why use HV when you can use LV

Because batboxes are expensive in the long run. Every batbox requires 6 Tin Ore, 6 Redstone Dust, 2 Copper Ore and 4 Rubber to produce. We are looking at TENS of stacks to transport energy anywhere far.

How much does cable cost per tile? 0.25 Copper Ore and 1 Rubber. Or 0.125 Gold Ore and 2 Rubber. Or 0.125 Iron Ore and 3 Rubber.

Don't forget the glass fibre cables.

Be warned, however, they cost diamonds. So unless you happen to have a good stash of coal, flint, etc. to make industrial diamonds or you happen to hit the jackpot on your mining adventures, you'll have to do quite some digging.

Should probably make Batboxes subtract power like a cable before the power is stored in the box. That would prevent exploits like this.

Good luck with LV-ing Mass Fabricators, Batbox-ing long cable lines Factory->Miners, Solar Panel Farms -> Factory, Nuclear Reactor -> Machinery.
I prefer 0.125 Iron / 3 Rubber and 0.0005% EU losses per block over:
- 2 Tin Ore, 2 Redstone Dust, 2 Copper Ore and 2 Rubber per block;
- difficulty of setup Batbox+CoppeCable long lines;
- time to manufacture Batbox+CopperCable long lines;
- losses of 40k EU every time you decide to change 1 block setup.

Not to mention, that 32 EU\t Batboxes are bottlenecks in large complexes.

You assume that a person willing to spend these resources acquired them legitly. Might as well force them to build it the right way even if they edit the items in.

Quote from CovertJaguar

You assume that a person willing to spend these resources acquired them legitly. Might as well force them to build it the right way even if they edit the items in.

- well, i am not counting TMI-ing or/give-ing as a "gaming". If you gave yourself 64 Batboxes with one click - then why would you ask others what they are using HV lines for. In that case OP sounds like "I got Diamond Pickaxe from TMI, why use Iron Pickaxe if there is Diamon one?".
Because SMP team-based fairplay is what interests personally me in MC\IC\BC. And HV lines are "must-have" part of it.

Quote from Crador

Good luck with LV-ing Mass Fabricators, Batbox-ing long cable lines Factory->Miners, Solar Panel Farms -> Factory, Nuclear Reactor -> Machinery.
I prefer 0.125 Iron / 3 Rubber and 0.0005% EU losses per block over:
- 2 Tin Ore, 2 Redstone Dust, 2 Copper Ore and 2 Rubber per block;
- difficulty of setup Batbox+CoppeCable long lines;
- time to manufacture Batbox+CopperCable long lines;
- losses of 40k EU every time you decide to change 1 block setup.

Not to mention, that 32 EU\t Batboxes are bottlenecks in large complexes.

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Too true. The big issue is bottle-necking. Bat-boxes are actually fine if you are still low tech, but when you get to higher tech levels, you need to be using higher voltage, or a massive number of cables to transfer your larger quantities of power, and you would need a ton of Batboxes to do that, in paralell, increasing the cost for them ~4x for Medium voltage,e 16x for high voltage, and 64x for ludicrous voltage equivalence. Its just not worth it.

Quote

remember that iron is very valuable in IC
a single machine cost at least 8 iron only 1 or 2 machine cost copper AND iron

and powering a mass fab with LV?
HV dont give you more EU it just stores it and send it in 1 big current
so using HV to power a mass fab is only ideal if it is far away (wiki)

also scrap boxes is not in the game right now, but if they are gonna be impalmented ther is a small chance they give you diamonds (if they are the same as IC1)

and last crador: the 40K EU you loss if you destroy a box... that is 40K EU you didnt have if you used HV

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By that same argument you might as well use Gold wire and T2 voltage since gold is used in very few recipes. I have stacks of it lying around.

Quote from superzip

remember that iron is very valuable in IC
a single machine cost at least 8 iron only 1 or 2 machine cost copper AND iron

and powering a mass fab with LV?
HV dont give you more EU it just stores it and send it in 1 big current
so using HV to power a mass fab is only ideal if it is far away (wiki)

also scrap boxes is not in the game right now, but if they are gonna be impalmented ther is a small chance they give you diamonds (if they are the same as IC1)

and last crador: the 40K EU you loss if you destroy a box... that is 40K EU you didnt have if you used HV

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Wait, what? Since when 1/8 of Iron Ignot became "rarer", then 2 Tin Ore, 2 Redstone Dust and 2 Copper Ore? You sure about your math?

HV give me more EU on long distance, then LV, beacuse of less distance losses. If cable only. To make LV loose less EU, i'll have to insert machinery (Batboxes) in that long line. Every 4 blocks for Copper - one Batbox. Making it a lot more expencive. And longer for setup.

Don't base assumptions on outdated and WIP wiki, please. Examples from own practice:
Large Solar Farm on ground, large factory at badrock level = 60 blocks to transmit power. 12 Batboxes and 48 copper cables or 60 HV cables? Surely second one. It is only 8 Iron Ignots and 24 rubber, not 24 Tin, 24 Copper, 24 Redstone and 24 Rubber and a lot of placing work.
Large factory and Miner farms, which constantly moves away from factory. Multiple factories (my case, since i like MC in SMP way on own server with friends), etc, etc.

And what does scrap boxes have to do with choice of current? o.0

40k EU you lost for every removed Batbox (if it was a part of your long-distance line). You loose nothing removing HV line. Batboxes do not produce EU (same with HV), they store it, if there are no machinery useing it. So if you changing/removing long-distance lines, based on Batbox - you loose all energy, stored there. Not the case of HV.

Anyway, it's kinda pointless. If one does't see use for something in the game - the one can just ignore existance of that, no? =) Like i ignore wind/water generators, achievement system, teleporters, force fields, uber-nano suit and so on. I just wanted to show uses for HV.

UPD: Gold Cables (MV) loose 0.3% percent of EU for every block. HV (Iron) Cables loose 0.03% percent of EU per block. Difference in ten times.

Hey i have made some tests, and here are my results.
I transmit 40000 Eu, 1 Full loaded Batbox to another Batbox.

10 Blocks
Coper 38700/40000
Gold 35000/40000
Gold 2x Iso 36120/40000

20 Blocks
Coper 35000/40000 | 3700 Eu Lost !
Gold 30000/40000 | 5000 Eu Lost !!!
Glass Fibre 38750/40000

MV

10 Blocks
Gold 1x Iso 38688/40000
Gold 2x Iso 38912/40000

20 Blocks
Gold 1x Iso 37120/40000 | 1568 Eu Lost
Gold 2x Iso 38150/40000 | 762 Eu Lost
Glass Fibre 39616/40000

Very HV

10 Blocks
4x Iso HV Cabel 38518 /40000

20 Blocks
4x Iso HV Cabel 38144/40000 | 375 Eu Lost

Hv 20 Blocks
1x Iso Hv Cabel 38518/40000

how did you calculate this if you send 40k and receive 30k ,you'll have 10k loss not 5k.

Not eu. You are losing eu/t
Look:
100m of copper cable.
LV -> power - 32 eu/t
Power at the end of the line - 12 eu/t

100m of gold cable.
MV -> power - 128 eu/t
Power at the end of the line. - 88 eu/t

See? 12/32 is less than 88/128, and thus you are losing more eu, while using the copper cable. At the max power of course - using gold cable to transfer 32 eu/t is not a good idea.

But that silly glass fiber completely ruins this nice system ._. It is better than any type of cable throughout power range...

In conclusion. Use the cables at their top capability