installing a stronger fuse, because further fuses are connected behind it and are then affected. could do. As a rule, access to them is sealed so that they can only be restarted by an authorised body. In addition, the fuse must always fit to the connected line network.

In order to charge an electric car, 230 V x 16 amps = 3.7 kW are available in the best case without additional installations. So if such a car is to be charged in 8 hours, it receives its battery only approx. 30 kWh. It should be remembered that this must not be the gross capacity, because for only during 80 percent of the charge can this happen with the full voltage.

In principle, a battery is charged when the voltage applied from the net is higher than the voltage currently present in the battery. Only the difference in voltage can cause a charging process even possible. A charger therefore selects the voltage in such a way that a certain current is not exceeded. At about 80 percent, however, this voltage would be the voltage required for the battery exceeds permissible limit. This slows down the charging process considerably.

One can roughly say that for the last 20 percent at least as much time is needed as for the first 80. However, we cannot assume a car with 36 kWh gross output because then this 36 kW would have to be available without restriction. We therefor take 40 kWh. So if you want to charge the electric car completely, you have to wait upto another 8 hours.

Simplified one could say that from 40 kWh on it slowly becomes uncomfortable with charging at the household socket. But of course there are other solutions, colloquially also called 'power current'. Since for the household three-phase and alternating current is not needed, it is split when it arrives in three phases. These are then divided, e.g. at your electric stove two on the plates and one for the oven.

However, certain devices do not manage with 16 A at one phase, e.g. those that are used by construction workers. For a freight elevator, all three phases are used simultaneously. This is possible with special sockets, which can also be found in some private households. In any case, all you need is professional assistance and no permission from the network operator to install such a line up to in the garage.

Now, that would be 230V x 16 A times 3, which results in 11 kW. You can easily see that you can get a 40 kWh car fully charged in a good 2.5 hours. Before we go on now, I'd like to say once briefly because it's very important. Only for the first 1.5 hours was the house's mains fully used, after which the charging current slowly decreases.

Why is this so important? Because you're not alone in the world after all, and probably at some point the electric car will also become widespread. So not only a network operator would have to with streets full of electric cars. Already today there is the problem with houses full of condominiums, where special more powerful loading equipment is required and a new home electrics would be necessary, in which of course the residents not owning an electric car may do not want to participate.

Now, at the latest, is the time to take a look at the overall situation in Germany. At the moment there are about 41 million vehicles. On average, these vehicles cover less than 50 km per day. One could also say that our cars stand still on 23 of 24 hours. It's particularly difficult to determine the average consumption, which ranges from around 12 kWh per 100 km. with a particularly economical vehicle with a corresponding driving style up to almost 30 kWh or more with an SUV weighing several tons.

So we don't get it wrong: At 30 kWh, the SUV has by no means been moved very rapidly. It is simply the case that the minimum consumption of approx. 25 kWh (Tesla Model X) at can be more than doubled. But to arrive at a figure, we now assume 20 kWh per 100 km as the average value.

If all vehicles are converted to electric drive, the annual consumption will be 41 million x 365 days x 10 kWh (on 50 instead of 100 km) equal to approx. 150,000 million kWh equal to 150 billion kWh. With the current electricity consumption per day without any significant burden from electric cars, we are at 530 billion kWh per year. There would still be plenty of room for a possible doubling of the grid capacity, e.g. for commercial vehicles.

But the devil lies in the details, because it is not enough if, for example, renewable energy is generated locally to simply distribute it, because supply and demand usually do not fit. together. It can be assumed that high consumption at certain times generates demand peaks that a network cannot cushion. It is the same as in the past at important football matches, when everyone in the half time went to the toilet and then the water pressure did not follow any more.

In the language of electricians, this is called a 'backout'. So it depends on the so-called 'peak' and will not go without a higher intelligence than current for chargers. Apart from the fact that people who don't need the car the next day could also earn money by loading it back onto the net. Only with the new computer world is purely electric driving possible even livable.

However, this also means a certain renunciation of guaranteed loading times. Because if there is a control system that prevents dangerous peaks, this means that the charging currents are reduced, loading times extended. This may become a sign of the beautiful new world at all. You have to plan more, prepare yourself. With a car full of fuel, you can spontaneously drive wherever you want. An electric car could have just delivered part of its load if you had changed your mind and needed it now.