The (R)EV Diaries – Page 4 – Your home for EVs in Rural America

April 14, 2023April 14, 2023

Have You Experienced Buyers Remorse?

Have you ever bought something that didn’t really live up to the hype? I know I have.

There is a YouTube channel called Jetters Garage and our attention was directed to a video entitled “Ford Watched My Viral Lightning Video – Amazing What They Said” which was a follow up to a video entitled “Why I regret buying a Ford Lightning! (EV Electric Truck)“. Jet is not new to EVs, having owned a Tesla Model S for seven years in San Diego, California.

That is a click-bait title if ever I’ve seen one, and I admittedly fall for click-bait often, but I was intrigued and started with the first video. Jet outlines the pros and cons of his new 2023 F-150 Lightning in the video and reveals his experience on a recent road trip. (At the time of this post, the video is 2 months old with 571K views.) His observations are interesting, yet not unexpected, regarding a newly introduced car model. These videos are must-see if you’re considering purchasing an F-150 Lightning.

This brings us to our discussion of his videos and his experience in general. Brent and Ben discuss some of their perceptions of living in southeastern Kentucky (SeKY) versus SoCal. We talk ownership, charging in public, and electric rates, including time of use (TOU) and why it makes sense there and not here.

Does Jet’s experience differ greatly from someone in small-town America? Listen to our opinion and feel free to weigh in with your own.

PS: Link to third video.

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April 7, 2023April 6, 2023

Rappahannock Part 4: The Zack Morris Phone

As we wrap up (finally) our discussion of the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative’s presentation of the future of EV adoption in northern Virginia, we start looking at how we think EV adoption would look in small-town Kentucky. Rappahannock developed three scenarios where, on the high end, 30% of all cars in their territory were electric by 2030. On the low end, 5% and the middle ground was 10%. Based on several factors, Brent and Ben have differing opinions, but then Ben plays the ever popular “Zack Morris phone” card.

On the TV series Saved By The Bell, Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) used a Motorola DynaTAC, which was the first commercially available mobile phone circa 1984. This “brick” was literally 10-inches long not counting its rubber antenna, weighed 2.5 lbs., and cost $4000. Back then, you would have been crazy to have suggested in 30 years that almost everyone in the world would have a mobile phone in their pocket. The idea was inconceivable.

Are we on the precipice of such a change with EVs? It’s difficult to imagine 3 out of every 10 cars on the road being electric, much less 7 or 8 out of 10. There are forces at work to push 100% adoption, but will we ever get there? Just as the iPhone revolutionized the industry, what will make EVs as common as cell phones?

Also, RECs calculations on the cost to drive an EV support our own (R)EVD conclusions, but we could have told you we were right… we just don’t like to brag.

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March 31, 2023March 31, 2023

Rappahannock Part 3: We’re All Going To Die

Okay, admittedly that title is a little over the top. The point, as we resume our discussion of presentation by Rappahannock Electric Cooperative*, is that everything has a life-span and much of our existing infrastructure is too old or too weak to support the growing demand of energy in America.

The solution is to revitalize and strengthen, harden, if you will, the grid to meet the growing need, but that, of course, takes money and resources. The question becomes, “Who is going to pay for it?” The real answer is you, me and all the other peoples of this land. Whether it’s via government through taxes or via utilities through increased energy rates, I guarantee we are going to pay for it.

That being said, we look at scenarios that Rappahannock put forth and the cost associated with each.

We also find out that Ben, sometimes… but rarely, gets confused and the senility kicks in. The real question is, “what point should we be concerned?”

*Rappahannock Electric Cooperative lies in the northern and eastern part of Virginia serving 170,000+ members. Being a cooperative of that size, REC is influential in the co-op world because of not only their size, but by their proximity to industry organizations like the NRECA and policy makers like the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the US Department of Energy. This has allowed them to become a proving ground for many programs, leading the way in innovation and understanding for other cooperatives, and shaping the approach to challenges in the industry. As such, REC releases many reports, studies, and presentations showing their results both independently and jointly with other organizations.

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March 25, 2023March 25, 2023

Rappahannock Part 2: What’s In Your Panel?

Continuing our discussion of presentation by Rappahannock Electric Cooperative* showcasing their perception of the problem they face and what their system may look like in 2023. Brent and Ben continue to explore why charging an F-150 Lightning at 80 Amps would seem beneficial, but there are other considerations to keep in mind.

Charging at Level 2 at 80A may require some serious upgrades to, not only, your service entrance but possibly the transformer on the utilities side of the equation. Hopefully it won’t, but it’s worth having a conversation with your utility and a qualified electrician before driving off the lot.

We want your EV experience to be positive, so we’re just pointing out pitfalls. There are significant cost benefits to EV ownership and upgrades will pay for themselves in time, but it pays to understand and plan instead of presume and react.

For the record, the “S” in EVSE stands for Supply. (Duh… big red truck.)

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March 17, 2023March 17, 2023

Rappahannock Part 1: Mo Members, Mo Problems

Electric cooperatives, their members, and EV owners really want the same things: affordable and reliable electricity. The concern for co-ops that most members are unaware of is balancing the increasing demand of the EV revolution and the limitations in the existing infrastructure in such a way to maintain affordable reliability. There is definitely a gap between the two.

Working for an electric co-op, Brent and Ben have access to reports, studies and presentations designed for industry personnel. Brent sat through a presentation by Rappahannock Electric Cooperative* showcasing their perception of the problem they face and what their system may look like in 2023. REC also forecasts what some of these changes might cost.

Of course for the (rural) EV Diaries crew, this raised even more considerations and questions. Join us for an overview of Rappahannock’s discovery and what implications it has on the consumption and overall requirement for the electric grid.

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March 10, 2023March 10, 2023

Taking A Trip Part 3: One Truck, Two Truck…

Red Truck, Blue Truck…

This one earns a big gold star.

This one travels really far.

Say! What a lot of EV trucks there are!!!

Wrapping up our three part Taking a Trip discussion. Ben and Brent talk through what it would be like (possibly) to travel 750 miles one way from southeastern Kentucky to Orlando, Florida in an electric vehicle.

Using the published specifications of the base model F 150 Lightning, Ben breaks down the theoretical time and cost it would take to make the trip versus Brent’s actual experience with his Supercharged V6 F 150.

We realize this is not a true comparison because we would have to make the same trip in both vehicles. That being said, even if we are half wrong, we believe this exercise and the results are eye-opening to prove the possibilities of EVs in small-town America.

If nothing else, you can make a drinking game out of the entire series; take a shot every time Ben says “theoretical“.

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March 3, 2023March 3, 2023

Taking A Trip Part 2: Out Of The Box, Even With A Fox…

EV’s are here, one can’t deny. You can’t deny, don’t even try…

But can I drive one here or there? Can I drive one anywhere?

You can drive one here or there. You can drive one everywhere.

Can I drive one to the moon? No, not today, it is too soon.

But you can drive them wherever you can go. Planning is key now on to the show.

In this episode, Brent and Ben continue the discussion of what a road trip may look like, specifically knowing what your EV is capable of and it’s efficiency is fundamental in getting you where you want to go. Infrastructure is still key, but the network of charging locations is growing daily and limited availability will be a thing of the past.

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February 24, 2023March 3, 2023

Taking A Trip Part 1: Oh, The Places You’ll Go

EVs make sense, we firmly believe…

but how do they fare, when your small town you do leave?

In this episode (it’s one of three),

we share our experience so you can see…

with a bit of fore thought and the planning you’ll do,

how far you can go is really up to you.

Ben and Brent discuss Ben’s experience going further than the BMW I3’s 90 mile range; what it involved and how it played out.

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February 17, 2023February 20, 2023

20 Miles One Way: Could You Be A Rural Electric Vehicle Owner?

In a town where you have to drive 20 miles one-way to get anywhere (slight exaggeration), Ben’s 2017 BMW i3 with a range extender (REx) boasts a WHOPPING 90 MILE BATTERY with an additional 3 gallon gasoline backup.

So, how does he do it?

How can a small battery pack get him to and fro every day?

Could it work for you?

In this episode, Brent questions Ben on his day-to-day activity with owning an electric vehicle in rural America. Sit back and enjoy.

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February 10, 2023February 9, 2023

OMG, WHY Would I Want an EV???

Let’s face it in rural America, the idea of owning an EV is a completely foreign concept to most people. The biggest reason is because they’ve never considered the possibility or the practicality, AND that’s why we re-launched the (R)EV Diaries.

In this episode, we look at Brent’s list of pros and cons just to see where his mindset is on the issue of EV ownership. (Apparently, Ben is biased.)

People, especially in small-town America, really want to know what they’re getting themselves into and aren’t into all of the “flashy” hype surrounding EVs.