- 8 months ago
04 Methods & technology for living off grid – part 4
Here I discuss several more methods and technology to help you live off the grid successfully. Like the use of water heaters and electric vehicles while off grid. I recommend tankless LPG water heaters, as they are readily available and are similar in installation as conventional water heaters. With electric vehicles (EVs) I don’t think they can save you much money, especially considering the cost of the EV and the cost of charging at home; which needs a utility electric connection. But, EVs are worth having, if possible, for other reasons. Such as saving the environment, not polluting, supporting cleaner and more efficient technology, and turning your back to the dirty fossil fuel industry.
0:00 Water heating - introduction
2:23 Solar water heaters - simple containers
3:07 Solar water heaters - container water heater
5:51 Water heaters - Solar insulated tube
7:13 Water heaters - Tanked electric & LPG
9:28 Water heaters - Tankless introduction
10:31 Water heaters - Tankless LPG
11:58 Electric vehicles as an off grid tech - introduction
13:27 Electric vehicles as an off grid tech - cost
15:54 Electric vehicles as an off grid tech - Energy
26:03 Electric vehicles as an off grid tech - DC charging
29:49 Making electric vehicles work for off grid
31:08 Charging electric vehicles while off grid
32:23 EVs not an off grid tech but - save with EVs
37:45 Summary and closing for methods and tech for off grid livingHector Vladimir 2026©
Living Off the Grid in the City Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/@hbcsolarpvtech
https://www.youtube.com/@hbcsolarpvtechbyron
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552559207892
Living Off the Grid in the City PDF book
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fY4aaKpWzUX4W5rTyeI1U7oeBOcSviEp/view?usp=sharing
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyWqApEqGtc6nd-_C6bkiKnMxLBg7DfgK
https://rumble.com/c/c-5079280
https://www.bitchute.com/channel/1yG6vacOmMN7
Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/hectorvladimir
Substack page: https://hectorvladimir.substack.com/
For information purposes only. Always follow appropriate and applicable regulatory code for all installations, modifications, and fabrications. For US electrical installations follow the codes of the authority having jurisdiction. For international electrical installations follow the codes of your region’s electrical authority.
off grid
off grid life
off grid living
off gridders
sustainable living
green living
smart living
Here I discuss several more methods and technology to help you live off the grid successfully. Like the use of water heaters and electric vehicles while off grid. I recommend tankless LPG water heaters, as they are readily available and are similar in installation as conventional water heaters. With electric vehicles (EVs) I don’t think they can save you much money, especially considering the cost of the EV and the cost of charging at home; which needs a utility electric connection. But, EVs are worth having, if possible, for other reasons. Such as saving the environment, not polluting, supporting cleaner and more efficient technology, and turning your back to the dirty fossil fuel industry.
0:00 Water heating - introduction
2:23 Solar water heaters - simple containers
3:07 Solar water heaters - container water heater
5:51 Water heaters - Solar insulated tube
7:13 Water heaters - Tanked electric & LPG
9:28 Water heaters - Tankless introduction
10:31 Water heaters - Tankless LPG
11:58 Electric vehicles as an off grid tech - introduction
13:27 Electric vehicles as an off grid tech - cost
15:54 Electric vehicles as an off grid tech - Energy
26:03 Electric vehicles as an off grid tech - DC charging
29:49 Making electric vehicles work for off grid
31:08 Charging electric vehicles while off grid
32:23 EVs not an off grid tech but - save with EVs
37:45 Summary and closing for methods and tech for off grid livingHector Vladimir 2026©
Living Off the Grid in the City Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/@hbcsolarpvtech
https://www.youtube.com/@hbcsolarpvtechbyron
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552559207892
Living Off the Grid in the City PDF book
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fY4aaKpWzUX4W5rTyeI1U7oeBOcSviEp/view?usp=sharing
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyWqApEqGtc6nd-_C6bkiKnMxLBg7DfgK
https://rumble.com/c/c-5079280
https://www.bitchute.com/channel/1yG6vacOmMN7
Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/hectorvladimir
Substack page: https://hectorvladimir.substack.com/
For information purposes only. Always follow appropriate and applicable regulatory code for all installations, modifications, and fabrications. For US electrical installations follow the codes of the authority having jurisdiction. For international electrical installations follow the codes of your region’s electrical authority.
off grid
off grid life
off grid living
off gridders
sustainable living
green living
smart living
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hello, this is Hector Bloody Mir. Today is January the 23rd, 2026. I'd like to pick up and discuss briefly the off-grid home system dealing with water heats.
00:11Water heats, I don't have to explain how important it is, especially here in the northern hemisphere, in the northern latitudes, and also in the deep southern latitudes as well, where it gets cold basically.
00:21Where we have the cold season, once a year, late fall or autumn, winter, and sometimes early spring in many areas, it gets pretty cold.
00:31The air temperature is cold, and also the water temperature, the underground water temperature in pipes or water distribution systems, and even in bodies of water, get pretty cold, get a lot colder in the winter.
00:42So it is quite uncomfortable. I don't have to say that it is quite uncomfortable to take showers, wash, do any kind of activity, or use water in any way when it's cold, when it is uncomfortably cold.
00:55Also, cold water is not so effective at washing, cleaning. The temperature needs to be raised a bit. It needs to be a bit warm for washing to be effective, or a lot more effective at least.
01:05So we need to be a bit comfortable. Oftentimes, it is necessary. So we need to have a way to heat the water, to warm the water.
01:14And I say warm because I don't believe in heating the water too much. That's just a waste of energy.
01:19Using any kind of source, doesn't matter what it is, using any kind of source, heat source, it is just wasteful to heat the water too much.
01:27Because you really very seldom will need boiling water or water that is extremely hot, almost to a boil.
01:35And a boil is 100 degrees centigrade, quite easy to remember. Not so easy to remember in Fahrenheit, which I really don't recall with exactitude, but I believe it is 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
01:48And you want to save energy. You want to be very efficient in heating your water if you're going to be off the grid, especially because you're going to be depending on batteries, oftentimes, or in very precious and limited sources of energy.
02:04Fuel, electricity, charge, whatever it is that you have as the source is going to be limited.
02:09So for that, you need efficient water heating. There are a few options that I'd like to mention.
02:15Of course, there may be more, a lot more, but I want to focus on the ones that I believe to be quite affordable, accessible, simple.
02:23First of them, of course, being solar water heating.
02:26Basically, the most simple way of having a solar water heater is to just have a tub, a pool, one of those kid pools or inflatable pools.
02:35They also have tub-like pools out there that are just plastic and just laid out in the sun.
02:41That will warm up your water before you use it for whatever reason, whether it's for bathing, whether it is for washing, whatever it is, it should be warm.
02:51Of course, given that you have plenty of sunshine in your area, you do put the water out during the brightest and warmest part of the day.
02:59But of course, this is not always possible. That is a very simple water heater.
03:02You want to be a bit more intricate in most occasions, most instances.
03:07The next step up from that is basically to have a container.
03:10It could be plastic. I've seen it plastic.
03:12And this works mainly for, again, warmer areas with a lot of sunshine.
03:16It is just a tank or a big water container.
03:20And you cover that up with black paint, black covering, whether it's paint or any type of other coats.
03:28But you can spray paint it.
03:30You can paint it with brush using effective paint.
03:34You want paint to be UV resistant.
03:37You want it to be an outdoors paint type.
03:40You don't want it to be an indoors paint type because it's just going to fade out, wash out in the sun and rain.
03:44And to give it a few coats of that, of course, that paint will not make contact with the water since it's going to be applied on the outside.
03:53And the sunlight is going to warm up that paint and that container quite readily because black absorbs a lot of radiation, therefore a lot of heat.
04:03So that water is going to heat up and also with the higher pressure because it is a closed container or an enclosed container.
04:12It doesn't have to be completely sealed, of course.
04:13It could have a small hole or opening where pressure could be released and vapor because when the water warms up, it evaporates.
04:22It builds pressure.
04:23And you want that pressure to be able to be released somehow.
04:26Now, if you have ever poured hot water in a small container and then closed it, you will learn very quickly that this container is going to expand and pressure is going to build.
04:36And if you remove that lid, you can tell that there was pressure built up.
04:41Sometimes the lid will violently just pop off and you can hear the pressure.
04:46Water could spray out.
04:48You can even get burnt if the water is hot enough.
04:50The container could begin to get soft and even melt if the water is hot enough and the container is plastic especially.
04:57And even glass container, you want to do this because it may burst, explode, and it may cause some problems, injury, mess, etc.
05:05That is another option, just the container out in the sun.
05:09And then, of course, you would have to pipe the water to wherever you want it.
05:13You can also just get the water with buckets, with a jar, with another smaller container.
05:18Whatever method you want to use to channel pipe to transport that water to the dispensing area where there is a kitchen, a bath, a bath, a shower.
05:28Or you can also use that water for washing.
05:30Washing vehicles, washing items outside, washing your dog, washing a home, etc.
05:36Again, warm water is a lot more effective at washing and removing dirt and debris and contaminants.
05:41Very effective.
05:42It makes a big difference when you wash, for example, a vehicle or a structure with warm water as opposed to doing that with cold water.
05:51Another option that is a bit more intricate, more complex, more expensive, a bit more complicated to install, set up, is a solar insulated radiation tube water heater.
06:02They have those in the market.
06:04They have been out in the market for some time.
06:06And they have a series of glass tubes with double walls, which are double-walled glass tubes.
06:13They are insulated and connected to each other.
06:16So they readily transport.
06:18The water is basically like a radiator, like a conventional radiator, where this tube is probably a serpentine.
06:24It's already in a serpentine fashion.
06:26It is on one single tube, one way in, one way out, but it basically snakes in a serpentine fashion to where the tubes are all exposed to sunlight.
06:36And, of course, it's double-walled.
06:38The inner wall has got a dark or black coat.
06:41I'm not sure what they use, but it's resistive to UV, ultraviolet, radiation, and it's built to be put outdoors.
06:49That's why it's a bit expensive, but I believe it is probably the most effective solar-type water heater.
06:56You can find out details about those online, through the manufacturer, through the seller, and get one of those.
07:03It's possible for you to set it up, connect it yourself, if you know some basic plumbing.
07:08If not, you can hire a plumber and get that connected for you.
07:11And it could provide a very reliable warm water.
07:13Another option is to have a water heater, a conventional water heater with a tank, but you want it to be LPG, liquid propane gas, or natural gas.
07:24I like especially the LPG type because I can buy my own tank of gas, control the source of energy, as opposed to natural gas.
07:34Natural gas, you have to generally have a subscription, a service set up.
07:39You have to have the pipelines already in your home or have them put in by a pretty big company, so it's going to be pretty expensive to put it in and also the service for it.
07:49I hear complaints from plenty of people that have had it or have it currently.
07:53They always complain about the cost.
07:55Sometimes it is optional to have it maybe half of the year, the cooler part of the year.
08:00But I don't believe in that expense, having that expense that's just going to tie you up and have you be part of a grid, which is sometimes, many times, abusively costly.
08:10And I just don't recommend that route.
08:12LPG, of course, uses gas.
08:14It is a gas, and you can control the source.
08:17You can, again, purchase the tank, refill the tank at a refilling station.
08:21And they have them in many of your general hardware stores.
08:26The larger ones have refilling stations, such as Tractor Supply.
08:31But there are other places also that specialize in refilling gas tanks, LPG.
08:35So you want to find out where those places are and make sure that you are able to access those places and make sure the cost is not going to be too high for you.
08:45That is a very attractive option.
08:47It is probably among the cheaper options other than just getting an electric tanked water heater, which, again, I would avoid like the plague because that would just tie you up to the grid, something that I am advocating against here.
09:01And it is quite expensive, probably among the most expensive types of water heating is your conventional tanked electric water heater.
09:08That's just a power hog.
09:10It uses hundreds and hundreds of amps per day.
09:15That's thousands and thousands of watts or watt-hours per day.
09:19That's just going to rack up your power usage and, in turn, just kill you with your power bill.
09:26So I would stay away from that.
09:28The last option I'd like to discuss is the tankless water heater.
09:31This is probably the most advanced type, probably the most expensive of the water heating types, maybe apart from the solar water heater.
09:39And that is because these are a relatively recent technology and they are quite unusual in this area, at least in this southeastern area where I live.
09:51And a lot of people just are not familiar with them, with installing them, and their availability is not as much as some areas.
09:59I've been to some areas in the country where they are quite common, but they're not around here.
10:04But they are available, especially if you look for them and get them online.
10:08And they're not too difficult and not too different from your conventional water heating installation.
10:14You may be able to do it yourself.
10:15You may be able to install it yourself, again, if you have some basic plumbing skills.
10:20If you're crafty, if you're just willing to learn.
10:22And this is not only your most advanced and expensive option, most likely, but it is also the most reliable and efficient.
10:30Meaning that it's going to save you the most amount of money.
10:33And because it is tankless, it doesn't store water.
10:36It doesn't try to heat up the water constantly because it doesn't store it.
10:40And that is one of the reasons why it's so efficient.
10:43Not only that, if you get it tankless and gas, that is even more efficient, I believe.
10:49And more money will stay in your pocket.
10:52In the long run, you're going to spend a lot less energy.
10:55You're not going to spend hardly any electric energy on it because it uses a very low voltage to operate.
11:02And the source itself, main source for the heat is gas.
11:06I recommend you get, again, the LPG type that you can control your source.
11:10You can buy your tank, refill the tank.
11:11But you can also get it in the natural gas connection utility type and still save a lot of money.
11:17Again, these are the most expensive ones of these options that I mentioned.
11:21Probably, maybe with exception of the solar type heater.
11:24But I do recommend the tankless LPG water heater, the most efficient.
11:29For example, the Rheem Liquid Propane Tankless Water Heaters offer high efficiency.
11:35With ratings typically ranging from 0.82 to 0.96 Uniform Energy Factor, UAF.
11:42Allowing for up to 96% energy efficiency in condensing models.
11:47These units are designed to reduce energy costs by heating water only on demand.
11:52That is among the highest efficiencies that you can find out there.
11:56Thank you very much.
11:57Hello, today is the 28th of January, 2026.
12:03This is Hector Vladimir.
12:04This is a short episode on living off the grid.
12:07I would like to speak today about a technology that's been around for some time that many think is compatible.
12:14And it is helpful for an off-grid lifestyle.
12:18And that technology, that technology is electric vehicles.
12:21So I would like to discuss the pros and cons of electric vehicles.
12:25When it comes to an off-grid lifestyle, I am myself an owner of an electric vehicle.
12:30I have been an owner of electric vehicles, but I've had two so far.
12:34And I've been an owner since the middle of 2016.
12:39And I have been a supporter, a believer in the technology, in the cause, in the potential of electric vehicles, of course.
12:47But my attitude, my thinking has changed, has evolved.
12:50Make no mistake, I am still a supporter of the technology, and I do think it does have a lot of potential.
12:56However, it is not like it is portrayed a lot of times.
13:00Especially when you consider a few factors.
13:04One of them being cost.
13:05The other one being the cost of energy.
13:08One, the cost of the vehicle.
13:10Two, the cost of energy.
13:11And also the challenges that there are for charging an electric vehicle off the grid.
13:19So we'll tackle those three.
13:21If I think of any other issues, any other topics to talk about, electric vehicles, I'll bring them up.
13:27But cost, those vehicles, electric vehicles in general, are more expensive than other types of vehicles,
13:34such as the ICE, the Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle.
13:37Of course, because of many factors, some of them, major ones, are because it is a relatively new technology as far as mass production.
13:47And of course, anything that is new requires building the infrastructure, the supply chains, the materials, the supply chains,
13:57and also the facilities, the equipment, the machinery, and also the labor.
14:02The technical, scientific, and skilled labor that is required needs to be built up.
14:07That takes time.
14:08That takes a lot of resources.
14:09It takes a lot of money.
14:10So, of course, everything that goes into that technology is going to require a lot more money to acquire that technology
14:16because of the investment, the heavy investment that has gone into it in a short period, relatively short.
14:21So, yes, the price has been coming down.
14:25In some cases, the price is pretty close, sometimes almost the same as the ICE.
14:31By and large, I believe, and I've seen, and I will probably link the evidence for this, electric vehicles are more expensive.
14:38That is largely per my experience being an owner.
14:41And, for example, I bought a 2016 Nissan Leaf back in 2016 and compared to, let's say, a same body style, same size, same everything for another vehicle,
14:54an ICE of the same category as far as size and power, I was paying close to $10,000 above what the ICE would cost.
15:03I recall paying about $28,000 at the time, and I could have easily gone ICE for $18,000.
15:11So, the cost is a big challenge.
15:14It still is, even though today has decreased a lot compared to 10 years ago.
15:18But it is still not the same.
15:20That is a challenge for an off-grid lifestyle, which I support it to be focused on efficiency.
15:27Efficiency, of course, will have to necessarily consider economics or finances.
15:33That is one of the major considerations, major factors.
15:36You want to basically consider factoring to be off-the-grid.
15:40You want to be able to save money and make more money because of and as a product of the off-grid lifestyle.
15:47You will do both, save money and make more money.
15:50It generates more money, more funds, more income.
15:54The other major factor I want to speak of is the energy that is required to keep an electric vehicle charged.
16:01From my experience with the Nissan Leaf, it was a small battery.
16:05It had, I believe it was a 24-kilowatt-hour battery.
16:08It was relatively small.
16:10It had a short range, about 75 miles, maybe a little over 100, maybe 115 kilometers, 120 or so.
16:19So, it was not much to go on one charge, of course.
16:23I did get quite a bit of use of it.
16:25I put about 90,000 miles on it.
16:27So, I did get my use from it, my utility, my money's worth, I would say.
16:32But it was a bit challenging.
16:34I did have some, what they call range anxiety.
16:36Of course, it had a short range.
16:39Unlike today's models, they have a much longer range, about double that, if not more, as the standard.
16:44So, I had to adjust, I had to basically make a lot of concessions, adjustments, adjust where I worked, where I went.
16:51I could not go out of town.
16:53It did not have a fast charger.
16:55That's another major factor for being able to go farther than your range would allow.
17:00Because charging it midway to your destination would take many hours, or would add many hours to your trip.
17:08I would say about four hours.
17:10It took about four hours to charge the vehicle in a 220 volt charger, which are not always available, even halfway to your destination.
17:19So, it was a big challenge.
17:22But the main thing I want to focus on, discuss here, is the energy required.
17:26Energy is, of course, expensive, electrical energy is, of course, the vehicles, electric vehicles, charged with electric energy.
17:34And that energy has to come from somewhere.
17:3690% of the time, if not more than that, it will come from your home, your home's utility electric connection, your electric outlet,
17:44whether it's the common 120 volts AC outlet, or a more powerful 240 volts or 220 volts AC outlet, which is basically what your dryer plugs into.
17:58You have to make a connection for your electric vehicle, as I did using that 240 volts electric outlet.
18:05I put one of those, and that charges the vehicle multiple times faster than a 120 would, so that is the optimal way to charge your electric vehicle.
18:14However, it does draw a lot of watts, a lot of power, and that's going to translate to higher electricity bill.
18:22As I experienced, my electric bill was much higher than before, and it did not come down from $120.
18:30That was back years ago, from 2016 to about, when I got rid of the vehicle, when I sold it, it was about 2022, maybe 2023.
18:40And my electric bill was quite high.
18:42I charged it as soon as I drove home, kept it on charge.
18:45So even during the more expensive charging rates, I did charge the vehicle.
18:50That's also another factor why it did make a big difference.
18:52And when I sold it, not too long after, I got another electric vehicle, being an avid supporter, a fan of the technology, because I did and do believe in its potential.
19:04And the battery, of course, was a lot bigger, almost three times as big, two and a half times as big, more or less a 64 kilowatt hour battery, as opposed to a 24.
19:15But the charging cost almost tripled.
19:16Of course, a larger battery is going to draw a lot more current for a lot longer.
19:21And this vehicle, when I charged it, I did my calculations at home, and it was taking about 20 to 30 kilowatt hours each charging session.
19:30Of course, it was not being charged from zero to full.
19:34This was about half of a battery.
19:36It would take about that much energy, about 20 to 30 kilowatt hours.
19:40And if I was to charge the battery completely, I would think it would be about twice that, maybe about 60 kilowatt hours.
19:48And just imagine if you did that every couple of days, every other day, or even daily.
19:53That is a lot, a lot of kilowatt hours.
19:57Yes, there are strategies to lower or to minimize the amount of energy that you do.
20:01Consume the rates that you pay for that energy.
20:04Of course, the rates change depending on the time of day, the season, et cetera, for power companies.
20:11They claim this is for, basically, to discourage people from using too much energy, and using too much energy when it's high demand.
20:19So they have these different rates at different times, different seasons.
20:22So you have to very closely watch that if you want to minimize the amount of money that you pay your power company,
20:28especially if you charge an electric vehicle.
20:30Even doing that, even being very careful as far as when I charged, how much I charged,
20:36I was paying a lot of money when it comes to my utility electric bill.
20:40And a lot of states, such as the one I live, the backward state of Georgia,
20:46they discourage very much the ownership of electric vehicles, mainly by taxing the heck out of them.
20:52You have to pay a hefty tax.
20:54I call it a punitive tax that you pay every year.
20:59Not once, but every year you have to pay this fuel tax, they call it.
21:03Which is, as I speak, over $230 above and beyond what you would have to pay for a common, conventional ICE vehicle.
21:12Which I believe to be completely unfair and uncalled for and abusive.
21:17Because you should not be curtailed, punished.
21:20You should not be taxed for trying to save the environment, the planet.
21:24For trying to decarbonize the very polluting and obsolete fossil fuel industry or system that we live under.
21:32Trying to do something good for the environment should not be punished.
21:35But that is exactly what they're doing.
21:36And these powers that be, these entities that are doing this, they then well know that's the goal.
21:42That is the end goal to discourage the technology.
21:46To discourage the spread of the technology.
21:48To slow it down, at the very least.
21:51So they can keep selling ICEs and keep selling gas in the end.
21:54The ultimate thing is for them to keep making record profits every year by selling fossil fuel products.
22:00Especially gasoline.
22:02That is the end goal, I wholeheartedly believe.
22:04But they try to cover it, they try to mask it by calling it a fuel tax.
22:10Saying that you must pay the fuel tax that every other ICE owner pays when they go to the pump.
22:16But it is a cover, it is a mask.
22:19And it is clear that this is so because they are also trying to tax the charging of EVs now.
22:24On top of that fuel fee, now they're trying to tax each kilowatt hour that you put in your vehicle using fast chargers.
22:31There are fast chargers out there that charge a lot faster than your home's 220 outlet would.
22:37Now they want to tax that.
22:38There are many states, including Georgia, that have bills.
22:41They have senators and people in government trying to pass bills into walls, make bills into walls.
22:48They have taxed these fast chargers.
22:50That is on top of the already abusive tax that they have.
22:54So that is a big challenge, the cost of energy and the cost of charging.
22:58Especially for those of us that would like, that plan, that dream, that wish to live off the grid.
23:04Meaning that you would not have a utility connection.
23:07Once you don't have a utility connection, charging an electric vehicle becomes a daunting challenge.
23:13It is, to my estimation and experience, extremely difficult.
23:17I don't want to say it is impossible because very few things are that are technical, that are physical, but that is a daunting challenge.
23:26One that I am yet to see or to hear about someone has done charging their vehicle using solar energy, for example, and batteries.
23:35Again, yes, it is possible, but you need basically a farm of solar energy, solar panels, a solar field,
23:43a farm of hundreds and hundreds of solar panels dedicated to charging a giant battery multiple times the size of the one installed in your vehicle.
23:54Necessarily so, it would have to be, at the very least, double, if not triple the size of the one in your vehicle.
24:01Because a fast charger is basically transferring the charge on a big battery.
24:07This is an off-grid fast charger.
24:09Of course, you don't have a connection to a power plant that's generating energy with hundreds of amps and thousands of volts all the time.
24:17You have to have a source.
24:19And the source is disconnected from any kind of power plant if you're going to be off-grid.
24:24And this is going to be your battery.
24:26Your source is your battery.
24:28Of course, the solar field that you would need to keep those batteries charged is just another source to keep the battery full,
24:34to keep the battery charged, so that battery, when you hook it up to your charger in your vehicle,
24:39it's going basically to drain into the battery in your car.
24:43The amount of watts that that vehicle is going to require, which I have measured to be over 1,500 watts continuously.
24:52I'm talking about for hours.
24:54You have to keep up 15, perhaps almost 2,000 watts of continuous power going into that vehicle charging.
25:02You have to keep that up.
25:03And for that to happen, your battery would have to be pretty big.
25:08I have not calculated exactly how big, but the energy requirements, just by thinking of it and by my modest knowledge of electricity,
25:17it would have to be pretty big to maintain that kind of power draw, drainage, for that amount of time.
25:23It is, it would probably be gigantic.
25:27You have to take into consideration also the loss factors, the power losses that your inverter is going to have.
25:33It's going to have to go through an inverter because your vehicle is probably not going to be supercharging.
25:38It's just going to be charging at a slower rate of maximum 220, if not 120, which takes about a dozen hours,
25:4712 plus hours to charge the battery fully, if not longer than that.
25:51A big battery probably would take maybe about 20 hours to charge with a 120 outlet.
25:57That is probably what you want to go with if you're going to be running it with batteries.
26:03Of course, you may have a DC charger, which is your fast charger, level 3, sometimes called supercharger,
26:11but that would be prohibitively expensive.
26:14I have looked at some of the prices, and we're looking at over $50,000 for a DC charger.
26:21This is a low-end, not too fast, run-of-the-mill DC charger that charges perhaps maybe about 50 kilowatts, 60 kilowatts per hour.
26:30That's pretty fast.
26:32In comparison, your 220, 240-volt outlet charging for your vehicle, which is level 2, that could take you to about 7.5, maybe 8 kilowatts per hour.
26:44That is your speed of the charger.
26:47They measure it in kilowatts per hour.
26:49So, 8 kilowatts per hour, that's how much you would charge per hour.
26:54So, if you're going to put, let's say, 24 kilowatts at 8 kilowatts per hour, that would take you 3 hours.
27:01If you're going to put 32 kilowatts into your vehicle with an 8 kilowatt charger, that would take 4 hours, and so on.
27:07So, there you can see, just by these small factors details, how difficult it would be to charge a vehicle off-the-grid.
27:15It is pretty much not feasible.
27:18It is pretty much prohibitive.
27:19It is not impossible, but it is economically, financially prohibitive, especially for people of low income or people that are trying to save as much money as possible.
27:28You can't just go out, if you're living off-the-grid or wanting to live off-the-grid, minimize your utility payments and minimize your expenses.
27:36You can't just decide to spend $100,000, $200,000 on a huge lithium-based battery, a super expensive charger, and also a solar field, which you need the land, the equipment, you need the solar modules or panels.
27:54You need all kinds of safety equipment also, and the batteries, the battery bank, which is basically a battery system that you have to have.
28:02You have to have it air-conditioned, temperature-regulated, with very expensive monitoring systems, connections.
28:09These batteries are somewhat volatile, so you have to watch them, maintain them, keep an eye on them, can't run them too hot, can't let them get too cold.
28:18So, they are finicky, they are touchy, and they do require maintenance.
28:23You can't just install it and forget it, as many people think.
28:26So, it is doable, yes, but it is doable in large scale.
28:31Yes, several companies use large stationary or mobile battery systems to charge electric vehicles, without being connected to the utility grid, often storing energy from solar or wind.
28:44Companies like Spark Charge provide mobile battery-powered DC fast charging, while Beam Global offers solar-powered off-grid charging stations with built-in battery storage.
28:54Again, this is doable, but it is very difficult for them to be completely off-the-grid.
29:00Perhaps he claims that they are off-grid.
29:04In fact, they may just use a utility connection, and they may offset whatever power they use with solar panels.
29:12It's all about labeling.
29:13They may call that off-the-grid, but in reality, it's just a utility connection that feeds into the system.
29:19They factor in the time that the system spends without charging, without being used, and that time, perhaps during the sunlight, the solar panels feed the energy that was used during a charging session, for example.
29:32It feeds that energy back into the grid, or the utility grid.
29:36So, it is pretty much offset, but that, sadly enough, is not an off-grid system.
29:41An off-grid system, by definition, should not have a connection to utilities, and, again, that is extremely difficult.
29:50Those are a few of the factors, challenges, that make electric vehicles not so much of an off-grid technology.
29:59That is my opinion.
30:00Many people may have different opinions, but as an avid supporter of electric vehicles, I have been, and I still am.
30:07It is difficult for me to say this, but evidence trumps feelings and opinions, and the evidence that I have gathered so far tell me that the expense and the invisibility, the inability for electric vehicles to be charged off-the-grid makes them not, I repeat, not an off-grid technology.
30:28Sadly, it is difficult to say, but I believe wholeheartedly this is a fact.
30:32This is the truth.
30:33Having said that, you can make it work, as I have.
30:37I have saved on electric energy, and also I have owned an electric vehicle.
30:43I believe the cost of saving the environment, minimizing pollution, and furthering, supporting a cleaner, better, more efficient, safer, advanced, automated, electrified technology.
30:55Those things, I think, are worth the efforts needed to make the technology work for you in an off-grid lifestyle.
31:03Again, I've made it work, truly have made it work for over 10 years now.
31:08How have I saved money?
31:10Basically, that is the number one reason, rationale, for you to have an electric vehicle is because you want to save money.
31:16Not only to save the environment, but to save money.
31:19Gas is expensive.
31:20The ICE vehicle maintenance is expensive, so you want to minimize or get rid of those, cancel those.
31:26So, that is the main reason why I was so attracted to the technology when it first came out, when the Nissan LEAF came out.
31:33It was the potential of me not buying a drop of gas ever again.
31:38And I saw the potential in that, in the savings, the money savings, as undeniable.
31:43I did the numbers, and I remember saving in the amount of time that I used the LEAF, I want to say about $7,000 or more in gas savings.
31:53Of course, that is without taking into consideration the extra money that I paid to the utilities.
31:59But even then, it would be probably about $5,000 for about 90,000 miles driven.
32:05So, yes, it was worth it.
32:06I put in my pocket $5,000 worth of savings.
32:10Money that did not go into a gas pump or a gas station.
32:14That is money that stayed in my pocket.
32:15That is money made.
32:17Yes, it took 90,000 miles.
32:19Yes, it took all that time.
32:20But I believe in the end it was worth it.
32:23There are also ways for you to save even more.
32:25Again, watch the time that you charge your vehicle in.
32:29Look at your rates.
32:31Call your electric company.
32:32Go to their websites, find out what the rates are, at what time, and which seasons.
32:38And basically, charge your electric vehicle outside of the high rates, hours, and seasons.
32:44It is possible.
32:45It is something that you can do.
32:47Most electric vehicles have automatic settings where you can set the vehicle to charge automatically at a certain time window.
32:55Start charging and stop charging at a set time window that you program in, you set in.
33:01It is pretty easy to do.
33:03Those vehicles, you just leave them plugged in and they will start charging at the time that the power rates, the electricity rates, are the lowest.
33:11For this area, in the summertime, during the warmer temperatures of the year, the cheaper rates are in the middle of the night.
33:17In the early, very early hours of the morning.
33:20That's when you want to set your vehicle to charge.
33:22And in the winter, the colder months, it's during the day.
33:25The cheaper rates are during the day.
33:27So that's when you want to charge your vehicle in the winter here in North America.
33:31Of course, your region, your country, your nation could be different.
33:35It could be about the same.
33:36It could be slightly different.
33:37So make sure that you do follow that.
33:39And also make sure that you do know the rates of your power company.
33:42Your power company is the one that decides on the rates, the times, and all the fluctuations with that.
33:48So you have to look for that.
33:49It should be on their website.
33:51Another way for you to save big time on electric costs while charging an electric vehicle is basically by charging free.
34:00Charging for free.
34:01You could do this.
34:02There are a decreasing number.
34:05Sadly enough, they are decreasing in number.
34:07Disturbing enough.
34:08But they are still out there.
34:10Find them.
34:11There may be some in some parking areas, some parks.
34:15Some cities do provide chargers.
34:17Probably not the faster types, but the mid-speed or level twos, you may still find those.
34:23I recall they have one here nearby in a city right in the middle of downtown.
34:29They used to have one.
34:29I used to work around the area before.
34:31And I used to go and plug in and charge there for 30 minutes, 40 minutes a day when I could.
34:36And it was free of charge.
34:38And you may have a company that provides charging at their parking lot.
34:43I remember seeing a company here in Georgia, a company that manufactures lighting fixtures, light fixtures.
34:51And they provided chargers for free to their employees in their parking space.
34:56They had about four or five parking spaces with chargers.
34:59You may take advantage of that.
35:00And if you work at a place like that or near a place like that, you may park in their place.
35:05Security may overlook it.
35:07They may not have security.
35:08They may not care that you don't work there.
35:10If you, in fact, don't park and charge there, it could be possible.
35:14Also, there are many hotels that have chargers for, quote unquote, their customers, their guests.
35:20And as I have done, you may be able to park there and be overlooked, be ignored, and not be a big deal.
35:28And get many, many kilowatts of charge from those spots, those places.
35:34That is another thing to consider.
35:35Free charging.
35:36There may be other ways which I will not entertain or going to for you to charge completely free.
35:42And those are ways how you can make it work.
35:46How you can make electric vehicles work for an off-grid lifestyle, for an off-grid situation.
35:52You, anyone wishing to live off the grid, I believe, again, the cause, the purpose of the electric vehicle technology
35:59is not necessarily and or entirely to save a few bucks.
36:03You must also consider that it is saving the environment.
36:06It is a cleaner technology.
36:07And even if you have to keep an electric connection at your home just for your electric vehicle
36:13and nothing else, I believe it is still worth it.
36:16Go ahead and keep that connection if it is only for that electric vehicle so you can save on gas,
36:21so you can quit supporting the fossil fuel industry.
36:24And I will leave you with this thought that electric vehicle ownership is also about turning your back to the fossil fuel industry.
36:34Remember that electricity, as expensive as it is getting, as expensive as the rates are in many, many areas,
36:41it is increasingly clean, green, renewable.
36:43There are many, many solar fields, one of which I work in right now, popping up, that are being built all over the world.
36:51They are getting larger.
36:52They are getting more numerous.
36:54And these are renewable sources of energy that produce electricity,
36:57some of which could be feeding the electricity that goes into your electric vehicle.
37:01That is another big reason why electric vehicles are worth it,
37:05even though they're not necessarily an off-grid technology.
37:08If you can at all afford it, if you can at all make it work somehow,
37:14then I think you should because of these reasons, these factors.
37:18They use electricity, yes, but they also, that electricity source is increasingly renewable.
37:24And again, it is a step away from the fossil fuel industry.
37:29It is turning your back, denying your money, hard-earned money,
37:33to the filthy, corrupt, polluting, harmful fossil fuel industry.
37:38Thank you very much.
37:42Just to summarize, I covered topics on the basics of life,
37:48mainly how to live off the grid and still satisfy the life's basics or needs,
37:54which are the use of water, of course, collecting, storing, using, maintaining water,
38:01food, again, growing food, whether it's farming animals or growing plants,
38:06fruit trees or vegetables, or any kind of nut or root plant that may give you food.
38:14I've covered some techniques for that, some methods and some technologies,
38:17especially technologies for storage, methods for preservation, etc.
38:22I've also covered energy, the all-important energy, how to harness it, mainly electrical energy,
38:29how to use it, how to remain disconnected, how to disconnect legally and freely.
38:36Also, I have covered the off-grid options for telecommunications.
38:40I've gone through a few options to give you, to offer to you, as ideas, so you can develop on them.
38:46Of course, I'm not going to give you the exact details on how to.
38:50I have not done many of the things that I recommend or offer, of course.
38:55I can't do it all when it comes to living off the grid.
38:57But I have done several of the options mentioned here for each category, at least several.
39:04For water, I have collected and used water, rainwater.
39:08I have used and collected food.
39:10When it comes to growing food, even growing farm animals, I have delved into that.
39:15I have delved, of course, into alternative or renewable energy.
39:19That is probably the focus of my efforts.
39:22And I have also delved into telecommunications, free options for telecommunications,
39:27specifically radio telecommunications, and also free networks, Wi-Fi networks, open networks, etc.
39:34As well as the governmental help that is offered.
39:37I have some experience with that as well, which basically is a free service that offers telecommunications services.
39:45And that is it for this series.
39:49Thank you very much for listening.
39:50I have covered a few topics, mainly techniques and some technologies on how to live off the grid.
39:56Of course, there may be a lot more, more techniques and technologies.
40:01I have only mentioned a few, of course, because of time constraints and also because I've developed many others,
40:07including the ones I talked about here in other shows and other chats.
40:12So, I will put the link for the other shows that mainly speaks about some of the topics that I covered here.
40:21Again, which are technologies and techniques on how to live off the grid.
40:25Thank you very much for listening.
40:26That is the methods and technology for off-grid living.
40:30This has been Hector Vladimir.
40:32Today is the 6th of January, 2026.
40:35Thank you very much.
40:36Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye.
40:55EFFECT
40:59.
41:07.
41:11.
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41:19.