Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Range Anxiety never goes away completely

The longer you drive your electric car the more you grow accustomed to how much energy it will consume along the routes you regularly drive.  The occasional new route is usually no sweat because you already know your safe driving radius from your home.  I know I can generally count on driving 4 miles per tick (out of 16) on the charge-level gauge, with each tick representing about 1KWh of charge.  So, I can safely drive about 60 miles without much worry and still have a margin of about 4 miles remaining.  My drive to work regularly uses up nine ticks, leaving me with six or so to run errands near home after work.  Most places I’ll visit are within 5 miles of home, so this works out well.  The problem comes when I start traveling unknown routes that extend to the range of my safe-driving radius, especially when a significant elevation change is involved.

The case-in-point happened last Mother’s Day (actually, the day before – to avoid the crowds).  My siblings decided to treat mom to a picnic at one of the nearby wineries in the Saratoga foothills.  Ordinarily, the trip from my house to the winery is about 16 miles, with the final 3 miles involving a significant climb in elevation.  32 miles round-trip is easy to do.  But, it was my turn to bring along mom, so I had to drive first to her place (14 freeway miles) and then to the winery (10 miles), for a total distance of 48 miles round-trip.  But, that morning I had to run an errand and used up 9 miles of charge already, making the total trip for one charge about 57 miles.  Factoring in the uphill climb was starting to make me nervous about completing the trip.  Fortunately, I had surface streets as backup options for the return trip home.


The trip went better than I had expected, thanks in part to two factors.  First, my morning errand was done entirely on city streets, which uses about 20% less charge to drive the same distance.  The second factor was more significant.  I keep thinking like I did in my gasoline powered car …  If I started my trip with 14 ticks on the gauge,  I would need 7 remaining by the time I reach my destination or I might not make it home.  As I was about a mile from the winery, the seventh tick cleared and I knew I would only narrowly make it home if I didn’t plan my driving carefully.  But, I wouldn’t have to worry about that until after the picnic at the winery.  Then, on the way home, the second factor kicked in.  Driving three miles downhill give me back one tick on the charge gauge, meaning that I had an extra four miles I could drive, and I used nothing for those three miles – for a total of seven miles.  (I’m telling you, it’s a mind game driving the hills in an electric car.)  The end result is that I had two ticks remaining on the charge gauge when I pulled into my driveway, and I was even able to run to the local store and back for dinner supplies.

Friday, December 4, 2015

A busy day ahead


It all started off easy enough…  I was invited to a party at my younger sister’s place on the east side of town.  Then, my mom called and told me that my older sister would be arriving the same afternoon and asked if I could give her a ride to mom’s place on the west side of town.  Then my older sister called and wanted to join me at our sister’s party before heading to mom’s.  With a reliable 60+ mile range, I was starting to worry about whether I could drive that far.  I tried estimating energy use in my head by counting the charge-level ticks it usually takes me to drive each stretch and came up with too many unknowns (and not enough ticks leftover for comfort).  So, I let the real engineer inside me solve the problem.  That, and a little help from Google Maps.

So, I needed to bring supplies (ie: wine) to the party on the east-side, wait for a phone call for a trip to the airport (and back), then a trip from my sister’s party to my mom’s house, and finally home.  I broke the trip into segments and measured each using the Google Maps directions feature:  (1) my house to my sister’s party: 4.7 miles city/5.6 miles freeway; (2) my sister’s place to the airport: 8 miles mixed/10 miles freeway (each-way); (3) my sister’s place to my mom’s place: 18 miles freeway; and (4) my mom’s place to my place 13 miles.  If I saved time and stayed on the freeway, I would drive just under 57 miles, which is too close to the 60+ miles that tends to limit my car on the freeway.  So, I favored city routes where it made sense, cutting the trip to just over 52 miles, and extending the range by three miles or so along the way (by driving a little slower). 

How did it turn out?  The extra city driving added about five minutes to each leg through town, which was easily managed and really did not impact my plans at all.  After driving the 52 miles, I needed to make two more errands near home, bringing the total trip to 55.7 miles according to the trip odometer.  So the car made it, but how much charge was left?  Driving home from the last errand, the gauge ticked down just a few hundred feet from home, leaving three bars (out of sixteen) on the charge gauge.  Typically, this is enough to drive another 11 miles on the freeway or up to 14 miles around town (the range gauge suggested 15 miles remaining).  So, all told, I could have safely driven 68 to 70 miles this day.  Fortunately I didn’t need to run the A/C on the car, or the results would have been different.

Friday, June 19, 2015

Good things come of people behaving badly

Somebody must have noticed the situation at work with the level-2 electric vehicle chargers.  Lately, the EV mailing list has been fired off with regular announcements of people leaving their car in the charging spaces after they have finished charging while others practically beg for a couple of hours of connection time.  (It doesn’t help that nearly all the convenient parking is now in use too, leaving disconnecting folks limited parking options.)  People are struggling to learn the new etiquette surrounding public infrastructure sharing.  We all struggle to find an opportunity to charge, but we seldom think about our impact when we fail to disconnect and vacate the charging space in a timely manner.  Sharing is a trait acquired in one’s youth when growing up with siblings, although this can also lead to hoarding.  Fortunately, the company decided to take the next step toward being a good advocate of electric vehicle adoption.

About two weeks ago, I noticed that a number of parking spaces near the employee entrance to the building had been roped off, and digging/trenching was underway.  I followed the route (visually) of the trenching and saw that it connected to the building and up to the roof (where the solar panels are).  I asked one of the construction crew members what the project was and they said they were working on installing four new charging stations with two plugs each, producing eight new charging spaces.  Added to the existing fourteen plugs and that amounts to more than 50% more charging points for us electric vehicle drivers.  Now, as I walk past the site each evening as I leave, I admire the new stations as they await final connection in the coming days.  Soon, we won’t have to depend quite so much on everybody’s etiquette and consideration.  I can hardly wait.

Saturday, June 6, 2015

To charge, or not to charge

Anybody over the age of 30 remembers the first NiCad rechargeable batteries from the 1990’s.  These batteries needed to be depleted completely before recharging or they would “remember” how much you used and only recharge that amount in the future.  NiMH batteries got rid of the “memory” issue, but did little to improve charge capacity or battery life.  My first hand-held device had a Li-Ion battery and came with instructions to let the battery drain to 25% to 75% before recharging.  I followed that advice to a large degree and managed to get three years of useful charge from the battery before it started to dwindle.  I did not follow that advice for my laptops and those batteries all failed to hold the originally promised charge beyond two years.  With my first two cell phones, I was diligent about appropriate battery charging and managed to get more than four years of nearly full charge capability from each before the batteries started to degrade.
Five ticks remaining on the I-MiEV charge gauge (5/16)

So, before I even bought my electric car back in 2012, I knew how to better care for the battery.  Wait for the charge to drop below 75% full before recharging and avoid complete discharges when possible.  My commute usually draws the battery down to about 45% remaining, so this represents an ideal point at which to recharge the car.  But, when I know I will be working from home the next day, should I wait to charge the car or charge it right away?  The ideal choice for extended battery life (according to articles I have read) is to complete charging within an hour or two of when you expect to drive again.  The thinking here is that maintaining a full charge for an extended period strains the battery, ultimately weakening it.  But, the practical choice is to have the car ready to drive in case of an unexpected need the next day (which seldom happens for me).  So, I choose to charge at night and have the car sit fully charged the next day.

The real trouble arises when I use the car the next day to run a short errand and I use less than 25% of the battery capacity.  (Typically 85% to 90%of the charge will remain.)  Then I have to drive to work on the following day.  I admit that I like my comfort zone when it comes to the car’s range.  I don’t enjoy learning just how far I can push the car without running out.  While I can get to work and back and still have at least 25% of the charge remaining, it reigns-in my after work activities, limiting me to a short trip to a local store.  On the other hand, recharging with only 10% to 15% drawn off the battery will accelerate its decay.  When I know I need to do some extra driving I will recharge before driving to work.  When I have no plans, I drive on the reduced charge and hope for the best.  Sometimes, I have the option to charge once I get to work, which allows me to run those after-work errands.  To date, my efforts have paid off as I have lost less than 5% of the original driving range after 41 months of ownership.  (Mitsubishi warrants that 80% of the charge capacity will remain useful for ten years.)

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Measuring Battery Degradation

One thing that I "miss" about driving my gasoline powered car is being able to calculate the fuel efficiency for any fill-up.  The math was straight-forward:  divide the miles driven by the fuel used to top off the tank and presto!  MPG.  Home EV chargers don't typically display the amount of electricity consumed during a charge-up cycle, so it's nearly impossible to compute the energy efficiency accurately.  There were a number of reasons for doing this with the gas car.  Most importantly was to understand how my driving habits impacted my fuel economy.  Secondarily, by watching for a drop in fuel economy I could detect problems in the engine that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.  A misfiring spark plug, a problem with the emissions equipment, or low (or burning) oil could all have a small impact on fuel economy (though newer cars have sensors for these problem areas).  So, why would I want to do this with an electric car?

Anyone who has used the same cellular phone for more than two years has noticed that the "talk time" starts to drop off after a few years.  Suddenly, sending a few text messages drains the battery faster than a phone call, and forget about doing anything beyond an e-mail scan using the internet, because the power will drain quickly.  Electric cars use a very similar battery technology, so it is logical to expect that the driving range of an electric car will start to drop off after a few years.  The manufacturers even admit to this storage decay in their warranty for the car's battery.  In my case, the warranty assures me that 80% of the original charge capability will be available after ten years.  So, how do you know if your battery charge capacity is dropping?
The charge gauge on my Mitsubishi i-MiEV is informative but lacks precision

To check your battery's capability, you have two options.  For those who are math averse, you can drive the car until the battery is depleted (or indicates about one mile of range remaining).  The problems with this approach are that it tends to leave you stranded somewhere, and completely draining the battery hastens its end-of-life, making the problem worse.  Enter mathematics ...  Instead of looking at the range, look at the distance traveled per kilowatt hour.  To measure this, you have to get an accurate reading of how much electricity was used to top off the battery, and how many miles were driven.  Then just track the miles-per-kilowatt-hour (or MPkWh) over time.  This way you don't negatively impact the battery's longevity (or strand yourself) in order to measure its performance.

It would seem that driving to work during Spring Break and March Madness on a Friday is the ideal time to find a vacant charger spot at work.  When I arrived at work, I had already driven an extra 16 miles from the day prior, so the range I could drive after work was already reduced.  Checking the ChargePoint network app, I found an empty charger spot right near the entrance to my office, so I parked there and hooked up.  One nice feature that public charging stations offer is a tally of the energy used to charge your battery.  (Often times this is used to calculate your billing.)  On this day I drove 36.5 miles and needed 7.589 kWh to recharge.  This yielded an efficiency of 4.81 MPkWh.  When the car was less than a year old, I was able to measure the same way and usually got about 4.95 MPkWh, which is within 3% of the other measurement.  This suggests that I have had no appreciable battery degradation in three years, which is comforting.  (This winter I was starting to think the range had dropped off more dramatically, but I lacked any solid evidence or numbers.  I guess it was just colder weather and stronger winds.)

Monday, May 11, 2015

A little traffic, please?

When I would drive my gasoline powered cars, I would dread having to drive through congestion on the freeway.  Not only was I slowed by the traffic mess, but the car ran less efficiently, it was a little jerky on the frequent stop-starts, it was irritating listening to the engine idling or running at low speeds, and there were the exhaust fumes, from my car and the others around me.  And, in the summer, all those hot engines running seemed to make the freeway steam in the sun.  I always looked forward to the traffic break when I could again cut through the air at high speeds and the car was running near its peak efficiency.  So, why would I want to endure highway traffic congestion now?

Electric cars today lack a multi-gear transmission, which allows a gasoline engine to operate at both low and high speeds, while optimizing for the latter.  Generally, gasoline engines are rather inefficient at lower speeds, and they require a clutch mechanism in order to stop and resume, robbing the engine of its abundant power.  The electric car has just one speed, directly connected to the wheels because it can start turning from a stop.  Lacking other gears, the electric motor is less efficient at typical freeway speeds.  In short, the electric car can drive much further on the same amount of electricity at lower speeds (such as found in most highway traffic congestion).
My commute - 12 interstate miles and 7 expressway miles

Today was a case in point.  My drive to work consists of 12 miles driven at 55 to 60 MPH on the freeway, followed by 7 miles driven at 45 MPH on an expressway.  Lately, by the time I return home at the end of the day (38 miles late), the ninth (of sixteen) power bars in the charge gauge has disappeared.  Because of my work hours and meetings, I typically commute after much of the heavy traffic has subsided.  Today, however, was different.  I had to leave earlier for work and dealt with congestion along half of the freeway route to work.  I also drove home early and had to deal with a brush fire and two accidents along the way, which backed up traffic for nearly the entire stretch of the freeway I travel.  I also ran a few errands after arriving at home.  By the time that the charge gauge had dropped its ninth bar, I had driven 44 miles (or 15% farther).  So, I saved nearly 1.5KWh of charge by driving in congested traffic.

So, the efficiency is greatly improved in the slower moving traffic.  What about the other issues I face in congestion?  The interior noise in my car is dramatically reduced because there is no roaring engine (especially while idling).  Every start from a stop is delivered with silky smoothness thanks to the low-end torque available in an electric motor.  I am able to save a little time by using the carpool lane instead of being stuck with the rest of traffic.  And, of course, my car is not producing any exhaust gas fumes (and its electric charging is offset by solar power, both at home and at work).  If there were many more commuters also using electricity instead of gasoline, we’d all enjoy the drive home a lot better.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Replacing my Level-2 charger

As soon as my level-2 EV charger died, I went online to find out what was now available for home use.  (This was after a futile attempt to contact the now-defunct manufacturer about servicing my old charger.)  I found some units online at Lowes, but the only unit that looked promising was the GE charging station, and it was also the most expensive.  The less expensive models lacked the amperage or the plug that I was looking for.  I found similar results at Home Depot.  Then I remembered the EV charger that was being given away at the Electric Auto Association Silicon Valley rally at De Anza College back in September.  So I dug through the business cards in my desk drawer at home and found it: Clipper Creek.

One thing that I liked about Clipper Creek is that, not only are they an American company, but they are also a California company.  That, and the price of their 32-amp charger was about $150 to $300 less than the competition’s.  I checked the Clipper Creek web site and found some specifications and installation instructions for the model I wanted (with a 220-volt plug).  I had some questions about my installation and sent an e-mail to Clipper Creek.  They responded promptly with enough information to address my concerns, so I was ready to place my order.  One change that I would have to adapt was in the orientation of the electrical outlet and housing.  The cord for my (now broken) charger exited the housing from below and wrapped around to the charger box above.  This new charger (and all the others I found for sale) limit the length of the cord to just 12 inches, forcing the cord to exit the housing from above to feed directly to the charger.  (This was the result of a newly adopted national electrical standard.) 
My Clipper Creek EV Charger installation

Just then I remembered a recall for my car that concerned a particular EV charger.  At the time, the recall was not for my charger, so I decided to wait for my annual service appointment to address it.  But suddenly I remembered the charger brand in the recall and double-checked my recall paperwork – the recall involved Clipper Creek chargers.  So, I had to get the car serviced before I could buy the charger.  This further delayed getting the new charger, but only by a few days as the dealer was able to work on my car soon after I called.  Finally, I was able to place the order with Clipper Creek (which I did online).

Much to my surprise, the charger arrived the next day (and on a Saturday, no less).  A few days later I had time to install it.  I needed to reorient the outlet, which was straight-forward and involved removing six screws, rotating the outlet in place, tucking the wires back inside the outlet box carefully, and reattaching the six screws in the new orientation.  (I also needed to cut a little more away from the opening of the plastic housing for the larger plug.)  After a couple of drill holes in the wall, two bolts, and connecting the plug to the outlet, I was ready to test the unit.  When I tested my first EV charger, I plugged everything in without worrying about problems.  This time, after having dealt with the recall (which was essentially a firmware update), I was more nervous because I wasn’t confident that the firmware update would work for my new charger model.  But, I threw the switch on the circuit breaker and the status light came on.  I connected the charger plug to the car, heard a loud click, and the car began charging.  And I let out a sigh of relief because I would no longer have to depend on the slow-charging level-1 charger that came with the car.  I could drive the distance again.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Kids and the i-MiEV

I think Dr. Seuss had a hand in designing the newer electric cars (except for the Tesla, which has serious Jaguar design influences).  I drive the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which is odd-looking at best.  And the Nissan Leaf is no better.  And BMW tried to give the new electric i3 a real sense of style, but missed the mark in my opinion.  While the Fiat 500 has a little bit of cute-ness going for it, its cramped rear quarters makes it an impractical choice for many.  And the Think City, the Scion iQ, and the Smart are just as peculiar to look at.  Surely these cars are examples of Dr. Seuss’ design works.  At least the i-MiEV has an ample interior.  A number of my passengers have remarked how they were surprised that the car has as much interior space for how short it is outside.  And, with four doors, that interior space is easy to get to.  (The i3 is similarly useful inside.)  But it seems that the biggest fans of this car are kids.


Dr. Suess' design influences
Dr. Suess' design influences
 
I have a niece and nephew (seven and five years old) who actually enjoy the car and its funky look on short trips.  They call it the “Purple Car”, which is the same color as their favorite afternoon hangout in San Jose - the "Purple Building" (also known as the Children's Discovery Museum).  Sometimes they call the car the “funny car” – I’m guessing because of its looks.  Of course funny car is both a compliment and a slap in the face from them.  Funny is endearing and welcoming, which I believe was Dr. Seuss’ goal in the design of all of his characters and their possessions.  The only problem here is that the people forking out hard-earned money for these cars are no longer children.
The BMW i3's awkward styling

Here is my theory on why electric cars look so off from normal.  Most normal looking cars attract a lot of buyers.  Sexy looking cars attract buyers in droves.  Only the price of these sleek looking sedans keeps the buyers at bay.  So, why aren’t electric cars sexy looking and affordable?  Manufacturers can only build so many electric cars in their early production runs (typically fewer than 10,000).  So, they need to reduce the demand for these cars.  There are two approaches: raise the price or mess with the looks.  Unfortunately, early electric car buyers have been very value savvy, so a jacked up price had better offer superior value (which is very hard to deliver).  So, rather than following Tesla’s expensive lead, manufacturers follow the alternative and lean on styling to dissuade most buyers.  Only those drivers with a sturdy constitution can find themselves heading down the street in a bug-eyed, Picasso-styled driving machine, allowing the manufacturers to meet the demand comfortably.  I expect that the volume electric vehicles to come next will be much easier to look at and be seen in.  (Check out the Chevy Bolt.)

Sunday, March 29, 2015

More problems with the chargers at work

Talk about people behaving badly …

If you give something away, anything, folks will be motivated to take as much of it as they can.  You can see this at “fairs” (like health fairs and employment fairs) as people walk about with the bags, pens, calendars, and fliers from the various commercial booths they have visited.  Such is the case at work.  When employees feel under-compensated or under-appreciated, they look to any perks on the job to help them cope.  In this case, the perk is up to four hours of free electricity.  The funny thing is that it really does not add up to much value.  Most cars will top-off after just two or three hours, and they typically draw between 3Kw and 6Kw while charging.  This amounts to as much as 24Kwh of electricity, worth about $0.87 to $3.48, with most users getting about $1.80.  The value of the stuff collected at a fair is worth more than this.  If this were added up over five days a week for 50 weeks, that amounts to about $450 (or much less if you have PG&E’s favorable electric-car rates).  While this does amount to a meaningful lump of change, it does not amount to any kind of life-changing money, especially for folks that have spent $25,000 to $40,000 on an electric car.

So, back to my work situation.  Because the chargers are free for the first four hours, people feel motivated to charge up as much as possible.  But there is also a parking issue on campus, so it is very inconvenient to find a vacant parking spot once you do finish charging.  These two conditions have created a real problem.  Folks who connect their cars to the charging stations have to run back out to their cars before the four hours elapses and unplug their cars.  But they don’t move their cars away because there is no convenient parking.  Today I noted three cars still parked in front of the charging station while the charging cable was disconnected from the car (and hanging from the charger).  It is also causing desperate folks to park in spaces beside the charges that are not for parking.  In one case, it was blocking access to trash facilities, and in another it was parked along the curb where no parking is permitted, creating a slight traffic flow issue.  I have also heard of folks charges being interrupted by others desperate to get some juice who unplug others to connect to their own cars.
While adding more charging stations would ease some of the problems, I believe that the more affordable solution is to stop giving away the electricity.  If there are so many electric cars that 12 charging hookups won’t meet the need, I would say that the company incentive to encourage electric car use was a huge success.  Instead, I would suggest charging a very reasonable eight cents per Kwh delivered.  This would dis-incent those who only want something for free but can otherwise drive to-and-from work comfortably on a single charge, and it would still reward folks for driving electric by subsidizing (but not eliminating) their charging costs.  (That would be $1.28 instead of $3.48.)  The rate could increase dramatically after four hours of charging to ensure sufficient access to the charging stations during the day.  Of course, if it were up to me, I’d have a pool of portable solar panel roofs that you would just prop up above your car and plug in where ever you happen to find a sunny parking spot.  Your car would get some badly needed shade and you’d get some free juice for your battery too.  (By my calculations, you’d get about 13 to 14 miles worth.)

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Kids and the i-MiEV

I think Dr. Seuss had a hand in designing the newer electric cars (except for the Tesla).  I drive the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which is odd-looking at best.  And the Nissan Leaf is no better.  And BMW tried to give the new electric i3 a real sense of style, but missed the mark in my opinion.  While the Fiat 500 has a little bit of cute-ness going for it, its cramped rear quarters makes it an impractical choice for many.  And the Think City, the Scion iQ, and the Smart are just as peculiar to look at.  Surely these cars are examples of Dr. Seuss’ design works.  At least the i-MiEV has an ample interior.  A number of my passengers have remarked how they were surprised that the car has as much interior space for how short it is outside.  And, with four doors, that interior space is easy to get to.  (The i3 is similarly useful inside.)  But it seems that the biggest fans of this car are kids.
If Dr. Seuss had designed a car

I have a niece and nephew (seven and five years old) who actually enjoy the car and its funky look on short trips.  They call it the “Purple Car”, which is the same color as their favorite afternoon hangout in San Jose - the "Purple Building" (also known as the Children's Discovery Museum).  Sometimes they call the car the “funny car” – I’m guessing because of its looks.  Of course "funny car" is both a compliment and a slap in the face from them.  Funny is endearing and welcoming, which I believe was Dr. Seuss’ goal in the design of all of his characters and their possessions.  The only problem here is that the people forking out hard-earned money for these cars are no longer children.
The BMW i3 and its unconventional styling

Here is my theory on why electric cars look so off from normal.  Most normal looking cars attract a lot of buyers.  Sexy looking cars attract buyers in droves.  Only the price of these sleek looking sedans keeps the buyers at bay.  So, why aren’t electric cars sexy looking and affordable?  Manufacturers can only build so many electric cars in their early production runs (typically fewer than 10,000).  So, they need to reduce the demand for these cars.  There are two approaches: raise the price or mess with the looks.  Unfortunately, early electric car buyers have been very value savvy, so a jacked up price had better offer superior value (which is very hard to deliver).  So, rather than following Tesla’s expensive lead, manufacturers follow the alternative and lean on styling to dissuade most buyers.  Only those drivers with a sturdy constitution can find themselves heading down the street in a bug-eyed, Picasso-styled driving machine, allowing the manufacturers to meet the demand comfortably.  I expect that the volume electric vehicles to come next will be much easier to look at and be seen in.  (Check out the Chevy Bolt.)

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Solar panels cut my costs

Before I bought the electric car, the small solar-electric system on my roof would produce about $15 of excess electricity each year.  At the rates I pay with my solar panels, that amounts to about 135kwh, or enough electricity to drive over 500 miles.  Considering that I have been driving about 10,500 miles a year, that excess amount falls far short of my electric-driving needs.  Of course, I knew I would need more solar capacity.  So, I arranged to have four more 240-watt panels installed on my roof, with an emphasis on collecting energy from the west.  This means the panels will generate the most electricity during the afternoon hours when the summer generation rates are highest.  And, I have the flexibility to charge at night when the rates are the lowest, so I can multiply the kilowatts that my system generates to meet my needs.
My expansion solar panels that cover the extra cost of my 10,000 miles of driving.

The new panels on my roof have generated just shy of a megawatt hour (1,000kwh) of power per year.  Without the peak-hour generation benefit, that would be enough power to propel my purple car about 4,200 miles.  More than 75% of the energy produced by my new system is generated during the peak season, so I get a big benefit from the summer generating schedule.  I also charged about 130kwh on the ChargePoint network, which offsets about another 550 miles of driving.  This year, I over produced enough electricity to result in a $20 credit due to me (which PG&E drops because there was no over-production of electricity in my case).  So, the new solar panels produced enough energy (using time-of-use metering) for me to drive about 10,300 miles. 

So, the bottom line is that I spent nothing to drive 10,500 miles.  Of course, I had to invest $5,500 in the solar panel upgrade to eliminate my driving costs, otherwise my electric costs would have been closer to $260 for the year.  If electric rates remain constant, it would take over 21 years to recover the costs of the solar panels from a strictly financial perspective, but knowing that my car gets much of its energy from solar power provides an intangible benefit akin to the “value” of gambling in Las Vegas.  (If energy rates jump by 25% in the next 10 years, I can break even in fewer than 18 years.)  Now, if you factor in the savings over gasoline propulsion, the break-even time gets much shorter (to about four years).

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Back up the mountain to Ridge Winery

After driving up successfully once, I was comfortable to drive up the mountain to Ridge Winery again.  This time, without the range-anxiety gnawing away at my mind every mile I drove, I was able to drive more relaxed knowing well what to expect.  Sure enough, on the way up to Ridge Winery, I used up four bars (about 25%) of the charge, and coming back down I regenerated about a bar and a half.  If nothing else, watching the bars reappear makes the whole trip worth it.  (That, and the fantastic wine at the top of the mountain.  … and the views.) 

The only oddity that I noticed was that towards the bottom of the hill, the regenerative brakes would fade momentarily and I’d be using the friction brakes.  My guess is that this is due to overheating, but it happened only once.  The other thing I noticed is that you have to get the car going about 25 MPH (or so) downhill before trying to use the regenerative brakes.  If you don’t get going this fast, the car will try to maintain the slower speed and you won’t generate as much electricity.  At the faster speed, more electricity is generated while you coast downhill.  It would seem that when going downhill at about 35 MPH, the car generates nearly the maximum electricity to keep the car from going any faster, but this speed is often too fast for many of the tight curves on this road.  So, it is better to maintain a somewhat slower pace.
1,800 feet up at Ridge Winery in Cupertino

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Driving slowly

The thrill of driving a powerful gasoline powered car hard is sensational, from the forces exerted upon you to the sound effects emitting from the engine.  I should know, having owned a number of performance cars over the past three decades.  From my 1982 Mercury Capri with its powerful 5.0 liter V8, to the 1987 BMW 325i with its five-speed gearbox, to the 2001 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab with its pavement shredding V8 (coupled with trailer gearing), to my 2005 VW GTI turbo.  All of these cars are great fun to drive up hills, roar down the interstate, and pull away from a traffic light with great aplomb.  They also share the same drawback: trying to move slowly is a painful mix of lurching and clutch wearing strain.  Switching to an automatic transmission does little to resolve this either, as I have experienced in a Passat, an Audi A4, and a Toyota Corolla.  The fact is, gasoline powered cars were never designed to be driven slowly.

My (former) 1982 Mercury Capri in its new garage
Who needs to drive slowly?  Consider these situations …  You are stuck on I-405 approaching Century Blvd.  Finally, the traffic inches forward (literally, about 8 feet).  Or, you need to back into a gently sloping driveway.  Or, while visiting San Francisco, you have to stop at a stop sign on a 25% grade.  Or, you need to back your car into your underground parking space around the concrete pillar.  Too much gas, and you could slam your car into something not-soft.  Too little, and you could stall, changing your direction of travel unexpectedly.  Of all of these, the most annoying is trying to follow slow-moving traffic on the freeway that seems to lurch along.

I never expected that the electric motor would solve these issues.  The instant-on torque of the electric motor and the ability to deliver very precise amounts of current allow the electric car to thrive in these slow-motion environments.  In my Mitsubishi, the (software) engineers who programmed the motor controller were able to simulate the gasoline engine’s inability to stand still while in gear by allowing a small amount of current to flow to the motor while at “idle”.  The software does a spectacular job.  While backing into a gently upward sloping driveway, I was able to remove my foot from the “gas pedal” and the car backed itself up the driveway at about two to three MPH, allowing me to position the car deftly.  Another (software) engineering feat is just how smoothly the car transitions from standing still to a full run.  There is no jerk at all, and you can control the speed as slowly as you need, down to one or two MPH.  This came in very handy while inching into the parking lot for the electric car rally and parade recently, as the backup was over ½ a mile just to enter the parking lot.  (It takes a while to get 500 cars into a parking lot at the same time.)  While my electric car may be no faster than a cheap economy car on the highway, it more than makes up for it with its slow driving manners.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Replacing my Level-2 charger

As soon as my level-2 EV charger died, I went online to find out what was now available for home use.  (This was after a futile attempt to contact the now-defunct manufacturer about servicing my old charger.)  I found some units online at Lowes, but the only unit that looked promising was the GE charging station, and it was also the most expensive.  The less expensive models lacked the amperage or the plug that I was looking for.  I found similar results at Home Depot.  Then I remembered the EV charger that was being given away at the Electric Auto Association Silicon Valley rally at De Anza College back in September.  So I dug through the business cards in my desk drawer at home and found it: Clipper Creek.

One thing that I liked about Clipper Creek is that, not only are they an American company, but they are also a California company.  That, and the price of their 32-amp charger was about $150 to $300 less than the competition’s.  I checked the Clipper Creek web site and found some specifications and installation instructions for the model I wanted (with a 220-volt plug).  I had some questions about my installation and sent an e-mail to Clipper Creek.  They responded promptly with enough information to address my concerns, so I was ready to place my order.  One change that I would have to adapt was in the orientation of the electrical outlet and housing.  The cord for my (now broken) charger exited the housing from below and wrapped around to the charger box above.  This new charger (and all the others I found for sale) limit the length of the cord to just 12 inches, forcing the cord to exit the housing from above to feed directly to the charger.  (This was the result of a newly adopted national electrical standard.) 

Just then I remembered a recall for my car that concerned a particular EV charger.  At the time, the recall was not for my charger, so I decided to wait for my annual service appointment to address it.  But suddenly I remembered the charger brand in the recall and double-checked my recall paperwork – the recall involved Clipper Creek chargers.  So, I had to get the car serviced before I could buy the charger.  This further delayed getting the new charger, but only by a few days as the dealer was able to work on my car soon after I called.  Finally, I was able to place the order with Clipper Creek (which I did online).
My new Clipper Creek charger mounted on the wall

Much to my surprise, the charger arrived the next day (and on a Saturday, no less).  A few days later I had time to install it.  I needed to reorient the outlet, which was straight-forward and involved removing six screws, rotating the outlet in place, tucking the wires back inside the outlet box carefully, and reattaching the six screws in the new orientation.  (I also needed to cut a little more away from the opening of the plastic housing for the larger plug.)  After a couple of drill holes in the wall, two bolts, and connecting the plug to the outlet, I was ready to test the unit.  When I tested my first EV charger, I plugged everything in without worrying about problems.  This time, after having dealt with the recall (which was essentially a firmware update), I was more nervous because I wasn’t confident that the firmware update would work for my new charger model.  But, I threw the switch on the circuit breaker and the status light came on.  I connected the charger plug to the car, heard a loud click, and the car began charging.  And I let out a sigh of relief because I would no longer have to depend on the slow-charging level-1 charger that came with the car.  I could drive the distance again.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Pile it in

When you drive a car the size of a pill-box on the outside, it’s sometimes hard to believe what you can carry on the inside.  While my car is about the length of a Mini Cooper, inside there is much more room, especially with the rear seats folded flat.  Unlike the Mini (and most other tiny cars), the Mitsubishi i-MiEV was optimized for an electric drivetrain.  There is no bulky three- or four-cylinder engine, no transaxle with spinning cogs and flywheels, no muffler, and no gas tank.  The car is propelled by an efficient electric motor that is installed between the two rear wheels, with the batteries stored beneath each of the seats.  By raising the roofline to compensate for the batteries underneath, nearly the entire length of the car can be devoted to passenger (and cargo) space.  Admittedly, the car will carry only four people, which is an acceptable limitation for me.  (I can squeeze six into my four-door pickup on those rare occasions that I need the extra people capacity.)  But the real value of this car’s interior dimensions lies in its ability to accommodate cargo with the rear seats folded down.

On the few occasions I have taken my car in for service, I always toss my bicycle into the back with the front tire removed.  The bike fits easily like this.  (When taking my old 1987 BMW 325i to the mechanic, I would have to remove both wheels to fit the bike into the trunk.)  That the bike would fit came as no surprise.  What surprised me was when I undertook a repainting project that spanned a few weekends.  Even though I brought supplies to this apartment being repainted in multiple loads, I was astounded that I was able to return with all the supplies in one load.  See for yourself in the photos below, but the load contained several storage bins full of supplies, a few paint cans and a five-gallon can, drop cloths, cleaning gear, and a full-size dolly.  And, as you can see, my view to the rear was not obstructed by the cargo either.  Since that job, whenever I check out an electric car, I first look at the rear cargo area and whether the seats fold flat before I even consider the car for my future.  (Sorry Ford Focus, but this was a major deal-breaker.)
All this stuff just came out of the I-MiEV (see next picture)
 
All the stuff that fits easily inside the I-MiEV with the rear seats folded flat

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Demand for charges at work increases

 My company recently installed enough level-2 EV chargers to meet the electric-car driving needs.  While not always available, it was usually easy to find an open spot or two after 3:00 or so in the afternoon.  And, since all of the new chargers are hooked into the ChargePoint network, it was easy to go online and see which, if any, of the chargers are available at any given time.  Finally, there was EV peace on the campus.

Then, in a cost-cutting effort, one of the other campuses (which also was home to a substantial EV population) was closed and all the folks moved to the site where I work.  Now, the infrastructure that was barely adequate to meet the needs of its employees is now taxed and stretched thin as twice the number of people make a vailed effort to cooperate and share the charging spots.  Each charger is set to charge for free for the first four hours, and then the cost jumps to $10/hour while connected (whether drawing current or not).  So, there is a financial incentive to not remain hooked up to the charges for too long, but this is still inadequate.  A mailing list has been set up so that the early arrivers can announce when they disconnect (as a heads-up to others), but only two or three people use it regularly.  Every day there is rivalry for the charging spots (to the point of bad behavior).

Recently, people have been sending out reports of being disconnected, of others not moving their vehicles as soon as they have finished charging, and people parking in spaces not designated for parking in order to connect their car while someone else neglects their now fully-charged vehicle.  (After all, once you have your charge, your own needs have been met.)  I see some possible solutions to this big problem, all of which may be needed to remedy the situation.  (1) Add more charging stations, both free and some that are reasonably priced (for all-day recharging).  (2) Reduce the number of free-charging hours from four to three (or two and a half?).  (3) When installing chargers, cluster two units with four hookups so that eight (or more?) cars can share them without having to move the cars (think spoke and wheel pattern).  This would allow busy people to leave their cars a little longer while others responsibly take over their charging connections.  Whoever designed the one-car-per-connection model was clearly not thinking about maximizing use among busy employees.

Friday, January 2, 2015

Living with my Level-1 charger and charge-anxiety

You never know how much you depend upon something until it breaks.  My home level-2 charger worked perfectly for over two and a half years before it stopped working.  Repairing it was not an option, so I have had to live with the level-1 charger until I can find (and pay for) a suitable replacement.  At the recent EV car rally, I remembered Clipper Creek offering a decent product, so I looked into it online.  The unit with the wall plug will meet my needs after I alter the installation of my 220-volt outlet to reorient the plug for the new charger.  I was about to order the unit when I remembered one of the recall notices that I had yet to perform on my Mitsubishi i-MiEV involved a level-2 charger problem.  So, I scrambled through the myriad of papers floating about my car and found the notice.  Sure enough, the recall applies to Clipper Creek level-2 charging stations, so I have to wait until I take my car in for the recall to get the charger (to avoid damage to my car).  Doh!

Meanwhile, I am growing ever more tired of the slow charging level-1 charger.  Being able to add a 20-mile range to my car in about two hours is great with a level-2 charger, but the same range requires six hours from my level-1 charger.  And, my drive to work and back needs about 12 to 14 hours to recharge using my level-1 charger, which just gives me enough time to get to work the next day.  (Thank goodness for morning meetings handled online at home.)  If I need to stray from my route home, I cannot get a full charge by morning.  If I need to make two long trips on the weekend, that is impractical as well.  Clearly, the level-1 charger is suitable for folks that drive fewer than 35 miles a day or don’t need to drive every day.  (It’s worth noting that my level-1 charger draws only 1kw, while many newer level-1 chargers draw 1.4kw, reducing the charge time by almost 30%.)

So, now I have learned a new anxiety that EV drivers face, one that causes more stress than range-anxiety.  This angst, that nobody seems to be talking about, is probably best called charge-anxiety, and has more to do with not knowing how you are going to manage to recharge your battery before you need it again.  The level-2 charger is a great soother of charge-anxiety because you know that during your sleep, however short that might be, you can fully recharge your battery.  (While level-3 chargers work much faster, they don’t finish the job – they stop once the battery reaches 80% charge to avoid over-heating and over-charging the battery pack.)  How can you reduce charge-anxiety when you are stuck with a level-1 charger?  Find a nearby public level-2 charging station (at a store or parking garage), plug in for about two hours, then return home to finish the job using your level-1 charger.  I am fortunate enough to have several public level-2 chargers close to home, but that is not the case for most folks.