At Cherryland Electric Cooperative, we try to keep up with all forms of technology. To this end, we leased a Chevrolet Volt gas/electric hybrid for three years in order to gain some practical knowledge about the car.
I hated that car. It only went 35 miles on electricity before switching over to the gas engine. The control panel was confusing to use and led to more than one instance of distracted driving for this aging individual who just wanted to be warm and listen to the radio. The limited leg room in the back seat was a joke. I dreaded climbing in that car every single time.
Well, the lease recently ran out. An employee suggested we try the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt. I was extremely skeptical but reluctantly relented. I even considered not driving the car, but ultimately I decided I couldn’t hate something that I didn’t even try once.
I sat behind the wheel and immediately got excited about the future of electric cars. The dash panel was “normal.” The headroom was ample in the front and back. The rear leg room was almost spacious. Then, I put the pedal down on the highway and it took off with my heart. I simply loved it.
The Bolt has speed and comfort, and the weight of the batteries make the front wheel drive grip the road in the worst winter weather. The range on a single charge is a generous 230 miles. The price range is on the high end of affordable, but I believe that will change as battery prices drop and competition increases.
Chevrolet is planning on building more electric vehicle (EV) models in the future. Of course, Tesla remains the leader in this arena but Volvo, Ford, Toyota, Nissan and others are entering the market with investments in the billions as well. The winner on the EV battlefield will clearly be the consumer.
The two questions about EVs I get the most are: 1) where are the charging stations and 2) do you have a special rate? Today, Cherryland and its power supplier, Wolverine Power Cooperative, are working on tariffs for EV charging stations for commercial and residential members. By mid to late summer, cooperative members will be able to contract with Cherryland to have a charging station installed at a cooperative discount for a modest up-front fee and a small monthly charge for a four to five year period. So, a network of charging stations will begin to appear in 2018 and beyond.
Because EVs are programmable, they can be set to charge during off-peak times of the day. In the next 12 to 24 months, I believe you will see Cherryland offer a time-of-use rate or something similar that will be applicable to EV charging as well as traditional forms of energy use such as hot water heaters, electric heat and clothes washing.
I am very excited about the potential for growth of EVs in our area and our nation in the months and years ahead. The electrical infrastructure and capacity is in place to handle the growth on the cooperative distribution system as well.
EVs are quiet, emission-free, dependable and will soon come in all shapes and sizes. As the battery range grows and the charging network expands, I can see more and more people making a choice based on convenience, price and longevity with the environmental benefits simply a worthy bonus. What’s not to love about that?
Total waste of Members money, in my view.
I have owned 2 hybrid vehicles- but am always torn – just how environmentally kind are they really? Mainly I think of those nasty batteries, how do we dispose of them?
Years ago, we had the same problem with lead acid batteries. Today, 97% of lead acid batteries are recycled. I am hopeful that we will eventually see the same trend with lithium ion. Once again, there is no silver bullet. To me, the choice is really simple – we can continue to burn fossil fuels as we always have or we can improve the recycling and disposal of lithium ion. The choice is up to each individual. Walking and biking to work and recreation will only work for a small segment of the population. The rest of us will be forever linked to vehicular transportation of some type.
Good question, Karen. In addition to what Tony stated, it’s actually not that difficult to reuse the batteries from electric vehicles. For example, GM started using old Volt batteries to partially power a data center at one of its facilities. Nissan LEAF batteries have been used for other energy storage purposes, there, Nissan works with a company called Green Charge Networks. So recycling, although relatively new, is getting more common and will continue to grow. But even if not, lithium ion mining is confined to much smaller areas than automotive emissions, which affect everyone. 98% of the world suffers no environmental impact from Li mining and it, also, can be done more cleanly, although China seems to be happy mining in less environmental manners to save on costs.
Here’s a link regarding the GM use of Volt batteries, as one example:
https://www.wired.com/2015/06/gms-using-old-chevy-volt-batteries-power-building/
I have owned and driven a Prius, a Ford Fusion hybrid and now own a Volt. Since I don’t ride in the back seat I will accept that it is small as are the back seats of many small cars. The all electric range of 35 miles is good enough to cover about 80% of the trips I take and I live in Interlochen so the trips tend to be longer. The display is no more or less confusing than the Ford or Prius. I did not buy 3 hybrids for the display or leg room. I bought them to be able to use less gas. The combined mileage for the Volt is in excess of 65 miles per gallon.
What is more disappointing to me as an owner is Cherrylands lack of ability to provide for the use of a rapid charging home charger at off peak hours and rates. If one goes to an all electric car this becomes more important in order to be able to timely recharge the car. Consumers Energy not only provides that service they also provided the rapid charger at no cost to the customer.
I would suggest that you should be less concerned with back seat leg room and more concerned with providing improved service for EV owners and your customers.
We simply do not have an off peak rate signal from our power supplier at this time. It is something we are working on. For now, I believe the fact that our rates are 10% (or more, depending on your usage) lower than Consumers Energy is a sufficient offset for time of use rates. We are very concerned with improving service to EV owners and hope to have tangible evidence of such by the end of 2018.
Just for reference, Tony (and others), I have my EV charger powered via DTE Energy in metro Detroit and we pay only $.0375 during the cheapest periods, 11:00 PM-7:00 AM, whereas it’s four times as expensive during peak hours during the day.
I understand that you cannot offer an off-peak rate now, I am just pointing out one example as a long-term target. Not necessarily the exact same rates, of course, just hoping to see a much lower rate eventually. And to everyone, keep in mind that your entire charging cost isn’t just the rate since there’s a delivery fee as well. But still, it’s much cheaper to charge at night when overall usage is much lower and utility companies are often willing to sell electricity much cheaper. I’ve generally paid about $40-$50 month for my Volt charging but 2-3 years ago, when I charged more during the day than usual, it was closer to $80/month.
I second the idea of rapid home charging!
It’s wonderful to see progress and adoption from my electric company. I’m planning to get an EV someday, and I’m glad you are looking at off-peak charging rates. I don’t think it’s a waste of member’s money, I think it’s an investment in the future and leaving a sustainable legacy. I don’t always agree with your approach to electricity sources and political action, but I DO think you consider everything thoroughly and make well-thought-out decisions. Keep on staying on top of developments like these! Thanks!
I agree with you here, Sabrina. I have not always agreed with Tony’s take on green energy but I think he’s done a commendable job of explaining things and being objective. And for those who think EV’s are more expensive, most simply aren’t when one uses the much lower operating costs and much less maintenance.
Dear Tony,
I would like to add besides the Chevy Bolt, BMW i3 is their funky hatchback and talk about dynamic engineering! The i3 is EPA rated at 79 MPG and w/ the 2 cylinder gas engine has an extended range of 111+ MPG.
Also Walgreens drug and Panera Bread are adding charging stations to their respective facilities. The same is true with Mobil Gas stations and major truck stops have or are in the process of adding charging stations.
Best regards,
Ken Ward
Lake Ann, MI and Cary, IL
Nice article. The next step is to figure out how to use all the large batteries from all the electric vehicles to store and then release renewable energy into the grid.
Terry Kearney
Please see my comments elsewhere here, Terry. I completely agree and was just pointing out that some are already being recycled for additional usage.
So you start with “I hated that car. It only went 35 miles on electricity before switching over to the gas engine. The control panel was confusing to use and led to”, which all that shows up on the e-mail? Wouldn’t it had been more constructive to state that “electric and hybrid vehicle engineering is progressing with each new design” as the first entry in this column? Electric care are the future, and Cherryland should get on board.
Cherryland is on board with EVs. That was the whole point of the article. It is an opinion/editorial column. I stand by my statement on the awful Volt hybrid as I do the wonderful Bolt EV. It is my opinion only and I am perfectly okay with those who don’t agree.
I’m still baffled at why you didn’t like the Volt, Tony. While not a big fan of the dash, I loved the Volt. It wasn’t for everybody and the original had four bucket seats, not a bench seat in back, so it wasn’t ever going to drive more than four people. But outstanding torque, far better looking than the Bolt to almost everyone I know, and the flexibility of a plug-in hybrid, of course.
The newer Volts have gone from 35 to 53 miles range, with much better mileage in gasoline-mode as well. You’re absolutely entitled to your opinion, but I do think your reasoning is vague and I agree with Mark that using that as your lead made it initially seem more like an attack on EV’s.
It’s just my personal opinion. I’m over 55 in age and I like comfortable and simple. To me, the Volt is neither. I’m all in on EV and looking forward to new offerings. Cherryland is working on charging station incentives and and other inticements for EV useage.
The “environmental benefits” for large-battery BEV’s are largely mythical. Disregarding the obvious fact that the energy “has to come from somewhere,” many intensive studies have shown that cradle-to-grave environmental costs from mining of lithium, cobalt, and other materials exceed any benefits derived. These same reports demonstrate that the most environmentally friendly platform is using a small battery (hybrid) to capture wasted energy (i.e. regenerative braking) and reuse that for propulsion. These hybrid models have come a long way in efficiency within just the last model year, with the new Camry and Accord getting 55 mpg.
A sidenote on “time of use” rates: In some markets (i.e. Southern CA), peak rate times have actually inverted due to the prevalence of solar use during the daytime. Result: Energy is cheapest during the peak daylight hours. In northern MI, with very limited solar efficiency in the winter months, Cherryland may be challenged to find a formula that would work year-round.
Well said and well written. My only argument would be that when an EV is used, the pollution is more controlled and regulated at the power plant than it is at the gas pump. I sincerely appreciate the cradle-to-the grave environmental costs as they are present with wind and solar too but never mentioned. You are spot on in your TOU comments and the challenge of finding a formula that works is why we don’t have them today. We aren’t ready to toss in the towel quite yet however.
For the Camry, your numbers are way off. The LE hybrid comes close, at 52 MPG, but the XLE and SE come in at only 47. And the LE is a barebones car, with few options, smaller tires, less standard equipment, etc. The Accord hybrid gets 47 MPG. Not bad, of course, and certainly a step forward, but not even half of what most people I know with a Volt or i3 get since they drive mostly on battery power.
The fact that you can’t even distinguish the ease with which emissions at a single power source can be controlled with the complete impossibility of controlling them with hundreds of vehicles also doesn’t speak well of your knowledge of the subject. In addition, the mining of the materials you mentioned isn’t even always detrimental to the environment. Lumping in lithium, cobalt and other materials is also inaccurate. Most are mined fairly responsibly and lithium is mined somewhat less so because the country mining the most simply doesn’t care about environmental protections and cares only about selling as much as possible. Keep in mind that of this planet, what percentage has these minerals mined today? Less than 1% of the earth, with production limited to a few countries. Meanwhile, emissions reductions positively affect everyone and every area. Chinese mining of lithium, for example, may be environmentally detrimental to China, but EV’s in North America benefit from the lithium and lower emissions without paying the environmental cost.
You also left out solar power. As the U.S. increases solar installations rapidly, there are obvious benefits there as well.
I’ve been looking forward to the switch to electric vehicles for several years. As a working person, I expect to be behind times as I wait for costs to come down, but am most excited about installing a small solar array to defray my electric use/costs and hope that soon it will be possible to do so through a program from Cherryland that would reduce the upfront cost. A future wherein I can charge my emission-free vehicle with my solar system is one Iong to see.
Our garage in TC was wired for one light bulb. After getting our first Volt we rewired making our garage much more useful and allowing for 240 volt 15 amp charging of the car. We have charged three Volts over the past 6 years. Even without incentives Cherryland’s prices are still cheaper than gas. We live in metro Detroit and the Volts would be driven almost exclusively on electricity for local driving around Detroit or TC. But a Bolt would not make the trip between the two places except at 50 mph or a stop at a charger. So we vote for Volts. The gas engine kicks in on the trips north and we can take advantage of the higher speed limits.
We are 3 season visitors. Before EVs rule the road in the north I think they will need higher ground clearance, all wheel drive and minimal towing capacity.
We also loved the Volt. I just finished my sixth year in February, unfortunately, due to an accident on icy roads in TC that totaled my second one. I’d prefer a pure EV (and we may go 100% solar in 2018, got all the quotes last year) but like you, we drive to TC a lot and a pure EV/BEV isn’t really an option. A Model 3 with superchargers may be an option soon, but not in time when I had to get a new vehicle suddenly after totaling the Volt. Why not another Volt, you might ask? Well, after the accident, I decided I’d better go back to the AWD vehicles I had before the Volt. But at least one of our two vehicles will be pure electric and the other is likely to be another plug-in hybrid like the Volt.
Great article Tony. Great use of members’ money. I am a huge fan of electric cars but knowing my personality I would have range anxiety. I drive a Prius and love it. I get approximately 60 mpg. Looking forward to buying a Prius prime plugin ( just like a Volt) if I can outlive my current Prius. Keep up the solar panels too Tony. Thanks for keeping us members informed about Cherryland.
Thanks for sharing this! I have two questions.
First, do EVs regenerate electricit during breaking like hybrids do?
Second, how does the environmental footprint compare per mile driven for EVs, hybrids, and similar sized gas vehicles? EVs might be emission free at the car, but they aren’t really emission free. Is the EV share of emissions at the powerplant really that much better than hybrids or gas engine vehicles?
The Chevrolet Bolt EV does regenerate electricity during braking. I’m sure the data is out there but I don’t have it at my fingertips in regards to environmental footprint. It is simply my personal opinion that regulating pollution at the power plant is better than at the gas pump. I welcome anyone to prove or disprove this opinion. Personally, I would love to not have to stop at a gas station. For my local driving, I could charge at home every day. Obviously, this would generate additional sales for the cooperative which ultimately benefits everyone in the form of more stable rates over the long term. If you charge your EV with Cherryland electricity, you are using a source that is 56% carbon free. This has to be better than any gas/electric hybrid.
I’ll post two studies and let you draw your own conclusions. Of course, there are many other sources available, I just know one and the other comes from Sweden nd I guessed it might be an interesting alternative perspective. Remember, the emissions from an EV/PHEV in Michigan are already lower than they were a few years ago since creating electricity from natural gas and renewable sources is much cleaner than coal, which has dropped from about 76% of MI electricity to about 35%, I believe. Tony, feel free to correct me here, if necessary.
https://www.ucsusa.org/publications/catalyst/winter16-electric-vehicles-just-how-green-are-they#.Wsz-TeSWzIU
https://news.vattenfall.com/en/article/electric-cars-are-better-environmental-choice-spite-environmental-impact
All this is wonderful for those of us that have plenty of money, we r on a fixed income that does not allow for the high end of anything except groceries that are are impossible to live with.
So we say, great to all of this, but for us All we worry about is are we going to be able to have e gas & Electric? so far so good! going on 81 & 88 were are afraid of what will happen we do not want to move anywhere we’ve been her in one spot for almost 18 years were hanging in there but every mo is hard.
So a super expensive car is out or even a newer used one. We just try & coun’t our blessing.
Sorta reminds me of that special car that used some other gas u couldn’t use in a regular engine
That was supposed to be better for the environment & cheaper………….made a lot of noise Now is more expensive?? Gee how did that work out?
sincerely,
Customers
Great comments and thanks for sharing. If the use of EVs grow on the Cherryland system, low income members will benefit indirectly. You see, when an EV comes home and is plugged in to charge primarily at the home, electricity use in that home goes up. In an average home, the usage could go up in the neighborhood of 30%. If enough EVs are plugged in on the Cherryland system in the future, it could mean more stable rates for everyone. So,there is something in it for every member.
Like any other consumer option or product, electric vehicles don’t need to be for everyone. Used EV’s are generally much cheaper than used vehicles using gas, for example. I wish you luck and am sorry that an EV isn’t possible for you, at least now, but contrary to your claim, they’re not even more expensive in many cases.
My two previous Volt’s cost about the same as a Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Chevy Malibu, etc., yet my electricity and occasional gasoline usage cost about half as much combined as a gasoline-only vehicle. Comparing the cost of gasoline for a similar-sized vehicle would mean paying about $1,000 more per year than my Volt cost. In other words, my Volt cost about $5,000 less in fuel costs over five years than someone’s Camry or Accord (assuming standard Camry or Accord, not hybrid versions), based on 15,000-18,000 miles driven annually, which is average for me.
Maintenance costs are also significantly lower. Batteries are warrantied for all EV’s for eight years or 100,000 miles, more than double the warranty on many gas-powered vehicles. Electric vehicles are getting cheaper, just like any new technology. My first Volt was $43,000+, my second three years later was $33,600 (before the $7,500 tax credit) yet the second one had longer range, better gas mileage, etc. It may not help you, but more options and improved technology will continue to bring down prices.