Pilgrims and Pioneers…. Happy 4th of July!

The Continental Congress adopted a “Statement” entitled the Declaration of Independence on July 4^th 1776.  Click here for the text.

In this brave declaration, the signers declared their Independence and aired their objections of absolute tyranny as facts to be submitted to a candid world. These sentences prefaced a long list of transgressions. 

“The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”

As a solar powered two electric vehicle family, I feel a strong connection, a kinship to these words. Having lived under the monopolies of oil and our utility company in a financial form of bondage and tyranny, I have long dreamed of energy independence. Not to be held as high as absolute tyranny and not to be held as high as the bravery and sacrifices of the Continental Congress but  I and others have declared our independence  from the monopolies of big oil and our utilities. It’s a liberating feeling to have done so. I want to encourage my fellow Americans to follow in the paths of the early solar and EV pioneers and to be able to enjoy these freedoms and liberties.

In 2009 we began driving the electric BMW Mini-E,  We drove that car 18,000 miles a year.

We find it liberating that we could provide the power to our car from electricity that we generated on our roof.   We found that making our own fuel was liberating and a measure towards energy independence. We love our home and our life.  We are optimistic about our nation’s future.

We find it liberating   that the significant cost of utilities and gas is replaced by a paid off solar PV system and a utility bill of $300 a year powering our home and cars.  That’s almost $10,000 a year that our family can spend in our community creating American jobs and strengthening our community as opposed to enriching Oil Sheiks and Oil Barrons and exporting our nations wealth. 

We find it liberating that our money is not going to nations that are hostile to the US. 

We find it liberating that our consumption does not contribute to national economic drain caused by the seven trillion dollar expense of securing the waterways and protecting the supply of oil.

We find it liberating that our decision to generate zero emission renewable energy and drive zero emission cars is a small measure towards cleaner cities that most of our nations population live in. 

We find it liberating that we are contributing to the advancement of solar PV and electric cars that will one day soon replace oil. Oil that is so necessary and predictable in its transit routes in the theatre of war, essentially sitting duck oil tankers,  that 40% of our US casualties come from IED’s and attacks of our resupply convoys. That it is measurable for ever 24 fuel convoys an American soldier suffers a casualty and for every 50 fuel convoys an American soldier is killed.  

We find it liberating that we don’t visit gas stations and no longer need to worry about the volatile price spikes of gasoline that so damage the incomes of our families and our nation’s economic health.

We find it liberating that Solar PV and EV’s  are so easy and far less costly to maintain.  Solar PV lasting for 25 years plus and electric cars with 10% of the complexity of gasoline cars.

Our experience is that Solar PV & Electric Cars are a Liberation.

Americans… Democrats and Republicans, all, have always looked to the future, towards freedom and Independence.  With science and technology ushering in new opportunities,  Freedom of choice is allowing for our energy independence. I urge you to exercise that choice and discover how energy independence and freedom feels. 

May sunshine brighten your day.

Happy Independence Day! 

The BMW i3 & Light Bulbs. A Connection In Watts.

In modern homes, there can be well over 100 light bulbs inside and outside.  Gone are the days of one light bulb in the middle of the room, or one lamp fixture with one light bulb, or one porch light.   Today’s new homes feature architectural recessed lighting with several fixtures in a room and  lamp fixtures with multiple light bulbs.   Outdoor areas can become lighting masterpieces with dozens of lights in both the front and back yards set on timers illuminating for 2-6 hours per night. 

For kicks I counted the fixtures just in our homes master bath.  2 sets of vanity lights with 4 bulbs each over each sink, 4 recessed can lights, 2 recessed cans over the tub,  1 recessed can in the shower, 2 recessed cans in the lavatory, 1 light fixture in the lavatory fan fixture and 4 in the walk in closet. That’s 22 light bulbs in our master bath area alone!

Now shifting gears (that’s a bad metaphor because you don’t shift gears in an electric car) to the new BMW i3.  The BMW i3 is an extremely efficient, beautiful and fast electric car that Julie and I will be driving in several short months following on the heels of our great four year experience as field test pilots with the BMW Mini-E and the BMW ActiveE electric cars.

The BMW i3 will be highly optimized for efficiency by utilizing light weight aluminum and carbon fiber in its manufacture.  This optimization will result in an average of around 5 miles traveled per kilowatt of electricity used or 5 mpk.   If an average driver in the i3 drove 12,000 miles a year, they will use approximately  2,400 KWh per year.

The BMW i3  will use exclusively LED lighting both for interior lighting as well as for exterior headlights, brake lights and turn signals.  Which brings my thoughts back to the home.  What if like the BMW i3, a home used exclusively LED lighting  both inside and out?  How much energy could be saved?

Using a modern home and our lifestyle as an example, I would estimate that a 1/3 of those 100 light bulbs are on 4 hours a day,  1/3 are on 2 hours a day  and 1/3 are seldom or never on.   For an average of all the bulbs, I would say two hours per bulb is fair estimate (your family or home may vary.)   That gives us 200 bulb hours per day.   Assuming an average bulb rating of 60 watts,  We consume  12kwh a day, 360kwh a month, or 4300kwh per year in lighting  a modern well appointed home.

What if we switched those to LED like in the BMW i3?

The 60 watts that an incandescent bulb used would be reduced to 8 watts using an LED.  The 200 bulb hours a day for our modern house would now be reduced from 12kwh per day to to 1.6kwh per day, 48 KWh per month, or 585kwh per year.   That’s a savings of 3,715kwh a year switching from 60 watt  incandescent to LED.  

Needless to say the savings of 3,715 kwh a year is more than 150% greater than the usage of the 2,400 kwh a year used by the BMW i3 to drive 12,000 miles a year.    

The bottom line….. change the most used incandescent light bulbs in your home and save more than enough energy to power your BMW i3 electric car…forever.

My advise……Only change the bulbs that you use most often.  No need to change the bulbs that you seldom or never use.  Appliances, TV’s. DVR’s and cooling are other areas that you can save additional electricity. 

Drive for  less total energy after changing out your light bulbs...That’s a bright idea.


Authors note, (older, smaller homes or apartments will use considerable less lighting than this example.  Larger homes and estates can easily use triple this amount of energy for lighting, so results may vary,  If you have already made the switch to LED’s thank you.   Modern LED’s are available at your local hardware store and Costco in many popular sizes for $7 to $25 a bulb.)

The “Black Age” of Crude Oil, Now Entering Hospice Care.

It’s over, It’s done, It’s dying….thanks for the polluted memories.  

Much is made about the superior energy density of gasoline and gas cars, where one gallon holds the energy equivalent of 34kwhs of electricity.

Let me begin this writing by ripping that argument to shreds.

From free crude oil to the wheels of your car.

Nature provides crude oil, the raw material of gasoline, for free.  Throughout it’s conveyance chain (see above graph) on the way to the wheels of your car,  only 10% of the energy contained in the crude oil makes it to the wheels. The greatest losses on the way to the wheel occur with the gasoline engine.  A modern gasoline engine has maximum thermal efficiency of about 25% to 30%. Even when the engine is operating at its point of maximum thermal efficiency, of the total energy released by the gasoline consumed,  70-75% is rejected as heat without being turned into useful work such as turning the crankshaft.  The refining of gasoline consumes 6 to 8 kwhs of energy per gallon of gasoline produced thus a loss of 20% of the energy in a gallon of crude at the refinery.  Smaller losses of energy occur from the energy used by the fuel tanker truck that delivers to the gas station,  the fuel tanker ship that crosses the oceans, the energy required to pump heavy crude through a long thin straw or pipeline, extraction and so on. 

10% of the energy contained in crude oil makes it to the wheels of your car. Stated another way, less than 4kwh of energy per gallon of crude oil turns the wheels of your car.  90% of the energy or 30kwhs, per gallon of crude oil is wasted by the conveyance chain including the engine, to get to the wheels of your car.

From free sunshine  to the wheels of your car.

Nature provides sunshine for free.   Throughout it’s conveyance chain (see above graph) on the way to the wheels of your car, 70% of the energy harvested makes it to the wheels.  The losses occur at the Solar PV inverter, the EVSE to battery, Battery to motor, and loss at the motor and other smaller losses. The electric motor is over 90% efficient.   

70% of the sunshine harvested electricity makes it to the wheels of your car. 30% is wasted by the conveyance chain to get to the wheels of your car.

Now you know why the cost of solar fuel is 1/10^th  the cost of gasoline.

The world is now irreversibly in a fast pace transition to electric motive power with an ever increasing percentage of that electric power being created by zero emission sources such as wind, hydro and sunshine.

For the automobile industry, energy storage via battery and energy generation via sunshine are game changers of tectonic technological advancements. They create a new energy world where the individual car owner can also produce their own “fuel” in a space no greater than the rooftop of the carport that shelters their cars. They can do so at a cost that is 10% the cost of gasoline.

It’s not political fantasy, it’s technological advancement as solar gets more efficient and cheaper, and batteries get more energy dense, have longer cycle life and are reducing in cost per kwh of storage.  Elected officials from all parties would be wise to memorize and support this simple sentence.

In the “Black Age”  a few held and fiercely defended at great cost, the ownership of power made from crude oil that the earth provided for free.  The “Black Age” of energy trespasses  greatly against the “Commons” of the air that we collectively breathe with each breath drawn.

In the “Energy Equity Age” energy is equal access, all nations and individuals  have the opportunity of ownership of their own energy and zero emission transportation.   We’re not there yet, but we are rapidly getting there.

As my good friend, and fellow solar powered BMW Mini-E & BMW Active E driver Tom Moloughney so able and brilliantly expresses, EFOPEC.

Crude oil, May you rest in peace.

Cheers
Peder
80,000 miles of solar powered driving.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/electrical-motor-efficiency-d_655.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_gallon_equivalent

http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/

Ultra Fast Coolness 8X !

Just in a days work :)

I have the coolest job in the world! I pinch myself that I get paid to do this stuff.

It was my pleasure to work with The Clinton Foundation, (aggregation lead) the Electric Power Research Institute, National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, EVOasis Corporation, Fuji Electric, Mitsubishi, and Three Squares Inc. towards the establishment of a zero emission car share program and a “first in the nation” deployment of a universal intelligent transformer and fast DC charging plaza for Encinitas Ca.

Ambitious EV charging plaza picks up speed

By Jared Whitlock

Apr 19, 2013 • 38 views • 0 comments

A mock-up design of a proposed EV charging plaza at Vulcan Avenue and E Street. Rendering courtesy of Evoasis

ENCINITAS — In a sign of the times, a proposal calls for building the largest fast-charge EV plaza in California on the site of a former gas station. 

The goal: Help more locals get over “range anxiety” — the fear of being stranded should their electric vehicle run out of juice.

The plaza took a step forward last week when the City Council agreed to consider leasing property on the corner of Vulcan Avenue and E Street to San Diego-based Evoasis. If the plan gets the OK, Evoasis would install eight EV stations on a plaza, and the land would serve as the home base for an electric car-sharing program.

As proposed, the plaza would be able to accommodate all electric vehicles, and could charge 15 cars at one time.

The 50-kilowatt charging stations will also be able to recharge the depleted batteries of models like the Nissan Leaf in as little as 30 minutes. For those electric cars that aren’t compatible with fast-charge technology, it would take around five hours for a full charge.

Typically, most electric cars can go 60 to 90 miles with a full battery.

Angus Clark, CEO of Evoasis said that Encinitas was chosen to host the plaza because a year’s worth of traffic data showed that more electric cars travel through Encinitas than anywhere else in North County. Plus, he said there’s an increasing appetite among locals for green transportation.

“Encinitas has a reputation for being eco-friendly,” Clark said. “That’s well deserved from what we’ve seen. People drive electric cars or want to.”

Clark’s company recently opened one fast-charging station in San Juan Capistrano in Orange County. He added that the Encinitas plan for eight stations in one plaza is uncharted territory for the state in terms of size.

Additionally, HulaCar, a subsidiary of Evoasis, plans to offer a free-floating rental service with 40 to 50 electric Mitsubishi iMIEV cars to close the gap between short-range travels. Similar to Car2go, the plan calls for renters to pay by the minute. Once the user is finished, cars must be left anywhere in the service territory — most of North County’s coastal corridor — and prospective renters can locate vehicles closest to them online or with a smartphone app.

Although the plaza will serve as the hub for the rental cars, Clark noted that most of the vehicles would be spread throughout North County since they can be parked anywhere in the service area, leaving most of the spaces on the property unoccupied.

Clark envisions the rental cars serving not only residents, but also businesses.

“We want to get to a point when the local pizza shop is using these cars to deliver pizza,” Clark said.

The Clinton Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to cutting greenhouse emissions, is sponsoring the project. In a letter to the city dated Jan. 17, Stephen Crolius, transportation program director of the foundation, made the case that more EV charging stations are needed to break electric vehicles into the mainstream, citing range anxiety.

“The (Encinitas) lot has several attributes that make it desirable from our perspective,” the letter states. “One, of course, is its proximity to Interstate 5. A second is the fact that it’s just a block from the Coaster station. This opens up the possibility that the charging plaza could be integrated with an EV car-sharing hub.”

Currently, many EV stations receive electricity from a dedicated SDG&E transformer. The plaza, however, would take advantage of a newly developed convertor that could tap into a high-voltage line underneath the street, a less expensive means of powering all the stations.

Much of the cost to put in the plaza and supporting infrastructure would be covered by a $1.2 million grant from the California Energy Commission. From there, the plaza will be a self-sustaining business for Evoasis with user fees paying for operations.

Cars compatible with fast-charge technology could plug in for 20 minutes at a cost of $5 to $6. The pricing structure for other electric cars and longer durations is still being worked out. And Evoasis has yet to iron out the price per minute for car rentals.

To give more people access to the plaza, users will be encouraged to charge their vehicles for no more than 30 minutes at a time. But if requested in advance, an attendant would move cars to nearby parking spaces after an hour or two.

As proof of changing transportation preferences, the plaza would be constructed where a gas station used to be.

In 1992, the city bought the property that the gas station stood on. Shortly after, the station was demolished and developed into a public parking lot with 25 spaces. Right now, the property serves as overflow parking for City Hall.

Richard Phillips, the assistant city manager, said that the city would soon be discussing the terms of the lease.

“The project is brand new for us; we haven’t gotten that far,” Phillips said. However, he added that the city is “excited to proceed” with negotiations.

Should the proposal get city approval, Evoasis is eyeing a summer 2014 debut for the plaza and the launch of the rental car service.

Last year, Encinitas saw six new EV charging stations thanks to a public-private partnership and federal money that aims to put in a network of 14,000 stations throughout the nation.

Mike Ferry, transportation project manager at the nonprofit California Center for Sustainable Energy, said that the number of charging stations has dramatically jumped in the county — from three in 2011 to more than 500 in 2013.

“We have a rich ecosystem of stations in San Diego,” Ferry said. “People don’t have to dread where they’re going to charge.”

With more stations in place, he said there’s a growing demand for electric cars. Other reasons consumers are going electric: The “rollercoaster ride of gas prices,” the cost of electric cars has dropped and more models are being offered, Ferry said.

Since 2011, electric car sales have steadily risen in the county, reaching 225 this March alone, as measured by the number of rebates turned into the state, which captures 85 percent of those who purchase an electric car. That’s according to data kept by the California Center for Sustainable Energy.

Ferry said that a plaza in Encinitas makes sense, particularly for those going on longer trips.

“It connects the dots for those driving to Orange County and vice versa,” Ferry said. “L.A. and Orange County are seeing a boom in electric cars as well.”

Quietly Forward into the Future

2009, 1000 EV's (Mini-E , Tesla Roadster)
2011, 10,000 EV's, PHEVs (Nissan, Chevy, BMW ActiveE)
2014, 100,000 EV's, PHEVs (Nissan, Chevy, BMW, Tesla, Ford)

How long before we hit a 1,000,000? My guess would be 2017-18.

When Chevy and Nissan release gen 2 cars, sales will skyrocket similar to the Prius gen 2 experience. Tesla will release their gen 3 car, and update the Models S, BMW will have several models, Ford and Honda the same. VW and Toyota get in the game in an earnest way.

We will be in the 150-200 mile range at no premium over a comparable gas car (Tesla Model S is there today) and 80-100 mile range will be lower than the price of a comparable gasoline car. Gas is $5.00+ a gallon. Solar PV is $1.50 a watt. Standard Hybrids are everywhere made by everyone.
Electricity wins.

By 2020 Peder is having dinner with John at a very nice restaurant of Peder's choosing. (C'mon Diesel, I need you in order to win the bet)

The Cost of Fuel for Our Two Cars

Julie and I are driving (loving) our two electric cars, A BMW ActiveE and a Honda Fit EV. Both cars are working perfectly for our lifestyle.  This simple chart above we created using our real world experience and cost.

We both drove gasoline cars for nearly 30 years, we have been driving EV’s for five years.  We look forward to driving the ever improving EV’s powered by solar for the next 25 plus years. The EV’s have simply proven to be better cars that are more fun to drive, easier to drive, fuel and maintain.  We're a pretty typical family for suburban dwellers, 2 car family & garage, normal to high miles per year, lots of trips all over So-Cal.  Yes, once or twice a year we rent a car or trade with a family member to go on a road trip. They enjoy the experience of having an EV for a week or two.

A few points about the chart, it’s overly simplified in order to be very easy to understand.  

Both oil and sunshine begin as free. One finds you, the other you have to look for. One is getting less costly and easier, the other is getting more costly and harder. One has a short conveyance chain, the other a long one.

The Solar PV system is paid in full at a cost that is less than 4 years of buying gasoline.

Our actual mileage driven is 12,000 a year for me and 18,000 for Julie for a total of 30,000 miles per year.

The BMW ActiveE travels 3.4 miles per Kwh, The Honda Fit EV travels 4 miles per Kwh.  The BMW i3 will be equal to or more than the Honda Fit EV as it weighs far less.  We choose to use 4 miles per Kwh.  Your mileage per Kwh may vary (I love saying that!)

Our Solar PV system is already paid with the savings as we installed it in 2007.   

 Gas in our area is $4.40 a gallon, we choose to use $4.00 a gallon.

The historic increase in gasoline cost is 3.5% per year.  Over the last 10 years the increase in gasoline cost is 9.2% (source EIA)  We choose to use the 3.5% year over year number.

The cost of transmission lines is not included in the Solar PV equation.

The cost of port facilities, protection of shipping lanes, roads to transport the fuel and health care cost are not included in the gasoline equation.

Solar PV generation is higher in some places and lower in others, check you area here. http://gisatnrel.nrel.gov/PVWatts_Viewer/index.html

If you factor in Solar PV TOU rates (Peak time you sell your solar energy at a high price and Super off peak you charge your EV’s at low rates) the system size and cost would be 30% less. We did not factor in a TOU rate plan.

Solar PV system cost can vary, in San Diego California  it's running about $3250-$3750 per kw system size.

Cheers!
Peder 70,000 Sunshine powered miles. 

Laundromats & Gas Stations

Only a nostalgia buff could love the experience of a Laundromat.  I will grant you that they did serve for some as a “Mix and Match Dot Com” where true love was found along with the odd homeless single sock. In the romantic sense, Laundromats are far superior to gas stations.  

Most of us cheered the day when we had ascended in life to the convenience of having our very own personal washer and dryer. We could do laundry whenever we wanted, as much as we wanted, in the security of our home. We promised ourselves in silence, to never go back to the Laundromat. 

Gas stations are just like Laundromats, a mandatory drudgery that needs to be undertaken once a week during which you get to spend $60-$75 for the privilege of sharing with your community, a gas pump.

If only the price of gasoline were as stable as the prices at the Laundromat. The smell of soap far more pleasant than that of oil and gasoline. The chance for romance...at the gas station, forget it. At the gas station they charge you $4.00 for the gas to drive 25 miles.

Yesterday, the lines at Costco for gas

Following on the heels of the great inventions; the personal washer and dryer, now emerging is the personal fueling station. 

The personal fueling station is installed in your garage allowing you to fill up the car in the safety and security of your own home. You can fuel whenever you want, as much as you want. When you ascend in the convenience of your life thus having your own personal fueling station, you promise yourself in silence, to never go back to a gas station.

Once installed your own personal fueling station cost you $0.75 or less to drive 25 miles.  If you’re really adventurous,  you can make the fuel on the rooftop of your garage via sunshine for $0.40 to drive 25 miles, 1/10th the cost of buying an equivalent gallon of gasoline at a gas station. This cost is essentially fixed in price for the future.

How much does this personal fueling station cost? Far less than the average cost of a washer and dryer.  

What do I have to do to prepare for a personal fueling station? The hookup is similar to a washer or dryer.

The gasoline car and gas station are beginning to look very antiquated. 

Cheers
Peder 70,000 Sunshine powered miles.