Thomas W. Lewis

7/27/2010

I was fortunate enough to drive a real Leaf yesterday.  The dash provides a techie turn-on sequence when powered up.  As you can see in the below picture showing David Harron at the wheel, this vehicle included the optional navigation in the dash.  If you put it in a special ECO mode, then acceleration requires more throttle travel and the regenerative breaking is stronger.  But you can temporally override ECO just by tromping on the “gas”.  You can see my knees in the back are not against the seat back, but I did notice that I could not tuck my feet under the front seat. Read more »

A DC fast charger connector usable with electric vehicles that will be available the end of this year. Used with permission from EVnut.com.

7/6/2010

Do you want to know more about developments in the plug-in vehicle market?  If yes, then save out the evening of Tuesday, July 27th to attend Public Night of the Plug-in 2010 conference in San Jose.

This event debuted in San Jose two years ago, and took place in Long Beach last year.  So, there is certainly potential for it to not return to the bay area until 2012.

There is no need to worry about advance registration because the $10 entrance fee to Public Night is payable at the door.

Read more »

5/12/2010

Starting May 15th you will be able to reserve an all-electric Nissan Leaf at this link.  You will need to pay a $100 refundable deposit to get on the list.

The Leaf is targeted to be a commute car, so it can be viable if you have access to another vehicle in your family for long distance traveling.  There are plenty of naysayers who have plenty of reasons why the Leaf is not for them, and why they think it will not be successful.  But the Leaf is the first car since the RAV4EV to be a viable mass market all-battery electric.  The recent oil spill in the gulf helps highlight why this car is so compelling, and if you insist on transportation without oil, then the Leaf is definitely your best choice right now.

Charging

While the charger is build-in to the car, a home “charging” dock will be needed and will cost around $2,200 including installation.  A Federal tax credit may offset 50% of the cost (up to $2000) through Dec. 2010.  Here is a video about the 220/240V, 40A dock: link.    Charging from empty to full with this dock will take 8-hours.

Nissan is helping establish a charging network at malls, service stations, etc., presumably using 220/240V, 40A units.   The navigation system will show these locations as they come online.  You can also plug the car into a regular 110/120V 20 amp dedicated outlet for slower “trickle charging”.  Finally, the car can handle 400/480V quick-charging (30 minute to 80%) stations that will eventually be available in many markets.

Range

The 100-mile range is based on the LA4 drive cycle – an EPA testing and rating system.  Range will vary with your driving style, and conditions.  Nissan expects the battery to have a lifespan of 5-10 years, and battery age will lead to a corresponding decrease in range.  So, if your work is 50 miles from your home, then you will need to negotiate with your workplace to plug-in during the day.  The navigation system will tell you if your planned destination is within estimated range.

“Details”

• MSRP is $32,780
• $7,500 in Federal tax credits.
• $5,000 in California rebate.
• California registered Leafs can apply to drive in HOV lanes regardless of vehicle occupancy.

January 17, 2010

Some details surfaced this week about a patent Apple filed last May for a system to manage power delivery to home electronics.  It is based on the HomePlug standard, and it appears there is a provision for energy storage in the home.

See these links for details: Link1 Link2

December 24,  2009

Now is the time to look forward to the new year in terms of the tone for clean tech and sustainability.  Check this article for some predictions: link.  Much of Rob Day’s focus is on investing.

December 2, 2009

Check this post for some detail on energy storage demonstrations that were recently funded: link

November 18,  2009

I was struck by how great some of the contenders were that did not win final awards at Clean Tech Open.  Below are some of the stand-outs in my opinion.  Check them out!

Pangreen Its great because they want to do something like Google mobile (including Transit), except with additional features that extend the “sustainability” aspect such as bicycle mode and business centric green information.  Also they are planning on schedule syncing, including sending alerts for the best time to depart for a trip in order to get there in time.

it moves Small 4-wheeled battery electrics for carsharing.  Advantage is a parking area that the service provider can supply(and negotiate with the city for) that can accommodate multiple of the little cars faced perpendicular to the curb.  Sounds like the quantity might be 3-4 cars in the space usually reserved for one regular car.

dot UI Providing a conduit between homeowners and service providers to the benefit of both.

Danfoss IXA CO2 and particulate sensors for industrial applications, like ships.  Important because of the degree to which we are just estimating and not measuring emission levels.  Anything that is estimated can be fudged, and fudged figures means inaccuracy in determining emission reduction.

tru2earth Converting water and soda bottles into 50+year rated roofing materials.

November 18, 2009

At theClean Tech Open Gala last night, awards were made to early stage start-ups that compete for recognition and financial assistance.  Also, there was an alumni made.

The winners were:

National Prize:  EcoFactor (www.ecofactor.com)

National Prize Runners-up : Alphabet Energy (www.alphabetenergy.com); and MicroMidas (www.micromidas.com)

Alumni Award: Adura Technologies (www.aduratech.com)

National Sustainability Award: HydroVolts (www.hydrovolts.com)

Global Cleantech Open Ideas Competition: Replenish Energy of Puerto Rico (www.replenishenergy.org)

You can read more here: Press Release.

November 9, 2009

I met Stan Walerczyk at a talk he gave recently on the latest in lighting.  Later I discovered he conducts full seminars for a fee through various organizations.  His site www.lightingwizards.com not only touches on several aspects of lighting quality and efficiency, but also includes some informative papers, some for free, some for a fee.

If you need a lighting professional, I suggest you contact Stan.

August 4, 2009

Nissan just announced their first mass market EV, called the Leaf.  It is a 4-door and is said to take you 100 miles between complete charges.   Probably you will need to to buy or lease the battery separately, but Nissan appears to be focused on keeping the total cost more reasonable than the other announced EVs of similar quality level, such as the Mitsubishi i MiEV.  Some of the reports indicate that the car itself may only be available via a lease.  It is planned for introduction to selected areas of the US market late 2010.

Overall, it looks a bit better than the Versa upon which it is based.

Also, Nissan is planning some nice features like a web-based control of car functions, and text alerts for state of charge.  The navigation system will show graphically how far you can reach on your charge, and where the charging stations are.

Power is 107 HP, torque is 208 ft-lbs, and top speed is 87  MPH.  Battery capacity is 24 kWh.

According to Autobloggreen, “More impressive is the battery pack’s 50 kW DC fast-charge capability, which is capable of accepting an 80% charge in less than 30 minutes, or an extra 50 km (31 miles) worth of range in about 10 minutes.”  These fast chargers will be special 3-phase units that will not be priced for individual car owners.  Using 200V in-home charging will require about 8 hours, and since we use 240V here in the USA for electric dryers, the rate will be 8 hours or less.

Here are some links:

Nissan

Autobloggreen

Reuters

WSJ

YouTube

USA TODAY