Electric Vehicles and Plug-in Hybrids: Experiences and Comparisons

Frank Ahern

Transition Brockville

Brockville Public Library

28 July, 2019

Why: motives

• Your own motives should prevail• Possible motives for “electrifying your drive”

• Save money through decreased fuel and maintenance costs

• Decrease or eliminate gasoline use to• Decrease greenhouse gas emissions• Improve air quality• Decrease the environmental and/or economic impact of

the oil trade• Decrease trade with “petro-states”

• Be an “early adopter” of new and interesting technology; help lead the way

Resources• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_vehicle_drivetrain: how hybrid vehicles work• Plug ‘ n’ Drive https://www.plugndrive.ca/: an excellent starting point for shoppers• https://www.plugincars.com/: a corresponding US site• https://www.plugshare.com/: a highly-recommend site that shows public charging stations

How

• Pick a car• Understanding the technology• Charging requirements (plug-in hybrids and all-

electrics)

How

• Pick a car• Understand your needs and wants

• Who will be using it?• What needs to be carried?

• Passengers• Cargo• Pets

• Where will you go?• Around town?• Intermediate trips (50 – 200 km in one day)?• Long trips (> 200 km in one day)?

How: Understanding the technology• All electric

• Simplest (conceptually): big battery and electric motor replace gasoline engine and transmission.

• Electric motors can be off when stopped and start instantly when the electric current flows.

• Charging them on long trips is the biggest issue.• Conventional hybrid

• Regenerative braking: slowing car or going down hill recharges the battery; electric energy is used sparingly to decrease gasoline consumption

• Battery provides extra boost for acceleration: like a turbo but quicker• Improved fuel economy but no driving without gasoline.

• Plug-in hybrid• Gas tank and engine provide peace of mind.• North America behind Europe in charging infrastructure. Plug-in hybrid

technology ensures your car will be always usable until charging stations are everywhere.

• Larger battery than conventional hybrid, but smaller than all-electric.• Good choice if a lot of driving around town is envisaged.• Battery provides extra boost for acceleration: like a turbo but quicker.

How: Understanding the technology: electric only

Wikipedia (modified by Frank)

X X X

How: Understanding the technology: plug-in hybrid

Wikipedia

Note that the electric assist mode gives a power boost very similar to a turbo-charger, but quicker.

How

• Charging requirements• Conventional hybrids do not require charging• Charging all-electric cars and plug-in hybrids

Plug ‘n Drive

Charge Using a Regular Wall Socket (Level 1)

1 Hour of Charging ~ 8 km of Driving Range

All EV models come standard with a

portable cord-set that lets you charge using

any standard household outlet. This is

called Level 1 charging and is the slowest

speed of charging, but ensures that no

matter where you are, you can always

recharge.

If you are driving a plug-in hybrid, it is

possible that Level 1 charging is all you

really need. Level 1 will fully recharge most

plug-in hybrids on the market overnight.

Plug ‘n Drive

Charge Using an EV Charging Station (Level 2)1 Hour of Charging ~ 30 km of Driving RangeThe most common way to charge. This is called Level 2 and most EV drivers will install a Level 2 charging station at home. All electric cars and charging stations sold in North America use the same plug standard, which means any car can use any Level 2 station across Canada and the United States.

Level 2 stations have similar electrical requirements to a clothes dryer or stove (240 Volts/30 Amps) and any certified electrician can install them.

Added by Frank:These units vary greatly in size and cost. Shop around!

Plug ‘n Drive

Destination/Opportunity Charging (Level 2)1 Hour of Charge ~ 30 km of Driving RangeDestination/Opportunity charging is a term often used to describe Level 2 public charging stations. There are thousands of Level 2 stations across Canada that can be found at restaurants, malls, parkades and community centres.

Level 2 public charging stations are fantastic solutions if you plan on staying at your 'destination' for an extended period of time or are looking for a quick 'opportunity' top-up.

Many public Level 2 charging stations are free to use. For those that are pay-per-use, the average cost in Canada is around $1.00/Hour.

Plug ‘n Drive

Fast/DC-Quick Charging (Level 3)1 Hour of Charge ~ 250 km of rangeIf you are going on a road-trip or travelling really far, but don't have the time to stop and use a Level 2 station, then Level 3 charging, commonly known as DC-Quick, is for you.

Level 3 charging stations are gas station replacements for electric cars that will charge your battery from empty to 80% in 20-30 minutes. There are well over 1,000 Level 3 charging stations across Canada that are located along major roads and highways.

Most Level 3 charging stations are pay-per-use and most of them bill by the minute for an average cost of $15/Hour.

Our experience

• Types of use: trips in Brockville; trips to Ottawa; longer trips

• Watt is electricity all about? Water power as an analogy

• Calibrate charging• Calibrate electric range• Fuel consumption in different situations• Plugging in at home and on the road• General satisfaction

Types of use

• trips in Brockville; • trips to Ottawa; • longer trips

• Upstate New York, 1125 km in 6 days; recharged most nights; 2.8 l/100 km overall

• Hamilton, 895 km in 4 days of “long” drives; night recharging not included; 3.4 l/100 km overall

Watt is electricity all about? Water power as an analogy

Arduino microcontroller company

Rate of flow

MotorWater wheel or turbine

Wilderness labs

Pressure

Watt is electricity all about? Water power as an analogy

Concept Water Electricity

pressure pressure Electromotive force (volt)

Amount of stuff Volume (litres) Charge (coulomb)

Rate of flow Litres/second Current (ampere)

Resistance to flow Resistance to flow

Resistance (ohms)

Power = rate energy is expended

Horsepower = pressure x rate of flow

Power(watts)= pressure (volts) x

current (amps)Watts = volts x amps

What is electric energy?

Wilderness labs

Pressure

power

Power = voltage x current (Watts)Energy = Power x time (work done)Energy = watts x time = Watt-hours (Wh)Big Energy = kWh or MWh or GWhElectric energy can be stored in a battery (kWh) or used at a certain rate (watts) for a certain time (hours), Wh or kWh.

Range reading on instrument panelIndicated

Calibrate range using our own data

Time and cost of charging

Charge rate = 1380 W throughout charge time

400 minutes = 6.66 hours to charge from 20% to 100%9.2 kWh to charge from 20% to 100%

$1.13 to charge from 20% to 100%$0.023 to drive 50 km on electricity.

Gasoline consumption

Energy efficiency for gasoline-powered cars (litres/100 km)Above 12: poor 9 – 12: ok 5 - 9: good below 5 really good

Try to reduce these

Gasoline to defrost or defog windshield. Investigate alternative technologies.

Try to bring these to zero

Try to reduce these.

Data plotted does not include many trips with 0.0 l/100 km)

Plugging in at home and on the road

• We had to pay to have a 120 V circuit brought to our parking space in our condominium.

• $1795 for a fairly long line, and our share of a distribution panel.

• Electricity for charging (1-year) : 540 kWh • Cost of electricity from condo is $0.13/kWh, including delivery

charge; could be higher in a private home.• Cost to charge for one year = $68 • Equivalent km driven using electricity: 2984• On the road we have used 120V outlets at friends’ homes and

motels and a Kelsey’s restaurant. Everyone has been friendly and supportive.

• We have not yet used commercial charging stations.• We tried to use one in Ogdensburg, but it required an account

to be set up over the internet ahead of time.

Your battery worries• All EV batteries in Canada come with an eight-year warranty

for new cars;• All EV batteries will slowly degrade in the amount of charge

they hold, decreasing the range. The eight-year warranty allows for a 20% decrease in range during that time period.

• Cold weather:• We did not notice any decrease in range in the winter. But

we have an indoor parking garage that never goes below zero. People who keep their cars outdoors or in an unheated garage may find the batteries hold less charge on the coldest winter days.

• Hot weather:• The Ionic air conditioner must be very efficient, because

we do not notice any significant decrease in range on hot summer days with the a/c running all day.

Overall satisfaction• Frank

• Fascinating new technology; seems to be well-engineered• Fun to be an early adopter • Doing something positive about climate change• Low cost of operation and maintenance (brakes not used much;

engine does not operate cold)• No guilt about little trips around Brockville

• Doyne• Only mildly interested in “saving the world”; it must be possible

without too much agony in my life• Fits well into our new lifestyle

• Underground parking: no mess with snow and rain while charging;

• Many trips around Brockville use NO gasoline;• Car is easy to operate• Very quiet – even flummoxed police at a RIDE check ☺• Does not pollute underground parking• Very happy about how much we have saved in running this car

Questions about so far?

(multi-car comparison next)

Federal Government incentive

According to Plug ‘n Drive

• As of May 1, 2019, all Canadians qualify for an incentive of up to $5,000 off the purchase of a new fully electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

• The base model MSRP must be less than $45,000 and the final MSRP after options must not exceed $55,000

• For passenger vehicles with seven or more seats, the base model MSRP must be less than $55,000 and the final MSRP after options must not exceed $60,000

• To qualify for the full eligible incentive amount, you must purchase the car outright or enter into a lease with a minimum duration of 48 months

• This incentive is ‘stackable’ with the existing provincial EV incentives in British Columbia and Québec

Multi-model comparison: Plug-in hybridsPlug ‘n Drive table

Plug-in hybrids ordered by MSRP

Plug ‘n Drive table

Less expensive cars

More expensive cars

Plug-in hybrids ordered by Electric Range

Plug ‘n Drive table

Less expensive More expensive

Multi-model comparison: All-electricPlug ‘n Drive table

All-electric cars ordered by MSRP

Plug ‘n Drive table

Less expensive More expensive

All-electric cars ordered by Electric Range

Plug ‘n Drive table

Less expensive More expensive

Our costs

• Up-front costs• Purchase costs

• Price: $32,149• Cost of borrowing (5 years at 2.74%): $1596• Freight: $1705• Federal a/c tax: $100• Paint surcharge: $150• Anti-rust module: $1595• Tire tax: $30• HST: $4516• Vehicle registration: $32• Total: $41873

• Deductions:• EV incentive (Ontario) $7000• Trade-in (2007 Hyundai Sonata) $1000

• Net cost to us: $33841• Plug-in installation in condominium

• Our share of circuit panel: $300• Wiring to parking space: $1495

Our costs and benefits

• On-going costs (annual)• Gasoline (10,000 km) $316 (295 litres)• Electricity (10,000 km) $68• Tire changes and oil changes (two per year) $272• Other maintenance: zero to date (purchase includes 5-8 year warranty).• Insurance: $999• Annual license plate sticker: $60• Total annual cost for 10,000 km: $1716/year or $143/month.• Without insurance cost: $60 month.

• Savings in fuel:• Previous car: 2007 Hyundai 10,000km * 8.4 l/100 km = 840 l• Ionic plug-in hybrid: 295 l• Difference: 545 l @ $1.25/l = $681• Deduct cost of electricity: $68 • Net savings in fuel: $613

• Decrease in carbon emissions:• I litre of gasoline produces 2.3 kg of CO2 (NRCan) so a 545 litre decrease of

gasoline consumption reduces CO2 emissions by 1254 kg = 1.25 tonne. (Much greater than Bullfrog Power).

Thank you! Merci!