2nd EDITION 2011 |
CHARGED UP & READY TO ROLL
The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
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As As wewe celebrate celebrate thethe arrival arrival of of thethe new new plug-in plug-in cars, cars, wewe continue continue to to advocate advocate forfor more more cars; cars; Assmart, we accessible celebrate the arrival of the new plug-in smart, accessible public public charging charging infrastructure; infrastructure; cars, we continue to advocate for more cars; and and government government andand corporate corporate incentives incentives smart, accessible public charging to to endend our our dependence dependence on on oil oil andand infrastructure; and government and corporate incentives improve improve thethe global global environment. environment.
to end our dependence on oil and improve the global environment.
Join JoinPlug PlugInInAmerica America
Join Plug In America www.pluginamerica.org/join www.pluginamerica.org/join
TheThe voice voice of current of current andand future future drivers drivers of plug-in of plug-in electric electric carscars
The voice of current and future drivers of plug-in electric cars
CHARGED UP & READY TO ROLL
The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
2
| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Editor: Catherine Pickavet Graphic Designer: Victoria Odson Advertising Sales: Kitty Hulscher Printer: Bacchus Press
Copyright Š 2011 by Plug In America. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States on 50% recycled paper with 40% post-consumer content.
For their editorial contributions and/or images, Plug In America thanks: Shannon Arvizu, Ph.D., Sherry Boschert, Dan Davids, Tom Dowling, Steve Factor, Ron Freund, Marc Geller, Avi Hershkovitz, Felix Kramer, Harry Mallin, Tom Moloughney, Linda Nicholes, Alexandra Paul, Kimberly Rogers, Cathy Saxton, Paul Scott, Electric Auto Association, Nissan, General Motors, Tesla, Ford, Th!nk, Smart, Coulomb Technologies, ALTe, Balqon, Boulder, DesignLine, Electrorides, EVI, Navistar, Proterra, Smith Electric Vehicles, Aptera, Brammo, Mavizen, Myers Motors, Pereaves, Quantya, Electric Motorsport, Zero Motorcycles, IC Bus, Vectrix, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S Department of Interior, Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village.
Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN) 2011920735 ISBN 10: 0615430783 ISBN 13: 9780615430782 To purchase copies of this publication or to request permission to reprint all or part of this publication, contact Plug In America at info@pluginamerica.org.
Advertisers Index AC Propulsion................................................................. 16
LA Car Guy.................................................................... 62
BMW.............................................................................. 18
Leviton............................................................................ 29
CODA Automotive.......................................................... 8
Luscious Garage.............................................................. 27
Current Ways.................................................................. 37
Manzanita Micro............................................................. 59
Electric Auto Association................................................ 61
Nissan.................................................. Outside Back Cover
ECOtality........................................................................ 14
Plug In America.................................... Inside Front Cover
Ford................................................................................. 21
Pi Mobility..................................................................... 26
GM................................................................................... 5
Solar World..................................................................... 40
Green Vehicles................................................................ 49
Smart................................................................................. 7
Juiced Hybrid.................................................................. 59
Th!nk............................................................................... 63
KTA Services................................................................... 54
Toyota..................................................... Inside Back Cover
Disclaimer This guidebook has been compiled from a vast array of information from non-profit, government, and industry sources. This information is provided solely for the users’ own interest and evaluation. We have attempted to make clear attribution of sources wherever text, graphics, or statistics were originally created by other organizations, and we have attempted to avoid any copyright infringements. The Board of Directors and volunteers of Plug In America make no warranty or promise about the accuracy of the enclosed information. Additionally, Plug In America and its many volunteers make no endorsement or warranty regarding any commercial ad or business listing in this guidebook, nor do we accept any liability for their products or services.
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
ContentS |
4 Welcome 6 EV Revolution 12 EV Showcase 19 So You Want to Buy an EV
Inside
By Marc Geller
An electric sensation has hit our roads, and it’s time to experience it for yourself.
By Catherine Pickavet
A look at some of the rides available now and what you can expect in the near future.
By Paul Scott
Buying an EV can be daunting, but knowing a few important things will get you on the road.
ENVIRONMENT
TECHNOLOGY
22 Plug-ins and the Planet By Sherry Boschert
50 The EV Battery By Ron Freund
25 Renewable Power By Steve Factor
53 Converting a Gas Guzzler By Shannon Arvizu, Ph.D., & Felix Kramer
CHARGING
TESTIMONIALS
34 A Charge at Home By Tom Dowling
10 50,000 Miles in a Mini E By Tom Moloughney
The environment wins with electric drive.
Renewable energy can power your EV and save you money.
What you need to make sure you’re equipped for the task.
38 On the Road By Dan Davids
Batteries determine more than just EV power.
How to turn your internal combustion engine into an EV.
28 Charging Ease By Cathy Saxton
Putting a charge back in your car doesn’t only take place in the comfort of your home.
29 200K and Counting By Avi Hershkovitz
42 The Future of Charging By Kimberly Rogers
48 Electric on 2 Wheels By Harry Mallin
FLEETS
30 Incentives 32 EV Myths 47 EV Timeline 56 Resources 64 Glossary
One day your electric vehicle will earn money.
44 Fleets Steer Toward Electricity By Sherry Boschert
With overall savings on fuel and maintenance costs, as well as a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, companies are finding it harder to ignore the benefits of an all-electric fleet.
www.pluginamerica.org
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4
| Welcome
Welcome W
elcome to the 2nd edition of Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles. Whether you have already decided to go electric, are seriously considering it, or can’t ignore thoughts of electric drive every time you start your gas guzzler, you now hold the key to everything you need to get you on the path to driving an electric vehicle (EV). We’ve included in this year’s guide all the things you should consider before buying or leasing your new car. You might be wondering just how beneficial EVs are for the environment or ways in which alternative sources of energy can be used to power them. And what about charging? Is your home equipped for it and can you get to the next public charging station without being stuck on the side of the road? These questions and more are answered here. Publication of the 2011 Guide coincides with the first mass-market push of EVs in history. Television and print ads about the cars and their charging equipment have cropped up in magazines and on television. And a slew of news sites and blogs are running in just the last year to keep pace with the rush of information about this new technology. Plug In America, the voice of current and future EV drivers, is proud to bring you this expanded second edition of our popular Guide. Our organization, comprised of some of the nation’s leading EV experts and enthusiastic drivers, has been promoting plug-in electric vehicles at public events and conferences for over five years. We continue to work with federal, state, and local governments to create policies that will accelerate the rollout of EVs. We evaluate new cars under development and give advice to automakers to improve their designs. All the while, we keep the interests of you, the consumer, in mind. Find out more at www.pluginamerica.org.
‘‘
Whether you have already decided to go electric, are seriously considering it, or can’t ignore thoughts of electric drive every time you start your gas guzzler, you now hold the key to everything you need to get you on the path to driving an EV.
I’m confident that this year’s Guide will give you everything you need to know to confidently drive electric off the lot. Welcome to the world of clean, quiet, and enjoyable electric cars!
Dan Davids President
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
,,
“... an outside-the-box electric vehicle that’s alluring almost any way you look at it, including under the hood.” — Los Angeles Times
EPA estimates the Volt runs on electricity for an initial range of 35 miles on a single charge, before a gas generator seamlessly creates electricity for up to 340 additional miles on a full tank of gas. Available to order at participating dealers in CA, CT, MI, NJ, NY, TX, Washington, D.C. Quantities limited.
Introducing the all-new Chevrolet Volt, winner of the most coveted auto awards of the year. Chevy Runs Deep.
6
| feature
EVRevolution By Marc Geller
A n electr i c se n sat i o n has h i t our roads , a n d i t ’ s t i me to e x per i e n ce i t for yourself .
O
ne day soon, we will wonder what all the excitement was about. But right now, electricity is in the air.
Plug-in electric cars have arrived to many who eagerly placed orders last year. Others are waiting in anticipation, and waiting lists are growing. What’s going on? Perhaps your kid pointed at a Chevy Volt as it passed you on the highway. Perhaps you’ve seen a Nissan LEAF plugged in at the mall. Television advertisements and buzz on the web are feeding your curiosity, but many questions persist and naysayers abound. What’s the truth? It’s simple. Most people would be better off with a plug-in car. It would do everything their gas car does at a lower cost of ownership while polluting less. But since no one is offering to replace your gasser with an EV free of charge, the question is whether to buy or lease a plug-in car sooner rather than later because of all the benefits.
I could start by appealing to your patriotism, your environmental consciousness, or your frugality. But rather, it is the convenience and comfort of a plug-in car that will lure you in. Imagine you awake to find your car is now electric. From the moment you unplug and enter the car in the morning, everything is better than it was before. I kid you not. Your “tank” is full regardless of how empty it had been. If it is snowing outside, the car is warm. If it is 98 in the shade, the car is cool. If your neighbor or partner once awoke as your engine turned over, their sleep remains undisturbed.
Continued on page 9
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
open your mind.
YOU’ LL GET A REAL
CHARGE OUT OF IT.
>> Introducing the smart fortwo electric drive The next generation of smart has arrived. It demands to be set free, to enjoy the freedom of the open road. All while demanding little in the way of natural resources. The smart fortwo electric drive is a significant statement of environmental conservation and efficiency.
smartusa.com/electricdrive
smart® – a Daimler brand
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
feature |
Continued from page 6 As you pull away, you might notice that the oil stain on the garage floor is beginning to fade. When you drive off, you’ll notice the responsiveness of the accelerator and the smoothness of acceleration with no shifting. You’ll enjoy the quiet and lack of any engine vibration, feeling relaxed yet aware. Gas stations will fade into irrelevance, and trips to the mechanic for maintenance will be few and far between. You’ll smile every time you get free juice — whether from regenerative braking that puts a bit of energy back into the batteries or that charger downtown. Occasionally, you’ll plan ahead and plug in somewhere during the course of your day. And you’ll have to tell the folks gathered around about your experience driving electric. You may end up in a longer conversation. Isn’t electricity just as dirty as gasoline, some will ask? And you’ll confidently explain that it isn’t. You’ll know that for most people, switching from a gasoline to an electric car would be the single biggest possible reduction in their personal carbon footprint.
In addition to the personal economic benefit of electricity at 1/4 or 1/2 the cost of gasoline, you might mention to the gathering curious the benefit to our country of keeping our dollars at home. We send almost $1 billion a day out of the country to fill our tanks, which has consequences. And the full price of gasoline is hardly reflected in the pump price. American taxpayers and our armed services, not the corporations who deliver the oil and are enriched by it, bear the burden of our military ensuring the continuous flow of the oil we’ve required up until now to reach our destinations. As you unplug in the mall, you’ll mention that there are lots of different types of plug-in cars on the way, from sports cars to mini-cars, minivans to luxury cars. Every major automaker will release a plug-in car within the next two to three years. Plug-ins may be more expensive today than gas cars, but they are much cheaper to run. We all hope the prices come down, but buying a car is always a big deal, and each person will have to consider when to make the switch. Once the benefits of driving electric become clear, you’ll understand that it’s up to each of us, as soon as we’re able, to begin driving without petroleum and all it leaves in its wake. And as you drive in your convenient and comfortable electric car, you’ll feel better for it.
Marc Geller is a co-founder and board member of Plug In America. He is a writer and consultant on public and corporate policy regarding plug-in electric vehicles. His writing appears at plugsandcars.blogspot.com.
www.pluginamerica.org
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| TESTIMONIAL special feature
50,000
Miles
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
special TESTIMONIAL feature |
in a
mini E
By Tom Moloughney Chester, New Jersey
I
n early 2009, I was doing some research on electric cars and stumbled upon an application for BMW’s Mini E Trial Lease program. I filled it out and promptly forgot about it. How could my application stand out among the many thousands the carmaker surely received? So it was much to my surprise that, a few months later, I was tapped to participate in the one-year trial. Then the doubts set in. Would it break down all the time? Would it be powerful enough to drive on the highway? Would I be able to deal with the limited range? Those were just a few of the niggling questions that I eventually overcame, and on June 12, 2009, Mini E #250 was mine. It didn’t take me long to realize that I made the right decision. Like any first-time EV driver, I had some tense moments as I adjusted to the approximate 100-mile range of the car. In the beginning, I looked down at the range meter every minute or so, wondering if I would make it home. However, after only a few weeks, I relaxed and learned to trust the car. Once I reached that point, I could then enjoy the benefits of driving electric and even appreciate the advantages that EVs offer.
First off, the Mini E is a blast to drive. The instant torque and great handling make it one of the most enjoyable cars that I have ever driven, and I have had the pleasure of driving some really nice sports cars. The fast, yet smooth acceleration and slight whine of the electric motor and its aggressive regenerative braking offer a unique and addictive driving experience. I’ve had the car for more than 18 months now, have driven it over 50,000 miles and am as convinced as ever that I will be driving electric cars from now on. I’ve never run out of charge, and I don’t need to keep a bottle of Valium in the glove box to overcome the dreaded range anxiety that I hear many would-be EV owners suffer from. The electric car experience inspired me to think more about my energy usage, and I have taken steps to reduce my energy consumption. I have also recently installed an 8.8kw solar electric system at my home so all the electricity I use to charge the Mini E and my future electric cars will be clean and renewable. This will ensure my transportation fuel will cost very little and be relatively stable, regardless of price increases. Try saying that about gasoline. My second year with the Mini E expires in June 2011, and then I’ll be getting an all-electric BMW 1 series called the Active E. That car is going to have a similar test period and lead up to the 2013 BMW Megacity, which will be BMW’s first all-electric car offering. I blog about my experiences with the car at www.minie250.blogspot.com, and receive regular e-mails and questions from EV supporters from all over the world. It’s been a great experience communicating with all these people who anxiously await the day that they will buy an electric car.
www.pluginamerica.org
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12 12
| Feature special feature
EVShowcase F
or years, discussion of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) has been just that: discussion. Every once in a while you might have thought, “Was that a Tesla that just sped by?” or “Was that RAV4 one of those electrics I heard about?” You may have wondered about that empty space with a charge station at the Costco in California. Perhaps you saw an ad for an electric car or charge stations recently that might have further stoked your interest. And that documentary you saw a while back might have planted the electric vehicle seed in your driving mind. That you’re reading this guide means the discussion has evolved. The carmakers you know and love, and some you might not have heard of, are enticing you with new styles and opening their showroom floors to a slate of electric vehicles ready for test driving and buying. And we’re not just talking about the Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt, which have already debuted. Companies are looking ahead: Ford will launch its Focus and Escape PHEV; CODA Automotive will release its All-Electric Car; the RAV4 EV and PHEV Prius from Toyota are due, as is Mitsubishi’s iMiEV; Tesla will make room next to its Roadster for the Model S; the Th!nk City will hit the streets; and Fisker will unleash its Karma. And it all happens this year and next. It’s a lot to look forward to, but the good news is there’s no reason to wait. This showcase highlights cars, trucks (page 15), and 2- and 3-wheelers (page 17) from a slew of makers. For a full fix of what is coming, visit Plug In America’s vehicle tracker at www.pluginamerica.org/vehicles.
By Catherine Pickavet
Nissan Leaf
Nissan has released the reins of its all-electric LEAF to 20,000 anxious drivers in select states in the U.S., as well as Japan, surrounded by much fanfare. Media from as far away as Korea made the trip State-side to witness what many consider to be the beginning of a new automobile era. Awarded European Car of the Year and Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award, the LEAF will take you about 100 miles on a full charge. The EV has already hit the streets in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Tennessee, Texas, and Hawaii. North Carolina, Florida, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and Georgia are in line for their own Leaf fun in the spring. The rest of the U.S. will see theirs by the end of this year. www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car
In the meantime, the cars are here. Go get yours.
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
feature |
Chevy Volt
‘‘
Snapping up car of the year awards by Motor Trend and Green Car Journal, the Chevy Volt has the potential to revitalize the automaker’s fortunes, as it enters the EV parade. The Volt, a series plug-in hybrid, will take you between 25 and 50 miles on electricity, at which point gasoline takes over to take you 340 miles on a full tank. Sales of the Volt began in California, the New York Metropolitan Area, Washington, D.C., and Austin, Texas, late last year. Michigan, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the rest of Texas and New York are scheduled to receive theirs in the spring. The automaker said it will distribute a limited number to the rest of the U.S. 12 to 18 months after initial sales. www.chevrolet.com/volt
,,
The cars are here. Go get yours.
TESLA ROADSTER Tesla’s sleek Roadster EV has been the automaker’s gifted only child for three years, turning heads while zipping to 60 MPH in under 4 seconds. It has satisfied the electric sports car dreams of about 1,500 drivers, taking them up to 245 miles on a single charge. www.teslamotors.com
www.pluginamerica.org
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feature |
Trucks MODEL
RANGE
PRICE
AVAILABLE
CONTACT
Balqon Nautilus E20/E30
60 miles
$208,000
Now
www.balqon.com
Boulder Electric
45-150 miles
TBA
Now
www.boulderev.com
TBA
Now
www.designlinecorporation.com
DesignLine Tindo 120 miles Solar Bus
Electrorides ZeroTruck
100 miles
$130,000
Now
www.zerotruck.com
EVI MD (medium duty)
90 miles
$120,000
Now
www.evi-usa.com
EVI WI (walk in)
90 miles
TBA
Now
www.evi-usa.com
IC Bus CE Hybrid
40 miles
$210,000
Now
www.icbus.com
Navistar eStar
100 miles
TBA
Now
www.navistar.com
Proterra EcoRide BE35
8 miles
TBA
Now
www.proterraonline.com
Smith Electric Vehicles Edison
100 miles
TBA
Now
www.smithelectricvehicles.com
www.pluginamerica.org
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| special feature
1989: Alan Cocconi develops the propulsion system for the GM Impact
1992: Alan Cocconi starts AC Propulsion 2003: Our tzero technology debuts & wins the Michelin Challenge
2004: tzero technology powers the Tesla Roadster
2008: BMW launches the MINI E powered by ACP 2010: E-Tracer wins X-Prize with ACP power
feature |
2- and 3-Wheelers MODEL
SEATS
RANGE
COST
AVAILABLE
CONTACT
Zero Motorcycles Zero S
1
50 miles
$9,995
Now
www.zeromotorcycles.com
Brammo Enertia
1
40 miles
$7,995
Now
www.brammo.com
Electric Motorsport GPR-S
1
60 miles
$5,800
Now
www.electricmotorsport.com
Vectrix VX-1
1
35-55 miles
$10,495
Now
www.vectrix.com
Quantya
1
2.5 hours
$10,985
Now
www.quantyausa.com
Mavizen TTX02
1
110 miles
$40,000
Now
www.mavizen.com
Peraves MonoTracer E
2
200 miles
TBA
2011
www.peraves.ch
Aptera Motors 2E
2
100 miles
$20,000
End of 2011
www.aptera.com
Myers Motors NmG
1
45 miles
$29,995
2011
www.myersmotors.com
100 miles
$22,495 (after tax credits/ rebates)
2011
www.myersmotors.com
Myers Motors Duo
2
Catherine Pickavet is editor of Plug In America’s Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitve Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles. www.pluginamerica.org
17
BmW ActiveE
www.bmwusa.com
The Ultimate driving machine®
ThE UlTimATE driving mAchinE, EvolvEd. ®
Introducing the all-electric BMW ActiveE. This innovative vehicle exemplifies the harmony between zero-emission technologies and driving exhilaration. Available for an upcoming field trial in six U.S. cities, it’s the continuation of BMW’s mission to define the future of mobility. bmwusa.com/ActiveE
Join the conversation. BmWActivateTheFuture.com
©2011 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name, model names and logo are registered trademarks. Printed in USA.
Feature |
So You Want
to Buy an EV
By Paul Scott
buy i n g a n ev ca n be dau n t i n g , but k n ow i n g a few i mporta n t th i n gs w i ll get you o n the road .
T
here’s an exciting choice to make when it comes time to buy your next car. The electric vehicle is back in the marketplace for good, and you have many models from which to choose. What should you consider in making the purchase? First, answer a few questions: What are your daily driving needs? Do you drive a fairly predictable distance every day, or do you need to drive long distances on a regular basis and sometimes without much notice? What about charging? Will you be taking care of that mostly at home, at work, or at a public charging station? It’s clear there are many things to consider before you make the big decision, but once you take that first big step, you’ll be able to choose from an ever-growing list of plug-in vehicles.
Variations on an EV Theme Most commuters have a predictable daily drive cycle that falls well within the nominal 100-mile range of a typical EV. According to most surveys, the average American commuter drives fewer than 40 miles per day, and 90% of Americans drive fewer than 80 miles per day. For these people, an EV is perfectly adequate. Compared to pumping gas, plugging in a car in your own garage is much more convenient. When you plan a long trip and a train or airplane will not serve your purpose, renting or borrowing a car can be a viable alternative. The money you save driving year round on kilowatt hours (kWh) will more than cover the cost of a rental now and then. And since 60% of American households have two or more vehicles, only one of them needs to be capable of long
distances. If, on the other hand, you have to drive long distances on a regular basis, or you cannot predict where you have to be on any given day, you may find the plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV), sometimes called an extended range EV (EREV), better suited to your needs. Plug-in hybrids and EREVs are two variations on the same theme. The PHEV is similar to the Toyota Prius in that the gasoline engine and electric motor drive the wheels of the car. This is also known as a “series parallel hybrid.” Unlike the normal Prius, the PHEV Prius has a larger battery pack and, more importantly, a plug that allows you to use energy from renewable sources such as solar and wind. The larger the battery pack, the more electricity can be stored onboard the car and the more efficient and cleaner the car will be. The Chevy Volt is an example of an EREV. GM recently announced that the Volt will, in certain circumstances, use the onboard internal combustion engine (ICE) to drive the wheels, but the engine is mostly used to generate electricity for powering the electric motor. Just as important as the type of plug-in car to buy is knowing where and when to charge it. Most of your charging will take place at home, but you can also anticipate needing to charge at work or at a public charging station. This is one of the most important issues in owning an electric vehicle, so be sure to read the articles in the charging section beginning on page 34.
Continued on page 20 www.pluginamerica.org
19
20
| feature
Virtual Test Drive Tool Approximately 90% of Americans looking for a new car conduct their research online before going to the dealership. But research tools are neither personalized nor designed to answer the complex questions that will arise as plug-ins hit showrooms. The Virtual Test Drive tool, created by a team of academics led by Laura Schewel at the University of California, Berkeley, helps solve this problem. This free smartphone app and Web site allows drivers to see how a plug-in vehicle would affect their wallets, carbon footprints, and daily routines. Take Priscilla: married, 52, recently retired as a partner in a law firm. She has two grown children, one still at home, and a house with a driveway in Richmond, VA. She takes part in activities throughout her city and visits friends, and she often goes to visit her son and his wife, who live about 70 miles away. She read about plug-in vehicles, but is confused about what they mean for her. Enter the Virtual Test Drive.
She drives as usual, and the device sends secure information about vehicle location and speed to a server. The server turns this data into a “drive cycle,” which is then used to model how a variety of plug-in vehicles would have performed under the same driving conditions.
She can sign into the website to see visual representations of such things as how far she drove on a particular day; how much she spent on fuel on a given day (or month) alongside how much she would have saved in an alternative vehicle; and whether she would need to charge during the day and the locations of charging stations.
By using the Virtual Test Drive, Priscilla is able to pick the plug-in that suits her needs without range or recharging anxiety, and she knows she’ll even save some money. To take the Virtual Test Drive, visit www.vevdrive.com.
Continued from page 19 All of the car companies entering the electric vehicle market are serious about making it work for the consumer. A big part of this is that plug-in cars, trucks and SUVs will require very little in the way of parts or service. Of course there will be regular service required as with any car. However, electric vehicles have so few moving parts that service primarily consists of connecting them to a computer diagnostics tool to ensure everything is running smoothly. Even the brakes require virtually no maintenance because of regenerative braking. This is the process whereby the motor reverses polarity and turns into a generator, converting the kinetic energy of the moving car into electricity and storing it back in the battery. There are more familiar services that will still be required, such as rotating the tires and making sure the windshield wipers are in good condition, but you will soon realize the freedom you’ll enjoy away from service stations.
Size and Power You might be wondering by now whether an electric vehicle can accommodate more than two people. Or what if you go on vacation and want
MISSION BIKE: San Francisco-based startup Mission Motors manufactures the Mission One PLE. (Courtesy: Kevin Wing www.ridemission.com)
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
FORD IS FULLY CHARGED THE FORD FOCUS ELECTRIC ARRIVES IN 2011
Continued from previous page to tow, say, a boat or something similar in size? The size of the vehicle does not determine the type of power used to move it. The larger the vehicle, the more energy it takes to move it regardless of whether the energy comes from gas or electricity. Both weight and aerodynamics (measured as the drag coefficient) determine how much energy is needed to accelerate and maintain speed in a vehicle. This is true for both gas and electric vehicles. Electric vehicles coming to market will satisfy virtually all of your needs. Most of the initial plug-in vehicles will be small commuter cars, but even these have plenty of room. The Volt’s trunk, at 12 cubic feet, can accommodate a full-sized upright bass in a case or a family of four. The LEAF, with slightly more storage room at 16 cubic feet, can easily seat five adults. Toyota is bringing back its very popular and durable RAV4 EV in early 2012, and other SUVs and pickup trucks will follow. Plug-in hybrid SUVs and pickups with onboard, range-extending gas engines similar to the Volt will likely fill the need for those vacation trips when a large vehicle with hauling capabilities is needed.
One of the most popular electric vehicles is the electric motorcycle. Much progress has been made in packing more power and energy on board the lithium-ion battery packs providing thrilling acceleration and a range practical for most any commute. Manufacturers such as Brammo, Zero, Vectrix, and Mission Motors are creating thrilling e-bikes capable of providing gas- and noise-free riding for the serious biker and casual commuter, alike. The bulk of e-bikes will be capable of highway speeds, yet they are priced well under $10,000. And for those who don’t need to get on the freeway, there are hundreds of electric bicycles and scooters capable of slower speeds. It won’t be too many years before we’ll see some amazing 4-wheel drive EVs. The U.S. military is one of the largest consumers of electric vehicles. To save money on hauling fuel, the military spends a lot of its resources on engineering EVs that can replace its gas-burning vehicles. Electric Hummers, for instance, have been in use for some time now, and this technology is filtering down to consumer vehicles. Some car designers are incorporating “hub motors” in each wheel, which can provide enormous power for any sized vehicle.
The Choice Is Yours Now that you’ve considered the basics and determined your needs, you are ready to take the next step in your pursuit of driving an electric vehicle. They’re out there for the taking and ready to drive.
Paul Scott is a co-founder and board member of Plug In America. www.pluginamerica.org
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| ENVIRONMENT special feature
Plug-ins and the Planet
By Sherry Boschert
T he e n v i ro n me n t w i n s w i th electr i c dr i ve .
A
ll-electric vehicles lack tailpipes, making them the cleanest cars available. Can they make the same claim if we factor in emissions from power plants? Are plug-in hybrids any different? And what about the batteries? How much of an environmental burden is created by building and disposing of them? Are drivers exposed to electromagnetic fields from the electricity in the car? Government laboratories, environmental organizations, and industry groups have studied all of these questions. Based on their results, it’s safe to say that when it comes to the environment, the only car better than a plug-in car is no car at all.
Emissions If we don’t electrify transportation, U.S. carbon dioxide emissions will double by 2050, mainly due to vehicle emissions. We need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (like carbon dioxide) by 80% compared with 1990 levels in order to stop global warming. Switching from gasoline to electricity is the most practical way to reduce vehicle emissions, even if you include emissions from both the car and from making and processing the fuel, which is called “well-to-wheels emissions.” Many studies of well-to-wheels emissions illustrate that driving on electricity on today’s U.S. grid, which gets nearly half of its electricity from coal, produces fewer carbon dioxide emissions than driving on gasoline. (See a summary of more than 50 well-to-wheels emissions analyses at images.pluginamerica.org/EmissionsSummary.pdf.) As we add more renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, and close down polluting coal plants, driving on electricity will become even cleaner. Studies have concluded that this is true for all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The gold-standard study by Argonne National Laboratory in 2001 calculated that electric vehicles decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 45% compared with gasoline cars, as well as reduce emissions of most other pollutants.1 For plug-in hybrids, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) collaborated with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in a 2007 study that looked at several scenarios and assumed that any additional energy in the future would come from coal (even though the trend has been
toward more renewable power and naturalgas plants) and that no new emissions controls or limits would be enacted. Even under those conservative assumptions, plug-in hybrids could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 40% and 65% by 2030 compared with gasoline cars, the study estimated. Plug-in hybrids also would improve air quality; decrease depositions of air pollutants, such as acids, nutrients, and mercury; decrease gaseous pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides; decrease total emissions of volatile organic compounds; and decrease overall concentrations of particulate matter.2 Government regulations have forced power plants to decrease emissions of pollutants in recent decades, and the Environmental Protection Agency standards are “getting tighter,” Uarporn Nopmongcol of Environ International Corp. said at the Plug-In 2010 conference. As a result, power-plant emissions should not increase as we add more plug-in cars, and all-electric vehicles would eliminate any emissions from the vehicles themselves. Today, pollutants are highest in cities due to car tailpipes. Electric vehicles shift the focus of emissions away from city populations to power plants, which are fewer in number and easier to regulate. “Moving emissions out of urban areas creates benefit,” Ms. Nopmongcol said.
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
ENVIRONMENT special feature |
Batteries The dominant battery in today’s EVs is the non-toxic lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery. Worldwide lithium reserves can meet global demand for vehicle batteries through 2050 and beyond, but reusing and recycling battery materials will decrease U.S. demand for lithium from South American brine or from U.S. mining, said Linda Gaines of Argonne National Laboratory at Plug-In 2010. “It’s our estimation that the U.S. could be self-sufficient in lithium if we made the policy decision to do that. It would maybe add $20 to the cost of a car,” she said. The Argonne analysis assumed that by 2050, 10% of new-car sales would be electric vehicles, 60% would be plug-in hybrids, and the rest would be hybrids. Today, smelting processes in Europe recover the valuable metals nickel and cobalt from batteries, but lithium goes into slag. In 2010 the U.S. Department of Energy granted $9.5 million to California-based company Toxco to fund an improved recycling process for recovering lithium.3 The rest of the battery would be shredded and sent to hammer mills, which turn them into pulp to separate and harvest reusable elements, such as cobalt, aluminum, nickel, and copper. Future recycling could reuse materials in batteries to make new ones, though this hasn’t been done yet on a large scale, Ms. Gaines said. Plastic components can be made into carbon nanotubes and developed into various products. “That way you get to reuse almost all the battery components.” A 2010 lifecycle analysis by the Swiss EMPA Institute explored the environmental burdens of battery cars (from mining the ores for the batteries, throughout the car’s lifetime of operation, and disposal/recycling of everything at the end) and compared these to gas cars (from
Continued on page 24
RENEWABLE ENERGY: As we add more renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, and close down polluting coal plants, driving on electricity will become even cleaner.
Keeping an Eye on the Environment “Review of solutions to global warming, air pollution, and energy security,” Stanford University, 2009. “Emissions Impacts and Benefits of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Vehicle to Grid Services,” National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2009. “Roads toward a low-carbon future: Reducing CO2 emissions from passenger vehicles in the global road transportation system,” McKinsey & Company, 2009. “How the Smart Grid Promotes a Greener Future,” U.S. Department of Energy, 2009. “Plugged In: The End of the Oil Age,” World Wide Fund for Nature, 2008.
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| Environment
‘‘
Driving on electricity on today’s U.S. grid, which gets nearly half of its electricity from coal, produces fewer carbon dioxide emissions than driving on gasoline.
,,
drilling for oil, throughout the car’s lifetime, and disposal/recycling at the end). Research found that a gas car would need to get at least 70 miles per gallon to be as environmentally friendly as today’s modern electric vehicles.4
in both electric and gasoline versions of a car, a truck, and a light SUV to measure magnetic fields.
Before batteries reach the recycling stage, automakers and utilities have plans to give car batteries a second life, such as storing the grid’s excess nighttime electricity for use during peak daytime hours.
On a 10-mile test loop of city and highway driving, recorded levels were similar to levels found in households in a previous study7, Dr. Kavet said. Again, the magnetic fields in both the gas and electric vehicles were far lower than proposed exposure limits.
More than 98% of the conventional batteries used by cars and trucks for the past century (lead-acid batteries) get recycled, and when today’s lithium-ion batteries finally are ready to be recycled, programs will be in place. Tesla focuses on recycling its batteries, as reported on Treehugger.com.5 Today, Tesla’s batteries are 98% recyclable, a process involving only crushing and sifting.
Electromagnetic Fields We are all exposed to natural and human-made electromagnetic fields in our environment. Sources include thunderstorms, the Earth’s magnetic field, household appliances, and power lines. Because of concerns about possible health risks arising from increased exposure to technological sources, it is reasonable to ask whether electromagnetic fields in plug-in vehicles pose any danger. Several small studies report that levels of magnetic fields in both conventional gasoline cars and plug-in electric cars are far lower than proposed safety limits. According to a 2002 report by the National Institutes of Health, occupants of electric vehicles were exposed to the same or lower levels of magnetic fields as occupants of conventional gasoline cars, trucks and minivans.6 Another study, presented at Plug-in 2010 by Robert Kavet, Ph.D., of the Electric Power Research Institute and research consultant Richard A. Tell, reported that low-frequency magnetic fields in electric vehicles were similar to levels found in homes. The investigators placed multiple meters
When it comes to electromagnetic fields, your car appears to be as safe as your home. Research undoubtedly will continue on all of the environmental aspects of electric vehicles and their benefits. It’s good that we question the environmental impact of our transportation systems and look for the best ways to move around the planet. The evidence so far overwhelmingly shows that among cars, plug-in vehicles are the best option available.
Sherry Boschert is the author of Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars That Will Recharge America, a co-founder of Plug In America, and a member of Sierra Club California’s Climate and Energy Committee.
SOURCES http://tinyurl.com/ArgonneEmissionsStudy (PDF) http://tinyurl.com/EPRIEnvironmentAssessment 3 http://tinyurl.com/LithiumRecycling 4 http://tinyurl.com/EMPAInstitute 5 http://tinyurl.com/TeslaRecycle 6 http://tinyurl.com/NIH-EMF (PDF) 7 http://tinyurl.com/ElectromagneticStudy 1 2
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
ENVIRONMENT special feature |
Power renewable By Steve Factor
R e n ewable e n ergy ca n power your E V a n d save you mo n ey .
E
lectricity in the U.S. is generated from many sources. Coal and natural gas together make up about 70% of our grid mix, and, as a result, an EV charged from the national grid will result in some pollution. Studies looking at “well-to-wheels” emissions, however, conclude that an EV is much cleaner than an internal combustion vehicle, even considering the pollution from dirty electricity. The U.S. is fortunate to have abundant wind, solar, and geothermal sources of energy from which kilowatt-hours can be generated to charge your car. Let’s look at some of the most common questions about using this clean, renewable energy to power electric cars.
Can I put a windmill or solar panels on my car? There is not enough square footage available on a passenger vehicle for a solar photovoltaic (PV) array to fully power an EV. Some new plug-in vehicles include a small PV module to trickle-charge the car’s auxiliary battery, which is a more realistic scale for the power produced by an on-board PV system. Windmills on cars could generate a lot of power; unfortunately, the added resistance will require more energy to push the car than the windmill will generate, so it’s a net loser.
How can I use wind or geothermal energy for my EV? For most people, it’s not practical to install a windmill on your house, nor can you access geothermal energy directly from your property. However, many utilities buy wind and geothermal energy as part of their grid mix. As a result of environmental regulations, the percentages of these renewable energy sources need to increase, replacing dirty coal and natural gas energy. If your utility offers a renewable energy program, you should immediately sign up for it. If your utility does not offer a renewable energy program, you may want to band together with like-minded folks and lobby for the utility to offer this option.
Does the car plug into the solar panels? Solar modules are rarely connected directly to a vehicle battery charging system. A vehicle charging system needs a stable power source for properly managing the entire charge cycle. Solar panels on homes or carports convert available sunlight into electrical power, which will change constantly throughout the day. Most solar systems will generate excess energy during the day. The utility credits customers for this energy and allows them to use these credits to charge their EVs at night. This works very well for reducing the need for natural gas “peaker plants” during the day, while giving the utilities a market for low-demand energy at night, thus evening out the high and low demand cycle that costs utilities so much to administer.
How many panels will charge my car? The size of your solar array is entirely dependent upon how far you want to travel via solar power. Most EVs will travel about 4 miles per kWh. In southern California, a kilowatt of solar PV will generate approximately 1,500 kWh per year. 1,500 X 4 = 6,000 miles per kW. So, if you wanted to drive 12,000 miles per year on sunshine, you would need about 2 kW of solar PV to generate that much energy. If you live where there is less sunshine, the system will need to be slightly larger. A 1.5 or 2 kW system needs about 150-200 sq. ft. of roof space. Some utilities offer Time of Use (TOU) rates, which can work in your favor since electricity is more valuable during times of peak energy demand, typically in the afternoon. These peak times coincide very closely with the peak generation of your solar system. This means that the utility will credit you at a much higher rate for your solar energy. When you charge your EV at night during off-peak rates, you “buy” those kWh back for a low price. Depending on the specific rate structure, you might be able to get by with a 1.5 kW PV system to generate the energy you need for 12,000 miles per year on a dollarfor-dollar basis. Area details can be found at www.nrel.gov/gis/solar.html.
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Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
ENVIRONMENT special feature |
Continued from page 25
How much will solar cost?
Are there better rates for homes with solar or electric vehicles?
The cost of solar power is dropping as the industry expands. As of the end of 2010, systems are commonly quoted at about $7 per watt installed. This price does not account for the 30% federal tax credit or local utility rebates. Incentive programs throughout the U.S. are listed at www.dsireusa.org. The 30% federal tax credit for solar installation will remain available until 2016.
As mentioned before, TOU residential rates measure kWh used during each of several different time periods throughout the day. Electricity will cost more during times of high-power use and will cost less during weekends and evening hours. Utilities want to encourage off-peak charging since they have an abundance of unused generation capacity at night. Offering low rates for nighttime charging works well to shift EV charging to off-peak times.
Are there solar-powered charging stations? There are a few solar-powered EV charging stations. These are becoming more popular since the solar array provides welcome shade during those hot summer days when your car normally bakes in the sun. Your car will be cooled by the shade of the panels while it “sips sunshine” from the charge station tied into the solar system. These systems are interconnected to the electric grid (“grid-tied”) and make EV charging available anytime, regardless of weather conditions or darkness. The solar array will feed solar power into the grid during the day to offset the power used for charging. Expect to see more of these grid-tied solar carport charge stations.
My roof is very small. Is it still worth the effort to install solar? Even a small PV system is worth installing. Any kWh you generate from sunlight will reduce your monthly utility expense and your pollution emissions. The long lifetime of PV systems means solar is a great long-term investment that pays high dividends for decades after it has paid for itself.
How do I find out if I can put solar on my house or land? Every house is different and should be addressed individually. A solar installer would like to see a roof that slopes to the south, west, or east and that has no openings, obstacles, or shade sources, such as skylights, pipes, trees, or chimneys. Additionally, an area of fairly level vacant land with an unobstructed exposure to the sun from 9am to 4pm is ideal. These factors allow for good solar production. Check references and confirm a valid state contractor license and local business license if your jurisdiction requires one. Visit www.findsolar.com for information.
Steve Factor is technical sales manager for SolarCity in Southern California.
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| TESTIMONIAL
Charging I
Ease
By Cathy Saxton Seattle, Washington
first decided that I wanted an electric vehicle sometime in the late ’90s. It was a combination of the interesting technology and environmental impact that motivated me. My husband Tom and I watched for news on EVs for several years. In desperation, Tom finally got me a radio-controlled VW bug, explaining that it was the only electric car he could find! In 2001, we decided that a hybrid was as close as we could get to an electric vehicle, so I bought a Honda Insight.
and needed to refuel our rental car. It felt very odd to have to make the detour to a gas station. I really don’t miss the inconvenience, not to mention the fumes and standing in all sorts of inclement weather to pump fuel.
In 2006, we became aware of the Tesla Roadster and placed our order, excited that EVs were finally going to be available. We expected production to start within about a year, but various issues caused that to slip. While waiting for our Roadster, we got involved with the local EV community and learned that Toyota had built a small number of electric RAV4s. In July 2008, we were fortunate to find a 2002 RAV4 EV for sale by its original owner, and my decade-long desire for an EV was finally fulfilled!
Most of our charging is done at home, but we have taken several longer trips and recharged at locations ranging from RV parks to the new public charging stations that are just starting to appear in the greater Seattle area. I am excited about the new charging infrastructure that is being developed around the country and look forward to taking more road trips in our EVs.
We expected that we’d use the RAV4 EV for about half of our driving, but ended up using it all the time. We initially experienced “range anxiety,” but after a week of driving the RAV4 EV everywhere and coming home with plenty of charge remaining, we realized that 100 miles is actually quite a lot. When we needed to be in different places, the EV’s energy efficiency, not range, was the deciding factor: The rule was that the EV went to which one of us was driving farther. We loved our Honda Insight, but it had been displaced by an even more efficient vehicle. In June 2009, Tom and I finally received our Roadster. I’m glad we had the opportunity to drive the 100-mile EV before getting the 240-mile EV; we were able to see how a vehicle that’s much more like the upcoming massmarket EVs can handle so much of our driving needs. While the Roadster is a fun ride on a nice day and is better suited to longer trips, the RAV4 EV is more comfortable to drive and has much more passenger and cargo space. One unexpectedly wonderful thing about electric vehicles is the ease of “refueling.” We have a charging station installed in the garage next to each vehicle and can simply plug in each night and have a “full tank” at the start of each day. After many months of driving electric, we were on vacation
Our garage has evolved over the past several years; we no longer have any gasoline-powered cars, just the two EVs. In addition to using them for all our regular driving, we take them to many events, ranging from car shows to sustainability fairs. We love being able to point to the Roadster as proof that EVs aren’t just glorified golf carts, and then show the RAV4 EV as an example of a practical and affordable highway-capable electric car. I’m very encouraged that Nissan is aggressively marketing the LEAF and that other manufacturers are scheduled to start selling EVs in the near future. I am hopeful that this is the beginning of a new era for electric vehicles.
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
200K
Counting
W
and
By Avi Hershkovitz Claremont, California e all know the EV grin that appears on drivers’ faces when they first step on the accelerator of an electric car and realize how right it is.
Recharging the planet, one garage at a time.
There are so many advantages to having an electric car. One of my favorites is not having to stop at the gas station. I calculated that since I started driving electric cars, I have avoided about 1,100 trips to the gas station. The convenience of home charging is simply unmatched. I got my first EV1 in 1996, upgraded to the NiMH (nickel-metal hydride battery) EV1 a few years later, and eventually leased the RAV4 EV in 2002. I purchased the car outright when the lease ended and have been driving an electric car ever since. During that time, my daily commute was anywhere between 8 and 92 miles with no problems. I have driven more than 270,000 miles in these electric cars. When I’m asked how driving electric has changed my life, my first reaction is to say that it has not changed my life at all. With another ICE car in the household to use for long trips, my family has had to make no adjustments to accommodate the electric car. I’m sure that millions of other families can easily do the same and change our polluted environment and polluted politics. Of course, it also feels good to be part of the solution and not just part of the problem. This year is very exciting. There is a feeling that the “revolution” is here, as electric cars are finally breaking into the mainstream. I can’t wait for the days when the incessant loud rumble of the internal combustion engine will finally fade away and clean, quiet cars will be the norm.
As the new generation of electric cars redefines the way we drive, Leviton makes it easy to transform your garage into a charging station. Our comprehensive line of home car-charging systems, developed specifically for electric vehicles, lets you plug into a greener future for all of us. For more information, call 877-338-7473 or visit Leviton.com/evrgreen Drive Smart. Drive Green.
evr-green
™
electric vehicle recharging
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| incentives
BEVs are exempt from 6.5% sales tax, and PHEVs are exempt from the 0.3% motor vehicle sales tax.
Provides a rebate up to $5,000 for BEVs; $3,000 for PHEVs; and $1,500 for electric motorcycles and NEVs while funds last. Various utilities throughout the state also offer discounted rates for residential vehicle charging during off-peak hours. Carpool lane access for BEVs; PHEV access begins January 1, 2012.
Washington
Oregon Tax cred it up purchase to $5,000 for co nversion costs (PH or EV for purch ase of or only). Up to $1,5 0 conv 0 to 35% ta x credit fo ersion to BEV. U p r busines ses.
Montana Tax credit up to $500 available for conversio n costs. Maximum $500 credit or 50% of conversio n cost.
California
Utah Up to $750 tax cr edit for BEV and PHEV pu rchases and up to $2,500 credit for conversions. Ca rpool lane access.
Nebraska BEVs and PHEVs qualify for the Dollar and Energy Saving Loan Program. Maximum loan amount is $150,000 per borrower at an Colorado interest rate of 5% or less. Income tax credit tot aling 75-85% of the cost premium for a BE V or PHEV purchase up to $6,000. 20% rebate also available for EV charger installation.
Arizona Lower licensing fees for BEVs. PHEV eligib ility depends on the ex tent to which the vehicl e is powered by electricity. Ca rpool lane access.
Texas Considering sales tax exemption and income tax credits up to $4,000.
Hawaii Rebates up to 20% of the vehicle purchase price up to $4,500 per vehicle. Charge station rebates up to 30% of the charging equipment cost (to include installation costs; max. $500/EVSE).
Source: U.S. Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center (www.afdc.energy.gov). For a complete up-to-date chart of U.S. Federal and State Incentives, please visit Plug In America’s incentives page at www.pluginamerica.org/state-incentives Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
Incentives Massachusetts Considering exemption from state sales taxes and excise taxes. Also considering carpool lane access.
Considering exemption from state sales taxes and excise taxes. Also considering carpool lane access.
Federal Incentives
New York
nia Pennsylva om exemption fr Considering taxes. state sales
Illinois Covers 80% of cost premium or conversion price, with maximum rebate of $4,000.
Virginia Carpool lane access.
Louisiana
Tennessee 00 vehicles. $2,500 rebate for first 1,0 South Carolina Georgia for it d re c x ta Income of BEV cost up to 20% f 0 or 10% o up to $5,00 (max. $2,500). cost conversion ed. Carpool clud PHEVs not in s. lane acces
EVs are exempt from most insurance surcharges. Carpool lane access. Tax credit equalling 50% of cost premium for BEV/PHEV purchase, 50% of conversion cost, or a tax credit worth 10% of the cost of a new BEV/PHEV vehicle up to $3,000.
Florida
Income tax credit equaling 20% of federal credits for PHEVs and BEVs, up to $1,500. Additional legislation pending.
Connecticut Considering exemption from state sales taxes. New Jersey Sales tax exemption up to $4,000 for qualifying BEVs, not PHEVs. Rebates on BEV purchases also available for local governments. Carpool lane access. Maryland Sales tax exemption up to $2,000 for qualified plug-ins. Carpool lane access.
District of Columbia Excise tax exemption and reduced vehicle registration fees.
Cars $2,500 to $7,500 tax credit, depending on size of battery (4 kWh to 16 kWh), for electric-drive vehicles (EVs and PHEVs) sold after December 31, 2008. This is the best and biggest new incentive brought on by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (stimulus bill), and applies to at least 200,000 units per auto manufacturer before it phases out.
2- or 3-wheelers 10% consumer tax credit for 2- or 3-wheeled vehicles (up to a maximum of $2,500 tax credit on vehicles costing $25,000 and above). This incentive further lowers the cost on the most affordable electric vehicles: electric motorcycles and enclosed 3-wheelers. Vehicles must have a minimum of 2.5 kWh of batteries. Ends the last day of 2011 with possibility for renewal.
Conversions 10% tax credit for plug-in conversions with a maximum credit of $4,000 (on a $40,000 conversion expense). Available until December 31, 2011. This applies to both PHEV conversions and conversions from combustion engines to EVs. When coupled with tax credits of up to $6,000 being offered by states, converting your car could be an ideal way to plug in.
Charge Stations Tax credit equaling 30% of the cost to install an EV charge station (as well as other alternative fuel stations), with a maximum $1,000 credit for each station installed. Businesses may take tax credits up to a maximum $30,000 credit for larger installations. Applies to qualifed equipment installed before the end of 2011.
www.pluginamerica.org
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| EV myths
EV
Myths
MYTH: EVs don’t have enough range; drivers will be stranded when the electricity runs out.
MYTH: The charging infrastructure must be built before people will adopt EVs.
FACT: Americans drive an average of 40 miles per day, according to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation. Most new battery electric vehicles have a range of at least double that and can be charged at any ordinary electrical outlet (120V) or publicly accessible station with a faster charge. The latter, already in use, will proliferate as the plug-in infrastructure is built out. For drivers of 100+-mile range EVs to successfully use their cars on heavy travel days, all it takes is planning. And don’t forget that PHEVs can travel at least 300 miles on a combination of electricity and gasoline.
FACT: Most charging will be done at home and at night when there is excess electrical capacity during off-peak hours, so a public charging infrastructure isn’t a prerequisite. Still, a robust infrastructure will help, especially for apartment dwellers and those regularly driving long distances. At least seven companies are competing to dominate the public-charging-station market, and the Edison Electric Institute, which represents the nation’s electric companie, has pledged to create the infrastructure to support “full-scale commercialization and deployment” of plug-ins.
MYTH: EVs are good for short city trips only.
MYTH: The grid will crash if millions of plug-ins charge at once.
FACT: Consumers have owned and driven EVs for nine years or more and regularly use them for trips of up to 120 miles. At this time there are over a thousand EVs on the road that can travel well over 200 miles on a single charge. Look for the range of many future EVs to pass the 100mile threshold and increase from there. DC Fast Charging will enable longer-distance EV driving.
MYTH: EVs replace the tailpipe with a smokestack. FACT: Even today, with 45.3% of U.S. electricity generated by coal-fired power plants, plug-in cars reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and most other pollutants compared with conventional gas or hybrid vehicles. This is because EVs are at least three to five times more efficient than gasoline-powered vehicles. This efficiency makes BEVs far cleaner with fewer carbon emissions. PHEVs will reduce greenhouse gases and other emissions, even if the source of electricity is mostly coal. Remember that plug-ins can run on renewable electricity from sources such as the sun or wind. Regardless of source, electricity from a power plant is more efficiently and domestically produced than the process of extracting, processing, and shipping oil across the globe to finally end up at your local gas pump.
FACT: Off-peak electricity production and transmission capacity could fuel the daily commutes of 73% of all cars, light trucks, SUVs, and vans on the road today if they were PHEVs, according to a 2007 by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Also, utilities are upgrading some local distribution systems to accommodate plug-ins, just as they do when residents add air conditioners and TVs. Plug-ins, which can be seen as energy storage devices on wheels, can actually benefit the grid, making green energies like solar and wind power even more viable. Source: Impacts Assessment of Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles on electric utilities and regional U.S. power grids: http://bit.ly/13CT3U (PDF)
MYTH: Batteries are bad for the environment and can’t be recycled. FACT: Lithium is not toxic. The metals in newer batteries are valuable, and recycling programs are already being developed for them. Utilities plan to use batteries for energy storage once they are no longer viable in a vehicle. Even a “spent” automotive battery pack has a high residual secondary market value.
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
EV myths |
MYTH: EVs take too long to charge. FACT: The most convenient place and time to charge is at home while you sleep. Even using the slowest 120V outlet, the car can be left to charge overnight, producing about 40 miles of range. Most new BEVs and PHEVs will be capable of 240V charging to full in 3 to 8 hours. Public DC Fast Chargers will provide an 80% charge in about half an hour.
MYTH: EVs are too expensive for market penetration. FACT: New technologies are typically expensive. (Remember the first cell phones?) Plug-in cars are so important there is a federal tax credit of between $2,500 and $7,500 to help lower the cost. Many states have additional incentives (see pages 30-31). The operating cost of an EV is much lower than a gas car. Electricity is much cheaper than gas, and EVs require almost no maintenance: no oil changes; no tune-ups; no smog checks.
MYTH: Batteries will cost $15,000 to replace after only a few years. FACT: The battery is the priciest part of a plug-in, but costs will drop as production increases, and the auto industry is expected to purchase up to $25 billion in advanced batteries annually by 2015, according to Compact Power. Some carmakers plan to lease their batteries, so replacement won’t be an issue. The Nissan LEAF, Chevy Volt, and CODA Automotive have 8-year/100,000 mile warranties that would cover battery replacement.
MYTH: There isn’t enough lithium in the world to make all the new batteries. FACT: Even in a worst-case scenario of zero battery recycling, aggressive EV sales, and no new mining methods or sites, existing lithium stores will be sufficient for projected EV production for the next 75 years. Also, lithium comes from many countries (24% is found in the United States), so we won’t be dependent on any one global region. See an analysis at www.pluginamerica.org/faq/pia-positions.
MYTH: Lithium batteries are dangerous and can explode. FACT: Among the many kinds of lithium-ion batteries, lithium-cobalt batteries found in consumer electronics can pose a fire risk in certain circumstances. These risks are mitigated by the use of advanced battery management systems and careful design that prevents “thermal runaway.” Most plug-in vehicle makers are working with other battery types (such as lithium-iron-phosphate and lithium-manganese) that have inherent safety advantages and provide even more years of service. Furthermore, lithium batteries do not contain toxic heavy metals like those in older lead acid battery packs.
MYTH: Most of us will still be driving gas cars through 2050. FACT: Several irrefutable factors are driving the shift from gasoline to plug-in vehicles: ever-toughening federal fuel economy standards and state caps on greenhouse gas emissions; projected price hikes for petroleum products as demand increases and supply flattens or drops; broad agreement over the need for America to reduce its reliance on petroleum for economic and national security reasons; and climate change, which is occurring faster than previously thought.
MYTH: EVs are a new, untested technology. FACT: At the turn of the 20th century, electric cars were actually more common than gas cars. As we enter the end of the age of cheap oil, the electric pendulum will start swinging back. Electric cars did make another debut in limited numbers in the 1990s. Some of those cars remain on the road today.
MYTH: EVs are a danger to pedestrians. FACT: Most new, modern gasoline cars are extremely quiet. Gasoline car manufacturers have spent many millions of dollars to silence the internal combustion engine and have succeeded in approaching the same decibel level that EVs inherently have. It is the responsibility of all drivers, whether driving a traditional gas car or a plug-in car, to drive safely and be alert.
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34
| charging
A
Charat ge
W hat you n eed to make sure you ’ re e q u i pped for the task .
N
ow that you’ve purchased your plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or all-electric vehicle, you can expect to do most of your charging at home.
Home charging accounts for over 80% of all plug-in vehicle charging — probably 90% if we exclude fleet vehicles. Even if you can do some charging at work, you will need to be equipped at home in order to take care of, for example, weekends and vacations. And depending on your commute, you may need to charge at home even on workdays.
The Bottom Electricity Line While electricity rates vary in different parts of the country, they are quite stable compared to gasoline. If you charge entirely at home, and put 1,000 miles per month on your plug-in vehicle, your electricity costs would go up an average of about $27 per month. The cost could be as low as $9 per month, or as high as $75 per month. Gasoline at $3 per gallon for a car that gets 30 miles per gallon would cost $100 per month for those 1,000 miles. Check with your electric utility for special EV rates and the best times of the day or night to charge economically and avoid peak electricity-demand hours.
Home By Tom Dowling
120 Volts For an EV like the LEAF, 120V charging (also known as Level 1) may not be adequate, but it might work for those who usually travel only short distances. For vehicles like the Tesla Roadster, you may want to go all the way to a 70A or 75A product installed on a 90A or 100A circuit. The Tesla can charge at lower rates, though, so consider a lower amperage circuit if the 90A or 100A circuit is difficult or expensive to install.
Home charging is not difficult to set up. After the initial installation (if needed) it’s just a matter of plugging in, which takes a few seconds a day.
Charging at 120V was not available with previous generation vehicles like the RAV4 EV and Ranger EV, but it is standard for the Tesla Roadster, the Volt, the LEAF, the plug-in Prius hybrid, and most other new EVs and PHEVs.
Often all you need is a regular household receptacle: 120V, 15A, or 20A. With this simple setup, you can charge at a rate of about four miles of range per hour of charging. If you charge overnight, you can get about 40 miles of range. That will work fine for a PHEV, such as the Volt. You can charge faster from a 240V outlet, but that may not be necessary, and you can save installation costs by sticking with 120V.
A 20A circuit is less likely to trip than a 15A circuit, but a 15A circuit ordinarily suffices. Most vehicles will charge at the same 10 or 12A rate on either one. Teslas can charge at 16A on 20A circuits. The Volt 120V cord has a special 8A button,
Getting Started
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
Charging |
J-PLUG: The new standard J1772™ connector goes into the inlet on the car. (Courtesy: Chevy)
which will allow charging on circuits with other loads, but charging will take longer. The receptacle should be Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)-protected, either with test and reset buttons or by a special circuit breaker in the electrical panel. You may need an electrician to install a new receptacle or a new 120V circuit if your setup does not meet these minimum requirements or if your receptacle is worn or broken. Often, 15A receptacles are installed on 20A circuits, as allowed by the National Electric Code. In such a case, it would be a good idea to replace the 15A receptacle with a 20A receptacle. Your vehicle will come with a special cord with a regular three-prong plug on one end and the new standard J-Plug (or the J1772™ connector) on the other. The three-prong plug goes into the wall receptacle, and the J-Plug goes into the connector (called the inlet) on the car.
Your Equipment For 240V residential equipment, select Level 2 products. For minimal cost, plug-in hybrids and the current model LEAF can use 15A products, installed on 20A circuits. For an expandable setup, select a 30A product installed on a 40A circuit. Look for a UL-listed product; many local inspectors will not approve an installation that uses a non-UL-listed product. In some areas, for some vehicles, there are programs that offer free residential charging stations. Check with the vehicle manufacturer’s Web site or your dealer for details. Installation costs are usually not included. In most localities, you need a permit from the local building or planning department to install a new circuit. Some localities allow the homeowner to obtain the permit, while others will issue permits only to licensed contractors. Some localities will issue an “owner-builder” permit, allowing the owner to do his own work or to hire someone to do the work. Check with your local building department, and be sure to follow all applicable codes and regulations. Ask about special expedited handling for EV charging station installations. For more on charging equipment, visit Plug In America’s accessory tracker at www.pluginamerica.org/accessories.
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15A 120 V
20A 120 V
If you use 120V charging at home regularly, you may want to purchase a second cord, so you won’t have to stow the cord in your vehicle every day for possible use away from home.
LEVEL 1 CHARGE: A 120V electrical outlet.
240 Volts Almost all EV drivers and some PHEV drivers will need 240V charging available at home. You can have the necessary circuit and charging station installed by the service organization recommended by the auto manufacturer. This is the least effort for the buyer, but it may also be the most expensive. Installation costs between $1,000-$1,500 are common, and complex installations may be considerably more. A local electrician may be less expensive than the factory-certified contractor. Current EV drivers may already have the proper circuit and wiring (installed for a previous-generation EV), and won’t need to duplicate that installation and expense. They just need the new charging station and a straightforward connection to the existing 240V 40A circuit.
GFCI 15A 120 V
GFCI 20A 120 V
GROUND PROTECTION: Reset buttons indentify Ground Fault Circuit Interruptors.
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Equipment Incentives
Special Considerations
federal: Tax credit equaling 30% of the cost to install an EV charge station (as well as other alternative fuel stations), with a maximum $1,000 credit for each station installed. Businesses may take tax credits up to a maximum $30,000 credit for larger installations. Applies to qualifed equipment installed before the end of 2011.
There might be some situations when you wonder whether you will be able to charge your vehicle at home. For instance, your electrical service is inadequate, you rent a single-family home, you might be moving soon, or you live in an apartment, duplex, or condominium. These are natural questions and good things to think about before you drive your car home.
Hawaii: Rebates up to 30% of the EVSE cost (to include installation costs; maximum $500/EVSE). Washington: Tax exemptions apply to chargestation parts and labor costs. Illinois: Covers 80% of cost premium or conversion price, with maximum rebate of $4,000. Louisiana: Tax credit equaling 50% of cost premium for BEV/PHEV purchase, 50% of conversion cost, or a tax credit worth 10% of the cost of a new BEV/PHEV vehicle up to $3,000.
Charge options PUBL
You own a single-family home with a detached garage or outdoor parking. If 120V charging doesn’t work in your case, coordinate with your electrical contractor on alternatives to keep costs down. Ideally, install a minimum 40A, 240V circuit in the detached garage or near the outdoor parking space. If local regulations allow, you can charge your EV or PHEV outdoors. Be sure that you have a charging station approved for outdoor installation. You can mount these charging stations on an outside wall. If you use an outdoor 120V receptacle, make sure it is GFCI-protected and has a weatherproof-in-use cover. With the proper equipment and installation, charging your EV outdoors is safe. Be wary of running charging cords under overhead garage doors. If you have to do that, be sure you have a sturdy protection device in place to keep the door from damaging your cord. The protection device could be a block of wood fastened
Allows for Mass Adoption • Relieves “range anxiety” • Faster charging capability IC
WOR KPLA C CHA RG I N E G
HO CHA ME RGIN
Inadequate electrical service. This is normally a problem only in older residences built before 1960. However, if you want to install heavy-duty service for a Tesla or similar vehicle, many homes built before about 1990 have inadequate service. A 240V installation may require a new service-entrance panel, which can be pricey. If you can avoid installing a 240V circuit, you may be okay with just a new 20A, 120V circuit in the garage, or already have a circuit you can use. It may be possible to install a 20A, 240V circuit without a panel upgrade, although a 40A, 240V circuit is more future-friendly. A 20A, 240V circuit is adequate for the initial version of the LEAF and plug-in hybrids. A 40A circuit may be too expensive to justify if a 20A circuit will work for you, but the cost should be minimal if a panel upgrade is not required. If you decide to do a panel upgrade, at least a 40A 240V circuit is advisable.
Supports EV Ownership • Provides charging for those without dedicated home charging • Extends daily travel range
Majority of Charging • Owners with single-family homes will charge overnight at off-peak rates • Business fleets charge overnight at their “home” locations
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to the floor, with a channel for the cord. You may need to adjust the door to stop properly when it encounters the protection device. If you need to park in the street, there may be no suitable and affordable way to get power to your EV, and you may have to explore other alternatives, such as charging at work. However, there may be some curbside equipment that will work, especially if there is a landscape area between the sidewalk and the curb, or there are other items at the curb, like light poles and utility poles. Curbside installations can be expensive, though, and some localities will not permit them. Outdoors, never run cords across sidewalks or overhead. Indoors, be careful to avoid tripping hazards. You rent a single-family home or you may be moving soon. If 120V charging will not work, talk to the property owner. Some owners will gladly upgrade the property to handle EV charging. They may be willing to share the cost or even bear the entire cost. You can probably reach an agreement where you own the charging equipment and take it with you when you move. You live in an apartment, condominium, duplex, or other multi-family dwelling. Check with your local electric utility. Several major utilities, including San Diego Gas & Electric and Sacramento Municipal Utility District, have projects that educate and work with owners on solutions for charging in these challenging environments. If your local utility doesn’t, work with your property owner.
3kW 450V EV BATTERY CHARGER
Designed for Onboard or Off-Board charging Ruggedized IP67 rated construction (submersible). Safe from Dust and Water Fully Isolated Output for your protection Scalable—3kW, 6kW, 9kW and up to 60kW Smart digital charger with CAN Bus interface Designed to be BMS (Battery Management System) controlled World compatible AC input 100-240 VAC 2 Year warranty
Conclusion “What the detractors and the critics of electric vehicles have been saying for years is true,” said Ed Begley, Jr., in the film Who Killed the Electric Car? “The electric car is not for everybody. Given the limited range, it can only meet the needs of 90% of the population.” That was before the PHEV; now it’s more like 98%.
Tom Dowling is founder and owner of evchargernews.com. He also serves as the charging infrastructure manager for the Electric Auto Association.
Sales@CurrentWays.com www.CurrentWays.com 10221 BUENA VISTA AVE., SANTEE, CA 92071 USA
TEL (619) 596-3984 FAX (619) 258-7722
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On
The Road
By Dan Davids
P utt i n g a charge back i n your car does n ’ t o n ly take place i n the comfort of your home .
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hile the majority of plug-in electric vehicle charging will be done at home, the availability of charging stations at non-residential locations away from home will help you get the most out of your car. Studies have shown that drivers may venture farther from home when they know that public charging stations are available along the way. If you can “top off” at the other end, you can comfortably make it home after finishing your planned activities. Luckily, the rollout of EVs this year is being accompanied by the installation of thousands of public charging stations, all of which will be at your disposal. But isn’t this a lot more troublesome and complicated than simply driving a gasoline-powered car? First, there’s the challenge of finding a charging station. Once there, you will have to determine which of the three charging levels is suitable for your car. And just how do you pay for a charge? Driving electric is definitely a change, but experienced EV drivers say that once you make the transition, you will not want to go back. It doesn’t take long to develop the habit of plugging in when you park your car at home. And learning the ins and outs of public charging is no more difficult than buying a parking token at a kiosk. One thing’s for sure: It will quickly become apparent that going to a gas station once a week is more inconvenient than you had realized.
Public Charging 101 Let’s take the aspects of EV charging one at a time, starting with charging levels. These come in the following flavors: Level 1, Level 2, and DC Fast Charge, or slow, medium, and fast. Levels 1 and 2 plug into the J-Plug port on your EV, while DC Fast uses a special port. The rate at which each of these levels charges your car differs (see table below).
If you’ll be parked for a long time, for instance while you’re attending an all-day meeting, Level 1 will do the job. And if you’re in long-term parking at the airport and away for several days, Level 1 is all you need. If you’re only going to be parked for an hour or less, say to have lunch or go shopping, Level 2 will satisfy your charging needs. You’ll get more miles put back in your tank, so to speak, for the continuation of your travel. Government agencies, parking lots, and retail business owners will be installing charging stations with levels to meet the needs of their clientele. If your EV has the capability to accept DC Fast Charging and you plan to be in a situation where you need to take on a relatively large amount of charge in a short period of time, DC Fast Charge is best suited for that purpose. DC Fast Charge stations contain very expensive pieces of equipment that require commercialgrade power connections. They will be deployed in far fewer numbers than Levels 1 and 2 and are likely to be located at urban perimeters and along freeway corridors. They are not for everyday use by an EV driver. Nor are today’s cars designed for repeated fast charging more than once per day without detrimental effect onbattery life.
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CHARGING LEVEL Charge Rate (based on length of charging)
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
DC FAST CHARGE
Slow
Medium
Fast
4-5 miles added per hour
10-20 miles added per hour
60-80 miles added in 20 minutes
LEVEL CHARGE: The varying rates of charge each level yields for your vehicle. Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
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OUR NEXT
ELECTRIC Announcing the 100% Electric
Fit EV Concept
From the EV PLUS to the FCX Clarity, Honda has extensive experience with zero-emission electric vehicles. The Fit EV Concept is just the latest example. During 2011, a demonstration program with select participants will provide an opportunity to share valuable information from their real-world experience. The Fit EV is Go for 2012.
To get more information or to register for updates on Fit EV, visit www.automobiles.honda.com/ďŹ t-ev
Š 2010 American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
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“I’m glad I went solar, the better alternative.” — Larry Hagman
Why plug in to coal? You can solar power your EV or plug-in hybrid with a high-performance Sunkits® solar electric system from SolarWorld. We design each Sunkits® system at the factory to fit your rooftop and electric bills, so you get the best possible performance and reliability from an industry leader. As the largest solar PV manufacturer in America since 1977, SolarWorld takes sustainability as seriously as you do. By manufacturing our Sunmodule® solar panels completely in the USA, we create US jobs while minimizing our environmental footprint. And with the world’s first cradle to cradle PV recycling program, our products are as renewable as it gets. Call 1-800-947-6527 or visit our website today for a free estimate. www.solarworld.com
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Finding and Using a Charging Station Locating nearby public charging stations is as easy as using the Internet or an application on a smartphone. Mapping sites like www.evchargermaps.com have been created to make it easy to find charging stations. New generation cars like the Nissan LEAF and the Chevrolet Volt also include dashboard map displays. Competing online map providers are currently hard at work, which should soon result in a number of high-quality sites to help you find the station with the charging level you want. Some systems may even allow you to reserve charging for a specific time at your desired stopping point. Once you’ve picked out a charging location, there will be directional signs on nearby streets to help you get there. At the site there will be signs marking the stalls with the charging stations. Be sure to note whether there are any restrictions, such as limits on the amount of time you
‘‘
can stay plugged in. Also note that, in the case of paid parking lots, the rate charged for EVs may be lower, or even free. At charging stations in downtown Portland, OR, for instance, the parking kiosk has rates specific to EVs. Be sure to choose those before printing the chit to take back to your car. Upon parking at your charging station, it will be easy to get the juice flowing into your EV. Many stations will operate free of charge, so it will be a simple matter of plugging in and pressing a button or two on the device. Those that require payment will let you swipe a credit card or even dial a toll-free number to get the charge started. Still other “smart chargers” will offer subscription plans and send you a card or fob to hold up to the unit. It will recognize you, and after you’ve charged your car, your credit card will be charged, too. Charging an electric car is more convenient, safer, cleaner, and much cheaper than pumping gasoline into a conventional car. Once you’ve located charging stations in the vicinity of your typical daily travels, they’ll just become part of how you plan your driving. And if you need to go somewhere new, mapping systems onboard your car, or accessible via computer or smartphone will quickly show you where charging is publicly available. You will soon wonder why we’ve all put up with gas stations for so long.
Dan Davids is president of Plug In America.
It will quickly become apparent that going to a gas station once a week is far more inconvenient and distasteful ....
Courtesy: Coulomb Technologies www.pluginamerica.org
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of
The O n e day your electr i c veh i cle w i ll ear n mo n ey .
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By Kimberly Rogers
harging your electric vehicle at home or at a public charging station is one of the most important things to understand about owning an EV. Perhaps most exciting of all is that the future of charging will include vehicle to grid (V2G), a way for the vehicle to transfer electricity from its batteries back to the grid. One day you will be able to configure your EV to sell excess electricity, stored in the car’s batteries, back to the electric grid. Not only will this be a way for you to earn money, but it will also allow you to utilize electricity in a smarter way.
EVs and the Smart Grid Before your electricity reaches you, it goes through a highly organized grid system of transmission and distribution that is carefully monitored while you go about your business. The transmission system delivers electricity from the power plants to substations, and then the distribution system delivers the electricity for use. However, today’s grid is limited in flexibility and operates on a use-it or-lose-it basis. The electricity must be consumed the moment it’s generated, because usually there is no way for the grid to store electricity for use at a later time. The smart grid is a distributed energy delivery network with two-way flow of electricity and information. In the future it will be capable of real-time monitoring of power plants, individual consumer appliance demands, and consumer usage preferences. Using this information, the smart grid will be able to more precisely monitor demand and better manage periods of peak demand to ensure uninterrupted delivery of electricity. Smart appliances will be able to respond to requests by the smart grid in order to reduce consumption of electricity during peak demands. It will also allow maximum consumption of electricity during non-peak demand periods. EVs and EVSEs will be able to communicate with the smart grid like smart appliances. For example, the EV and EVSE can be configured to avoid consuming electricity in order to charge the car when the smart grid determines there is an insufficient load. But the grid will allow the car to charge during non-peak load times. The EV is a unique smart appliance because, unlike a television, it has stored electricity in its batteries that can be transferred back to the smart grid upon demand. The V2G EV can be both a user and supplier of electricity.
V2G capabilities will require enhanced features in the vehicle and the charging station. In addition to being a smart appliance, the EV is unique because it is a mobile appliance. The driver could charge at home from one electric utility company, but while plugged in at work sell electricity to a different electric company. The EV will communicate with the charging station to transfer information about driver preferences and vehicle and battery capabilities. An EV and its batterymanagement system will have the capability to not only consume electricity to charge the batteries, but also the capability to allow discharge to “feed the grid.” Since the charging equipment is permanently installed in a particular utility territory, it will handle the specific communication that may be unique to a particular utility company. However, the equipment will communicate with standards-based interfaces in an EV supporting V2G capabilities. Today, utility companies and EV and EVSE manufacturers are collaborating to define the communication standards necessary to enable V2G. These standards will allow any V2G-capable EV to communicate with any electricity source. The V2G-enabled EV, while plugged in, will be able to respond in fractions of a second to a real-time energy request from the grid. This rapid V2G response from the EV is of great value to the grid, as it allows the utility source the necessary time to “fire up” a cleaner source of electricity to meet the new grid demand.
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SMART GRID: A distributed energy delivery network with two-way flow of electricity and information. (Courtesy: U.S. Dept. of Energy)
Electricity for Sale The potential to sell electricity back to the grid during peak needs is another cost advantage for EVs. With V2G, owners will be able to sell electricity back during peak needs when electricity is the most expensive. Consumer vehicles spend most of the time parked either at work or home. Assuming that a V2Genabled EV is parked and plugged in about 22 hours per day, there is potential for owners to be paid about $280 per month. Over the course of the vehicle’s lifetime, that could easily finance the eventual replacement of the battery pack, which is the only significant maintenance cost for an EV. This makes a V2G-enabled EV a source of revenue, unlike gas-powered cars. EV owners may be concerned about depleting the batteries or the additional wear on the batteries from discharging during V2G periods. The way V2G and the needs of the grid work, typically only short and small “bursts” of electricity would need to be transferred from the vehicle at any time. The V2G discharge would not be anything like the normal discharge of batteries during driving. Thus, the V2G transfers should not have an impact on the lifetime of the battery pack. It will also be possible to use the V2G capabilities of an EV to supply power to private homes or businesses in cases of emergency (major power outages due to storms) or even to supply your camping needs. Ten years ago V2G
was just a plan. And while no production EVs with V2G capabilities are currently available, proof-of-concept cars have been produced with V2G capabilities – most notably in the U.S. from AC Propulsion. There are additional research projects in the United States and Europe. Several automobile manufacturers who are now actively building EVs for the consumer market are keeping an eye on the potential V2G market. Some projections are stating that V2G will be available in about 10 years – transferring megawatts of power from millions of V2G enabled EVs. It’s estimated that building V2G technology into EVs may add about $1,500 to the price of the car. However, the potential revenue could be around $3,000 per year. V2G-enabled EVs currently in a University of Delaware project are earning about $5-$10 per day. With V2G capabilities, the value of an EV to the owner can be further enhanced by earning money just by plugging in.
Kimberly Rogers has been an EV owner since 2002, is active with the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Electric Auto Association, and is a Plug In America member.
SOURCES Beck, Leonard “V2G-101,” July 2009, www.V2G-101.com “Smart Grid,” U.S. Dept. of Energy, www.oe.energy.gov/smartgrid.htm Conference articles from Plug-In 2010 “Electric Vehicles on the Smart Grid,” Matt Smith, Silver Springs Network “EV Charging and Infrastructure Integration,” Ignacio Contreras, Qualcomm “Smart Charging,” Hugh McDermott, Better Place “Smart Grid, Smart Charging,” David Packard, Clipper Creek “Networked Charging and Smart Grid,” Richard Lowenthal, Coulomb Technologies “Why Intelligence Matters,” Will Cousins, GridPoint http://tinyurl.com/DiscoveryV2G http://tinyurl.com/EnergyPolicyV2G
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Fleets Steer Toward Electricity By Sherry Boschert
W i th overall sav i n gs o n fuel a n d ma i n te n a n ce costs , as well as a decrease i n gree n house gas em i ss i o n s , compa n i es are f i n d i n g i t harder to i g n ore the be n ef i ts of a n all - electr i c fleet .
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ndividual consumers aren’t the only ones jumping into electric-drive vehicles these days. Commercial fleet managers who look at total cost of ownership over many years and many miles increasingly are deciding that the higher sticker price of some plug-in electric vehicles can be offset by savings in fuel and maintenance.
Fleet Benefits
Operating costs of battery electric vehicles are 1/5 to 1/3 the cost of operating internal-combustion-engine (ICE) vehicles, which can produce savings in overall lifetime costs. Even in areas with low-cost gasoline, where lifetime costs for plug-in vehicles may be the same as or slightly higher than ICE vehicles due to a purchase premium on the plug-in vehicles, some fleet managers still are choosing the plug-in vehicles as a hedge against higher fuel costs expected in the future.
Plug-in vehicles help fleets meet government requirements to reduce fleet emissions, and government incentives can help ease the purchase costs. Argonne National Laboratory’s “GREET Fleet – Carbon and Petroleum Footprint Calculator,” located at http://tinyurl.com/ GreetFleetCalculator, lets fleet owners compute the environmental benefits of various vehicles.
Companies also are drawn to plug-in fleets to improve their corporate image and decrease dependence on foreign oil.
Federal tax credits for purchasing plug-in vehicles range from $2,500 to $7,500 for
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
Ford Fleet: Azure also has been working with Ford on its electric Transit Connect vans. (Courtesy: Ford)
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light-duty plug-in vehicles. State incentives vary by state and by size of vehicle and may include medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. In California, for example, plug-in passenger cars may qualify for a $5,000 rebate, and at least three brands of electric delivery trucks are eligible for a $20,000 rebate while funds last. Oregon’s Department of Energy offers a Business Energy Tax Credit equal to 35% of the incremental cost increase when buying plug-in vehicles for a business’s fleet. The future resale value (residual value) of vehicles — which is a major concern to some fleets — appears to be similar to ICE residual values. The Nissan LEAF, for example, should retain 40% of its pre-subsidy list price at 3 years and 30,000 miles, similar to depreciation rates for ICEs, according to CAP Motor Research Ltd., a leading provider of vehicle valuation data.
By the Numbers The electric scenario for fleets is beginning to look enticing enough that Bryan Hansel, CEO of truck maker Smith Electric Vehicles, predicted in an interview with GreenCarReports.com that within 5 years, no new urban delivery vehicles running routes of 80 miles/day or fewer will be powered by diesel. His company recently landed a contract with Frito-Lay, a division of PepsiCo, for 176 electric delivery trucks, 10 of which hit the roads in October 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. Staples office supply chain has ordered 41 Smith electric trucks to be put into service in California (30), Ohio (10), and Missouri (1). General Electric declared it will purchase 25,000 plug-in vehicles by 2015, primarily for its 45,000-employee sales force.
customer demand. Hertz is looking to buy plug-in vehicles from Nissan, Mitsubishi, Toyota, GM, and possibly Ford and CODA Automotive for stationing initially in New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and London. Enterprise Rent-a-Car will purchase up to 100 electric sedans from CODA Automotive and will provide courtesy transportation vehicles to customers if needed during service and maintenance of their vehicles. Avis Rent-a-Car will electrify first in Europe by offering 500 Renault EVs in 2011.
Hailing Fleets Taxi fleets are dipping a toe in the waters through government demonstration programs. The San Francisco Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission awarded $7 million in 2010 to Better Place to build four battery-switching stations in San Francisco and San Jose and at the San Francisco International Airport that will service 61 electric taxis.
Government and Beyond The nation’s largest fleet owner, the U.S. government, has asked auto companies to bid on selling 100 electric vehicles to the federal fleet to be put into service in 2011. Fleets in other countries are beginning to plug in, too. The British company TNT will replace 150 diesel vans in Australia with Smith Electric Vehicles models by the end of 2011. Siemens plans to build and test 100 electric vehicles for employee use in 2011 in Berlin and other parts of Germany. A 2010 report by Pike Research conservatively estimated that more than 100,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles would be in fleets around the world by 2015. The report does not analyze all-electric vehicles in fleets.
Fleet Demonstration Representatives of four U.S. companies that are involved in demonstration projects of plug-in utility trucks and vans shared some details in talks at the Plug-in 2010 conference. Fifty fleets will get 378 Ford F550 plug-in hybrid electric trucks being built by Altec Industries in a two-year mediumduty vehicle demonstration program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the California Energy Commission, and the Electric Power Research Institute. The trucks will have a 6.7-liter diesel engine, 23 kWh of lithiumion batteries, regenerative braking, and the ability to export power and interact with the electrical grid. They can operate for five hours with the engine off or drive up to 10 miles on electricity alone, with a liquid fuel efficiency averaging 30 miles per gallon and the ability to drive 300 miles between fill-ups, Altec’s Chad Sarver said. “These are work trucks” with aerial devices to lift workers up to power lines, often called “trouble trucks,” he said. “This is the first truck out when the lights go out.”
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Rental Fleets Rental-car fleets are getting in on the action. Hertz Car Rental and some Connect By Hertz long-term rental service sites began offering EVs at the end of 2010 in select cities, and plan to offer 1,000 cars by mid-2011. After that the company plans to grow its electric fleet based on
Fleet Pros and Cons A “Fleet Electrification Roadmap,” published by Washington, D.C.-based Electrification Coalition, analyzes the pros and cons of electrified fleets in detail. To get a free digital or print copy, see www.electrificationcoalition.org/electrification-roadmap.php. www.pluginamerica.org
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Duke Energy will get 25 of the Altec plug-in hybrid conversions to add to its 8,000-vehicle fleet, which includes electric forklifts and five Hymotion plug-in hybrid Prius conversions that “regularly get 100 miles per gallon,” Duke’s Mike Allison said. Duke also is working with Quantum to convert a Ford F150 truck to electric and is eyeing the Bright Automotive IDEA plug-in hybrid van, which the company said has a 40-mile all-electric range and nearly 40 MPG in standard hybrid mode. Demonstration programs are helpful to work out initial challenges that some fleets may face, Mr. Allison said, such as getting field personnel interested in using the new vehicles instead of what they’re used to, and figuring out how to handle charging of on-call or take-home vehicles. Ron Iacobelli of Azure Dynamics is involved in three demonstration projects, including Altec’s low-emission electric power (LEEP) lift trouble trucks. Azure also has been working with Ford on its electric Transit Connect vans, and has been converting 35 Ford E-450 trucks to plug-in hybrid shuttles to be in service by August 2011, with a production variant targeted by the end of 2011.
SMITH BENEFITS: The Smith Newton, the world’s largest battery-electric-powered truck, boasts a top speed of 50 mph, a range in excess of 100 miles on a single charge, and a payload of up to 16,280 lbs. (Courtesy: Smith Electric Vehicles)
The shuttles will have around a 20-mile blended electric range, which should reduce fuel costs by 40%, cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30%, and reduce vehicle maintenance costs by 30%, the company calculates. Odyne, which makes plug-in hybrid systems for Class 5, 6, 7, and 8 trucks, has been testing more than 30 vehicles in North America since 2007, said Odyne’s Matt Jarmuz. The company plans to expand into high-volume production of a second-generation product in 2011. Odyne’s first vehicles were plug-in hybrid utility and bucket trucks, and it has added Digger Derrick trucks and a 35-series compressor truck for underground utility work. The U.S. Department of Energy funds the projects and is collecting data on all of them. Third-party testing of the utility-truck duty cycle found a 56% reduction in fuel costs and a 55% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. An idling truck can run on electricity stored in its batteries for 4 hours before the diesel engine comes on. “It’s a very large savings on a daily basis,” Mr. Jarmuz noted. As with everything related to EVs, fleet use of plug-in vehicles is a fastmoving field. “Follow the market and technology closely. It changes very quickly,” Mr. Allison of Duke Energy advised. For fleet owners who are thinking of going electric, he suggested, get involved in demonstrations and share your experiences and information through industry organizations, such as the NAFA Fleet Management Association, the Electric Power Research Institute, the Hybrid Truck Users Forum, and the Electric Utility Fleet Managers Conference.
Sherry Boschert is a co-founder of Plug In America and the author of Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars That Will Recharge America.
ELECTRIC UTILITY: Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. and Altec Industries introduce America’s first all-electric aerial utility truck. Pacific Gas and Electric will put the truck into operation in its northern and central California service area. (Courtesy: Smith Electric Vehicles)
Cost Calculators Proprietary calculators of costs to determine whether plug-in electric vehicles are right for your fleet are offered for a fee by companies such as Donlen, a fleet leasing and management company. Below are some free online calculators to help compare plug-in electric vehicles with ICE vehicles.
Emissions, costs for fuel and maintenance, usage patterns, and more (Project Get Ready): www.projectgetready.com/js/tco.html “Gas vs. Electric” calculator compares fueling costs (CODA Automotive): www.codaautomotive.com/electric-car-impact-calculator Calculator for NEVs in fleets (GEM Motorcars): http://tinyurl.com/GlobalElectric Fleet fuel savings calculator for NEVs (Miles Electric Vehicles): http://tinyurl.com/MilesEV
Charged Up & Ready to Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
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EVs Through
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Compiled by Alexandra Paul and the Electric Auto Association
2005
2009 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allocates $14 billion for development of EV technology. The Dept. of Energy adds
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$400 million to plug-in infrastructure. President Obama announces a gas-mileage policy that will require automakers to meet a minimum fuel-efficiency standard of 35.5 miles a gallon by 2016. 2010 The Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt debut. Audi, BMW, Citroen, Daimler, Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo among others have announced plans to manufacture EVs within the next 3 years.
2010
2005 Approximately 4,000 of the 5,000 electric cars built to accommodate the ZEV Mandate are crushed.
1974 CitiCar debut at Electric Vehicle Symposium in Washington , DC. Full production also ramps up. By 1975, Vanguard-Sebring, maker of the CitiCar, is the 6th largest automaker in the U.S.
2009
2003 ZEV Mandate weakened to allow ZEV credits for non-ZEVs. Requires 250 fuel-cell vehicles by 2009.
1966 Gallup poll: 36 million people are really interested in EVs. At the time EVs had a top speed of 40 mph, and typical range less than 50 miles.
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1921 Federal Highway Act spawns an interstate road system. Gasoline prices decrease, and gas cars drop in price. The electric car loses favor; it lacks the range and speed necessary for “highway” driving.
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2001 G.M., DaimlerChrysler, and the Bush administration successfully sue the California Air Resources Board to repeal the ZEV Mandate. CARB upholds the ZEV Mandate of between 4,000 and 15,000 EVs starting in 2003.
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CITICAR FASHION: By 1975, Vanguard-Sebring, maker of the CitiCar, is the 6th largest automaker in the U.S. (Courtesy: EAA)
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1990 California passes its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, which requires 2% of the state’s vehicles to have no emissions by 1998 and 10% by 2003. 5,000 electric cars are eventually put on the road by major car companies.
1994 Twelve additional states adopt the California ZEV Mandates. The GM Impact EV (later to be named the EV-1) sets a 187 mph speed record.
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1976 The EPA kills the 1970 Federal Clean Car Incentive Program.
1910 Motorized assembly produces gaspowered cars in volume; reducing cost per vehicle.
1913 Ford creates experimental EVs.
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1908 The mass-produced, gasoline powered Model T is introduced by Henry Ford.
1911 The gas car’s unwieldy hand crank is made obsolete by the invention of the Self Starter.
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1891 William Morrison of Des Moines, Iowa, builds the first successful electric automobile in the United States. Soon there were 30,000 electric cars. Some could go 65 MPH. Few roads were paved however, so the average range of 18 miles at 14 MPH was just fine.
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1900 One-third of all cars in New York City, Boston and Chicago are electric.
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FORD EXPERIMENT: Fred Allison and the 1913 Ford experimental car. (Courtesy: The collections of Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, neg. 0-1923)
1899 Pope Manufacturing Company forms the Electric Vehicle Company.
1889 Thomas Edison built an EV using nickel-alkaline batteries.
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RUNABOUT: Thomas Edison in his 1901 Baker runabout. (Courtesy: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Edison National Historic Site, neg. No. 14.225/29)
1859 Gaston Plante invented rechargeable lead-acid batteries.
Alexandra Paul bought her first electric car in 1990 after the Exxon Valdez oil spill inspired her to get off oil, and she has been driving them ever since. The Electric Auto Association (www.electricauto.org) promotes the advancement and widespread adoption of electric vehicles. www.pluginamerica.org
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2Wheels
Electric on I
By Harry Mallin Gladstone, Missouri first
became aware of Brammo when I bought my gas-hogging Honda Pilot to pull my family’s camper. Of course I ended up driving it every day and soon realized that, at 19 miles per gallon, I was a part of the problem every time I drove it, filled it up with gas, or idled in traffic.
In early 2009, I began researching the Brammo Enertia, which I first read about in Wired magazine. But at the time there wasn’t much information on either the bike or the company, so I decided to find out as much as I could and began blogging about my enthusiasm. The more I learned about the bike and the quality of its design and components, the more I became an obsessed product evangelist. And that’s how I was awarded the title “Brammo Evangelist of the Year.” My prize? A Brammo Enertia. From the first moment on my new bike, I felt comfortable and in control. It handles better than my old Honda CB550, is quieter, and has no clutch. The same gear that has me inching forward in heavy traffic is capable of pushing me past 60 MPH with a twist of the throttle.
Safety Con cer n My biggest concern while riding it is the same concern shared by all motorcyclists: safety. I deal with that by wearing safety gear on every trip. The “loud pipes save lives” argument comes up a lot with regard to safety, because, unlike the heavy cruisers, my Brammo is relatively quiet, save for the chain and tire-on-pavement noise, as well as noise from the cooling fan when the motor temperature reaches a certain point. The relative quiet of an electric motorcycle is actually safer, because I can more easily hear what’s going on around me in traffic. Ultimately, it’s the rider’s responsibility to be aware; this can’t be delegated to the roar of an engine. The issue of range anxiety is overblown. With a range of about 40 miles, I can easily make my 22-mile roundtrip commute. I just have to be aware that I won’t be able to run errands on the way home that might exceed that range. It’s an adjustment, for sure, but given the benefits of charging at night, as well as zero-emissions riding, it’s a small adjustment. The maintenance on my Brammo is minimal. I lube the chain every 250 miles, keep the tires inflated to the proper pressure, and watch the slack in the chain. That’s it. There are no oil stains on the garage floor, because there
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
TESTIMONIAL |
is no oil to speak of. I don’t have to tune it, as there are no spark plugs or filters or hoses to replace. And a Brammo tech visited my house during the summer for a routine check and took all of three minutes to update the firmware in my dash. I’ve put about 750 miles on my Enertia, which, I estimate, is about 40 gallons of gas that I haven’t burned. Even considering the fact that my electricity comes from a coal-burning plant, I net about 20 pounds of carbon savings every day I ride to work.
r i de Sat i sfacti o n Owning an Enertia is everything that I’d hoped it would be. I have the satisfaction of zero tailpipe emissions along with the comfort of waking up every morning to a vehicle with a full “tank.” Added to that is the economic ecstasy of knowing that the full tank cost me a little more than 30 cents to fill up from empty. And I could actually hear the cicadas and birds during my rides last summer. How awesome is that?
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EV
The
By Ron Freund
Battery
B atter i es are the heart of E V s a n d determ i n e more tha n just power .
W
The Chevy Volt uses the prismatic battery format.
hile vehicle design has remained essentially unchanged for decades, electric propulsion systems are likely to result in big changes to vehicle design. Placing batteries into EVs alongside many other electronic systems is an unfamiliar challenge to automakers. Technology advances are enabling more components to be electric, which helps reduce motor complexity and increase reliability, resulting in vastly simplified service requirements. As the components decrease in size, if not disappear altogether, designers will be able to enjoy more freedom. The Nissan LEAF uses the pouch format.
An EV battery pack needs to be carefully matched to the rest of the overall design. One fundamental consideration is the cell’s physical format, which ranges in shape and size. These cells help determine the car’s design. Increased densities, or a smaller pack, means less space is occupied by the battery. And when shooting for optimal placement, designers place the pack low in the car, rather than take up passenger or trunk space, in order to improve handling and maximize cargo-carrying capability. An EV design occurs in a constrained energy environment where the performance of all subsystems ultimately determines the drivable miles for every charge. Good design can no longer be energy wasteful. As the energy packed into liquid hydrocarbons is several tens of times what batteries currently offer, EV energy utilization must be frugal. It already is nearly three times better than in gas cars.
The Tesla Roadster uses the cylindrical format.
The EV industry will necessarily continue to work on better battery packs with each succeeding generation providing more range and/or lower cost. The average pack in plug-in cars coming on the market this year is in the 16 to 34 kilowatt-hour range. Different-sized packs will be needed for different vehicles (motorcycles, sedans, sports cars), which, of course, will directly determine their drivable miles. But as mass production begins, the economies of scale will help drive costs down, and pack capacity, or driving range, will increase over time.
Specifics
Just as early gas cars had much smaller tanks than new gas cars today, production EVs will first appear with less range per charge than a tank of gasoline. Yet already, today’s electric vehicles will be of great utility for millions of drivers, as the convenience of charging will far outweigh the
Batteries are at the very heart of an electric vehicle. They are composed of cells that contain characteristics that play into the larger whole. The amount of energy
number of inconvenient trips to the gas station. And of course today’s plug-in cars excel in efficiency and a lower carbon footprint for every mile driven compared to gasoline vehicles.
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
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stored in a cell of a given weight (called the specific energy) has an impact on the drivable range. This parameter directly affects the battery pack’s weight and size. The electrical power a cell can deliver can be expressed as battery horsepower, which determines the ability to accelerate (called the specific power). Ideally EV designs would maximize both power and energy, but there are always tradeoffs in design. Balancing energy and power requirements becomes a critical design challenge. Optimization of cell power means having thinner active layers on electrodes, as well as using more of them, which results in the fact that more power can be delivered because of less resistance internally. Hybrid cars need more power than they do capacity since all of their energy comes, albeit indirectly, from highly dense gasoline. Optimizing cells for energy means using thicker active electrode layers, which also increases electrode resistance and the capacity for discharge, as well as allows for more energy capacity. This is especially critical for a long-distance EV. When considering other factors, such as operational temperature range in automobiles and the impact that cell resistance has on range, in addition to the safety and reliability requirements, design becomes a game of managing tradeoffs.
energy. This recovered energy is once again stored in the battery for later use. Recovered energy can become significant — upwards of 20% of the full battery pack capacity. Electricity will, of course, provide power for the high-output LED arrays that will replace the use of incandescent bulbs. This will result in even more power savings. The total energy consumed by these and other subsystems is dwarfed by the energy used to propel the vehicle. Still it is true that all systems do need to be considered together. Designers understand that life expectancy of cells can be improved by operating them in a somewhat restricted capacity window. They strive to ensure that fully discharging or fully charging cells is impossible. Doing this, however, means that overall pack capacity is not maximized. As EVs and PHEVs become more popular, managing the power consumed and energy stored requires optimal integration.
Battery Trends Since well before 1999, typical lithium cell capacity has improved as a result of research and development of materials and manufacturing methods (see Figure 1). As researchers worldwide improve upon existing technologies, the trend is sure to continue. We can expect to see incremental improvements in available products over time. Capacity will likely improve, and weight and size will most likely shrink. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the cost of batteries will drop 50% by 2015, so a replacement battery pack will cost much less than it did for the EV vendor when the car was new. And when that time arrives, the batteries will not be deemed useless or destined for the landfill.
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Powering accessories in electric cars is slightly different than powering accessories in gas cars. The heating system has traditionally received support from the burning of hydrocarbons. In an EV, heating must be done electrically instead of using excess engine heat. For cooling there is no belt-driven A/C compressor. Rather, a small electric motor accomplishes that task. Combining the heating and cooling in a heat pump has other benefits, such as reducing parts count and being much more efficient because it moves heat rather than creates it. These new cars may also have electric power steering and electric power brake assist. Braking traditionally has been only a hydraulic system. However, an EV gets an electronic braking assist, and drive motor regeneration actually recovers much of the otherwise lost vehicle kinetic
FIGURE 1: 18650 Lithium cell capacity improvements in a decade.
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Reuse of “spent” battery packs may generate a whole new market. With typically 70% to 80% of capacity still available, secondary use of traction packs for utility power grid storage projects is being discussed, with commercial ventures potentially emerging to provide this capability. More sustainable transportation will be the order of the day. Battery and EV manufacturing, recycling and pack repurposing will demonstrate a drop in lifetime energy expenditures that cannot be matched by gasoline-powered transportation as oil development and production costs continue to increase. One thing remains certain: The age of exclusive fossil fueled mobility is coming to an end. If a century’s worth of improvements to the internal combustion engine is any indication, it will be exciting to watch what a few years will do to battery-based vehicle design. Panasonic will reportedly supply a 3.1Ah 18650 cell to Tesla Motors for its Model S in 2012. That would represent more than a 100% increase in capacity in just over a decade, which translates to more miles for a given pack volume and weight compared to earlier products. Furthermore, the development of safety systems surrounding such traction packs is reassuring. Just as we have been protected from the extreme flammability of gasoline through vehicle design, EV designers anticipate potential hazards that may occur during operation due to component failures and crashes and develop ways to overcome them. One such way is programming sensors to, upon high impact, disconnect the high voltage, a safety feature that helps ensure occupants’ safety.
Expectations for Future Drivers How does electric power in consumer cars translate to driving feel and perception? The total delivered battery power can be derived mathematically and, after accounting for various losses, converted to horsepower. But automotive application is different. An EV motor can deliver maximum and nearly steady power continuously, whereas a gas car generates its rated horsepower only while the engine is performing at the peak of its power curve. Most of the time gas cars deliver only a small fraction of their rated output power, and it is not immediately available. But take a test drive in an EV, and you can immediately feel the effect of this maximum available power accelerating from every stop. So how does all this affect battery life? Assessing a number of factors can help you begin to think about how your driving affects it:
Do you drive your car hard, taking brisk (yet amazingly quiet) departures when the light turns green?
Do you drain the EV battery like you would a drink after a long hike in sweltering heat?
Do you frequently grab small boost charge “opportunities” instead of taking your time to charge it from empty to full?
Are you a “hyper miler,” eking out every last watt-hour of energy while very conscientiously running daily errands?
Do you regularly transport lots of passengers and stuff?
Are you in a hurry most of the time?
Are you a pedal-to-the-metal driver or do you gingerly juice it?
Engineering projections of pack life expectancy are made with certain confidence calculations and then translated into the sales materials for consumers to digest. As the EVs are put to the test, the answers to these questions will differ among drivers, which is where the manufacturer warranties come into play along the lines of 8-year/100,000 mile coverage from the likes of Nissan, GM, and CODA Automotive. While carmakers have you covered, there are still things to keep in mind as you drive. Making strong demands on your EVs will stress components and eventually degrade the vehicle. Let common sense reign and study the battery warranties. If your tires are wearing out prematurely, not only should you check your alignment (potholes, speed bumps and curbs take their toll), but you might not want to drive so aggressively. The chemical reactions taking place in the battery pack are temperature sensitive and over time will no longer reverse. Charging reverses the action brought about by driving. Your driving demands further accentuate this situation. And ultimately, proper care of your EV should provide for very acceptable performance for many years.
Ron Freund has spent most of his life designing complex electronics and is thrilled that our future mobility will heavily embrace such systems.
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
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as Converting A uzzler T
his year we welcome the first wave of a new generation of plug-in vehicles. Optimists project we could have 1 million plug-in cars in the U.S. by 2015. But it will take about 15 years for mass adoption of electric cars to make much of a dent in overall petroleum consumption. That’s because we have 250 million gas and diesel vehicles in use today. Since many gas guzzlers stay on the road for decades, is there a way to speed things up? Retrofitting existing cars can be a smart way to go. There are several options to get an EV conversion vehicle:
Do it yourself. Convert a hybrid to a plug-in hybrid. Contract the work to an EV conversion technician. Purchase a converted vehicle from a number of conversion companies.
Do It Yourself The do-it-yourself approach has been the main way ordinary drivers had access to electric vehicles. Early conversion pioneers ripped the engines out of vehicles and used the space for batteries and motors. These pioneers adapted electric drive technology to “fix” all kinds of vehicles, including racing cars, convertibles, pick-up trucks, and commuter cars, to run entirely on electricity. They had to figure out electrical solutions for systems that relied on the exhaust and pressure produced by internal combustion engines, including steering, braking, heating and cooling. It wasn’t easy, and they often spent well over $10,000. Today, if you own or cheaply acquire an out-of-warranty vehicle, you can convert it yourself or pay someone to do it. If
By Shannon Arvizu, Ph.D., and Felix Kramer
how to tur n a n i n ter n al combust i o n e n g i n e i n to a n ev . you’re handy and like a challenging project, you can connect with a chapter of the Electric Auto Association (www.electricauto.org) and get advice in choosing a vehicle and a conversion design. Some vehicles are easier to convert to an EV than others; surprisingly, one star is the Porsche 914. Other popular candidates include Volkswagen, Ford, and Honda models, in addition to many small pickup trucks. Your daily driving miles and budget help you decide what batteries to install. A set of lead-acid batteries can run about $1,000, but your range can be 10 to 50 miles, and you could face replacing those batteries in less than two years. Higher-end batteries, such as lithium-ion, can have a 50- to100-mile range and last longer, but they require much more in the way of packaging (from individual cells to modules to packs) and electronics (for longevity and safety). The new crop of high-volume, mass-produced plug-in cars include advanced battery packs often costing between $10,000 and $15,000, and an individual buyer’s costs can be higher.
Hybrid to PHEV After carmakers introduced hybrids, a different conversion solution got considerable attention. The appearance of cars that came with low-capacity batteries and electric motors but were still entirely powered by gasoline led many people to wonder, “What would it take for hybrids to plug in?” In 2004, the nonprofit CalCars.org converted a Toyota hybrid to a plug-in hybrid. Using an online open-source approach, CalCars shared its step-by-step process freely online. These conversions did more than enable a few owners to have cleaner personal mobility. The mere existence of plug-in versions of popular cars became a powerful symbol, sending a message to automakers, politicians, and the public that this technology was real and ready. CalCars started showcasing “Prius+” to legislators, journalists, investors, and auto component suppliers. Having directly experienced plug-in technology by seeing and driving conversions, Senators and Representatives went onto the floors of Congress to ask, “If people can build these in garages, why can’t we buy these cars in showrooms?” This helped spark the broad and successful coalition that led to the cars now coming to market. An
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outgrowth of this campaign was a small ecosystem of companies specializing in converting Priuses. Retrofits can cost from $3,000 to $15,000. The wide range comes from different battery solutions, warranties, and levels of approval with federal safety requirements. Currently, only one company, Hymotion, is fully approved by the California Air Resources Board to convert large numbers of Priuses in the state.
Conversion Services The visibility of individual EV and hybrid conversions may over time be eclipsed by new plug-in cars and by the most significant new trend as it gains momentum: profitable conversion of gas-guzzlers by new companies in volumes way beyond the hundreds or low thousands we’ve seen so far. We’re beginning to see startups emerge to convert new and old pickup trucks, SUVs, buses and large vehicles to electric drive. They use three distinct designs. Some companies remove the gasoline or diesel engine and replace it with a complete electric drive train. Other overhauls include a small gasoline engine for range extension, much like the Chevy Volt. Another optional design retains the existing internal combustion engine and adds electric propulsion to create a plug-in hybrid. Each solution has its pros and cons; it’s too early to say what will be most popular and profitable. Several firms are starting with the Ford F-150, initially targeting business owners and fleet customers. These variants are expected to cost between $15,000 and $30,000 for the retrofit and have been designed to deliver safe, warrantied, affordable solutions that will eventually be attractive to consumers. A few that have gotten the attention recently include Rapid Electric Vehicles in Vancouver, ALTe near Detroit, Amp Electric in
Cincinnati, and Burt Auto’s Fleet Electric Company in Denver.
Conversion for Purchase The electric car conversion industry is still in its early stages. We expect there to be a stellar business opportunity for conversion services and third-party financing on a mass scale in the near future. Early adopters and companies motivated by mandates to improve fleet efficiency will be the first customers. As happened with hybrid conversions, we expect this industry will accelerate as decision-makers see these vehicles on the road and at events. A few years from now, the average consumer who owns an out-of-warranty pickup truck may have an alternative to scrapping, donating, or trading it in. That owner (or one who finds a used pickup for $5,000 to $10,000) will be able to spend another $10,000 or less (especially if we see a substantial federal tax incentive) and get a cheap-to-operate truck for everyday use. It will come with a warranty for the converted components. As a plus, it will have onboard power,
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which is especially useful for contractors, and people who like to hunt, fish, or camp. Since many larger vehicles stay in use for decades, the market for these vehicles could turn out to be in the tens of millions.
Future Conversion As batteries get lighter and less expensive, and as motors that fit entirely inside wheels become practical, conversion technologies will migrate to smaller-sized passenger vehicles. Then consumers will be able to “fix” all kinds of cars. When this new industry takes off, it will create many jobs at EV component manufacturers and local EV installer jobs everywhere. The more ways consumers have to electrify their rides, and the sooner we convert millions of existing gasoline cars to clean electric drive, the sooner we will all reap the benefits.
Getting Started To get going on your own conversion, it’s a good idea to start with research. No one organization or website gives a complete and current picture of conversion options. While this guide points you to some resources, the technology and the conversion world is in such a rapid state of evolution that online sources are your best bet. You’ll find many resources at Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle_ conversion). Also see the Resources section beginning on the next page.
Shannon Arvizu, Ph.D. ,“Miss Electric,” consults at The Frameworks Institute and blogs at www.MissElectric.com. Felix Kramer is the founder of CalCars.org and the world’s first consumer owner of a plug-in hybrid (a converted Prius).
FORD-150 CONVERSION: The chassis retrofit adds batteries, an electric motor, and other electronic components, and replaces the pickup truck’s large internal combustion engine and gas tank with a smaller engine and fuel tank. (Courtesy: ALTe)
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| Resources
Resources Blogs, News & Portals In the Driver’s Seat Official blog of Plug In America. www.pluginamerica.org/ drivers-seat All Cars Electric News, photos, reviews. www.allcarselectric.com Autoblog Green Environmentally friendly car news. green.autoblog.com Brammofan By Harry Mallin (see p. 48) about the Brammo Enertia. www.brammofan.com Chevrolet VoltAge GM-sponsored site for Chevy Volt. Includes forum. www.chevroletvoltage.com Driving the Nation News and information. www.drivingthenation.com EVs and Energy Written by Plug In America co-founder Paul Scott. evsandenergy.blogspot.com EV.com Industry articles, vehicle highlights, photos, videos, and news. www.ev.com EVchargermaps Database of public charging stations. EVchargermaps.com
Green Tech News on green technology from CNET. http://tinyurl.com/ CNETGreenTech
EV Chels Written by Chelsea Sexton, a co-founder of Plug In America. evchels.wordpress.com
Gizmag Covers invention, innovation, and emerging technologies, including EVs. www.gizmag.com
EV Nut Written by Darrell Dickey and includes tips and testimonials. www.evnut.com
Green Car Congress Provides information about energy options, technologies, products, issues, and policies related to sustainable mobility. www.greencarcongress.com
EV Perspective Information, news, jobs, videos, and more for EV professionals and enthusiasts. www.evperspective.com EV World News, reviews, announcements, games, and guest bloggers. evworld.com
Green Car Report News, photos, reviews. www.greencarreports.com Green Tech Media Daily news and market analysis about the green tech market. www.greentechmedia.com/ articles/category/phevintegration
ecomodder Blog and forum. www.ecomodder.com
GM-Volt.com Independently run site about the Chevy Volt. www. gm-volt.com
Electric Cars Report News, reviews, and technology information about electric vehicles. www.electriccarsreport. com
Gas 2.0 A different perspective on oil addiction and bits about EVs. www.gas2.org
Electric Vehicle Portal News and information about electric vehicles. evpal.com Environmental Capital Analysis of the business of the environment from The Wall Street Journal. blogs.wsj.com/ environmentalcapital
Green Car Advisor News and commentary on environmental automotive trends and technologies. blogs.edmunds.com/ greencaradvisor Green Garage A blog about EcoCAR, a three-year collegiate competition established by the Department of Energy and General Motors. www.greengarageblog.org
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
Hybrid Car Blog Information about hybrid and plug-in vehicles. www.hybridcarblog.com Mini-E #250 Blog by Tom Moloughney (see p. 10). minie250.blogspot.com Miss Electric Written by Shannon Arvizu, Ph.D. (see p. 46) and includes news, information, video. www.misselectric.com NEV Portal Provides locations of dealers and manufacturers of neighborhood electric vehicles. www.nevportal.com Nissan LEAF Charging Stations Charging network information and more. www.leafstations.com Peraves Cabin Motorcycles Written by Stefano Paris. peraves.wordpress.com PlanetGreen.com Tech & Transport section covers electric vehicles. www.planetgreen. discovery.com/techtransport Plugs and Cars Written by Plug In America co-founder Marc Geller. www.plugsandcars. blogspot.com
Resources |
Plugin…Recharge! Charging infrastructure for EVs and PHEVs. www.pluginrecharge.com PluginCars.com News, photos, articles, videos, and more about electric vehicles. www.plugincars.com SolarChargedDriving. com Touts the synergy between solar and EVs and PHEVs. solarchargeddriving.com Treehugger.com Green transportation news and information. http://tinyurl.com/Cars Transportation Wheels New York Times blog written by Jim Motavalli. www.wheels.blogs.nytimes. com/author/jim-motavalli Wired Autopia Wired magazine’s blog about auto tech and its future. www.wired.com/autopia
BOOKS Build Your Own Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle By Seth Leitman http://tinyurl.com/ BuildYourOwnPHEV Chevy Volt: Charging Into the Future By Larry Edsall with a preview by Bob Lutz http://tinyurl.com/EdsallLutz Coming Clean: Breaking America’s Addiction to Oil & Coal By Michael Brune, Rainforest Action Network http://amzn.to/ BreakingAddictionCoalOil
Jolt! The Impending Dominance of the Electric Car and Why America Must Take Charge By James Billmaier http://tinyurl.com/Billmaier Owning an Electric Car By Michael Boxwell http://tinyurl.com/ OwningElectric Plugged In: The End of the Oil Age By Gary Kendall www.panda.org Plug-In Electric Vehicles: What Role for Washington? By David B. Sandalow http://amzn.to/ WashingtonRole Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars That Will Recharge America By Sherry Boschert, co-founder of Plug In America. Also available at pluginamerica.org. www.newsociety.com/ bookid/3934 Solar Electricity Handbook By Michael Boxwell http://tinyurl.com/ SolarElectricityHandbook Two Cents Per Mile By Nevres Cefo http://tinyurl.com/ TwoCentsPerMile V2G-101 By Leonard J. Beck A text about vehicle-togrid technology www.v2g-101.com
COMMUNITY Alternative Energy Forums Discusses clean and renewable energy tech and sustainable living solutions. forums.alternative-energynews.info CPF Green General discussion of green-related topics, including transportation. www.cpfgreen.com/vb/ forum.php Chevrolet VoltAge GM-sponsored site for those interested in the Chevy Volt. Includes forum. www.chevroletvoltage.com DIY Electric Car Forums The place for electric vehicle conversions, builds, performance, and repairs. www.diyelectriccar.com ecomodder Blog and forum. www.ecomodder.com GM-Volt.com Independently run forum for drivers interested in the Chevy Volt. www.gm-volt.com/forum HybridCars.com Drive the conversation. www.hybridcars.com/ forums/index.html MyNissanLeaf Discussion forum for LEAF owners and enthusiasts. www.mynissanleaf.com Neighborhood Electric Vehicle User Group For those who own or are considering owning an NEV. autos.groups.yahoo.com/ group/NEVs/
Plugin Cars Forum Hosted by PluginCars.com. www.plugincars.com/ discussions RAV4 EV listserv For those who own or are interested in owning a Toyota RAV4 EV. five.pairlist.net/mailman/ listinfo/rav4-ev Tesla Motor Club Forum for Tesla enthusiasts. www.teslamotorsclub.com/ forum.php V is for Voltage Forums EV-related discussion, advocacy, and information. www.visforvoltage.org
CONVERSIONS 3-Prong power Performs enhanced PHEV conversions. Berkeley, CA. www.3prongpower.com Bright Automotive Maker of concept car, offers battery packs, PHEV and EV vehicle conversions, hybrid system development consulting, and alternative powertrain modeling simulations. Anderson, IN. www.brightautomotive.com CalCars About conversions of hybrids to plug-in hybrids. www.calcars.org/howtoget. html Grassroots Electric Vehicle Company Helps people convert from gas-powered vehicles to electric. Fort Pierce, FL, and Las Vegas, NV. grassrootsev.com
www.pluginamerica.org
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EVAmerica Conversions. Wolfeboro, NH. www.EVAmerica.com KTA Services EV components and systems. Ramona, CA. www.kta-ev.com Electro Automotive A single source for quality conversion components. Felton, CA. www.electroauto.com Enginer Promotes affordable automobile technologies that achieve >100 MPG. Troy, MI. www.enginer.us Wilderness EV Converts gas cars to EVs that can be charged with renewable fuels in a hybrid fashion or off-the-grid via solar charging stations at home. Provo, UT. www.e-volks.com
EVSE VENDORS AeroVironment EV charging products and services. evsolutions.avinc.com Aker Wade Supplier of DC Fast Charge solutions for electric vehicles and industrial fleets. www.akerwade.com Coulomb Technologies Vehicle-charging infrastructure. www.coulombtech.com ClipperCreek Charging experience for consumers, installers, utilities, and car manufacturers. www.clippercreek.com
CurrentWays Manufactures chargers for applications in consumer, OEM, fleet management, municipality, energy storage, and alternative energy applications. www.currentways.com Eaton Pow-R-Station line talks to a facility’s Energy Management System. It can locally store usage information on a flash card. http://tinyurl.com/ EatonBrochure ECOtality Develops and commercially advances clean energy solutions and environmentally friendly products. www.ecotality.com EV-Charge America Manufactures a family of EV infrastructure products and services that provide a V2G charging environment for PHEVs. www.ev-chargeamerica.com Evatran Maker of Plugless Power, the world’s first “handsfree” proximity charging system for electric vehicles. www.pluglesspower.com EVSE Subsidiary of Control Module Industries; offers ZigBee- and SAE-J 1772compliant electric vehicle supply equipment to meet the needs of PHEVs, EREVs, and BEVs. www.controlmod.com General Electric WattStation enables Level 2 charging at home and on the road. http://tinyurl.com/WattStation
SPX Service Solutions Partnered with GM to sell and install its 240V home charging station for the Chevy Volt. www.servicesolutions.spx.com GoSmart Technologies GoSmart Technologies offers two Level 2 units, with 30A and 50A charging. www.gosmarttechnologies. com GRIDbot Its commercial unit can handle simultaneous Level 1 charging via a NEMA 5-20 receptacle or Level 2 charging using the J-Plug. www.gridbot.net Leviton Evr-Green consists of both portable and fixed-mount chargers that comply with all industry standards and is compatible with all major EV manufacturers. http://tinyurl.com/Evr-Green ParkPod Turnkey commercial systems. www.parkpod.com Shorepower Technologies Units take 208/240 volt input (50A minimum, 100A recommended), but provide four Level 1 outputs. www.shorepower.com Siemens Units are available as single Level 2 and multi-level designs. The multi-level units allow both Level 1 and 2 outputs to deliver energy simultaneously. http://tinyurl.com/ SiemensSmartGrid
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
EDUCATION & CAREER TRAINING Clean Tech Institute Research, consulting, and training organization in the clean and renewable energy industry. Fremont, CA. info@cleantechinstitute.org www.cleantechinstitute.org Plug-In Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Research Center Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis. http://phev.ucdavis.edu Alternative Energy Technology Program Wayne State University, College of Engineering. Detroit, MI. http://tinyurl.com/ AlternativeTechProgram aet@wayne.edu Hybrid Electric Vehicle Training Program Macomb Community College, Warren, MI. Contact Stan Urban: urbans@macomb.edu or (586) 445-7290 http://tinyurl.com National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium Community colleges offering alternative fuels training programs. Morgantown, WV. www.naftc.wvu.edu
EVENTS The Business of Plugging In A Plug-In Electric Vehicle Conference. Detroit, MI. www.bpiconference.com
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Electric Drive Transportation Association Conference and Annual Meeting April 19-21, 2011, Washington, D.C. http://tinyurl.com/ EDTAConference Future of Electric Vehicles: Europe June 2011, Germany www.idtechex.com/ electric-vehicles-europe-11 International Advanced Mobility Forum March 8-9, 2011, Geneva International Motor Show, Geneva, Switzerland www.iamf.ch/en/ Plug-In 2011 July 18-21, Research Triangle, NC plugin2010.com
PowerUp May 12-13, 2011, Wenatchee, WA www.plugincenter.com
FILM & VIDEOS Drive Electric PSAs A series of spots produced by Plug In America. www.pluginamerica.org/ drive-electric
Revenge of the Electric Car The story of the global resurgence of EVs. www. revengeoftheelectriccar.com What is the Electric Car? Traces the EV story from its early history to its resurgence.
www.WhatIstheElectricCar. com (trailer: http://tinyurl. com/WhatIsTheElectricCar)
Who Killed the Electric Car? Documentary about electric cars produced in the 1990s and early 2000s. www.sonyclassics.com/ whokilledtheelectriccar
GOVERNMENT & iNDUSTRY Plug In America Non-profit organization helping to accelerate the shift to plug-in cars. www.pluginamerica.org AFDC Federal and state incentives and laws. www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/ laws
Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center U.S. Department of Energy site with EV information. www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc California Air Resources Board: Zero Emission Vehicle Program Workshop calendar and information archive. www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/ zevprog/zevprog.htm California Cars Initiative (CalCars) Non-profit organization promoting PHEVs and conversions. www.calcars.org EV Foundation Provides support and funding to promote the advancement of EV tech. www.evfoundation.org
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Electric Auto Association The oldest non-profit organization promoting electric vehicles and conversions. www.electricauto.org Electric Drive Transportation Association Industry organization dedicated to commercializing electric cars through education and public policy. www.electricdrive.org Electric Power Research Institute Non-profit organization that conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity. www.epri.com Electric Vehicles Research Expert insight into global developments of EVs. www. electricvehiclesresearch. com Electrification Coalition A nonpartisan, not-forprofit group of business leaders promoting policies and actions that facilitate the deployment of electric vehicles on a mass scale. www. electrificationcoaltion.org Fueleconomy.gov U.S. Environmental Protection Agency site to compare the fuel-efficiency ratings of vehicles. www.fueleconomy.gov
Light Electric Vehicle Association Helps develop technical standards for and promote the use of LEVs. www.levassociation.com
The EVcast Presents information on electric vehicles in a nontechnical, non-political, and entertaining way. www.evcast.com
Plug-in Hybrid Development Consortium Alliance of PHEV component suppliers. www.hybridconsortium.org
This Week in Energy Demystifies home-brewed and grid-scale renewable and traditional energygeneration solutions, EVs, and smart-grid technologies. www.thisweekinenergy.tv
Project Get Ready A non-profit initiative led by the Rocky Mountain Institute preparing cities for the introduction of plug-in electric vehicles. www.projectgetready.org Set America Free A coalition of prominent individuals and non-profit organizations concerned about the security and economic implications of America’s growing dependence on foreign oil. www.setamericafree.org U.S. Dept. of Energy Vehicle Technologies Program Information about the federal government’s program to develop and deploy advanced transportation technologies that will improve fuel efficiency and displace oil. www1.eere.energy.gov/ vehiclesandfuels
pODCASTS Plug In America The official podcast of Plug In America. www.pluginamerica.org/ feeds/pia-podcast.html
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Renewable Energy World Magazine Source for renewable energy news and information. www. renewableenergyworld.com
SMARTPHONE APPS ChargePoint Coulomb Technologies locates ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations. http://tinyurl.com/ ChargePointStations
American Solar Energy Society A non-profit association of solar professionals and advocates. www.ases.org
Earthscan Resources Multimedia content on climate change, sustainable development, and environmnetal technology. www.earthscan.co.uk
American Wind Energy Association Trade association representing wind power developers, component suppliers, researchers, utilities, and others involved in the wind industry. www.awea.org
EV Charger Finder Locates public charging stations in association with www.EVChargerMaps.com. http://tinyurl.com/ EVChargerFinder
Find Solar Online tools for calculating the solar potential of property, locating a local installer for a free estimate, and finding local, state, and federal incentives or rebates. www.findsolar.com National Renewable Energy Laboratory The nation’s primary laboratory for renewable energy and energyefficiency R&D focused on advancing energy goals. www.nrel.gov
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
EVCharger Locator GPS-enabled locator for electric charging stations in the U.S. and U.K. http://tinyurl.com/ EVChargerLocator Energy [R]evolution Greenpeace provides information on a renewable energy future. http://tinyurl.com/ EnergyRev Green Car Envi A tour of technology, alternative energy application, and automotive innovation. http://tinyurl.com/ GreenCarEnvi
Resources |
Green Car Reports Green car info, reviews, & more. www.greencarreports.com Renewable Energy News Latest renewable energy news and information. http://tinyurl.com/ RenewableEnergyNews Virtual Vehicle Company Shows how buying a vehicle would affect consumers’ wallets, carbon footprints, and lifestyle, and recommends the best cars. www.vevdrive.com
TOOLS ONLINE Plug In America Vehicle Tracker Tracking what’s out and what’s coming. www.pluginamerica.org/ vehicles
Plug In America Accessory Tracker Tracking compliant chargers by vendor. www.pluginamerica.org/ accessories Clean Car Maps Lists and maps of alternative fueling stations, sponsored by South Coast Air Quality Management District and Federal Transit Administration. www.cleancarmaps.com EV Charger News The most extensive lists and maps of electric vehicle charging stations. www.evchargernews.com www.evchargermaps.com EV Finder Helps people locate new and used EVs. www.evfinder.com
Electric Car Calculator Find out if an electric car is the right choice for you. www.befrugal.com/tools/ electric-car-calculator Electric Car Stations Electric vehicle charger finder map with marker overlay and links to recently posted stations. www.electric.carstations. com Find Solar Calculate the solar potential of property, locate an installer for a free estimate, and find incentives or rebates. www.findsolar.com
VEHICLES Aptera Motors 2E 3-wheel electric vehicle. www.aptera.com
Acrimoto Pulse 3-wheel electric vehicle. www.arcimoto.com Brammo Inc. Enertia and Empulse electric motorcycles. www.brammo.com Chevrolet Volt. www.chevrolet.com/volt CODA Automotive All-Electric Car. www.codaautomotive.com Commuter Cars Electric Tango car. www.commutercars.com Electric Motorsport Native S electric motorcycle. www.electrimotorsport.com
Plugged in since 1967. Learn about electric cars from the folks who drive EVs, build EVs, and talk EVs. 60 chapters with open meetings from Alaska to Florida Monthly magazine Current EVents
Electric Auto Association Join us: www.electricauto.org
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@CoulombEVI Developers of ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations for EVs.
Companies, organizations, and individuals tweeting about plug-in EVs.
@pluginamerica Official feed of Plug In America. @AllCarsElectric For electric-car shoppers, fans and newbies. @Aptera Who said an efficient vehicle (or the company that makes it) couldn’t be fun? @AutoblogGreen Environmentally friendly car news site. Miles Electric Vehicles Low-speed, all electric cars. www.milesev.com
Myers Motors Duo and NmG 3-wheel electric cars. www.myersmotors.com
@batterystuff News about EV, cell, laptop, LiPo, and NiMH batteries.
Fisker Automotive Karma. www.fiskerautomotive.com
Nissan LEAF. www.nissanusa.com/leafelectric-car/index
@BradBerman Brad Berman. Hybrid and plug-in car fanatic. Auto industry researcher and analyst.
Ford Focus and Escape. www.fordvehicles.com/ technology/electric/ Mission Motors Mission One PLE and Mission R electric motorcycles. www.ridemission.com Mitsubishi iMiEV. www.mitsubishi-motors. com/special/ev
Tesla Roadster and the upcoming Model S. www.teslamotors.com Th!nk Th!nk City. www.thinkev.com Zero Motorcycles Zero S electric motorcycle. www. zeromotorcycles.com
@brammofan Following the momentum of the Enertia. @CODAautomotive Builds 100% electric cars and enables technology that powers them in an effort to reduce global dependence on fossil fuels. @ChevyVolt Official feed for the Chevrolet Volt.
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
@ecomagination GE’s commitment to build solutions to environmental challenges while driving economic growth. @ECOtality Leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies. @EPRINews An independent, nonprofit company performing research, development, and demonstration in the electricity sector for the benefit of the public. @evchels Chelsea Sexton. Just a girl who plays with cars. @ECarsReport The official feed of Electric Cars Report. @EVcast Hosts of the EVcast podcast on electric cars and other electric vehicles. @EVNow Feed of the blog EV Now: Dude, where’s my electric car? @EV_Research Feed of IDTechEx, an independent analyst company that has tracked the progress of electric vehicle technologies and commercialization for over 10 years. @ElectricMS_EV Specializes in the sales and service of EVs and supplies EV parts.
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@ev_perspective Community and resource center for EV professionals and enthusiasts. @EVfoundation Organization for the research, development and advancement of electric vehicle technology. @ElectricCarNews Follow the latest news on electric vehicles. @Electric_Cars News and information about electric vehicles. @ElectricDrive Feed of the Electric Drive Transportation Association. @ElectricMovie Feed of the feature film, Who Stole The Electric Car? @ElectricRiders The latest in electric motorcycles, ATVs, and scooters. @fiskerauto Fisker Automotive. @giantquesadilla Colby Trudeau. Plug In America’s social media czar. @GoElectricDrive Information about owning, plug-in cars. @GreenCarCongres Headlines from Green Car Congress. @GreenGarageBlog Musing from inside the Green Garage. @iMiEV Feed of the Mitsubishi iMiEV.
@LeafStations A portal dedicated to the Nissan LEAF. @OEVAorg Oregon Electric Vehicle Association. @MarcGeller Advocate and writer of public and corporate policy related to EVs, plug-in hybrids, and related source energy. Co-founder of Plug In America. @MissElectricUSA Shannon Arvizu, Ph.D., drives the hottest, cleanest cars of the future.
THINK City Small car big idEa 100% Electric Zero Emissions Fun to drive
@NissanLEAF Official feed of the LEAF. @parkpod Turnkey commercial systems for charging of electric vehicle of all types, from any manufacturer. @ProjectEVIE Around the world in an electric car. @revengeelectric EV industry news and film news from the crew of Revenge of the Electric Car. @sherryboschert Sherry Boschert. Cofounder of Plug In America. @TeslaMotorsClub EV forum for Tesla enthusiasts. @THINK_EV Official feed of Th!nk. @visforvoltage Discussion, advocacy, and information about EVs.
learn more at www.thinkev.com Follow us twitter.com/think_ev
become a fan facebook/thinkcityev
www.pluginamerica.org
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Glossary 120-volt outlet – A regular U.S. household electrical outlet that can be used to charge most electric vehicles. 240-volt outlet – Commonly used to power larger appliances, such as electric dryers, stoves, or air conditioners, it can provide faster charging of BEVs and some PHEVs than a 120-volt outlet. Battery electric vehicle (BEV) – Any vehicle that operates exclusively on power from the electric grid that is stored in the vehicle’s batteries. Charge station – Vehicle charging location with one or more parking spaces having charging equipment for users Charger – Located onboard new plug-in vehicles, this is the device that manages the feeding of electricity into batteries to recharge the vehicle. Conversion – A gasoline-powered car that is retrofitted to run partially or exclusively on electricity from the grid, such as an AC Propulsion conversion of a Toyota Scion Xb to eBox BEV or a Hymotion conversion of a Toyota Prius to a PHEV. Electric vehicle – Can include BEVs, PHEVs, GEVs (grid enabled vehicles), NEVs, MSEVs, and electric bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, etc. Also sometimes used to refer to hydrogen fuelcell vehicles, which do not plug into the grid and require much more energy on a well-to-wheels basis.
Electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE) – A device separate from plug-in vehicles that connects the vehicle’s charger to grid electricity for recharging. Can be mounted on a wall or pedestal at a home garage or found at charge stations away from home. Extended range electric vehicle (EREV) EREV is GM’s preferred term for its Chevy Volt PHEV. Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) – A type of hybrid vehicle and EV that combines a conventional ICE propulsion system with an electric propulsion system but without a plug. Internal combustion engine (ICE) – Engines that burn gasoline or other fuel for energy, found in every conventional vehicle (including hybrids) today. J Plug – see SAE J1772™ Lead-acid batteries (PbA) – Used in conventional cars for a century, these inexpensive batteries are much larger and heavier than more modern batteries but are used in some plug-in vehicles such as neighborhood electric vehicles. Level 1 charging – Charging from 120-volt outlets or EVSEs with 120volt connectors. Level 2 charging – Charging from EVSEs providing 240-volt connectors. Faster than Level 1 charging and pulls more current.
Level 3 charging – (also DC Fast Charging) Specialized high-voltage charge stations that can recharge a 100-mile electric car in about 30 minutes. Although there is no official DC Fast Charger connector standard in the US, chargers utlizing the Japanese CHAdeMO connector are being installed with DOE funding in some areas. Some manufacturers, including Nissan, are offering an optional port that accepts the CHAdeMO connector. Lithium-ion batteries (Li-Ion) – Lighter and smaller than other batteries due to greater storage capability, Li-Ion batteries will be featured in most modern electric vehicles. The Li-Ion family includes a number of LiIon chemistries. Nickel cadmium batteries (NiCd) – A battery chemistry that provides a driving range between that of lead-acid and nickel-metal hydride batteries, but has more toxic components. Nickel metal hydride batteries (NiMH) – Used in most BEVs in the 1990s and early 2000s, these provide a driving range between that of NiCd and Li-Ion batteries with excellent proven longevity. Off-peak charging – Charging electric vehicles during periods of low energy demand (typically overnight while most people are sleeping).
Payback time – The amount of time it takes for the savings from running one’s car using electricity rather than gasoline to eclipse the higher initial price of the vehicle. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) – A vehicle that uses both electricity from the grid and gasoline. Range anxiety – Apprehension felt by some drivers unfamiliar with electric vehicles who are overly concerned about getting enough charging for a battery electric vehicle BEV for their driving habits. This should be distinguished from drivers whose typical driving exceeds the capabilities of a given BEV. Regenerative braking Using an EV’s momentum to drive the motor as a generator in order to slow the vehicle and charge the batteries. Gasolinepowered cars waste this energy as heat and brake pads wear. Helps extend drivable miles in stop-andgo driving. SAE J1772™ – The North American design standard for Level 2 charging connectors for electric vehicles, adopted by the SAE International. All of the major automakers (except Tesla Motors) have adopted this standard so that Level 2 charging stations will be compatible with all modern EVs.
Opportunity charging Charging that occurs wherever and whenever possible, often for short periods of time.
Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-In Electric Vehicles
Series plug-in hybrid electric vehicle – A plug in hybrid electric vehicle that uses a gasoline engine to charge the batteries once the all-electric range has expired. Sometimes called an “extended-range electric vehicle” (EREV). Sodium-nickel-chloride batteries (NaNiCl) A battery chemistry used in some European BEVs that provides a driving range close to that of nickelmetal-hydride batteries. Also known as the Zebra battery. 3-wheel electric vehicle Legally classified as a motorcycle and not required to meet passenger vehicle safety standards. Examples: Aptera 2e; Myers Motors NmG or Duo, and Arcimoto Pulse. Time-of-use metering (TOU) – A rate structure that allows utilities to set different rates for electricity used at different times of day, depending on grid stress during peak consumption times. It can provide low-cost charging for electric vehicles that plug in during low-demand (off-peak) hours. Vehicle-to-grid energy (V2G) – The ability for energy stored in the batteries of electric vehicles to be returned to the electric grid. Well-to-wheels emissions – A vehicle’s total emissions from creating the fuel (e.g., gasoline or electricity), transporting and storing the fuel, and operating the vehicle. Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) – A vehicle that does not produce any tailpipe emissions. A BEV would qualify, but a PHEV would not.
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