Nearly Zero Maintenance

It's definitely not always the first question that I get, but once the conversation gets more serious, the EV-curious will always ask about maintenance.  To which I will have to consistently repeat myself, that there is nearly zero maintenance. The most amicable manner of looking at the Smart ED, is that if you lease it for three years, there will be no maintenance.

Parts

Most people balk at this statement, and then they press me for more information. They say things like, what about the tires or the brakes?  If you were fortunate to get long-lasting tires, then you will likely see 50,000 miles before you need to replace them.  Brakes on an ICE are a bit different than an EV.  Unless you're the type to brake long before you need to stop, you're probably burning the brakes at a normal rate.  EVs use regenerative braking and so their brakes tend to last quite a bit longer.  I've managed to get to 1 mph crawl, without touching my brakes and without seriously annoying the vehicles behind me.

There is no oil to change, there is no transmission fluid, there is no radiator fluid, there are no belts, no alternator, no starter motor, no exhaust manifold, no filters, no fuel pump, oil pump, or water pump.  There is a motor, a controller, and batteries.  The simplicity is superb and ideal for a society keen on making things easier for themselves.

Costs

If you have experience with owning cars, you're probably well aware that it's far more then the sticker price, whether used or new. Edmunds.com has a system call the True Cost to Own that identifies the cost of a vehicle over the initial 5 years of its life.  Typically for an ICE vehicle the cost of ownership is roughly twice the price in that time. Electric vehicles are still pretty expensive to purchase, even after the rebates and tax incentives, and bring the initial cost up.  But if an EV were priced similar to an ICE vehicle of similar size, the True Cost to Own is much less.

Just imagine that when you buy your next vehicle, that the additional costs of maintenance and fuel is almost negligible, compared to the price of the vehicle.  Based on information gained directly from Edmunds.com here's the cost differences.

Price of Toyota Rav4 2014:      $26k,
TCO over 5 years:                    $44k
Percent of price in Maintenance: 70%  ~~ $18k

Price of Nissan Leaf 2014:         $31k,
TCO over 5 years:                     $36k
Percent of price in Maintenance: 20%  ~~ $6k
(info based on ave of 15k miles / year)

Edmunds doesn't have a comparison for the Smart ED, but based on the numbers above here's what it might be.

Price of Smart ForTwo ICE 2014: $14k
TCO over 5 years:                          $24k
Percent of price in Maintenance: 70% ~~ $10k

Price of Smart ForTwo ED 2014: $20k
TCO over 5 years:                          $24k
Percent of price in Maintenance: 20% ~~ $4k

Look at that, the price is the same.  Makes you wonder which car you might get, eh?  Granted after all the incentives available for the Smart ForTwo ED, the price comes down a great deal.  It could be as little as $11k and the the total would only be $15k.

Conclusion

The incentives for electric cars may not always be around, but the cost the own them will only get better.  It's not that hard to imagine that once the range and refueling times have changed for the better, that it will be a no-brainer to decide on an electric car.  Until then, I'll still be driving electric.

Every Day is a 'Spare the Air' day in an Electric Car

When you hang around a bunch of electric car enthusiasts, you get a great deal of feedback from like-minded people.  Yesterday, I joined my fellow enthusiasts for the first of many Earth Day events in the month of April.  The members of the Electric Auto Association of Silicon Valley have attended most of these Earth Day events for many years. It was a great day to show the public the advantages of driving electric.

It was only in 2008 when I joined the Electric Auto Association, but the club had been official for 41 years at that time.  Back in 1967 the symposium of people who were meeting for the sake of electric vehicles decided to form what today is a club of over 2000 members through the United States.  And although it has held on this long, it was no easy ride.

At the turn of the last century (early 1900's) one-third of all horseless carriages were electric. But the advent of the internal combustion engine would soon curb the progress of the electric car. It was primarily a range problem and, in the nearly 100 years to following the range of electric vehicles did not improve.

Air Quality

Today however, the message of the electric car is finally making headway.  One of the slogans of the EAA is

"Every Day is a 'Spare the Air' day in an Electric Car

It was very apparent in the 1950's and 1960's that automobile pollution was causing problems.  My dad told me of the Smog Days that he experience growing up in Southern California at that time.  He lived in the Foothills North West of Los Angeles where there were days when the mountains were hidden by the pollution.  There were predictions that any child born between 1968 and 1980 would have life-long respiratory problems due to the smog.

Even today we are still concerned with the quality of the air, as rightly so.  It's not just a nice feeling to know that you're driving a vehicle that produces no emissions, it's a direct correlation. No emissions, breathe easier.

Notable Concerns

Of course there are still arguments about how the energy is produced that will run the electric car.  And there are concerns about usage and power balance in the grid.  It is important to know where your power comes from and what it is used for most often.

Where electric cars use electricity directly, in California at least, more than 50% of electrical power is produced from renewable sources and natural gas.  It takes electricity to extract, refine, ship, and pump gasoline.  And there is, at least for now, no way to convert sunlight into gasoline.

Granted, the manufacture of batteries is quite complex and still very expensive, but no less environmentally costly that all the fluids and needed to produce the current internal combustion engine and peripherals.

Conclusion

Assuming (broadly) that the production and recycling costs, be it environmental or monetary, of each type of car is effectively equivalent, the one trouble that we still face is at the tailpipe.  We're still making progress in education and the more people we can help to learn about electric cars, the better decisions can be made for the future.  It's up to you to decide how to get from point A to point B. Will it be clean and quiet or loud and dirty?

The Greenest Car

This week saw the American Counsel for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) announce their findings for the "most Green" vehicles.  And do you want to know who came out on top?  Yes, the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive.  With a Green Score of 59 it bested even the Toyota Prius C (57), Prius (55),  and the Prius Plug-in hybrid (55).

But what does the ACEEE mean by "Greenest" vehicle?  What do they measure and is it all empirical?

The ACEEE takes many factors into consideration when attempting to determine a proper score for any vehicle.  In the past, the average vehicle score for the vehicles that are conducive to cleaner driving, often receive a score around 37.  Where as the "meaner" vehicles, like trucks, SUVs, and vans tends to be closer to 17 on average.  The total score is ranked out of a possible 100 points,

Although most of the Toyota Prius line is in the top 10 Greenest, and the Prius C was the champion last year, a score of 59 has not yet been awarded to any vehicle, until now. This year the rating system has some added changes that may have accounted for the fact that the ED made the top of the list.  Here's the list

• Updates to in-use emissions factors for methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) 
• Changes to the methodology for estimating fuel economy for 2b trucks 
• Updates to evaporative emission estimates 
• Rating vehicles with LEV III tailpipe emission standards 
• Updates to upstream emission factors for gasoline, diesel, and CNG 

The primary concern seems to be tailpipe emissions, but materials used in manufacturing the vehicle are also considered.  If you read the comments on the blogs that have reported on this announcement, you may have noticed the dire skepticism and regular arguments that continue to pop-up.  The ACEEE address these issues directly in each vehicle.

Although no vehicle has crested 60 out of a possible 100 on the ACEEE index, it's clearly important to note that whatever Smart is doing in the construction and endgame for the ED, it is good.  I will definitely toot the horn of my Smart ED in saying that it's not just environmentally safe, but also the most affordable battery electric vehicle available in the US.

California Vehicle Rebate Project

Many of us who are, at the very least, interested in electric vehicle, may not be aware of just how easy it is to get the Federal and State incentives.  For those living in the State of California the process could not be more simple.  Granted you will have to incontestably prove that you did purchase / lease a qualified clean vehicle and that you live in California, but beyond that it's merely a waiting game.

The California Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) website streamlines the entire process.  They are quite aware that you may not have gotten your permanent license yet and are still willing to work with you.  Follow these simple steps and you will be on your way to a rebate of up to $2500.

1. Buy or Lease a Zero Emissions (ZEV), Plug-in Hybrid Electric (PHEV), or Fuel Cell vehicle (FCV) in California
2. Visit the CVRP site https://energycenter.org/clean-vehicle-rebate-project
3. Find your Vehicle in the list and click the Apply Now link
4. Read through the eligibility requirements list, check the box at the bottom, and click Accept. There are some stipulations, but they're most semantics. 
5. Fill out the Application form and click Apply at the bottom
6. Check that all the information is correct and hit Submit at the bottom. Consider printing this document via the printer icon at the top, right-hand corner
7. Gather the necessary documents, and send them to the address below within 14 days of the application
1. CVRP application form
2. Copy of your temporary or permanent DMV vehicle registration
3. Copy of the final, executed vehicle lease or purchase agreement
4. Proof of residence in the form of a cable or utility bill, or vehicle registration.

California Center for Sustainable Energy
Clean vehicle Rebate Project
9325 Sky Park Court, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92123

I got my acceptance letter within 6 days and the notification that I would receive the check for $2500 within a month.  The check can take up to 90 days to actually receive, but once you have the two steps of verification, you will receive it.

A final note for those who are concerned about taxes.  This is a rebate, it is not taxable.