[amit_m]

For cars we don't really need nuclear power, rooftop photovoltaics are almost as cheap as coal and getting cheaper fast. Their main drawback is intermittency, but cars can charge overnight or in the office parking when the production of electricity exceeds the demand.

Furthermore, electric cars can be used as energy reservoirs during high demand periods.

[usrusr]

Theoretical range is pretty much worthless if the battery level depends on some unpredictable outside factor. "I can't take that detour because I did not press priority charge yesterday" isn't exactly what people buy cars for. And taking a more global perspective, it seems quite wasteful to routinely drive around heavy battery overcapacity that is only filled when the trip happens to begin at a time of energy surplus. It can surely make a lot more sense for certain kinds of commercial fleets with very predictable usage patterns, if the typical downtime is long enough.

[skrause]

With photovoltaics the production of electricity doesn't usually exceed the demand at night... So to charge cars at night you still need another technology for base load.

[Pxtl]

Or cheaper battery technology, but that level of cost is a fantasy.

That said, a frequent complaint about wind is higher output overnight. Wind and electric cars could be a perfect match.

[kuschku]

How about wind? Blows almost every day – and when there’s no wind, there’s usually sunshine.