Nevada continues to make headlines on the technology and renewable fronts. Now Las Vegas is home to one of the largest and most advanced charging stations on the planet. Take a read for the TechCrunch coverage below:
Author: Paul Bordenkircher
EV Cost to Drive #1: Purchase price
As a new first-time owner of an electric vehicle, I thought it would be helpful to do a series of posts on some of the questions I had getting my first EV, a 2016 Chevy Spark EV, in January 2019.
I get a lot of questions about driving an electric vehicle. People are interested, but just not sure about the day-to-day implications of the differences between gas powered vehicles and an EV.
The most common question I get is: “How much does it cost to drive an EV? Isn’t it more expensive?” We’re gonna break this one down over multiple posts. Let’s start off with the cost of actually purchasing a vehicle.
When most people ask about the expense of driving an EV, they are typically asking how much they cost to purchase. Teslas are the most well-known brand, and since they are a luxury vehicle – with the price to match – the automatica assumption is that all EVs are too expensive for most people. And without a doubt, new EVs come at a premium. Most new models price around $30k and up. Like most people I was on a budget, and a new Tesla – or any other new EV – was just too expensive. In my research, what I discovered was the “dirty little secret” very few people are talking about. It’s called buying a used EV.
By buying used versus new, you let the original owner pay the so-called “electric premium!” This is because the resale value of EVs often plummet on the used market (Teslas excluded). First, this is because most EV buyers are enthusiasts and want to get the “next new thing.” They often lease the vehicles for 3 years, then trade it in for the newest model.
Second, because EVs are relatively new, buyers are often apprehensive about a used model’s battery life. Of course that is a real issue, and can vary widely for many reasons. In the majority of cases, EV batteries have been shown to last 8 to 10 years or more. Most manufacturers are aware of this issue and offer warranties on battery life. Personally, I bought a Certified Pre Owned (CPO), because it added an extended warranty that includes the battery. (There’s also tests the dealer can perform on the battery to get an idea of the battery capacity. Insist on it when you’re car shopping.)
To give you an idea of the kind of depreciation you can expect, my Spark sold for about $26k new; as a three year old car, it’s common to see them as low as $8000, but typical is anywhere between $9-12k. While this kind of depreciation is bad if you’re the new car buyer, this makes for a tremendous value for a used car buyer. Obviously I was sold!
Next we’ll talk about the expense of things like repairs and maintenance.
What is a Compliance Vehicle?
In the discussion about electric vehicles, there’s a term that creates a lot of confusion for someone just learning about them. Certain EV models like the Chevrolet Spark EV, Ford Focus EV, Fiat 500e, Honda Fit EV and Toyota RAV4 EV are referred to as “compliance cars.” Exactly what does that mean?
The term compliance car comes from vehicle emissions mandates passed in certain states – namely California, Oregon and Maryland, though others are considering similar legislation. Laws in these states require vehicle manufacturers to sell a certain percentage of vehicles that are classified as zero emissions vehicles – basically, they don’t pollute the air at all. If a manufacturer cannot reach the state’s mandate for such vehicles, they are not allowed to sell vehicles OF ANY TYPE in that state.
So, in order to be compliant with the state’s emissions laws, some major manufacturers have chosen to create one or more electric vehicle models that are sold in those states only, in order to be able to sell all their other gas-powered models. Often the vehicles are electric versions of a gas-powered model they already sell, which is true in the case of both the Spark EV and the 500e.
The president of Fiat famously asked consumers in a press conference to simply not buy the Fiat 500e, as he claimed the company loses about $14,000 per vehicle sold. In fact, many companies claim they lose money on these models, but they do so I order to keep selling all of their vehicles in those areas.
(Interestingly, I’ve read reviews of the electric and gas versions of the Chevy Spark and Fiat 500. In both cases, the electric version was rated significantly higher than the gas-powered versions!)
Here’s a story by ThoughtCo, that explains it in a bit more detail:
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-a-compliance-car-85648
What is an EV?
There’s a lot of confusion as to what an EV – an electric vehicle – really is. In fact, there’s a whole combination of different vehicles on the road which qualify as an electric vehicle, at least in part. Let’s spell it out in more detail.
In the purest definition, an electric vehicle is any vehicle which uses some form of electric motor to propel the vehicle forward. So that includes both hybrids and fully electric vehicles (sometimes called battery electric or BEV’s). Let’s outline some of the differences.
Next LVEVA General Meeting on Saturday, August 10th at Gateway Classic Cars Showroom from 10 AM to Noon
The next general meeting of the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association will be on Saturday, August 10th, from 10 AM to noon at Gateway Classic Cars Las Vegas showroom, located at 6580 S. Lindell Road, Suite 300, Las Vegas, NV 89118.
Directions: Exit Hwy 215 at Jones Avenue, head north to Sunset, then east to S. Lindell Road. Cross streets are West Sunset Road and South Lindell Road.
Agenda:
- Notes and updates from LVEVA Board of Directors Meeting on 7/13/2019.
- Tour of classic and exotic cars within Gateway Classic Cars showroom.
- Planning for National Drive Electric Week 2019 that is being rescheduled for Springs Preserve location.
- General Discussion
Please come and join us!
NV Energy Ride ‘n Drive EVent for Electric Cars on May 25, 2019
An Electric Car Guest Drive EVent was staged at the NV Energy campus in Las Vegas on May 25th at 6226 W. Sahara in Las Vegas.
Pre-registered attendees could choose tickets to test drive two electric cars during the day, from a variety of currently available plug-in hybrid and battery-powered electric cars on the market.
LVEVA President Lloyd Reece was one of the “coaches” during the event, who rode along in the passenger seat of the test-drive vehicles. He helped new drivers learn about the Tesla Model 3 , the Chevrolet Volt, and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
Continue reading “NV Energy Ride ‘n Drive EVent for Electric Cars on May 25, 2019”
Highlights from LVEVA General Meeting at SYN Shop Hackerspace on May 11, 2019
The May monthly meeting of the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association was staged on Saturday, May 11, 2019 from 10 AM to Noon at the SYN Shop Hackerspace in Henderson, near the Valley Auto Mall, at 1075 American Pacific, Suite C, Henderson, NV 89074. www.synshop.org
LVEVA Meeting Agenda:
Continue reading “Highlights from LVEVA General Meeting at SYN Shop Hackerspace on May 11, 2019”
Highlights of GreenFest 2019 and Drive Electric Earth Day in Downtown Summerlin
The April 2019 meeting of the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association was staged in conjunction with GreenFest 2019 at Downtown Summerlin on April 20th from 10 AM to 5 PM, where the LVEVA staged two exhibit booths within the Clean Energy Drive Zone:
Continue reading “Highlights of GreenFest 2019 and Drive Electric Earth Day in Downtown Summerlin”
One Million Electric Cars Sold in U.S. Since 2010!
The Electric Drive Transportation Association has been tracking U.S. Sales of plug-in electric cars since 2010, when the first Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt mass-market cars were introduced:
https://electricdrive.org/index.php?ht=d/sp/i/20952/pid/20952
President Barack Obama during his 2011 State-of-the-Union address challenged the nation to put one million plug-in electric cars on U.S. roads during his term.
It took a little longer, but the benchmark was achieved during October 2018, when 9,465 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and 24,638 battery-electric vehicles were sold.
Total sales since 2010 were estimated at 1,015,980 at the end of October 2018.
NEVA blog posted by Stan Hanel, Outreach Coordinator
Electrify America Begins Installation of DC Fast Charge Systems in Nevada
Electrify America, a non-profit organization funded by Volkswagen to install multiple DC Fast Charge stations on highways and roadways across America, has begun installing these systems in Nevada.
The Premium Outlet Malls South is a shopping district near Las Vegas Blvd and Warm Springs Road, just south of the Las Vegas Strip. The company is hosting six DC Fast Charge stations with 12 charging ports of various power-delivery capabilities for different model EVs equipped with different levels of fast-charge battery packs.
Two of the stations will carry “ultra fast” plug connectors capable of delivering electricity at a maximum power-transfer rate of 350 kilowatts. At this time, no plug-in electric car battery pack has been equipped to handle this combined amount of voltage and current flow from a DC Ultra Fast Charger. However, the installation of these systems will future-proof these DC Fast Charge systems near Las Vegas Blvd., so that newer vehicles with ultra-fast charging rates that will be developed over the next ten years, will still be able to use this site.
The plug-in connectors on these charging stations are based on the SAE International standard for DC Fast Charging, known as the Combined Charging System, or CCS. The latest CCS version 2.0 coincidentally has a maximum power rating of 350 kilowatts, that can be achieved through a combination of voltage and current settings. Voltage can be adjusted from 200 – 1000 Volts DC, while current flow can reach a maximum of 500 Amps.
Three of the six stations at the Las Vegas Premium Outlet South shopping district will be also use a similar CCS connector, but have a maximum power-transfer capability of 150 kilowatts.
The last DC Fast Charge station has two different connectors. One is a CCS-compatible plug rated at 150 kilowatts while the second plug is a CHAdeMo standard plug rated at 50 kilowatts. CHAdeMo is an older DC Fast Charge standard developed by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and implemented more than a decade ago. It has been used by Japanese automotive manufacturers in the Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi i-MiEV that were sold in the US during 2012 and beyond.
Each CHAdeMo-equipped vehicle had two separate charging ports, one for the standard SAE J1772 Level 1 and 2 AC charging systems, as well as a separate CHAdeMo port for DC Fast Charge systems.
All six DC Fast Charge stations have been provided by ABB, a worldwide manufacturer of electric vehicle supply equipment for the automotive industry.
Currently, the Tesla Supercharger network of DC Fast Charge stations are rated at 120 kilowatts to enable Tesla Models S, X and 3 to travel cross-country and recharge a 250-mile range pack in about forty minutes. Tesla owners can purchase an optional CHAdeMo adapter cable but at 50 kilowatts, charging time is closer to two hours to top off a Tesla model battery pack.
A 150-kilowatt DC Fast Charger should reduce the time required to refill an electric car’s battery cells to about 35 minutes, while a 350-kilowatt Ultra Fast DC Charger should be able to recharge a compatible battery pack in about ten minutes.
Implementing this EV technology roadmap to enable an electric car future may have some speed bumps over the next ten years.
Building out the necessary charging station infrastructure to safely deliver electricity at the same rates as high-voltage transmission lines will still be a tremendous challenge to designers, installers, product managers, maintenance people and even first responders to a traffic accident or DC Fast Charge station malfunction.
A lot of “real world” testing will be required with each new level of DC Fast
Charge technologies over the next decade.
Already, Electrify America has experienced a recall of 350-kilowatt DC Fast Charge cables after recent testing found a problem in some of the units. Retrofits to the original cable designs were required to systems that have already been installed.
An onboard card reader can process all major credit cards for the purchase of electric power, as well as process payments through Apple Pay and Android Pay.