Many Mini drivers accessorize their cars with things like checkered-flag decals on the mirrors or the Union Jack on the roof. Colby Trudeau chose something a little more radical.
When Trudeau’s family took delivery of an electric Mini E two years ago, they gave the little EV a big upgrade: a 4.4 kilowatt solar-power system on the roof of their San Diego home. Going solar offset the Mini’s operating costs and covered most of the household energy costs, dropping the family’s monthly electric bill to around $25. When the Mini went back to BMW after its lease expired earlier this year, a Chevrolet Volt took its spot in the garage.
The Trudeaus are early adopters among early adopters, one of a small but growing number of people who are buying electric vehicles and embracing the idea of true zero-emissions driving.
“Once we had the electric car, going solar made even more sense,” said Trudeau, who grew so evangelical about cars with cords that he started volunteering at the advocacy group Plug In America. “Instead of sending our money overseas to power a polluting vehicle, we are now powering our car on cheap, clean, domestic electricity from the sun.”
It couldn’t be happening at a better time. Even as electric vehicles gain traction with consumers, the price of solar panels is falling precipitously. The two technologies complement each other, which is why many EV owners are going solar. It’s also why automakers like Ford are teaming up with solar startups to make plugging into the sun easier than ever.
Many Mini drivers accessorize their cars with things like checkered-flag decals on the mirrors or the Union Jack on the roof. Colby Trudeau chose something a little more radical.
When Trudeau’s family took delivery of an electric Mini E two years ago, they gave the little EV a big upgrade: a 4.4 kilowatt solar-power system on the roof of their San Diego home. Going solar offset the Mini’s operating costs and covered most of the household energy costs, dropping the family’s monthly electric bill to around $25. When the Mini went back to BMW after its lease expired earlier this year, a Chevrolet Volt took its spot in the garage.
The Trudeaus are early adopters among early adopters, one of a small but growing number of people who are buying electric vehicles and embracing the idea of true zero-emissions driving.
“Once we had the electric car, going solar made even more sense,” said Trudeau,A long established toolmaking and trade Injection moulds company. who grew so evangelical about cars with cords that he started volunteering at the advocacy group Plug In America. “Instead of sending our money overseas to power a polluting vehicle, we are now powering our car on cheap, clean, domestic electricity from the sun.”
It couldn’t be happening at a better time. Even as electric vehicles gain traction with consumers, the price of solar panels is falling precipitously. The two technologies complement each other, which is why many EV owners are going solar. It’s also why automakers like Ford are teaming up with solar startups to make plugging into the sun easier than ever.The application can provide Ceramic tile to visitors,Polycore oil paintings for sale are manufactured as a single sheet,
Solar-powered EVs are a bit of a misnomer. Most chargers are tied into the grid and use a variety of sources — including the sun — to directly charge the car. But these systems typically produce enough power to offset the electricity drawn by the car, and in some cases send power back to the grid.
It’s an ideal arrangement, said Mike Tinskey, Ford’s associate director for vehicle electrification and infrastructure. The automaker recently announced a partnership with SunPower to offer solar installations that offset the electricity needed to power a Ford Focus Electric driven 12,000 miles a year.
Critics will argue, “But that’s not a solar-powered EV.” Well, no,Enecsys Limited, supplier of reliable solar Air purifier systems, not always. Although a car plugged in during the day would be powered by the sun, most EVs are plugged in at night. Going solar lets an EV owner offset that while also selling power to the utility during periods of high demand while charging at night when demand,ceramic magic cube for the medical, and rates, fall.
“People called it energy arbitrage,” Tinskey said. “Sell the power when you don’t need it and pull the power when you do.”
The customer base for solar EV chargers is varied. You’ll find green-power advocates, energy-security activists, pacifists, isolationists, off-grid DIYers and professional engineers. They share a fascination with driving without the need for fossil fuels or nuclear power.
Of course, a large number of people interested in going electric also are interested in going solar, if they haven’t already. Most of them realize it isn’t cheap — even a modest system will set you back a few grand — but it isn’t the bottom line so much as energy independence that drives them.
When Trudeau’s family took delivery of an electric Mini E two years ago, they gave the little EV a big upgrade: a 4.4 kilowatt solar-power system on the roof of their San Diego home. Going solar offset the Mini’s operating costs and covered most of the household energy costs, dropping the family’s monthly electric bill to around $25. When the Mini went back to BMW after its lease expired earlier this year, a Chevrolet Volt took its spot in the garage.
The Trudeaus are early adopters among early adopters, one of a small but growing number of people who are buying electric vehicles and embracing the idea of true zero-emissions driving.
“Once we had the electric car, going solar made even more sense,” said Trudeau, who grew so evangelical about cars with cords that he started volunteering at the advocacy group Plug In America. “Instead of sending our money overseas to power a polluting vehicle, we are now powering our car on cheap, clean, domestic electricity from the sun.”
It couldn’t be happening at a better time. Even as electric vehicles gain traction with consumers, the price of solar panels is falling precipitously. The two technologies complement each other, which is why many EV owners are going solar. It’s also why automakers like Ford are teaming up with solar startups to make plugging into the sun easier than ever.
Many Mini drivers accessorize their cars with things like checkered-flag decals on the mirrors or the Union Jack on the roof. Colby Trudeau chose something a little more radical.
When Trudeau’s family took delivery of an electric Mini E two years ago, they gave the little EV a big upgrade: a 4.4 kilowatt solar-power system on the roof of their San Diego home. Going solar offset the Mini’s operating costs and covered most of the household energy costs, dropping the family’s monthly electric bill to around $25. When the Mini went back to BMW after its lease expired earlier this year, a Chevrolet Volt took its spot in the garage.
The Trudeaus are early adopters among early adopters, one of a small but growing number of people who are buying electric vehicles and embracing the idea of true zero-emissions driving.
“Once we had the electric car, going solar made even more sense,” said Trudeau,A long established toolmaking and trade Injection moulds company. who grew so evangelical about cars with cords that he started volunteering at the advocacy group Plug In America. “Instead of sending our money overseas to power a polluting vehicle, we are now powering our car on cheap, clean, domestic electricity from the sun.”
It couldn’t be happening at a better time. Even as electric vehicles gain traction with consumers, the price of solar panels is falling precipitously. The two technologies complement each other, which is why many EV owners are going solar. It’s also why automakers like Ford are teaming up with solar startups to make plugging into the sun easier than ever.The application can provide Ceramic tile to visitors,Polycore oil paintings for sale are manufactured as a single sheet,
Solar-powered EVs are a bit of a misnomer. Most chargers are tied into the grid and use a variety of sources — including the sun — to directly charge the car. But these systems typically produce enough power to offset the electricity drawn by the car, and in some cases send power back to the grid.
It’s an ideal arrangement, said Mike Tinskey, Ford’s associate director for vehicle electrification and infrastructure. The automaker recently announced a partnership with SunPower to offer solar installations that offset the electricity needed to power a Ford Focus Electric driven 12,000 miles a year.
Critics will argue, “But that’s not a solar-powered EV.” Well, no,Enecsys Limited, supplier of reliable solar Air purifier systems, not always. Although a car plugged in during the day would be powered by the sun, most EVs are plugged in at night. Going solar lets an EV owner offset that while also selling power to the utility during periods of high demand while charging at night when demand,ceramic magic cube for the medical, and rates, fall.
“People called it energy arbitrage,” Tinskey said. “Sell the power when you don’t need it and pull the power when you do.”
The customer base for solar EV chargers is varied. You’ll find green-power advocates, energy-security activists, pacifists, isolationists, off-grid DIYers and professional engineers. They share a fascination with driving without the need for fossil fuels or nuclear power.
Of course, a large number of people interested in going electric also are interested in going solar, if they haven’t already. Most of them realize it isn’t cheap — even a modest system will set you back a few grand — but it isn’t the bottom line so much as energy independence that drives them.
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