Use Wufoo integrations and get your data to your favorite apps.

Category: Electric Vehicle

There are 3 posts published under Electric Vehicle.

Apollo’s Gift: Install Solar, Get a Free Car

A rooftop solar system can generate enough energy to zero out your home electricity bill. But it can also generate enough savings to buy you a new car with free fuel every three years for life.

 

First, some caveats: our approach won’t work for everyone. If you live in Seattle or other cloudy climates, you probably won’t get enough sun to make this economical. If you rent, or live in an apartment where you can’t install a solar system, we can’t help. And, finally, if you already live in a zero-energy building and ride a bicycle to work, you have our respect (now move along).

 

For everyone else, there’s a perfect storm brewing — inexpensive solar systems, aggressive incentives from electric vehicle manufacturers, and a plethora of tax credits and rebates — which makes this an excellent time to install a rooftop solar system for powering your home and fueling an electric car.

 

We’re Not Making This Up…

 

For the impatient, here’s the punch line: The falling cost of rooftop solar systems (a.k.a. Photovoltaic or “PV systems”), combined with federal, state and local incentives, means that you can easily install a PV system and immediately lower your monthly bill. In addition, if you lease an electric vehicle as your primary commute car and install a slightly larger PV system to charge it, your monthly savings will cover the lease of the electric vehicle.

 

Rather than pay for everything up-front, you can take out a loan to finance the initial costs. Even factoring in monthly finance charges, your monthly bill may be lower than what you’re paying now.

 

The Status Quo

 

For purposes of comparison, let’s assume that our home consumes 940 kWh of electricity each month and electricity costs us $0.1172 per kWh for a total monthly bill of $110.

 

Let’s also assume that we commute 20 miles to work 21.75 days out of each month in an SUV that only gets 16 mpg and requires premium gas. If a gallon of premium gasoline costs $4.112, then we’re spending $224/month on gasoline. And, like most gasoline powered cars, our SUV requires an annual oil change and service which costs about $120, averaging $10/month.

 

If electricity rates and gasoline prices don’t change, we’re paying $344 every month.

 

Pairing A PV System With An Electric Vehicle

 

Electricity Consumption

 

We want a PV system that generates enough electricity to zero out our home electricity use and also charge an electric vehicle. From our “status quo” assumptions, we know that our home consumes 940 kWh per month.

 

How much power does the electric vehicle consume? We’ll specify the Fiat 500e as our electric vehicle of choice — it comes with strong reviews from Consumer Reports, stating that, “With its instant electric power delivery, the 500e feels punchy, smooth and effortless.” It has favorable lease terms and, besides, it’s as cute as a button. The Fiat 500e consumes 0.290 kWh per mile, or 252 kWh in our monthly commute.

 

So our PV system should be capable of delivering an average of 940 + 252 = 1192 kWh per month.

 

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s PV Watts online system has particularly useful information about solar systems, providing highly accurate solar energy data across the United States. Using the information on the PV Watts site, we see that, if we live in a climate with 4.5 hours of average daily sunlight and assuming a solar inverter efficiency of 77%, we will need solar panels rated to deliver 11.4 kW of DC power.

 

Cost Assumptions

 

The cost of PV panels, ancillary equipment and installation has been falling rapidly over the last few seasons — costs vary by region and each installation is has its own challenges. These factors make it hard to accurately ascribe a cost for fully installed systems, but we’re using $3/watt as a basis.

 

In our case, a PV system—including permits and installation—will cost 11400W * $3/W = $34,200.

 

As for the electric vehicle, a 36 month / 36000 mile lease on the Fiat 500e is available for $999 down and $199/month.

 

Financing your PV System

 

A lot of press has been given to Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) as a way to avoid the high capital cost of installing a PV system. With a PPA, you effectively loan your rooftop to a company who takes on the responsibility for installing and maintaining the PV system, and in returns, sells you electricity for a discount. While PPAs are appropriate for some customers, we recommend financing the system yourself when possible.

 

Even though interest rates have been rising recently, you can find favorable terms on a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC). If you’re not familiar with a HELOC, it is a loan from the bank secured against equity in your home. We’ve recently found HELOCs with APRs below 4.5%.

 

If a HELOC is not for you, you should also consider Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing. In effect, it is a loan made by your local government and also secured against your home.

 

There are many incentives, rebates and credits for PV systems that vary state by state. But, as a minimum, our model assumes that you take advantage of the 30% Federal Tax Credit for the PV system, which knocks the price down to $23,940 from $34,200.

 

Financing Your Electric Vehicle

 

We believe that leasing an electric vehicle is a good idea. First, it eliminates any questions about long-term degradation of the batteries — after three years, you simply return the car to the dealer and get a new one. Second, electric vehicle technology is advancing rapidly, so refreshing your car every few years lets you take advantage of the most recent improvements. Finally, car manufacturers appear to be in a bit of a bidding war for leasing rates, so you have several great deals to choose from.

 

Different states have different rebate programs for electric vehicles. In California, for example, you can get a $2500 rebate on the lease of an electric vehicle, assuming the lease is 36 months or more.

 

Adding It All Up

 

If we apply the $2500 rebate to pay the $999 closing costs of the Fiat 500e and apply the balance to paying down the PV system, the final accounting looks like this:

 

  • Apply $999 of the $2500 California rebate to cover the closing costs on the lease of a Fiat 500e.
  • Apply the remaining $1501 of the California electric vehicle rebate towards the PV system so the financed amount is $23,940-$1,501 = $22,439.
  • Use your HELOC to finance $22,439 for the PV system. If your APR is 4.5% and you pay off the balance over the 20 year lifetime of the system, your monthly payments will be $142.
  • The monthly payment on your Fiat 500e will be $199.

 

Overall, you will pay $341 per month — less than the $344 you pay in the “status quo” scenario.

 

So let’s take a step back. You’ve stored your SUV in the back of the garage and only take it out for occasional ski trips. Your PV system powers your house and charges your electric vehicle. You’ve financed the cost of the PV system so there are no upfront expenses, and you are leasing an electric vehicle and financing the closing costs for it as well. Despite all this, your monthly payments are now LOWER than before you got your PV system.

 

That’s great, but it gets better: Every three years, you can go to the car dealership to lease a shiny new electric vehicle. You are 100% insulated against rising electricity and gasoline prices. If you choose to sell your house, your PV system will increase the value of your home, often by enough to completely offset your original cost of the system.

 

Don’t Take Our Word For It…

 

We haven’t touched on all the other incentives, rebates and credits available to homeowners who install solar or purchase an electric vehicle. For example, in some states, the cost of your solar system is deducted from your property tax. And electric vehicles are often allowed to travel for free in express lanes on highways.

 

Does this sound good? We’ve shared a spreadsheet on Google Drive so you can plug in your own numbers. To use it, click on this link to open it, then click on File => Make a copy… to make a copy that you can personalize. The spreadsheet also has links to many sites where you can find additional information about the numbers behind the assumptions for PV systems, EVs and rebates.

 

We’d welcome your comments and questions.

 

The author would like to give special thanks to Hilton Dier III of Renewable Energy Design for generously offering his advice and expertise. The author’s brother David suggested “Apollo’s Gift” for the name of the article.

779

Tech & Startups: Top 7 Things You Missed Today

Tech & Startups:  Top 7 News Items From Across the WeJuly 29th, 2013

  1. Tech Giants Beware! $35.1 B Merger creates World’s Biggest Advertising Agency

 

Omnicom and Publicis are merging to create the world’s biggest advertising agency worth $35.1 billion. The company will be called Publicis Omnicom Group and will be led by Omnicom CEO, John Wre,n and Publicis CEO Maurice Levy. They will be co-chief executives.

 

Meanwhile, Google is currently the world’s biggest digital ad network, and Facebook recently showed promising returns on mobile. Both of these companies, plus Yahoo, Apple and other tech giants have reason to be alarmed by this recent acquisition and potential threat in what is considered to be the internet’s top bounty: digital advertising.

 

2. 60 Minutes Predicts Steve Jobs Will Be Forgotten

 

In a recent documentary on Bill Gates, 60 Minutes highlighted the business magnate gone philanthropist, asserting he will make a longer-lasting imprint on society than Steve Jobs.

 

Here’s a link to the video: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50151799n

 

3. Heart Surgery in India for $1583.00 costs $106,385 in U.S.

 

A heart surgeon turned businessman, Devi Shetty, has cut the price of coronary bi-pass surgery down to a mere $1583. It currently costs $106,385 at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic, as first reported by Bloomberg.

 

How does Shetty accomplish such low prices across the 21 medical centers around India? He cuts down on air conditioning, the cost of medical scrubs and also foregoes Pre-Op testing.

 “The current price of everything that you see in health care is predominantly opportunistic pricing and the outcome of inefficiency.” - Devi Shetty

 

4. New Invention Wards Off Date-Rape Drug

 

A Boston MassChallenge startup has invented new cups and straws, designed to change color in the event someone slips a date-rape drug into your drink.

 

startups from boston mass challenge

 

The creator, Michael Abramson, was drugged himself one night in a Boston nightclub – which inspired the new concept. He raised $52,000 on IndieGoGo, citing support and outreach from other date rape drug victims.

“Your straw would actually change color. Any part that is touching the drink would actually then change color. And it would be designed, too, so it would be clear that there was a color change happening, there would be no question about it,” Abramson told WGBH news

5. The Ultimate Electric Driving Machine … Isn’t Tesla

 

BMW has just entered the EV market with an announcement today of the new BMW i3. The new vehicle in the i-Line is priced at $41,350 and expected to reach the United States in early 2014.

 

Current stats include a 22-kilowatt, 450-pound lithium-ion power and the ability to reach 80-100 miles with 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque.

 

On that note, the Nissan Leaf is still a better value in the EV market, but BMW at least has a carved out a starting point.

 

 

6. Busy Month For Bitcoin: Ruled to be Illegal in Thailand

 

Earlier this month, we reported the first website in Iran “Coin Ava” is now open to buying and selling Bitcoin. Yet, in a recent meeting between Bitcoin, LLC. and The Bank of Thailand, bitcoin was ruled to illegal in Thailand. The following reasons were stated: “lack of existing applicable laws, capital controls and the fact that Bitcoin straddles multiple financial facets.”

 

7. Fun Project with Arduino: Monitoring Toilets

Using a wireless Arduino, a team in Tokyo has designed a monitoring device for bathrooms. Similar to airplane occupancy lights, the team designed a way to know if the bathroom is occupied across three floors.

 

 

 

172

Top 3 Startups from Silicon Valley LAUNCH

Tesla for Wheelchairs, An Algorithm API and Crowd Sourced Security

This month, SV Forum is celebrating thirty years as a not-for-profit organization supporting innovation and startups in Silicon Valley. The organization holds a staggering 200 events per year for entrepreneurs and investors, and therefore, is well suited for naming the industry’s top tech visionaries and promising startups.

On Tuesday, SV Forum announced the 2013 visionaries, which includes Steve Blank, a highly influential serial entrepreneur, author and academician, Peter Diamandis of the XPrize Foundation, Ray Kurzweil of Google and Padmasree Warrior of Cisco. This award honors the industry’s foremost pioneers and leaders, and in the past has included Bill Gates, Marc Andreessen and Ron Conway.

In addition to announcing this year’s visionaries, SV Forum also held a LAUNCH event for startups, giving promising teams the opportunity to pitch to a panel of venture capitalists and angel investors. Members of the panel included Bill Reichert of Garage Ventures and Ron Weissman of Band of Angels.

Here are three startups not to be missed:

Algorithms.io

We all know data is important; this company takes it a step further and transforms data input into intelligent output. Their API is simple enough for developers to build applications without writing algorithms. Current clients include a semiconductor company who uses the API to decrease the strain on its sales force by automating smaller purchases. Another creative use of the API is building a predictive model for entrepreneurs. This application is currently in beta testing with a VC firm, where it helps predict the next interesting company by using a combination of graph analysis and classification.

 

WHILL

WHILL is attempting to disrupt the $1.7B wheelchair market by introducing Electric Vehicle technology to wheelchairs. You can think of it as Tesla meets personal mobility. The actual product has a very slick appearance, having been designed by the CEO, Satoshi Sugie, formerly of the Nissan Design Center. Another feature is the unique wheel, which moves transversely with a small turning radius, optimizing the mobility of the user, and is especially helpful for daily street obstacles.

 

BugCrowd

“It takes a crowd to stop a crowd.”

Simply put, Bugcrowd crowd sources security. Large corporations, such as Google, Facebook and Etsy, already do this by incentivizing researchers to exploit and test security flaws. Bugcrowd uses a similar concept, and in a recent case involving a large grocery store chain, the company crowd sourced over 250 security researchers to solve a mobile risk which had led to the grocery chain’s infrastructure. The magnitude of what Bugcrowd intends to introduce is quite impressive (perhaps prime for the elusive hockey stick?) when you consider the growing concerns in security and mobile.

291