Drive Electrical, Drive on Sunshine & Save Cash

The auto trade goes electrical, with almost each automaker asserting launches or plans of electrical battery powered, plug-in vehicles. Producers which were electrical from the beginning, comparable to Tesla and Rivian, are innovating the world of electrical automobiles and EV charging, and discovering driving choices are simpler than ever earlier than. Plus, because of a number of state and federal incentives and packages, the transition to electrical is turning into more and more reasonably priced throughout New England.

We are able to lastly sever ties to soiled, finite fossil fuels and get the place we have to go together with clear energy from the solar. Switching to an electrical car affords a plethora of monetary and environmental advantages, particularly once you pair your EV with photo voltaic powered EV charging infrastructure.

Energy your automobile with photo voltaic! Simply 8 photo voltaic panels present roughly sufficient electrical energy to energy 12,000 miles of electrical driving annually at a low, mounted value. ReVision affords completely different charging choices primarily based in your driving and residential wants. You may get up to a full cost on a regular basis; Degree Two charging stations can ship full car battery cost in 4 to eight hours, relying on the battery measurement and the on-board cost price of your automobile. Learn on to study some great benefits of EVs and photo voltaic powered EV charging!

Electrical automobiles provide a singular trifecta of advantages:

• Decrease your carbon footprint: Transportation is the only largest contributor of greenhouse gases within the US. Driving electrical not solely lessens your dependency on soiled fossil fuels, however since EVs get cleaner the longer you drive them, going electrical helps the general grid wean itself off coal and fuel
• Lower your expenses: EVs value much less to function and preserve, and are on common extra reasonably priced to drive once you examine the typical value of fuel to the typical value of electrical charging. In New England, an eGallon (the price of charging an EV in comparison with its gas-powered counterpart) is considerably decrease than a daily gallon of gasoline. This turns into much more reasonably priced once you cost your EV with solar energy!
• Acquire power independence: Get the place you could go together with energy from the solar, generated regionally, and cease sending cash to soiled, polluting oil firms.

What’s Driving on Sunshine All About?

If you pair solar energy with EVs, you break the connection between driving and carbon air pollution created by utilities to provide electrical energy, and also you step towards power independence. This holistic method sees PV charging and EVs as two components of an entire. By budgeting a PV system as a part of an EV’s value, you create a beneficial charging bundle that provides you a greater return on funding, and produces free power on your automobile and residential for years to come back.

Most all-electric automobiles available on the market are able to over 100 MPGe, and with the typical eGallon value of $1.72 in Northern New England, and as little as $1.50 in Maine, it’s straightforward to visualise important financial savings. (Supply DOE)

However what concerning the photo voltaic gallon? It’s just like the eGallon, however because of solar energy it emits no carbon, has no important hidden environmental prices, and leaves a a lot lighter footprint on society at giant. A photo voltaic gallon additionally occurs to value 71 cents.¹

The photo voltaic gallon is a barely conservative estimate primarily based upon common efficiencies of each motor automobiles and EVs, factored with the levelized value of a typical residential photo voltaic array that gives charging – so it’s thrilling to say that it is perhaps cheaper than 71 cents in your case.

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One of the best half? The photo voltaic gallon is locked in over the lifetime of your photo voltaic array! With an EV, your value financial savings on fuel accelerates the payback of your photo voltaic funding, and after the array is paid for in gas financial savings, you’ll primarily obtain free energy for the lifetime of the system. A hard and fast price of $0.71 per eGallon is proof of the unbeatable synergy of photo voltaic and EVs.

Photo voltaic Powered EVs: The Clear Way forward for Transportation

With electrical energy, we now have a alternative as to the way to energy our vehicles. Utilizing electrical energy produced inside the USA for our transportation wants is a giant leap away from reliance upon overseas oil, and after we use regionally generated photo voltaic electrical energy to energy automobiles – drastically decreasing the greenhouse gases concerned earlier than – we leap to the place we actually should be.

Driving on sunshine is the fullest realization of EVs on the street. By unifying EVs and photo voltaic, we create monumental financial savings, drastically scale back environmental hurt, and strengthen America’s power independence – that, is the world’s first actually dependable automobile.

Why we loving driving solar powered electrical Autos

One in every of ReVision’s personal, who has a Tesla Mannequin 3 and Clipper Creek Degree Two charging station, tells his story:

Driving electrical has been an superior expertise and I’ve zero regrets in making the swap. I used to be truthfully a bit hesitant at first as a result of it was such a overseas idea to me, however it has made driving enjoyable once more and my commute to work is likely one of the greatest components of my day. Merging onto the freeway on an on ramp and blasting out of a toll sales space with speedy acceleration are particularly enjoyable, it by no means will get outdated! I put a Clipper Creek Degree Two charging station in my storage which will get me about 25 miles of vary per hour of cost, so absolutely recharging in a single day is straightforward. I may also cost at work at one of many a number of Degree Two Charging Stations there.

Upkeep? Properly, within the 2 years that I’ve owned the Tesla Mannequin 3, I’ve rotated the tires as soon as and refilled the windshield washer fluid 3 occasions. Oil adjustments and noisy mufflers are a factor of the previous for me. Warming the car up contained in the storage within the wintertime with out filling the complete storage with Carbon Monoxide is fairly good too.

Cleansing up New England’s transportation sector is essential within the combat to decrease our area’s CO2 emissions. Driving an electrical car that’s oftentimes charged by the photo voltaic array at my house or at work offers me entertaining, guilt free driving and I can’t advocate it sufficient! – Erik Mitchell, Portland, ME

One other ReVision champion in his twenties had this to say about his expertise driving a Bolt:

Two years and 43,000 miles into proudly owning a Chevrolet Bolt, I’ve paid $50 to cost at a few DC quick chargers.

After weekends filled with occasions and staying with buddies, whereas driving from Portland to Boston, to the White Mountains, I’ve taken breaks from driving and absolutely charged whereas consuming lunch. How have I gotten away with zero tailpipe emissions and close to zero gas value? House rooftop photo voltaic, and visiting companies that present complimentary charging.

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At house, I get up with 240 miles in my “tank” every single day, so I actually solely must cost a couple of times per week. I’m not going out of my strategy to seek for a fuel station to face within the chilly, sideways rain or snow, fidgeting with a bank card at a sticky gasoline pump. Chargers are conveniently situated at my locations — I simply verify PlugShare!

When in cities, garages that supply charging get my enterprise. When at ski slopes, I may even preheat my automobile from the chair carry on the final run, whereas it’s nonetheless plugged in, so it’s absolutely charged and heat once I’m prepared to depart. – Dylan Lucas, Bow, NH

Which EV ought to I drive?

March of 2018 marked the thirtieth month of consecutive year-over-year month-to-month gross sales features. By the top of 2018, US EV gross sales had been up 74%, thanks largely to Tesla’s Mannequin 3, and international gross sales had been up 64% — 2.1 million EVs had been bought in all.

Main automakers like Volvo and GM have lately declared the longer term to be all-electric. There are numerous all-electric vehicles already obtainable within the US, in addition to hybrid EVs. Battery ranges have elevated, mannequin sorts have diversified, and prices have come down. So what’s on the market?

Maybe everybody has heard of Tesla by now. They proceed to push the market forward, and the Mannequin 3 has introduced their nice battery vary and design nearer to the attain of a mean American earnings, however the prime contender for greatest American EV may simply be from one of many oldest gas-powered car makers: Chevrolet. The Chevy Bolt was the 2017 Motor Development Automobile of the 12 months, as it’s a highly effective mixture of high quality, effectivity, and worth.

One other robust all-electric possibility is the Nissan Leaf, or there are lots of plug-in hybrids just like the Chrysler Pacifica, Toyota Prius Prime or Kia Niro. Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) provide gasoline energy as a backup to battery vary. The typical American commute is often quick sufficient for a PHEV to drive on electrical energy more often than not, nevertheless, there may be nonetheless an engine that must be maintained. In distinction, all-electric EVs are free from many upkeep wants we’ve got change into accustomed to with automobile care.

So how do I drive an EV with solar energy?

If you wish to drive an electrical car, you’re going to wish an electrical car charging level at house, both mounted within the storage or on the driveway.

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To cost your electrical car with photo voltaic, you want two parts: a photo voltaic electrical system and a Degree Two electrical car charging station. ReVision Vitality can set up each for you. A wall-mounted Degree Two charger can ship about 25 miles of vary per hour of charging, permitting you to get up each morning to a totally charged car. Degree Two charging is way sooner than, and extremely preferable to Degree I plug-in outlet charging which generally delivers 4-5 miles per hour of charging. A 2017 Chevy Bolt, for instance, takes solely 8.5 hours (in a single day) to get better its 238-mile vary with a Degree Two charger, and over 36 hours with a Degree One charger.

A grid-tied photo voltaic electrical system is the easiest way to place photo voltaic to work on your electrical automobile. A grid-tied system will produce energy each time the solar is out, no matter whether or not your home wants it that second or not. So, if you’re at work (and charging there!), the facility generated at your own home shall be bought to the grid. You get that energy again within the type of a credit score, which you should utilize at evening whereas re-charging your EV.

Don’t neglect to verify our Northern New England EV Charging Incentives Information for charging tools offers in your space. And when you’re able to get began in your photo voltaic + EV journey, contact our gifted photo voltaic advisors for data on the way to mix an electrical car and sunshine for carbon-free driving.

The Historical past and Way forward for Photo voltaic Powered EVs

In case you’re involved in some extra studying, we encourage you to take a look at our 3 half weblog sequence that takes you thru the surprisingly detailed historical past of EVs, and all over modern-day nuts and bolts data:

Half 1 – On the Highway Once more: The Return of the Electrical Automobile

Half 2 – The Ins and Outs of EV Charging

Half 3 – Photo voltaic + EV: Drive on Sunshine, Save Massive Bucks

¹A grid-based eGallon, utilized by the US Division of Vitality to match the price of electrical energy to gasoline, is at present calculated at $1.11, in comparison with the typical US fuel value of $2.65 per gallon, important financial savings by any measure. Nonetheless, a photo voltaic gallon prices 71 cents, primarily based upon the levelized value over the twenty-five-year guarantee of a typical residential photo voltaic array (6 kW). Go to https://www.power.gov/maps/egallon for an updated comparability of gasoline to eGallons.