Kamis, 22 September 2016
Independence Is Empowering Go EV Now and Claim Yours!
Todays date is July 4th 2014, and here in the US the 4th of July is a national day of celebration. The 4th of July is "Independence Day" and is a federal holiday which commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring our independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. This was of course a great moment in Americas history, and one worthy of celebration.
However for me, this date has had a dual meaning over the past five years. I too celebrate the birth of our great nation 238 years ago, but I also have a little extra to celebrate since 2009, because thats when I began driving electric.
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| My beloved MINI-E and me in 2009. You always remember your first...EV! |
Merriam Webster defines independent as follows: "Not subject to control by others; Not requiring or relying on something else," so its clear why this calendar day has been designated Independence Day in the US.
I define my personal transportation energy independence as driving an electric car that is powered by sunlight which is captured on my rooftop solar array. Yes, I have a grid tied array and use net metering so I still rely on the utility to provide power when my array isnt producing. However the net benefit is I can drive as much as I want and Im paying very little for the energy to power my home and drive my car. I am completely isolated from the extreme fluctuations of the cost of gasoline, and Im not at the mercy of the supply chain of oil. Ask anyone who lives the EV + PV life and theyll tell you its certainly an empowering feeling, and part of why electrics are indeed the vehicle of the future.
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| Me and my second electric vehicle, the BMW ActiveE in 2012 |
So far Im averaging a little over 4 miles per kWh in my i3. My solar array produces an average of about 30kWhs every day of the year. Thats enough energy to power my i3 about 130 miles. Compare that to a gas car that gets 30mpg, (which is much higher than what the average car delivers) and it would need 4.3 gallons of gas to drive 120 miles. At todays gas prices that would cost about $16.00. Gas prices constantly fluctuate, and are very sensitive to any governmental instability in one of the main Oil Producing and Exporting Countries, but eventually they always go up. Conversely the sun will always be free, and electricity rates from the local utility are mostly stable. Sure, there was an initial investment for the solar array, but with my savings Ill be cash positive in about 8 years and the arrays lifespan is about 30 years.
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| In 2014 Im now plugging my BMW i3 into the sun! |
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| Plug into the sun! |
So come join me in the electric revolution! Declare your independence from oil and grab a plug instead! There are many ways to generate electricity; many are from clean, renewable sources and some you can even do yourself. You can never make your own gasoline, it will never be clean, and youll always be dependent on others to provide it to you. There are many reasons to go electric, but energy independence may just be my personal favorite. Have a happy and safe Independence Day everyone!
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