Your Car is TOO Quiet

There are two very distinct schools of thought regarding the noise that a vehicle makes. While there are some who say that power is only in the roar of the engine, and there are those who would be perfectly happy if all the noise just stopped. But there is a group in the US who is quite serious about vehicles making at least some noise, for the sake of safety.

To dispel the misconception that loud equals power, the Tesla Model S and the Roadster both have nearly noiseless motors and both can accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than 4 seconds.  This speed is primarily due to the fact that both vehicles do not have more than one gear in forward motion and 100 % torque from a standstill. The lack of noise is due to the lack of any controlled explosions in the electric motor. Inside the motor there is no contact between the electromotive force and the drive shaft.

I only mention the fact that the electric motor is "near-silent" because the sound what few gears transfer power between the drive shaft and wheels and cooling fans on the motor controller aren't completely quiet.  Also, you may wonder why I have used Tesla as a model for the speed example.  Although the Smart ED is definitely an electric car, it is not an electric car for speed.  It is an efficient car for getting around town.

But, as a contrast to those who believe that loud equals power, there are those people who are quite happy to drive in silence (at least vehicle silence).  Vehicles are not yet immune to creating road noise.  There is still the sound of tires on the road and of an object pushing air aside at high speed.  Can you imagine what the freeway would be like without the noise of so many engines running simultaneously?  It wouldn't be completely quiet, but it would be much less noisy, especially if tractor trailers went electric.

Despite all the good that can come from a vehicle being much less quiet than before, the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010 was signed into law in 2011, to guarantee that electric vehicles can be heard.  It's been said that this is for the sake of the blind that electric vehicles have been forced to have some noise generators on-board.

In a sense this Act is on the same level as banning Google Glass before it has debuted.  We've not had a great deal of time to determine whether the lack of engine noise is the issue with electric vehicles or if tire noise is sufficient to keep someone from being hit.

For now, though if you do purchase or plan to drive an electric vehicle know this, the engine hasn't died, it's just "near-silent".

How do You Find a Charging Station for an Electric Vehicle?

Ah, the power, the Raw POWER... er uh, yeah.  There is no trick to this.  We already know that power outlets are pretty much everywhere.  If you can find a building with electricity, you've got power.  But how many buildings offer access to a power outlet near a parking space?  Not too many, at least not too many that haven't already designated that space for an electric vehicle.

There are several companies that began creating charge stations as early as 2009, for the debut of the Tesla Roadster.  The company is called Coulomb Technologies.  CT created the site called ChargePoint and began to churn out a standard, simple charge station.  Now, five years later, there are thousands of these charge stations all over the world. And they all operate conveniently through a simple plastic card or an app on your smartphone.

The ChargePoint app can be installed on any smartphone and used to find all the public charge stations that are offered by CT.   All these stations are connected to the ChargePoint network and will update on the app to let all the users know which stations are in use.   You can either map to the charge station of your choice, or have the app just find the closest available station.

There are several other apps available for finding these. The following is a list of applications that I have downloaded and tested.

• EV Charging Locator
• CarStarions Charging Stations
• ChargePoint Find EV Charging
• PlugShare

All these apps will assist you in navigating to the station that you're seeking.  For the most part they will provide some detail about the station as to the voltage / current levels that are available.  The only trouble that they each seem to suffer from is pinpoint locations.  You may find yourself searching a parking lot for several minutes before you find the station.

I hate to use a gas station as an example, but they're typically easy to find.  A gas station is usually quite large, has a BIG sign with its logo, and has easy access to the street.  There are often people going in and out of them regularly, unless the station is closed.  EV charging stations are much smaller (even level 3).  They're often not easy to spot or are inconveniently placed due to the misunderstanding of how they're to be used.  

Apps

When I purchased the Smart ED, I got a recommendation from the salesman that I should use EV Charging Locator to find the charging stations.  It is the most comprehensive app that I've found for charging stations. It's impressively easy to find a station using this app, the station icons aren't just one color and give some idea of whether they're being used or are out of service.  Of the apps listed, this one is my favorite.

CarStations "Charging Stations" app is another that I downloaded and tested.  It's very pretty. It is possible to leave comments, but one of the key things that I'd quite like is some indication prior to visiting a station, as to whether it is in use.  The icons on the map offer nothing until selected. Of course like many mapping apps, you can get all the information after tapping the target, but with this app you only really get the address, type, and distance.  For the most part this app is good if you know what you're getting into already, but for a novice, I would avoid it.

As noted above, the ChargePoint app will offer access to all its world wide charging stations.  And as ChargePoint is the largest US provider of stations it is quite comprehensive.  Immediately upon opening the app you will notice ChargePoint specific stations versus all others.  The icons that represent ChargePoint will have a status built into the icon.  You will know instantly whether a stations is available, being used, or out of service.  Tapping any station will bring up the address, then drop you into a screen that gives the current status of that station.  It's fairly comprehensive, but not at all conducive to use while driving. 

Lastly, PlugShare.  Plugshare is quite good for those who want to sociable. It was actually the first app that I installed to use before I purchase the Smart ED.  It's helpful in that the icons are colored depending on the use status of the station.  It also allows for private citizens to include their own home charger on the map.  But the best feature that PlugShare offers is an photo database.  

Although it is entirely possible to help re-position the icons on all the other apps so that the placement is ideal, you cannot add more than comments.  PlugShare allows EV owners to add images to give others a much more clear idea of what to look for.  

Tips

I like to make some final comments on using a charging station, that differ from something that may be more familiar (i.e. Gas Station Pumps)  Consider the following...

• Is the station Public or Private?
• Some companies have had their stations added to the map by overzealous employees or random people.  I've encountered at least one station that was not public, although listed as such. 
• Is the station Free or Paid?
• Most stations are paid, but through ChargePoint it is possible to get free fuel.  There are the occasional free stations, but they may not work.
• Is the station Functional?
• You may wrack you brain over this, remove the plug and re-connect, but still nothing.  Sure it was a great parking spot, but now you have no power and have to go searching for another.
• Be sure to report this to the store or on the app of your choice.
• Take a picture with your camera phone, if you have one.
• Is the station Compatible?
• Not all stations have plugs that will work with your vehicle.  Although there are a couple of standards, not all vehicles have all of them.  
• J1772 is the most common, but the Nissan Leaf and Tesla S have a two different plugs that will not work for a vehicle like the Smart ED that only comes with J1772.

Two Months and 2000 miles

Two Months and 2000 miles

As of December 31st 2013 I reached my first 2000 miles in the Smart ED.  I realize that this is not a major accomplishment for most people because any commuter with a commute of 50 miles or more will hit that every month.  But as my commute is only a round trip of 25 miles, I had to make a few more stops to hit that mark.

What I've come to realize about the Smart ED is that I truly enjoy driving it.  It's a small, light, fast car; a stark comparison to my other vehicle (Chevy Avalanche).  It accelerates very quickly and stops just as quickly.  It is much more deft and agile than you might expect from something that appears to be top-heavy. As the majority of the weight is in the floor with the batteries, the center of gravity is quite low.  

Getting in and out of the car is something that was important to me.  I am still quite fond of my truck for its ease-of-access.  The doors on the Smart ED swing wide, but aren't heavy.  I've never felt like I would lose the door when opening it too quickly, and I've never felt that I would gash a serious ding if I did.  Additionally, at at height of nearly 2 meters (6'4"), I've never had trouble fitting my long legs or torso in the cabin.  But it is important to note that the slimness of the car is noticeable when both people are attempting to fasten their safety belts.

Decisions, decisions...

If you had a garage full of fun, functional vehicles, you'd probably have a favorite, regardless of price.  Each vehicle has its own style, flair, and purpose.  The Smart ED is my first choice to drive for more than just the cost savings and fun.   It's really quite easy to park and in spaces that no other vehicle can consider.

I've actually posed this question to myself at least ten times in the last two months.  Would I prefer to take the internal combustion vehicle with its cushy, heated seats, luxurious cruise and climate control, power steering and brakes, and lack of range anxiety? And the answer always comes back, "unless we're going on a long trip or need to haul something large, no. This car is too much fun."

The fun of driving the Smart ED outweighs the ease of driving just about anything else.

Electric Vs. Electric

There are more than a dozen electric vehicles to choose from on the market today (at least in California).  Several are in the same price range as the Smart ED.  But they have one problem, they're all too big.   The only good comparative tool that I have been able to use with the Smart ED is that of a motorbike.

The Smart ED is a four-wheeled, electric motorbike.  It's very small, can only barely carry one additional person. It has limited range, but a great deal of torque and speed.   It's very easy to park and like a motorbike can (not legally) park perpendicular to the curb.  The biggest advantage, as noted by many motorbike riders, is the enclosed cabin for trips in bad weather (or locust).  Also, it's not likely to tip over on you.

Conclusion

I was thinking that at some point the apparent novelty of driving electric or a small car would wear off, but it has yet to happen.   When I bought a Toyota Tacoma some years back, I knew within 2 weeks that it was a poor decision.  I've only owned six vehicles in 18 years, but I've driven at least 50.  I hope to drive every car eventually as I'd like to experience them all.  But for now I am quite content to drive the Smart ED and park it just about anywhere.

Nuances of Driving Electric

Oh there are concerns about driving electric beyond the typical things, like range and recharge availability.  But what of the actual feel of the drive?

I would bet that unless you drive a sports car, you're probably not thinking too much about the ride quality.  You're probably thinking about getting where you want to go quickly and inexpensively.

Engine Noise

Driving Electric is quiet.  If you listen to music or children in the backseat, then the sound of the engine might not be as apparent to you.  But when you come to a stoplight, there is a general sound in the background in a typical internal combustion engine vehicle.

For an electric vehicle there is no sound. Nothing, when stopped.  It's much like driving a Toyota Prius when the engine has turned off.  But when accelerating and at speed there is a slight whine.  A friend recently compared the sound to that of the engines of a commercial jet on take-off, but from within the aircraft.  Once you get above about 40 mph, the noise is drowned by the sound of everything else, such as road noise, other vehicles, air rushing past.

Transmission

There is no transmission in the Smart ED. When accelerating from a standstill, I still continue to expect the transmission to shift into the next gear. When it doesn't shift, it makes me think that I'm driving a stick and have forgotten to up-shift.  But above 40 mph I don't notice the sound of the motor (so much as other sounds).  There is a simple whir or whine an electric drive motor and another sound that becomes just as familiar when slowing down.

Acceleration

I went from driving a very large 5.3L Chevy Avalanche to driving the Smart ED.  The difference between the two is night and day.  The truck lumbers forward and resists stopping.   Where the ED sprints forward and seems to enjoy stopping.

Mercedes-Benz and Smart note that the 3rd generation of the Smart ED has a 0-60 mph rating of 11 seconds.  The Smart will not win you any trophies against tuner cars, but the tiny size and weight are ideal for the use of the relatively small electric motor included (75 hp).   The nearly 100 lb-ft of torque will however startle anyone the first few times around.  I never expected a vehicle that is so small to have to much power, that was not a motorcycle.

Braking

It's actually possible to slow to a stop in the ED without using the brakes, within a reasonable distance.  I've done it several times.  As soon as you let off the accelerator the vehicle jumps into regeneration mode.  But beware, using regenerative braking will not let the vehicle behind you know that you are stopping.  The solution to this and the savior of your regeneration is the "brake tap".

If you just barely tap the brakes when slowing, you will gain the maximum regeneration and give the person behind you and idea that you are stopping.   This braking method is one of the keys to getting a 100% Eco score.

Body Roll

One of the things that I am all too familiar with is how the body of the vehicle rolls in a turn.  Since my other vehicle is a large pickup truck, I am aware of how a vehicle can sway and how much I need to slow down to turn.  In most electric vehicles the battery acts as a ballast lowering the center of gravity and placing it very near the ground.  The Smart ED is a very good example of a vehicle with a low center of gravity.

I can take a corner at more than twice the speed that I would ever consider in my truck.  Obviously it is not necessary to go ripping around a corner, but it sure is fun.

Public Perception

The Smart ED and its internal combustion engine cousin (Smart ForTwo) are odd-looking vehicles.  And in general small cars have a reputation for being under-powered.   The Smart FortTwo regularly finds itself in lists of Top X Worst / Bad / Hated cars, primarily for its looks and then for internal combustion engine transmission.  Fortunately, the stigma carries over only until people realize that it's electric. And then suddenly they are again interested, especially after a speedy ride


Personally, it's been a life-long dream to drive electric and I am living it.  It's not merely the fact that my cost per mile is barely more than $0.01 or that I can part perpendicular to the curb.  The fact that I can refuel at home or that fueling stations are in every home.  Driving Electric is just plain practical.  It's the most efficient use of power to move things.

Now I'm just waiting for that carbon nano-tube-based battery that will give me a range of 1200 miles per charge.