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Read the rest of this articleChevy Volts and Nissan Leafs may charge at CA bank chain
The Chevy Volt will get its most efficient use from the all-electric mode powering it for the first 40 miles. Driving beyond that kicks in a gasoline engine that extends the range by recharging the battery, but what if electric recharging stations became as ubiquitous as gas stations? Then competing vehicles like the Nissan Leaf would become more viable alternatives for people uncomfortable with a limited drive radius.
There are a variety of companies competing to make electric charging stations, and SolarCity is a great example. It’s working with a bank chain in California to install solar charging stations in nearby parking lots. Customers who want to park and charge up won’t have to pay any fees, and any extra energy captured by the sun is fed back into the electrical grid.
Just how many cars will the installation be able to charge? Lyndon Rive, CEO of SolarCity says:
The site at Santa Maria has a solar array able to generate 30,000 watts and a net meter that runs backward when the panels produce more electricity than the bank is consuming. An array that large could theoretically charge roughly 2 thousand cars a year. Via CNET.
SolarCity isn’t stopping there though, it’s buying up other companies that are already working on other solar-powered charging stations. That’s part of a new division the company is creating to maximize on the market opportunity.
The range of electric vehicles is something GM fought against and lost with it’s EV-1 and that same concern is now rising again with Nissan’s Leaf and other electric-only cars. Drivers are looking for the same flexibility they have now with traditional combustion engines and that is empowered by the gas stations peppering almost every expressway exit. SolarCity is on to something, and if it could bring solar charging stations to company parking lots so that cars could charge while people are at work -- we’d be looking at a game changer.
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Theme : Addressing Range Anxieties. 1. As for long trip needs, all but Americans and many of developed nations have existing automobiles, in this regard, EVs are best suited to their daily use until the infrastructure comes into wide use. And people are already doing that. 2. With a long extension code inside, just in case, riders can get help from almost anyplace as electricity is everywhere, not to mention the stores to provide charge service, and many of EVs are equipped with a quick charger. 3. The on-board IT system shows the driving radius on a maximum range display under the current state of charge and calculates if the vehicle is within range of a pre-set destination. And the navigation system points out the latest information on available charging stations within the current driving range. 4. Unlike fuel price, as time goes by, the price of battery is expected to drop dramatically in the foreseeable future as with computer components, in that case, mounting additional battery might be not a problem. And the EVs that come in a range of 200 to 300 miles between charges are on fast-tract toward mass-market, as well. 5. Indian EV maker Reva said it has also set about addressing anxieties about e-car range, this fantastic wireless electricity/ "instant remote recharge" will be widely available down the line. 6. The vehicle-to-grid communication technology is helping the battery serve as a storage to prevent the costly blackout standing at about $90 to 100bn per year. That means utilities are shedding cost for additional storage facilities and ratepayers are selling electricity during peak demand so that EVs can make more economic sense, as we know. It is also in the best interest of electricity utilities that EVs are going mainstream, thereby they need to put in charge stands where needed around highways, major roads with card readers or cell phone tech. 7. I'm hopeful that the charge network will extend the select districts to nation-wide scale throughout the world, and this environment can usher in active private investings in EVs. And I remain confident that investing in charge stands could give rise to multiple times as much investing effect, so to speak, some billions of investing, this simple deployment, could call into the most-sought energy independence and solid recovery around the world. Thank You !