Archive for the ‘Educational’ Category
Life Style Change
When I decided to buy an EV, it was primarily based on reducing my carbon footprint. I ran the numbers and found that the more expensive EV, plus cheap and free electricity would cost less than a comparable gasoline car plus gas, plus oil changes in just over 3 years.
When I got my EV, I immediately began saving money on fuel. Then came the rebates. I took the rebates and tax savings and bought an EV charger, more efficient appliances, LED light bulbs, and an induction stove.
Even though my electricity went up from having an EV, I started saving money on electricity because of the efficiency upgrades. Then my wife got her EV.
With all these savings, I took my pond pump off the house electricity and bought a DC pump and powered it with a 135watt solar panel, saving me 400kwh/month.
Seeing the simplicity and carbon reduction, I took the plunge and got solar for my house.
Sufficed to say, buying an EV started a process that snowballed into a money saving (and carbon saving) life style change for myself, wife, and two kids that will eventually change the world for the better.
New EVSE Location in Concord
Kudos to Concord for installing a dual Level 2 EVSE downtown.
Concord: Electric vehicle charging station coming to Todos Santos Plaza parking garage.
Unfortunately they have decided to go the route of $/h rather than the more practical and fair $/kwh.
Fuel Cell Vehicles
None of the Hydrogen compliance-vehicle cheer-leading articles mention the inherent inefficiencies with the proton exchange membrane. Basically, a FCV is an EV with an H2 tank and PEM. Everything else is the same. Even to store the regen power, like all EV/Hybrids it needs a battery (hmm really?). PEMs are between 50-60% efficient, compare that to a battery at 95-99%.
There’s two ways of making H2:
Methane reformation (greenhouse gasses) so the environmental camp is out. Enough said here.
Water electrolysis, basically that science class experiment. Clean, and be powered by ELECTRICITY, hopefully from renewable resources (again count out the eco crowd if not). If you take that electricity and electrolyze water you get approx 83% efficiency. Compare that to 95-99% for charging an EV with that same ELECTRICITY.
Overall an EV “tank” to wheels efficiency is 67-81%, a FCV tank to wheels efficiency is 30-45%. That is better than 20 to 30% that is gasoline and diesel, but not by much.
The only reason FCVs have any interest is the quasi-clean image with range greater than current EVs. If Tesla says a 200 mile $35k EV is in the works, then what’s the purpose of FCVs?
BTW we can all make the fuel for EVs at home. FCVs are dependent on H2-producing corporations.
Pleasant Hill Upgrade Update 2
The four level 2 chargers are fully functional!
Data: I am fully functional
As you can see, the new updated pedestal features an LED screen, albeit a bad picture.
Although the three new stalls do not have signage nor do they have painted stalls indicating EV only parking, and of course all three were ICEd.
The city hall charger is also up and running, unfortunately without the same obvious EV only notifications.
