January 2009 Solar Results

January 2009 Snow Covered Tree in Bend Oregon

This picture was taken at a friend's house in Bend. We had a fun time there and played at the Wanoga Snow Play Park. Meanwhile, at home our faithful little PV system was generating power. 

Here are the January statistics: 

  Energy: 122 kWh
  Peak Power: 2 kW

This January did better than last year. Jan 2008 yielded 105 kWh with a peak of 1.8 kW. 

Our total power is now at 4078 kWh. We have crossed the 4 Megawatt-hour mark!

* Pomp and Circumstance * Fan fair and Much Ado * 

This year, I am going to add a little more to the monthly reports. They will now include the EV miles that I have driven and an Estimate of the power this used. This way you can see if my driving is net zero. I'd like to have an actual meter on the charger, but it is 220V and these are hard to find (reasonably priced). 

Looking at last years data, the trend should go that during the winter the PV system cannot keep up with the driving power needs, then in the summer the PV more than makes up the deficit and generates a surplus that carries throughout the year. This seasonal shift in demand vs generation is beneficial to the grid since the PV system makes most of its power in the summer when it is needed to run all those air conditioners (including mine). 

The graph of power generated vs power used would look much better if the cycle were June to June. The point is not a pretty graph, it is annual net zero (or surplus). 

In Jan the EV had 426 miles. That is an estimated 298 kWh used by the EV. The PV system made less than half of this amount.

MPQ

The Sun Never Says "You Owe Me"

Freedom Act of 2009

Senate Bill S.271, the Freedom Act of 2009, is a bill that builds on the plug-in tax credits passed last year, offering significant breaks for EV manufacturers and providing consumer tax breaks for plug-in hybrid conversions, two wheeled, and three wheeled plug-in vehicles like those from Aptera, Brammo, Electric Motorsport, Hum Cycles, Myers Motors, Persu Mobility, Vectrix, and Zero Motorcycles. Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) are also included.

Via PIA Newsletter

Aptera: First Preproduction All-Electric Vehicle Complete, Full Production by October

With backing from Google, Aptera could make something extraordinary. The first preproduction all-electric Aptera model 2e has rolled off the line. The 2e will accelerate to 60 miles per hour in under 10 seconds, and reach a top speed of 90 miles per hour. Energy economy – its fuel is electricity – is the gasoline equivalent of 200 miles per gallon. Driving range should be least 100 miles.

“With the 2e set to hit the streets later this year, and with additional models already on our drawing board, Aptera will create some 1,500 jobs and more than 100,000 vehicles in the next five years,” says Aptera founder Steve Fambro. “We hope to change everyday driving forever by offering incomparable mileage and innovative technology at prices people can afford.”

Full production is planned for October. If you want one, it is time to get that early order in.

via Green Energy News

1BOG Comes to Portland

Are you interested in solar but the price is too big of a hurdle?

In addition to the incentives that just got better for 2009, now there is a new option. You can join a group of other people in the same boat and use collective bargaining to get a great price.  The Portland group already has over 20 people in it. Below is a 30 second video that explains 1BOG.

Links: 

Solar Oregon News

1BOG

Congress Giving "Cash for Clunkers"

Congress is considering paying people to do away with their gas guzzlers.

In Congress Wednesday Legislation introduced the "Cash for Clunkers" program; drivers would get a voucher of up to $4,500 by turning in their fuel-inefficient vehicles for scrapping. Drivers would then be able to use the voucher to buy fuel-efficient vehicles.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Cal. said it would be an important step in helping America’s struggling auto industry get back on its feet. Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine co-sponsor of the legislation said, "Taking gas guzzlers off the road would stimulate the economy."

The program would operate for four years and could take up to 1 million gas guzzlers off the road saving up to 80,000 barrels of fuel a day by the end of the fourth year.

The $4,500 voucher would only be eligible for purchasing a new or used vehicle with a fuel economy rating that exceeds federal targets for that class vehicle by at least 25%. Also, to be eligible the retail price must be less than $45000 and be a 2004 model or later.

The vehicles that can be turned in for the voucher must be drivable and registered in the U.S. They also must have a fuel economy rating of less than 18 MPG.

The first year of the program would give a driver turning in a qualified vehicle a $4,500 voucher for the purchase of a new vehicle or $3,000 for the purchase of a used vehicle that met the fuel economy standards. For drivers trading in a 1999 to 2001 vehicle, they would receive a $3,000 voucher for the purchase of a new vehicle. Drivers turning in a vehicle 1998 or before would receive a $2,000 voucher for a new vehicle.

The cost of the program would be estimated at $1 billion to $2 billion a year.

From BeyondFossilFuel.com

Yellow Pages Goes Green

OPT OUT and Stop the Delivery of Unsolicited Telephone Books. This website will notify the publishers to stop sending you books.

You can use one of the many online phone books. Or you can call the free GOOG411 (1-800-GOOG-411) from any phone. 

http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.com/stop-yellow-pages/ 

Electric Cars, Yes We Can!

[Photo: Preston Keres - The Washington Post]

Making his way to Washington D.C. on a on slow train, President-elect Obama retraces the 137-mile route that President Lincoln followed to the Capital. Along the way electric car patriots spell it out.

[Photo: Nikki Kahn - The Washington Post]

A Long Journey Ends - washingtonpost.com

Energy Politics

Energy, in all its various forms, is the issue of our generation. We fight wars over it, our GDP is linked to it, global warming...

We have come to a point where change is required. "Change" is what America voted for in the recent election. Here is a brief video look at President-elect Obama's energy policy. 

Set America Free Conference

Set America Free conference featuring a roster of experts on national security, alternative fuels and electric vehicle technology.




Links
EV World

Solar Car Coming to Portland

Hot off the presses!! The Globe trotting Power of One (Xof1) Solar Car is coming to Portland this Thursday.

The solar car is on a quest to set a new world record for solar traveled distance. 

Come see the car and hear about this amazing adventure this Thursday night (1/15/09) at the Ecotrust Bldg.

Here is a link to more info and to RSVP for this free event. 

5:00 pm - Xof1 solar car on display at Ecotrust
6:00-7:15 pm - Presentation in second floor conference room. Space is limited.

via Solar Oregon

Build Your Dreams Pt2

In part one of this post, we discussed BYD and why branching out into cars (especially plug-in cars) is a great business plan for a battery company. Now in part 2, we'll look at BYD Auto's planned products.

What does BYD have to offer?

BYD does not (yet) make trucks or SUVs. They are focused exclusively on cars. They make traditional internal combustion cars, as well as plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and battery electric cars. 

They currently have five body styles:

1. F0 - two-door subcompact
2. F3 - four-door compact sedan 
3. F3R - four-door hatchback 
4. F6 - four-door larger mid-size sedan
5. F8 - two-door roadster

Then there are three drivetrain styles:

1. (blank) - internal combustion
2. DM - plug-in hybrid
3. e - Electric

You can mix and match the body names and the drive-train suffixes for 15 different vehicles. Like the F3e, an electric 4-door, or the F6DM, a PHEV sedan. Not all 15 mix and match possibilities are planned for production. 

In July 2006, BYD showed a prototype of their F3e powered by BYD's "Ferrous" (or Fe) line of lithium iron phosphate batteries. BYD claims a range of 180 miles per charge and a projected battery life of 300,000 miles. BYD has said that they will mass produce both an F3e and an F6e.

If you need to drive more than 180 miles per day, then -you- -drive- -too- -much-. If an EV will not work for you because you don't have electrical outlets where you normally park or roadtrips are a regular part of your driving routine, then the PHEV would be a better choice. With a PHEV plugging in is optional. When you do plug-in, you use less gasoline.

BYD started working on their PHEV designs in 2003. They currently have 500 auto engineers working on the PHEV designs, which they refer to as "Dual Mode". When Toyota, GM and others say Dual Mode they mean that the vehicle is powered by combustion and electricity, aka two mode hybrid. BYD on the other hand, means that the car is both a plug-in EV and a full hybrid. So to be clear, I will refer to BYD's Dual Mode as a PHEV. 

BYD is working on PHEV versions of both the small sedan (F3DM) and the larger sedan (F6DM). Both can travel 62 miles (100 km) in electric mode on a charge. After that they become normal hybrids using their small gas engines and electric motors. Both have a top speed of over 90 MPH. 

Cost & Availability

The F3DM is expected to be launched in 14 Chinese cities in 2009 at a cost of about RMB 150,000 or around $22,000 USD. BYD initially said that it is targeting this car for the US market in 2010, then late in 2008 they moved this date to 2011. It is likely that the US version of the car will cost more than $22k. I'll make a guess that the US price will be $27,495. The F6DM will likely cost $4,000 to $5,000 more than the F3DM.

The federal government has already passed new vehicle incentives that can reduce the price of a plug-in car by up to $7500.  Additionally, Oregon Governor Kulongoski has proposed a $5,000 tax credit for plug-in cars to replace the current $1,500 credit on hybrids that Oregon offers. This would be on top of the $7,500 federal tax credit. Together, that's $12,500 off the price for Oregonians. If my price guess is correct, this would make the final cost, in Oregon after incentives, only $15,000 for the F3DM.

The Oregon incentive is currently just the governor's 2009 proposal. It is not yet in effect but it is part of a larger climate package bill that seems likely to pass. It could pick-up some stipulations along the way. Oregon has been wooing BYD to locate US manufacturing in the state. This incentive could be tied to those efforts by restricting the money such that it only applies to US assembled cars. 

Why GM Should Be Scared

The shift to (partial) electrically powered transportation is a major technology transition. These transitions happen over and over in the high tech industry. Companies and products that did not exist 5 years ago become mainstream and soon we wonder how we ever lived 

without them. A few years later, many are eclipsed and replaced by another. The auto industry has been relatively immune to these technology shifts. The only serious threat they have had to deal with is the rise of the Japanese competition. And they were losing that fight. Now they will have to deal with Chinese companies too. Welcome to the world of innovate or die. If BYD causes a "Wal-Mart" effect on the auto industry, it will be a true game changer.

Comparing the F3DM to the Volt

	BYD F3DM	BYD F6DM	Chevy Volt
Electric Range	62 Miles	62 Miles	40 Miles
Announced US Availability *	2011	2011	Dec 2010
Cost ** (pre-incentive)	$27,500	$32,000	$35,000

* final dates have not been announced

** final prices have not been announced for any of these vehicles, these are just my guesses

BYD has a longer electric range, cheaper price, more body styles. They also have pure EVs planned, so you can select the propulsion type that best fits your driving needs.

The longer electric range of the BYD cars will result in a higher gas mileage when blended with gasoline use, such as 120 miles on a weekend to the beach or the mountains. Whereas GM has announced that they think 40 miles is the 'right' electric-only range (the recently announced Cadillac Converj concept EREV also reportedly has a 40 mile electric range). GM has said that as battery tech improves, they will maintain a 40 mile range and will simply use fewer batteries. This is a stark example of BYD thinking like a battery company making cars versus GM's thinking like a car company forced to use batteries. 

Not as Easy as It May Sound

BYD still has a long way to go. 

If Governor Kulongoski does get the BYD assembly plant in Oregon that he is hoping for, the wages paid to American workers would be significantly higher than their Chinese counter parts, thereby reducing some of the cost advantage that BYD currently enjoys.

Their cars still have to pass the stringent U.S. crash test and safety standards. They do not have a dealership network in America. In fact, I am not aware of even one (freeway speed) Chinese car currently for sale in the USA. The global economic slowdown has reduced all car buying. Considering these obstacles, limited volume in 2012 might be more realistic. 

Links:
Warren Buffett looks to electric car in BYD stake

Portland to electric car maker BYD Auto: Build your car here. Please!

BYD News

World's First Plug-In Electric Car Goes On Sale Next Month -- in China

F3DM

F6DM

BYD PHEVs coming to America in 2010 (2)

Build Your Dreams

You might not have ever heard of BYD Co., but if you have a cellphone or an MP3 player, it is likely powered by one of their batteries. BYD (Build Your Dreams) is a company based in Shenzhen, China. Founded in 1995 it has rocketed from obscurity to become one of the world's largest producers of cellphone batteries. 

The company has caught the eye of Warren Buffet. Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway recently purchased a $232 million stake in BYD Co. citing its management and R&D strengths.

Look out GM, BYD is coming to town

If you are a battery company and you are looking for a new market today, where do you look? Cars! Hybrids, plug-in hybrids, & electric cars all need batteries, lots of batteries.  

BYD is already selling a plug-in hybrid in China and on Monday they will unveil the car to the North American audience in Detroit on the main floor of Cobo Hall. They will also being showing the e6 electric CUV and providing details about the battery and plug-in hybrid system.

To branch into the auto industry BYD did not attempt to make a deal with an existing car company, unlike A123 who had pinned their hopes on GM selecting them for the Volt (GM selected LG Chem instead). Rather, BYD bought a car company and started BYD Auto. 

Does BYD have a chance? 

To understand why I think BYD could be successful, you'll have to understand why I think previous EV attempts have failed. 

The documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? lists several "suspects". GM claimed there was no significant customer interest, that the batteries were not ready and that customers had "range anxiety". The documentary clearly shows all of these not to be true, there were waiting lists for the cars and the people who had leased them loved them so much some were willing to be arrested in an attempt to keep them and to prevent them from being crushed. Then there are those that believe in the big oil conspiracy that forced EVs out of existence.

My hypothesis is much simpler. EVs were not profitable vehicles. Producing an EV costs nearly as much as an internal combustion vehicle before you add the cost of the batteries. The battery packs then can add $10,000-$30,000 to the cost of the car. That business model does not work when the car company has to buy the batteries from someone else and then try to sell the car profitably. Plus, now the most important aspect of the vehicle's performance, the batteries, is outside of the car companies' core competency. 

"The holy grail continues to be the battery technology," said John Viera, Ford's sustainable business strategies director, at a New York sustainability forum. "That's the thing that is making electric vehicles cost-prohibitive."

When GM says the batteries are/were not ready, they mean batteries are not a commodity item like steering wheels, seats or tires that they can get cheaply from multiple vendors.

The GM EV1 (and my Chevy S-10 Electric) used batteries from Delco or ECD Ovonics. Cobasys provides most of the batteries for American hybrid cars today. Toyota uses Panasonic batteries. Volkswagen and Audi are partnered with Sanyo. That means the profits for plug-in cars are shared between the automaker and the battery company.

Conventional car manufactures have no significant expertise in battery technology. They are, therefore, dependant on other companies. BYD on the other hand, is using cars as a new way to sell their batteries.

For plug-in cars, the most challenging engineering problem is energy storage, aka the batteries. In short, I think BYD can be successful because they are foremost a battery company.

So what is BYD doing with all this technology? Stay tuned for the next post about their cars.

Part 2>>

Just Do One

JustDoOne.org invites ideas for more sustainable living summarized in short YouTube-style videos. The organization will share the entries online, and the best video entry, as judged by an expert panel, will win $5K. Responses due 3/1/09.

Link

Here is a sample video:

Point Salem in the Right Direction

It is a new year and state legislature has a lot of work ahead of them. Want to make sure they are working on what is important? 

You can join Oregon Environmental Counsel and the Oregon Conservation Network on Tuesday, January 13th in Salem for the Day of Action. 

Learn how to effectively lobby your legislator and find out how to get more involved in two of OEC’s priorities—global warming and transportation issues. 

You can help secure passage of Governor Kulongoski’s climate change package and the Governor's proposed “Jobs and Transportation Act.” The climate change legislation focuses on four key areas: greenhouse gas reductions, energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable transportation.

Link

Hypermiling

Welcome to 2009. If you made a resolution to be a little greener or save a little money, here is one idea. 

Have you heard of Hypermiling? Hypermiling was named the 2008 Word of the Year by the New Oxford American Dictionary.

In short, Hypermiling is driving for maximum fuel efficiency. You can use many of the techniques in any car, even a gas guzzler. Some avid hypermilers have achieved more than double the rated MPG. That is impressive considering that they do this by changing how they drive. 

In search of extreme MPG, some take it even further and modify their rides. This is known as "ecomodding". Simple mods are things like removing the roof rack, radio antenna, windshield wipers and side mirrors.

Let's stick with just hypermiling for now.

There are lots of techniques that hypermilers use. These are a toolkit and the right tool depends on the vehicle in question (hybrid, automatic, manual...), the road (hills, flat, curves...), and traffic.

Most drivers try to get as quickly as possible from point A to B. Let's turn that on its head and try to get there as efficiently as possible. Some of the hypermiling basics with broad application include:

1. Remove Extra Weight
2. Correct Tire Pressure
   
3. Avoid Idling
4. Gradual Acceleration and Stopping
5. Anticipatory Focus
   
6. Roller-coaster Driving

#1 Take the junk out of the trunk. Remove the extra weight so there's less to mass to accelerate each time you take-off. This saves gas (and brake pads). So take your golf clubs or that 40 pound dog food bag out unless you need them on that trip.

#2 Keep your tires properly inflated, This simple and improves your mileage. We all heard this one during the presidential campaign.

#3 Avoid Idling: If you are going to be stopped for more than 30 seconds and you can safely do so, turn off your engine. Every minute your engine idles equates to about 1/2 mile of wasted fuel. Hybrids (and EVs) get this one for free.

These next three are actually driving techniques and I want to stress that they need to be done safely and legally. Saving a few bucks on gas does not help you if you have to pay to get your car towed away from an accident and repaired. 

#4 Gradual acceleration allows your engine to run in its more efficient lower RPM range. And you will likely develop a gap between you and the car in front of you. You'll need this to allow for longer stopping distances.

If you coast to a stop, then it will take a longer distance, this means that you'll have to start sooner and therefor take your foot off the gas sooner. Both are pluses. This also allows more time for the traffic situation ahead to change so maybe you won't have to stop at all. This could even mean that you pass normal drivers that had to stop.

#5 Anticipatory Focus. This is really just "Attentive Driving", being aware of your surroundings and what is coming up. If there is a traffic light up ahead, time it so you can roll on through without hitting the brakes. Even if you have regenerative brakes, preserving momentum is more efficient.

#6 Roller-coaster Driving or gravity assisted driving as I like to refer to it. Typically drivers will brake on the downhill and then hit the gas on the uphill. Hypermilers would coast down the hill allowing gravity to accelerate them and then dissipate this extra velocity as they climb the next hill. And if you are going the speed limit when you approach the downhill (rather than 10MPH over it), you can legally allow gravity to accelerate you.    

To use these, leave a little early so you are not rushed.  You can arrive less stressed and feeling that you did a little something to help conserve. Many of the hypermiling methods also work to improve the electric range in PHEVs or EVs. You get a better Watts per mile and the batteries can take you farther.

Feedback is what you need so you know when you are getting it right. Many cars include an instantaneous MPG readout. The new Eco-Assist Gauge Cluster in the 2009 Honda Insight takes this feedback to the next level. If your car does not have an MPG read out, you can buy an after market one that plugs in to the diagnostic port and display the info.

Funny sidebar: when I was searching for info for this story, one of the ads that popped up said "drive like there is no tomorrow".  To which I thought, 'boy did they buy the wrong keywords'. Hypermiling is driving like there is a tomorrow. If you drive like there is no tomorrow, that may become self-fulfilling.

Links:

Audio from EV Cast EVcast: Hypermiling!

Hypermiling.com

CleanMPG.com

Hypermiling Safety Foundation

EcoModder

Oxford Word of the Year 2008

Honda Debuts Eco-Assist Gauge Cluster

Planet Tesla

The Planet Tesla picked up my recent blog entery about Intel's 100kW PV system and asks the question "How many Tesla EVs could it power?".

You can check out the blog here Planet Tesla. Enjoy.

December 2008 Solar Production

In December of 2008, after 13 months online, we had our first zero power production day. On December 20th, our solar panels were completely covered with snow.  On that day and the next 6 our panels were covered and produced no power.  In the three pictures below, you can see the progression of snow. 

Our solar panels when they were installed
Full Power Production

Partially snow covered panels on December 14th
Minimal Power Production

Fully Covered Panels

Zero Power Production

On the night of December 26th, after a day of rain, with a big crash, the snow and ice slid off all at once, leaving just a little snow on 2 panels.

Our total power production for December was 56 kWh. This is our lowest month since we powered on. A few good days in July can generate more than this entire month. In December of 2007 we generated 66 kWh of power. This is the first time that we can compare a full month from the prior year.

This ends our 2008 power production. We generated 3856 kWh for the year. This puts our total at 3960 kWh total, so close to the 4 megawatt mark. A goal for next month. 

*Recaping 2008* 

Total: 3856 kWh

Best day: June 15th with 26 kWh

Best Month: July with 614 kWh

MPQ