ODO 7592 miles

It is the one year lease-iversary for the Spark and I! And, it is my birthday. So this post will be brief since I've spent a long day celebrating. But, I'm thrilled to report that I have banked more than 2400 miles on my lease. Leasing a car is a guessing game, one where the only way you will be truly satisfied is if you turn in your car with only one mile left on the lease. This is my first lease so I'm still figuring it out but at least I have some wiggle room. So stay tuned until next time - the Spark and I have two more years to go!

ODO 7488 miles

I've passed 1000 views! 1024 page views as of today. That is sooo amazing. I've been writing every week (more or less) with 27 posts since 5/19/2014. That's almost 40 views a post. I never thought my esoteric thoughts about a tiny electric car that runs on solar power would attract any viewers, besides my loving husband who likes a quick something to read on the train. Well, it seems like there might be few more people that enjoy a quick read on solar powered electric vehicles. So if anyone is interested in taking my Net Zero EV for a spin around the block, I'll be home for Christmas!

What other accomplishments have been achieved over the lifetime of this blog? Well, since the installation of the solar panels, we have generated 1.41 Megawatts of electricity. That is the amount of electricity needed to light the Eiffel Tower for 7  hours! So, you're welcome Paris. Or, on a more practical note, it is the electricity needed to run our refrigerator for 10 months. Just the first step to a complete Net Zero lifestyle.

And what about the impact of driving an electric car for 7 months instead of a gas guzzler (maybe one that gets 21 mpg)? According to the EPA, my Net Zero EV has saved about 3.2 metric tons of CO2 from being released into the environment. Not too shabby.

So, thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned for next week's post.

ODO 7215 miles

"Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day?" To be honest, I feel the exact opposite right now. I think the rain should stay, at least for a little while. I had been doing my best to conserve water, including supporting the Los Angeles Waterkeeper's #DirtyCarPledge. But, according to this map, Culver City has gotten almost 1 inch of rain in the last 24 hours and almost 1 1/2 inches in the last 3 days. It looks to me that the Westside of LA is some sort of rain deflector, i.e. everywhere around us is getting more rain, but we'll take what we can get.

BUT, there is a down side to the rain for My Net Zero EV. What is it? Well, I decided to check the status of my solar panels, given the dense cloud cover that has produced our much needed rain. Status: Today, my solar panels have ceased to produce energy, as in only 1 watt hour. While this is not unexpected, I don't know how this temporary loss of productivity will affect my long-term net zero energy claim. My solar silver lining is that the panels will be wiped clean of the dirty film that blocks some of the sunlight from reaching the solar cells. Maybe, it will be a wash in the end (see what I did there...the clean panels will make up for the cloudy days, a wash - get it?).

ODO 7071 miles

I'm always looking for blog material. So when Chevy provided us some *free* tickets to go to the Los Angeles Auto Show, I jumped on it. I thought I would do something different and give out my own awards. Here it goes:  

NetZeroEV LA Auto Show Awards
Best Mascot: Kia Hamster {Check out the commercial here}
Best Lux PHEV: BMW i8 {Watch the sexy video here}

Aside: Two of BMW's cars have carbon fiber frames. Is it a coincidence that the steel industry had a big display touting the sustainability of steel? Hmm.

Back to the Awards
Most Fun Interior: Fiat 500e
Most Fun Marketing Campaign: Fiat 500e's EnvironmentallySexy.com 
Most Interesting Inspiration for a Hybrid Vehicle: A track athlete huddled down in the starting blocks, which inspired the Mazda's Concept XR-PHEV {AutoTrader.com thinks it won't see production}
Best Auto Show Design: Volvo w/ a 3D driving experience provided by Oculus Rift and Google Cardboard {Let's get a production EV, Volvo. I'm waiting for you, but maybe not for long.}

Lastly, kudos to the following companies for having hybrid or fully electric vehicles in their Ride & Drive line-up: MOPAR/Fiat (EV), Ford (Hybrid), Kia (EV), Lexus (Hybrid), Subaru (Hybrid), Toyota (Hybrid), Volkswagen (EV). Lots of choices folk! Get out and drive!

ODO 6939 miles

What kind of electric car am I?

The Sierra Club has a snazzy web tool called 'pick-a-plug-in' to determine whether or not an electric car will work for you. So, I decided to give it a spin to see what the Sierra Club would pick for me. Would it be a Leaf? Would it be a Tesla? I was genuinely curious to see how my habits would line up with the benefits and attributes of the chosen EV. So, let's see what the inputs are in this matchmaking process.

Right now, my drive is mostly local. Requirements are: four seats and all electric. I have access to another vehicle for long trips and electrical outlet. Drum roll for the results......A variety of choices, including the Mercedes Benz, Tesla, Ford Focus, Mitsubishi i, Leaf, Ford Focus, Fiat e and Spark. I'm glad that my own car made the list. But, when my drive is more than 70 miles a day (i.e. I become fully employed again), the only car on the list is a Tesla. Well, that's not happening. I'll have to cross that bridge when it comes. Until then, I'll be driving my sporty Spark around and spreading the word about it.

Now it's your turn.
What kind of electric car are you?

ODO 6733 miles

I spent last week in Boston for the EDF Climate Corps fellow network event in Boston. It was my first time to this particular city and to New England in general. I thought I would use the opportunity to get the lay of the land, from an EV driver's perspective. Perfect way to gather material for this blog.

How to start? First, I break open my handy dandy app Recargo to see where the charging stations are located. Conveniently, the closest one to me is the Lenox Hotel, across the street from where I was staying and coincidentally the host hotel for the EDF fellows. So I walk over and take a look. Oh, fancy - it glows at night. White when it is free for charging and green when it is charging. After a little research, it turns out this particular charging station was Boston's first commercial charging station when it was installed in 2011 (check out this Clean Cities piece on the installation). Kudos to Lenox Hotel, a true believer in "If you build it, they will come." 

On my train ride to the airport, I saw a very curious advertisement involving ostriches with glasses saying the following to promote Lenox Hotel's charging station. "The Lenox Hotel has Boston's first privately owned electric car charging stations!"  says the ostrich with glasses. "That sounds cool. I think I'm liking this stuff!" says the ostrich without glasses. The ad suggests that readers should text 'charge' to find out whether or not electric cars are cleaner than those that run on gas. So I give it a try and get this bit of wisdom "Building any car causes CO2 emissions. But most CO2 come from driving. Electric cars emit less CO2 overall and will get even better with more renewable energy." I definitely agree with the last statement and am wondering if the use of ostrich as the symbol for a recent EV convert is intentional. If nothing else, it was fun to read while on the train.

But, I have to admit I didn't see many cars charging at Lenox Hotel's charging station. The total for the four days I was there was one Chevy Volt for a short evening charge. I was looking for electric vehicles on the road and saw the white Tesla in the photo, but it was from Connecticut (license plate TESSLA). So, no luck on spotting an EV on the road in Boston. Why? I'm not sure. But I hope the start of the MOR-EV program in June 2014 will help. This is Massachusetts' electric vehicle rebate program, which is similar to California's program that I took advantage of. So far, the program has provided 407 rebates for a total of $963,500 or $0.14 per person (state population of 6.693 million). Hopefully this program will scale up to reach California's $3.69 ($141,306,983 for population of 38.33 million). What an impact that would make!

ODO 6376 Miles

Ah, gotta keep the car clean - it is absolutely filthy right now. This was probably the last time we washed the car. Just doing my part for the California water crisis. But I'm not sure how long I can hold out. I saw a statistic today at the 16th Annual West Basin Water Harvest that if you decrease the number of times you wash your car by half, you can save a lot of water (go ahead and roll your eyes - I forgot exactly how much). I want to save water but can I find a balanced approach? I did a little searching and came to the conclusion that it is not easy to find a drought-friendly way to wash the car. The best way seems to be driving your car onto your lawn and using an automatic shut-off hose with environmentally friendly soap. Alas, I don't have a lawn so I can't drive my car onto my lawn and kill two birds with one stone. Maybe I'll just borrow my neighbor's lawn. Or wait for the next rain to hit LA. When will that be? Not any time soon.

ODO 6271 miles

What fun! I was the guest blogger at BeAGreenCommuter.com, UCLA Transportation's website to encourage different sustainable modes of getting to campus, this week so I'll put that post here as well to celebrate.  

Why did I choose to switch from a gasoline powered car to an electric car? The reasons narrow down to three: environmental, innovative and economic. Starting with the first reason, I was already living a pretty environmentally-conscious lifestyle. I’ve ripped out my lawn and planted California native plants. It felt completely natural to match my primary mode of transportation with my lifestyle choices, especially after I installed solar panels to power my car. The innovative features of my car are also numerous. It has a keyless ignition with two very cool computer control screens and even gently honks a reminder if I leave my keys in my car. But, those are all just the icing on the cake. The main selling point is economics. I lease my electric vehicle (most people lease EVs because of the rapid changes in battery technology) and my monthly lease payment is less than what I was paying for gas.  A California state rebate for driving an electric vehicle nearly covered my down payment and I charge on campus for free as part of the SMERC program. The choice was easy - I am almost making money on the deal! Plus, there is the added bonus of carpool tags for that Los Angeles freeway driving. Could you put a price on that access?

I will admit that driving an electric vehicle takes some adjustments. While driving a gas-powered car, I was not the best at filling up the tank when it was close to empty. But, that wasn’t usually an issue because a gas station was always easy to find. I still find that I am draining the battery pretty close to empty but a charging station is not as easy to find. Looking at the bright side of things, apps do make the world an easier place to live in, or at least more convenient. There are already quite a few apps that help an EV driver find the closest charging station. I look forward to the day when those charging stations are almost as numerous as gas stations. But, until that day comes, I’m learning how to keep my car’s battery full.

ODO 6013 miles

It is fall so I am watching Thursday night football. Everyone is wearing pink, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. Mouth guards, towels, even that stuff for light glare under the players' eyes. While I love the increased awareness around a disease that has touch many friends and family members, I am not a fan of the constant pinkification of all things girl/female. The blogosphere is going nuts over the pink Princess Pepperidge Farms Goldfish and I tend to agree with their commentary. I think the same phenomenon can be seen in the Lego Friends line of toys for girls. I hope they can extend lego products for girls beyond the beach house and shopping mall sets, especially given that I am a mother of an 8-year-old girl. But, I guess we will leave it to the market to decide what little girls want to play with (said with more than a little sadness).

But back to football. Exxon Mobil aired this commercial during the Colts - Texans game this evening. Imagine six diverse high school students, attractive and from all walks of life. Half girls. Half boys. Each saying one line of this script: "Who's going to do it? Whose going to make it happen? Discover a new energy source? Turn ocean waves into power? Design cars that capture their emissions? Build bridges that fix themselves? Give more clean water to everyone? Who's going to take the leap? Who's going to write the code? Who's going to do it? Engineers, that's who. That's what I want to do. Be an engineer." Bravo! While Exxon Mobil's stance on climate change may be wishy-washy, it is encouraging the next generation to embrace engineering as the way to make a difference. How many high school teens (especially teenage girls) are watching the end of a Thursday night football game? Not many. But, maybe Exxon will air the commercial during another more popular time slot.

Lastly, the football game was held in NRG Park. I will close this random download of my thoughts on all things STEM and energy with a statement from David Crane's (CEO of NRG) most recent letter to stakeholders. "Somehow, some way, the next generation of Americans became 'all in' in their commitment to sustainability, in every sense of the word, including clean energy. With them, it is built into their DNA, not just learned behavior as it is for us." He finished this letter with this statement: "So let's make it happen." Learn by doing, that's my motto.

ODO 5799 miles

I am a big believer in the saying "Practice what you preach." So, after I spent the summer analyzing electricity consumption data for work, it is about time I took a look at the hourly electricity consumption data for the house. What an opportunity for the perfect comparison! We were out of town on September 27, 2014 (a Saturday) and in town on September 20 (also a Saturday). The data comparison tells so much about our lives, e.g. we woke up just before 7am, left around 10am for soccer and didn't get back until around 8pm. The data also might (just might) have the power to shame me into watching less TV, if that is what is responsible for that "Holy Toledo!" sized spike at 10pm. For now, I'll just pretend we plugged in the car.

The data also point out another story. California is on its way to a policy of requiring zero net energy (loosely a make what you use philosophy) for all new residential construction by 2020. This deadline is right around corner, just over 5 years from now. Are we an early adopter case study for zero net energy? Let's see. 

When our house is unoccupied (Sept 27 - the green), we generate about 3 kWh so we are net positive. Good! But when we are here and it is a weekend, we are about 8 kWh in the hole (Sept 20 - the blue). Well, that isn't much of a surprise to me since I didn't size the solar system for all of our loads. So, it's a win win. Our house could be zero net energy, if we are out of town. And, maybe even if we don't plug in the car. That is another experiment for a different Saturday.

ODO 5645 miles

The fun just didn't stop last week. It was a double whammy: National #DriveElectric Week and the People's Climate March. What a turn out (the largest climate march in history)! I am going to borrow their tag line: To Change Everything, We Need Everyone. I After last week, I'm feeling pretty positive about the future and the possibility of power of the committed. As Goethe said (maybe?) "Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now."

Case in point: I spent last Friday at the 9th Annual Alt Car Expo in Santa Monica, continuing my non-stop EV test driving run. Let me tell you, BMW knows how to create a driving experience. The i3 was my favorite ride of the day. But I was even more impressed by Volts Wattson and Team Marine! A team of dedicated high school students and their tireless teacher have converted a 1971 candy apple red VW Super Beetle into an electric car named Volts Wattson. I spoke with a team member about their project, which is a perfect storm of issues I am passionate about: STEM Education, Learn-by-Doing Teaching Philosophy and Environmental Activism. Now, that is how we will engage everyone to commit to making a difference. Cue the music: The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.

ODO 5502 miles

What a fun day! Today, I attended the National #DriveElectric Week event at UCLA, co-sponsored by Plug In America. It was sooo hot but definitely worthwhile. The highlight of the day were the various test drives, all thanks to {mostly} volunteers. I got to test drive an eGolf, Tesla, Smart, Leaf, RAV4 and Fiat 500e. I even got to ride an electric bike (hello to assisted riding!). I was a little sad that Spartacus was not accepted into the mix but then again, I wouldn't have been able to drive all those fun EVs. There were a few speakers as well, including Ed Begley Jr., actor and solar EV evangelist. His quote of the day "You can not make gasoline on the roof of your house. You can make electricity on the roof of your house." Amen to that. What an awesome but humble man, willing to spend his birthday on the UCLA campus to support and grow the EV community. Here is my favorite quote of his: "Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse the trash and clippings I produce for mulch. I reuse the rain that falls on my roof, and I reuse the sun that shines on my house for energy. I guess you could call me a strategic opportunist as much as an environmentalist." 

There are more National #DriveElectric events happening this week. If you can, check one out. If not, add it to your calendar next year. See you there!

ODO 5407 miles

I saw the coolest EV license plate on the street the other day: KWH ZOOM. That got me a little green with envy - What should my cool personalized license plate be? Well, first of all, leased cars can't have personalized license plates. Or, at least you can't apply for one online. So a personalized license plate is not in my future. But, if I could have one, what would it be? I started checking. NOFUMES. Taken. SUNPOWR. Taken. GOSPARK. Unavailable. SPARKGO. Available. I like it. It has a definite Yoda-speak feel to it. Spark, go it will. Powered by the sun it is. And to quote Yoda from the Star Wars trilogy directly: "Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not." This quote is entirely appropriate, both for my Spark and for its driver.

ODO 5333 miles

End of summer means camping + road trip. We went on a camping road trip this past Labor Day weekend and I spotted a Tesla Model S.... from British Columbia! So much for range anxiety - it is 1080 miles from Los Angeles to Vancouver, Canada. Now that trip would take me a LONG time in my Chevy Spark. Probably near four months as I logged 100 mile trips in between a minimum of eight hours of charging to full power. Not so with the Tesla. There is a network of Tesla's Superchargers across the US that provide a charge equivalent of 170 miles in 30 minutes. Better yet, some of these chargers are solar powered. Seems that Elon Musk had the idea of Net Zero Electric Vehicles way before yours truly. Here is the way he described his motivation on August 2, 2006 (eight years ago) in a blog post titled The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (just between you and me): "(t)he overarching purpose of Tesla Motors (and the reason I am funding the company) is to help expedite the move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy towards a solar electric economy, which I believe to be the primary, but not exclusive, sustainable solution." Great minds think alike? I'm definitely looking forward to Tesla's affordably priced family car. Vancouver here we come!

ODO 5190 miles

What do you think? I made a shirt on cafepress.com with the tag line "My car runs on the sun." Is it catchy? At least the shirt is organic. I'm getting ready for the upcoming National Drive Electric Week which is happening locally at UCLA on September 16th.  Apparently, there is another crazy person out there that "drives on sunshine" (is that better than "runs on the sun?") except that guy - Morgan Page - drives a Tesla instead of a Chevy Spark. And he charges it at the Wynn in Vegas instead of Culver City. To-may-to, To-mah-to. Maybe I will buy a shirt to wear to the event. Every little bit of publicity helps to get the word out. But, if anyone has read this far and is good at graphics, I'd love a better logo..I can trade for a carbon free ride to the airport..Any takers?

ODO 4962 miles

They say "you can't manage what you don't measure." But, I've realized that they reverse is also true, i.e. just because you measure it, that doesn't mean you can, or even intend to, manage it. I'm guessing there are terabytes of data (that's a 1 followed by 12 zeros) just sitting there, waiting for someone to take a peak and see if there is any truth about the underlying process available for use. If only the right analytics were applied, the truth would be set free. In the paradigm of data analytics, solar is a special case, a passive case. There is little about the underlying process that can be learned from the data, at least in a way that can result in any action. But, look at the pretty picture! How cool! That's a heat map of our solar energy production. Dark blue = dark outside = no/little power. Light blue = light outside = peak power. Do you remember the sudden summer storm on July 27, 2014? My solar panels felt it too. At a minimum, analytics can be fun and amusing.

ODO 4838 miles

I am finally beginning to live the life that The Jetsons predicted. #1: Vacuuming just magically happens at my house (thanks to my Roomba). #2 My car is powered by the sun. But, the data show that access to electric vehicles is limited to those that can afford the priviledge of a Jetsons dream. The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, from the Center for Sustainable Energy, is geographically tracking the number of Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) rebates. In Southern California, the distribution shows pretty clearly that rebates are high in affluent neighborhoods (red areas in the map) and low in the underprivileged neighborhoods (blue areas).  This issue of inequity came up during the SB 535: Investment Justice and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund workshop that I participated in last March, hosted by UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation. In the Zero-Emission Passenger Transportation breakout session, the subject was developing criteria and metrics to guide strategic investments in, with and for disadvantaged communities from Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. So, this is again coming full circle, as I work for a company that falls into California's cap and trade program, and thus contributes to the Fund that may just The Jetsons to everyone.

ODO 4688 miles

A rolling stone gathers no moss. But what about stone that rolls back and forth, and back and forth again? The original proverb is credited to the ancient latin slave turned writer Publilius Syrus and generally means, to me, that we shouldn't live a static life. And now, Southern California Edison has officially declared that our electricity meter will be rolling back and forth and back and forth. Our meter will roll backwards as our solar panels generate electricity throughout the day and then forwards as we use that electricity when we get home in the evening.  The program is called Net Energy Metering. How will this work for My Net Zero EV? In a typical case where the solar panel system is designed to meet the electrical need of the customer, a single bill or check would be sent to the customer on an annual basis. But my solar system is sized for my EV, not my house, so it is quite possible that I will be getting a pretty large bill at the end of the year. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, my meter will roll back and forth while my wheels keep rollin' (cue the music).

ODO 4636 miles

Gamification. Is that even a real word? Wikipedia tells me it is the use of game thinking and game mechanics in non-game contexts to engage users in solving problems. I like that definition because it applies to the way Chevy has engages EV drivers to drive in a manner that reduces unnecessary acceleration and deceleration. How? See that little ball on the right. The goal is to keep it in the leaf target for as long as possible. When you do, a ring of spinning leaves verifies that you are doing a good job - a virtual pat on the back. Your reward? Maintaining a high miles per kWh ratio (similar to mpg). I have to say I wasn't much of a video game player so it doesn't work for me. But for my DH - boy, does it work on him. Chevy must know their target audience. According to a commentary posted on the Fuel Fix blog by a researcher at UC Davis (DH's alma mater), "carmakers are focusing their design on male preferences." Gamification may be one design decision with the male driver in mind.

ODO 4571 Miles

First things first - Thanks everyone for visiting this blog last week. Look at the spike in my blog stats = 75 views in three days. Keep spreading the word. 

The inspiration for this entry came from a quote I stumbled upon while researching alternative energy procurement for work. R. Buckminster Fuller's birthday was on Saturday.  He was quoted as saying "We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims." This is really at the core of My Net Zero EV, especially since it involves architectural elements. But more importantly, it is about leading by example, showing that electric cars and solar panels are not just for the eccentrics or wealthy. This project demonstrates the strategy of contributing to a sustainable future by powering your transportation with renewable energy. The goal is to broadcast, at least to our block in our little town, "look at how simple it can be (and give it a try)."

PS To follow up on my blog post from a couple of weeks ago, Yingli Green Energy (YGE) ended the World Cup down 3.69% on the US stock market. I hope they get a return of some kind on the $70 million they invested to put their name on the banner ad next to McDonald's.

ODO 4459 Miles

Ah, there they are. Those are 4 of the 9 solar panels that were installed at our house today. We have officially contributed 2 more kilowatts to California's photovoltaic (PV) capacity. Totally just a drop in the bucket but still proud. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the installed PV capacity in the US in 2013 was 4,751 MW, 2,621 MW of which is in California. So, if we are on track in 2014 (more than likely we will greatly surpass it), our 9 panels will add 0.00004% to the US installed capacity or 0.00008% to the CA installed capacity.

As an aside, take a look at SEIA's plot of solar installations on a quarterly basis. Since 2010, there has been an interesting growth pattern of installations doubling in the fourth quarter, most of which in the non-residential sector. Seems curious - maybe spending a bonus, trying to reach a sales quota, last ditch effort for the tax credit? Sounds like the beginning of a journal article to me.

ODO 4374 miles

Permits were signed today! Installation is next week! 

In the meantime, I have World Cup fever (it strikes me every four years). This year, the banner ads next to the field caught my eye. At one Brazilian stadium, Yingli Solar shares the space with McDonald's. So, I decided to do investigation (AKA surfing while sitting on the couch and watching the game off my DVR). Yingli made the following statement: "Our ties with the sport extend back to 2009, when we formed and sponsored a deaf and mute soccer team in Hebei, a rural province in China. With this partnership, we realized we could use soccer to positively impact disadvantaged societies and bring awareness to environmental causes." While I am suspicious of a chinese manufacturer's love for soccer and of soccer's ability to induce a concern for the environment, I am glad to learn that the world cup final will be played at a solar powered stadium AND that Yingli will be the first carbon neutral sponsor of the World Cup. Even better, the latter claim while be third party verified.

But, what has this meant for YGE, Yingli's equity traded on the NYSE. Here's a synopsis: June 12th, the first day of the World Cup, the price for YGE was $2.91. The price peaked on June 20th at $4.01 (> 30% gain). Today, the price is down to $3.54. What will it be on the day of the final match? Will all those eyes on the Yingli's banner ads subconsciously translate into increased interested in Yingli's US traded equity. We'll have to wait and see.

ODO 4278 miles

So, permits are still in review at Culver City Building and Safety Division. I'm not that great at waiting but at least it has provided some inspiration. I decided to take a look at Culver City's policies on solar photovoltaics. Since 2008, all new construction, additions and major renovations of 10,000 square feet and greater requires the installation of 1 kW of solar photovoltaic power per 10,000 square feet. My first reaction was "That sounds great." But I'm wondering how many project owners are choosing to pay the fee instead of installing the solar panels - I feel like I have seen at least two projects that likely met the square footage requirement but have no solar on the rooftop. Nonetheless, some of the language in the ordinance (Ordinance 2008-       ) is pretty nice: "Wheras, solar photovoltaic power generation consumes no fossil fuels, generates no fossil fuels and will therefore increase energy efficiency and will reduce air pollution in the Los Angeles Basin and Culver City;" There you go. Just doing my part.

ODO 4173 miles

Wahoo! This was my first week at as an EDF Climate Corps fellow. While my projects focus on energy efficiency and alternative energy procurement, I immediately needed to assess the electric vehicle charging situation. This was especially important since my commute is very long (~40 miles) and my solar panels are in permitting review at the moment. So, I was both disappointed and pleased to discover that there is a waiting list (what! strong evidence of demand) for the free charging (what! strong support for EVs) where I work. I've put my name down on the waiting list for a four hour charging time slot in my parking structure. Let's see if that will happen in the 12-weeks I will be a Climate Corps fellow.

I was also surprised to see that my Spark was the first to be part of the EV charging network. So I decided to track down the 2013 sales of Spark EVs in California and Oregon, the only states these so-called compliance cars are being sold. According to Green Car Reports, my Spark is one of the 539 Spark EVs sold in 2013. Not surprisingly, the #1 car in the Amgen EV Charging network is the Nissan Leaf, which had 2013 sales of 22,160 according to Green Car Reports. Using those number, the Spark sales were only 2.4% of the Leaf sales. One caveat is that Spark sales started in June so the adjusted percentage may actually be double. 

The blog Plugincars advocates for Chevrolet to sell the Chevy Spark EV nationwide, similar to the Nissan Leaf availability. I agree, but that's a topic for another post.

ODO 4022 miles

I have been doing a little light reading - the 2013 Tesla 10-K report . Personally, I am pretty excited by the development of Tesla's Gen III, which Tesla's intends to produce in about three years coinciding with the end of my Spark EV lease. Who knows if that will be the next EV for me but it is a promising sign of the variety of choice that will exist in three years.

I am reading Tesla's report because of my ongoing interest in their sale of regulatory credits. These are the credits that Tesla, and others, sell to car manufacturers that don't meet California's Zero-Emission Vehicle Regulation. In 2013, Tesla recognized $129.8 million in revenue from the sale of these ZEV regulatory credits. This is an astounding increase from 2012 sales of $32.4 million in ZEV credits, which itself was an increase from $2.7 million.  These are year-over-year increases of 301% and 1100% for 2013 and 2012, respectively. On the other hand, the revenue associated with ZEV credits has decreased as a the percentage of total revenue, 7.8% in 2012 and 6.5% in 2013. So, while sales of ZEV credits have increased, sales of Teslas have increased even more (precisely $1.60 billion from 2012 to 2013 or 386%).  Tesla's 10-k notes that they don't intend to rely upon the sales of ZEV credits as part of their business plan. On the flip side, the report notes repeatedly that the credits have no associated costs. So, it is a fascinating read to anyone interested in the future of electric vehicles.

ODO 3873 miles

I saw this the other day and asked myself "What is this sign all about?" I even asked the construction workers installing the sign and I just confused with them EV jargon about networks and charging plans. Well, there is a new game in town (almost). Whole Foods in Westwood now has two EV charging stations where you can charge for free! With prime parking locations! It is part of this network of charging stations that are paid for, not by membership fees or hourly rates, by advertising revenue. Volta (http://www.voltacharging.com) is installing a network of charging stations in California, Arizona and Hawaii that are in high traffic areas. According to their "Find a Station" page, the closest one to me at the moment is in Otay Mesa. This is actually not a bad location for me, given my slight anxiety around visiting Tijuana without a place to charge. Locally, I certainly won't get a lot of juice while charging for 10 minutes while I shop at Westwood Whole Foods but I like the innovative idea for expanding the EV charging infrastructure. Are more Whole Foods chargers powered by advertising on the way?

ODO 3689 miles

 So my Chevy Spark EV came with OnStar, from whom I periodically get updates on how my car is running (tire too low? status of lithium ion battery?). One of the bonuses of these emails is that I get an Energy Efficiency dashboard. At the time of my last report, my mileage was 131 MPGe which saved me 26 gallons of fuel for 601 miles (23 mpg for a gas Spark?). More important to me is the estimated CO2 avoided = 507 lbs. With all the recent talk about California's cap and trade program (overview), I wonder when I will be able to sell carbon offset credits for driving an electric vehicle? The goal of CA's cap and trade is to return to 1990 levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2020. At this point, offsets are mostly forestry and livestock related. But, who knows, maybe California can get creative in the future? Will electric vehicle drivers band together to claim offsets? I'm going to keep track of my estimated CO2 avoided, just in case.

ODO 3517 miles

There I am with my Chevy Spark EV. It was one of the best early birthday presents to myself. And now this blog will document my journey towards Net Zero Energy, as applied to my Spark. The idea is to use electricity generated by solar panels to charge my daily-driver car. I have sized my solar panel system and am dealing with contractors as we speak, so stay tuned. Net Zero EV, here I come!