Comments on: Information Request

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:30:00 +0000

Nice, thanks. Will incorporate these comments in the post.

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:22:00 +0000

Thanks.

By: Solar Spike

Solar Spike — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:25:00 +0000

and looked at from the supply side some analysis by energy consultant Ken Regelson
http://fivestarconsultants.com/Clients_&_Projects_files/yield%20in%20miles%20driven.pdf
How far can we drive?
Yield in Miles Driven per Acre of Land per Year
ICE powered by soy diesel 2,400 miles
PV Charged EV 2,250,000

By: Solar Spike

Solar Spike — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:17:00 +0000

another answer you might like
http://evworld.com/blogs.cfm?authorid=226&blogid=1123

By: Solar Spike

Solar Spike — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:15:00 +0000

One way to do this analysis is to quit thinking in MPG. No one wants gasoline. We want mobility. So do your calculations in MP$ Miles per Dollar. Efficiency is key to getting the most MP$. ICE cars are around 10% efficient in the real world of everyday driving. EVs are nearer to 90% efficient. Then plug the EV into your PV system and you have just bought a hedge against all future increases in the cost of your mobility. You are getting the energy for your mobility for free from the sunshine that fell on your roof yesterday. Once you do this you will never look at a spread sheet again to see if it makes economic sense to quit giving Exxon your money.

By: Ross Chandler

Ross Chandler — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 22:16:00 +0000

VW/Audi have a hybrid A3 “e-tron” with 188 mpg and 35g CO2 per km claimed.

http://50to70.com/index.php/2013/02/22/188-mpg-audi-a3-e-tron/

They’ve also apparently announced production of the XL1 1 Litre per 100km (261 mpg)

http://www.vwvortex.com/news/volkswagen-news/volkswagen-xl1-gets-green-light/

By: Edward Kerr

Edward Kerr — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 17:33:00 +0000

I have to agree as wind and solar replace coal and the initial costs are amortized, electricity has a much better chance of remaining relatively price stable, or even dropping.

Unless we get serious about producing oil from algae I don’t see how oil prices will do anything but escalate. We have past peak production, despite what the industry avers, so I don’t see fossil oil ever dropping in price with rising or even flat demand.

By: Otis11

Otis11 — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 05:35:00 +0000

While I do think gas prices will rise, I don’t see electricity prices increasing significantly.

Gas prices will go up slightly because of increased global demand, but due to higher efficiency, US demand should decrease and offset a bit of this – so I think gas will be $3.70/gallon before taxes on average for the next decade. (Cheaper currently, higher later, average to that) The big kicker is we already have 80c/gal tax in some areas and that could increase significantly with any sort of a carbon tax – but that is very iffy. Basically that $4.50 is probably pretty accurate for most areas outside of the gulf coast where gasoline taxes are closer to 30c/gal.

Electricity on the other hand will not rise significantly – the price of solar is already starting to compete with the national average for retail electricity so if retail electric prices go up more people will move to solar, simple as that. Also, as solar efficiencies improve, cost of solar will go down. As more people switch, the soft costs will also drop making it even more competitive. So again I’d agree with Zachary’s estimate of 12c/kwh.

By: question

question — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 04:04:00 +0000

Nice work.

But check cell c18. There is a typo in the formula. “=C4+(C13*A18)+(C9+A18)” should be “=C4+(C13*A18)+(C9*A18)”

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 03:06:00 +0000

Gas and electricity prices will change over the years. Building in an inflation factor will move the numbers more in favor of the EV. I’m guessing that electricity prices for charging will be less than the average price of electricity since charging would mostly happen off peak.

Most people will finance a new car. With its higher purchase price this will disadvantage the EV.

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 01:44:00 +0000

Excellent, thank you.

By: Madan Rajan

Madan Rajan — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 01:31:00 +0000

100% of installed electricity capacity in US in Jan-2013 is Renewable.

http://www.argusmedia.com/News/Article?id=835710

By: Otis11

Otis11 — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 01:30:00 +0000

You called?

Nissan Leaf
To my knowledge there is no equivalent… It’s halfway between the Nissan Juke and the Nissan Rouge in terms of space and utility with the S, SV and SL models matching in terms of interior quality and extras.

Mitsubishi i
There actually is a gas version of this same car – but it is not sold in the US. Your best bet for a comparable car is probably a Kia Rio-5 Door, but that’s a bit of a favor for the Mitsubishi I as nothing truly comparable is sold in the US. Please note that to be an actual fair comparison the MiEv has to have half of the options selected bringing the cost up about $1500 on the higher model.

The Smart ForTwo
Well, there’s actually two different Smart Electric Drives – one convertible and the other not. The convertible is most closely related to the passion-cabriolet model while the non convertible is split between the passion-coupe and the pure-coupe. I’d recommend comparing it to the pure-coupe as it give the gas version a slight edge. (better to give the gas version the edge just so EV detractors have nothing to work with.)

Fiat 500e
I would pick the 500 Sport to compare, but to be honest I don’t really know on this one.

Honda Fit EV
Well, that’d be the Honda Fit. Haha – the closest model is going to be your Fit Sport. While the EV shares more external features with the Basic Fit model (Mainly the tires), the interior features (which are more significant in terms of price) have much more in common with the Fit Sport with Navigation option, so the Honda Fit Sport is a fair compromise. (actually, again probably giving the advantage to the gasoline car, but arguably comparable)