this seems obvious, doesn't it? Why would the utility spend all that money maintaining a complex and risky DC grid when they could just mandate AC - DC rectifiers.

An elevator might be 25 HP(https://www.ecmweb.com/content/article/20888237/controller-r...) - that's ~20kW. A 20kW DC power supply might cost $10k-$20k at most.

How many people do the grid have to employ every year to maintain this grid?