The (R)EV Diaries

If you live in small-town America, it may be a hassle to find one. I looked to see where the closest Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf was to my home town. I would have to travel at least an hour just to sit behind the wheel of an EV. Dealerships would sell more if they would make more available, but that could be cost prohibitive. What is the solution?

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Most manufacturers warranty their batteries for 100,000 miles or to maintain 60-70% capacity for 8-10 years. Is this enough for small-town America where things are spread out?

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Telsa revealed their Cybertruck last night at the LA Auto Show. To say the least, it is different. In this episode, I just give my first-take opinions. You can check out the unveiling on YouTube . I think the Cybertruck is cool as crap, but I don’t know if all the good ol’ boys around “these parts” will agree. There are definitely some innovations and features that are appealing and we will see variations of them from here on.

Bottom line, Tesla has developed something unseen and unusual which is what we expect from Tesla. The Cybertruck may be a flop in small-town America, but it’s impact to automotive history will be felt for generations.

Let me know what you think. Email or DM me. Please leave a review on Apple Podcast.

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I subscribed to Disney+ last week and started reliving part of my childhood. I saw the original TRON in 1982 as an 11 year old kid. Of course, that had to be the first thing I watched. It suddenly occurred to me, about half-way through, that TRON, the movie, is one of the influences that led me into an engineering career. As a middle-schooler, I began to explore computers and engineering. A demonstration of robotics during a field trip solidified my desire to be an engineer and led to my enrollment at the University of Kentucky College of Engineering. How many more programmers and engineers did this movie and similar demonstrations help create? Now, I am wondering how we can inspire today’s generation of middle-schoolers with EVs in such a way that will encourage them to take us to new levels of energy generation and application.

Thanks for listening and allowing me to geek-out a bit. It’s funny how something, insignificant in the grand scheme of things, can be life changing. Let me hear from you. Did you see TRON? Did it influence you? Email, DM and/or leave a review.

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In 2013, the rating MPGe starting appearing in the EPA Fuel Economy Estimates block on BEV and PHEV window stickers. We know it means Miles Per Gallon gasoline equivalent and was to be a comparison tool for consumers comparing EVs to ICE, but how is this value calculated and what can it tell us?

I used the Monroney sticker (that what it’s called) from my co-op’s 2017 Chevy Volt and East Kentucky Power Cooperatives 2017 Chevy Bolt to do some basic calculations and get to the bottom line of cost/mile.

Here is the Monroney sticker for the Volt.

Here is the sticker for the Bolt.

Email me or find me on FaceBook, Instagram and Twitter, @evdiaries. Also, please leave me a review on Apple Podcast. I want your feedback. Thanks.

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California is dropping or reducing their clean vehicle rebates on certain vehicles for certain folks. If I understand it correctly, BEVs, PHEVs and fuel cell vehicle incentives are dropping $500 for most. Cars with a $60K price tag or a PHEV with less than 35 miles of range will no longer qualify for a rebate. Low-moderate income owners can still qualify for larger rebates targeted toward their demographic.

That got me to thinking about what would happen if all the manufacturers met the 200,000 unit sales threshold at which point the federal tax credits begin their phase out. On fueleconomy.gov, you can find out what manufacturers are offering and what tax incentives remain. Only a fraction of the U.S. vehicle fleet would be replaced when all of the incentives disappear, but its a start and little things add up.

Let me know your thoughts. Email me or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Thanks for listening.

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Okay, that title may be a bit over used, however we’ve had our first bout of cold weather and the first snow in southeastern Kentucky and it’s only early November. I decided this was a perfect opportunity to look at what happens to an EV in the cold. We know that range drops, but what can a person expect?

It turns out that electrochemistry is the biggest reason for the reduced range. Add in some factors that negatively impact all vehicles- EVs and ICE alike- and you see a visible reduction in range, but there are ways to mitigate the problem.

Do you have an EV in a cold area? I would like to hear your experience. Email me or catch me on FB, IG and Twitter. Thanks for listening.

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In the wake of several European countries planning to ban ICE vehicles, what will America do with EVs? Honda’s CEO doesn’t think EVs will be mainstream, anywhere, much less America. Given our spirit of freedom and a love affair with SUVs and Pickup Trucks, is he right? I know a lot of automobile manufacturers are banking on cars being powered by electricity in some form or fashion. What do you think?

I still believe EVs can have a positive impact on small-town America. I want to hear what you think. Email me or find me on FaceBook, Instagram and Twitter, @evdiaries. Also, please leave me a review on Apple Podcast. I want your feedback. Thanks.

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In the last episode, I mentioned “beneficial electrification” and how driving an EV could positively impact your utility allowing them to keep rates as low as possible. But that is only half the story…

Did you know when you use electricity can positively or negatively impact you? If you have a Time-of-Use (TOU) rate or a rate with residential demand charges you understand this directly, but if you are just on a flat kWh rate, it might not be as obvious. Utilities have to pay more for energy generated “on-peak” which is times of high use on the system. If you just plug in your EV any ol’ time, you could be negatively impacting the utilities ability to keep rates low.

Let me know your thoughts. I would love to hear from you; ben@evdiaries.com or DM on IG and Twitter @evdiaries. AND you can now find me on FaceBook @evdiaries.

Thanks for listening.

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Have you ever challenged your belief system? During my commute this morning, I began questioning things including the message behind this podcast. The result is this episode. My thoughts on this may be more clear than ever.

Owning an EV, especially in small-town America, is possibly win-win-win for everyone. It a win for the EV owner, its a win for your friends and neighbors and its a win globally. Let me know your thoughts; email or DM me.

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