Author: Power 52 and CCAN Staff 2/27/2021 CCAN Action Fund
Mississippi’s first wind farm planned for Tunica
Author: Geoff Pendre Published 2/24/2021 Mississippi Today
Lawmakers said Wednesday that a $250 million wind farm is planned for Tunica County.
Two major renewable energy projects are planned for Mississippi, including the state’s first wind-power farm.
Lawmakers said Wednesday that a $250-million wind farm is planned for Tunica County and a $140-million to $160-million solar farm for Chickasaw County. The state Senate approved allowing the local counties to provide tax breaks for the projects.
The Tunica project, Tunica Wind Power LLC, would be the state’s first wind farm, state Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley said. The Chickasaw solar farm would be that area’s third one, and several others are operating across the state.
With recent wind-power debate from widespread power outages in Texas, Presley pointed out that the projects would only sell power wholesale to the Tennessee Valley Authority or nationally, not directly to any customers. Presley said the Tunica project has applied for PSC approval, but the Chickasaw solar project has not.
“(The wind farm) will have 100 wind turbines on 13,000 acres in Tunica, be a 200-megawatt facility, able to power at max capacity 7,000 homes,” Presley said.
“In light of what we’ve seen in Texas, we will be asking them about their winterization efforts,” Presley said.
Presley said he knows few details about the Chickasaw County solar project. Lawmakers provided few specific details about the projects on Wednesday before the Senate approved the tax breaks.
Workshop Regarding the Creation of the Office of Public Participation
Author: FERC Staff Published: 2/24/2021 FERC
Docket No. AD21-9-000
This Commissioner-led workshop will be webcast.
The workshop will provide interested parties with the opportunity to provide input to the Commission on the creation of the Office of Public Participation. The Commission intends to establish and operate the Office of Public Participation to “coordinate assistance to the public with respect to authorities exercised by the Commission,” including assistance to those seeking to intervene in Commission proceedings, pursuant to section 319 of the Federal Power Act (FPA). 16 U.S.C. § 825q–1. Congress directed the Commission to provide, by June 25, 2021, to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress a report on the Commission’s progress towards establishing the Office of Public Participation, including an organizational structure and budget for the office, beginning in fiscal year 2022.
The Commission plans to hear input on the following considerations in forming the Office of Public Participation, including:
- the office’s function and scope as authorized by section 319 of the FPA;
- the office’s organizational structure and approach, including the use of equity assessment tools;
- participation by tribes, environmental justice communities, and other affected individuals and communities, including those who have not historically participated before the Commission; and
- intervenor compensation.
The Commission seeks nominations for stakeholder panelists to provide input about each of these areas of consideration at the workshop by March 10, 2020. Each nomination should indicate name, contact information, organizational affiliation, what issue area the proposed panelist would speak on, and suggested workshop topics to OPPWorkshopNominations@ferc.gov.
Supplemental notices will be issued prior to the workshop with further details regarding the agenda, panelists, meeting registration information, and electronic log-in information. The workshop will be open for the public to attend, and there is no fee for attendance.
For questions about the workshop, please contact Stacey Steep, Office of General Counsel, (202) 502-8148, OPPWorkshop@ferc.gov
Event Details
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Date and Time
- Friday, Apr 16, 2021 (9:00 AM – 5:00 PM)
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Related Links
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Point of Contact
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Office of Public Participation WorkshopFor questions about the workshopEmail: OPPWorkshop@ferc.gov
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A Roadmap to 100% Clean Electricity by 2035
Author: Evergreen Staff Published: 2/24/2021 Evergreen Collaborative
A Roadmap to 100% Clean Electricity by 2035
Power Sector Decarbonization through a Federal Clean Electricity Standard and Robust Clean Energy Investments and
Justice-Centered Policies
Justice-Centered Policies
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned and won on a bold platform for confronting the climate crisis and building a clean energy economic recovery—including a 100% clean energy standard for electricity by 2035, plus a $2 trillion investment in clean energy and infrastructure, and deep commitments to confronting systemic environmental injustice.
Congress must act on these commitments, and pass a federal Clean Electricity Standard (CES). This approach is proven in states—already one in three Americans live in a place targeting 100% clean, carbon-free power. It is popular, with more than two-thirds of voters supporting this policy. It is also a practical approach, which can ensure job creation and justice are at the center of a rapid clean energy transition.
Clean energy standard policies are a proven, popular, and practical approach to effectively drive clean energy transformation on the ground.
In this report:
– We outline how Congress can use a CES to put the U.S. on a path to 100% clean electricity by 2035.
– We show how a CES can be designed to rapidly decarbonize the power sector and center equity, good jobs, and community benefits while doing so.
– We also outline a number of investments and justice-centered policies that will be required to achieve this rapid 100% clean power goal.
– And we argue that this crucial policy commitment made by Democratic leaders can and must overcome any potential legislative barriers. This includes eliminating the filibuster in the United States Senate, or pass CES legislation through budget reconciliation.
Be sure to also check out polling from Data for Progress that shows voters support 100% clean electricity by 2035.
We’ve laid out a specific roadmap for the Biden administration and Congress to pass a Clean Electricity Standard with major investments and justice-centered policies to achieve 100% carbon-free power by 2035. Download the report.
The Right Combination: Solar, Storage, and Demand Response Webinar Series
Author: DOE Staff Published: 2/22/2021 DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office
February 25-26, 2021
Join the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy (DOE) Technologies Office (SETO) for a webinar series to learn about DOE’s work to develop and demonstrate technologies that enable solar plus energy storage and demand response.
Utilities, researchers, and solar industry stakeholders are encouraged to attend to learn how these projects optimized the overall performance of solar energy systems by connecting them with storage and demand-response technologies.
These webinars will feature presentations from several organizations that demonstrated the use of smart inverters in conjunction with smart buildings, smart appliances, and utility communication and control systems. These projects helped pave the way for the integration of hundreds of gigawatts of new solar energy onto the electric grid.
Guest speakers from the following organizations will discuss their DOE-funded projects:
- Austin Energy – Austin, TX
- Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) – Knoxville, TN
- Extensible Energy – Berkeley, CA
- Fraunhofer USA – Boston, MA
- Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) – Honolulu, HI
Webinar 1: February 25, 12 p.m.–2 p.m. ET (REGISTER)
SETO Systems Integration, Fraunhofer USA, Extensible Energy
DOE will present an overview of relevant systems integration projects and solar+X. Fraunhofer and Extensible will discuss how their solutions improved solar energy system performance. Fraunhofer’s solution used a central scheduling algorithm to optimize utility-scale photovoltaics (PV) and storage, and included commercial and industrial flexible loads; the Extensible team developed a building energy management solution that optimized on-site solar and storage technologies while maximizing the benefits from controlling the flexible loads.
Webinar 2: February 26, 12 p.m.–2 p.m. ET (REGISTER)
Austin Energy, EPRI, HECO
Moderated by DOE, representatives from two utilities and EPRI will discuss their systems integration solutions: Austin Energy’s distributed energy resource management platform that can adapt to any region and market structure; EPRI’s work with five utilities to create technology that integrates storage and load management with PV generation on the grid; and HECO’s demonstration of the system-level benefits of greater utility visibility and control of the distribution system.
Related Resources:
The project teams featured in these webinars were funded through the following programs:
The pandemic is deepening a wealth divide among young people: the ‘millennial rich’ and the ‘millennial poor’
Author: Hillary Hoffower Published: 1/8/2021 INSIDER
- The pandemic has widened millennial inequality that dates back to the Great Recession, with wealthier millennials faring well while their low-earning peers are struggling.
- The affordability crisis millennials were already facing prepandemic has left some with little wealth to fall back on as they experience unemployment and other hardships during the coronavirus recession.
- But a smaller, higher-earning group with stable income has been able to save, invest, and even buy homes with extra money they would otherwise spend in non-pandemic times.
- It’s evidence of America’s K-shaped recovery, in which the wealthy and the poor are recovering at different speeds.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Widening wealth inequality has been a feature of American life in the 21st century, but the coronavirus pandemic has amplified a growing gap within the millennial generation.
At the turn of 2020, a large part of the generation was still grappling with the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis when they were slammed with their second recession before its oldest members even hit 40 (the generation will turn ages 25 to 40 in 2021). This only intensified decadelong financial challenges including a dismal job market, sky-high levels of student debt, and soaring living costs.
Generational researcher Jason Dorsey, the president of the Center for Generational Kinetics, calls these millennials who feel behind financially and professionally “me-llennials,” and those who are financially ahead of the game “mega-llennials” — and this latter group has seen stable earnings during the pandemic that they’ve been able to save while the experience economy has been shut down.
The pandemic has ultimately exacerbated the high income inequality that existed among millennials pre-Covid, said Christine Percheski, demographer and associate professor of sociology at Northwestern University.
“This pandemic is widening economic inequalities within millennials, with some millennials relatively unscathed economically and others just completely financially devastated by unemployment losses, increased childcare costs, lost economic opportunities, and lingering health problems that they or family members are going to experience,” she said.
The result is a disparity in which the millennial rich and the millennial poor will recover at different paces. This intergenerational socioeconomic gap is a reflection of the K-shaped recovery that America has been experiencing, in which the wealthy are bouncing back and the lower-earning aren’t.
Some millennials are struggling with unemployment and childcare
The affordability crisis millennials were facing prepandemic hindered their ability to build wealth. Those born in the 1980s are at risk of becoming a “lost generation” that may never be as rich as their parents, Insider previously reported, and the generation as a whole hold a shockingly small amount of wealth compared to what boomers had at their age.
Such roadblocks have left these “me-llenials” with little to no financial resources to fall back on in the wake of a second recession. That might explain why they were most likely to say that the pandemic was having a “major” impact on their finances (39%) in a Morning Consult survey that polled 4,000-plus Americans in September, including over 1,200 millennials.
Millennials who already had lower earnings prepandemic and millennials with children are among those in the generation suffering the most right now, Percheski said. About 40% of millennial parents are seeing huge increases in hardships, she added, due to increases in food and housing insecurity and mothers cutting back employment hours or quitting work altogether to meet caregiving needs during the pandemic’s school closures.
Unpartnered mothers in particular have seen the biggest drop in unemployment during the pandemic compared to other parents, per the Pew Research Center. While Gen X are also parents to those under 18, millennials are now in their prime child-bearing years.
When unemployment peaked in April, 14.5% of Americans ages 25 to 34 were unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (this dropped in half to 7% by November). For comparison, at the peak of the Great Recession in 2009, unemployment rates stood at 10%. And while some millennials may have escaped job loss, not all skirted past pandemic pay cuts.
“I would imagine a lot of people are burning through whatever savings they had as they experienced unemployment,” Percheski said.
Wealthier millennials are seeing cash flow
Meanwhile, wealthier millennials — Dorsey’s “mega-llennials” — have been able to play a bit of catch-up during the pandemic.
“There’s a group of wealthier millennials that probably have spent less of their disposable income than they would in non-COVID times and may actually have built up some savings during this,” Percheski said.
Consider the millennials raking in over $100,000 annually. Two financial advisers told Insider in June that clients of this ilk were tucking away excess cash, as much as $3,000 in some cases, that normally would’ve been spent on brunches or plane tickets.
Millennials with college degrees and those who already had a sound financial backstop prepandemic are weathering the storm better than their peers, Dorsey said. There’s also the matter of luck.
Experience-focused industries, like travel and hospitality, have been hit hardest during the coronavirus recession. Millennials faring well have been fortunate to work in industries that have remained stable. “It’s a big difference between the millennial who works in cloud computing versus the one who manages a restaurant,” Dorsey said.
While some of these millennials are now allocating discretionary income toward savings, paying off debt, and investing in retirement, others have rushed to cash in on a stock market recovery. In the case of the latter, Dorsey said, these millennials could have more money on paper than they’ve ever had before.
Other millennials are finally becoming homeowners, he added, thanks to historically low interest rates. US Census Data found that homeownership rates increased by 4 percentage points from the second quarters of 2019 to 2020. Younger generations have seen the greatest the leaps — those under age 35 saw a 4.2 percentage point increase and those ages 35 to 44 saw a 4.9 percentage point increase, compared to older age groups who all hovered around an increase by 2 percentage points.
But as Percheski said, this group of wealthier millennials “is a smaller part of the story.”
The pandemic-era millennial wealth divide will likely deepen
Because the pandemic is ongoing, it’s too soon to exactly determine its long-term effects on millennials. Data is still new, compiled only during the first nine months of the pandemic, and 2020 proved that economic conditions can change overnight. Dorsey anticipates the pandemic will have a more pronounced impact on the generation over the next five years.
But less than a year in, the pandemic has ultimately inflamed a millennial divide, widening the gap between the generation’s rich and poor. Millennials are experiencing their own K-shaped recession, uniquely compounded by two recessions.
That will naturally lead to an unequal recovery between these two groups, Dorsey said, with those those who lost a job recovering longer than those who began the pandemic with a better financial backstop.”We’re going to see a growing divide between the millennials who’ve weathered the storm financially well, and those who are really struggling financially,” Dorsey said. “And I think that’s going to only grow as they come out of this with different speeds.”
But while the pandemic has been a traumatic, tragic event from a long-term financial standpoint, Dorsey said, if millennials can learn some new financial planning behaviors from it, they could ultimately recover over a period of time and use it to their advantage.
UP FRONT: Black reparations and the racial wealth gap
Author: William “Sandy” Darity and Kirsten Mullen Published: 6/15/ 2020 BROOKINGS
The April 27th Hutchins Center virtual event devoted to our new book, From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century, resulted in too many participant questions to answer live. We take the opportunity here to respond to nine that remained.
To provide a frame for our responses, we outline the premises that shape our conception of Black reparations in the United States. Data from the 2016 Survey of Consumer Finances (the most recent available) indicate that Black Americans possess 2.6 percent of the nation’s wealth while constituting 13 percent of the population. The average Black household has a net worth $800,000 lower than the average white household. This, in turn, corresponds to a vast chasm in capabilities and opportunities between Blacks and Whites.
The origins of this gulf in Black and White wealth stem from the immediate aftermath of slavery when a promise made to provide the formerly enslaved with 40 acres in land grants went unmet—while many White Americans were provided substantial “hand outs” (typically 160 acres) of land in the west. Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, calls this “free equity” that could be transmitted into greater economic security and prospects for wealth accumulation to subsequent generations.
During Reconstruction and thereafter, frequently, when Black descendants of the enslaved managed to achieve some degree of prosperity, their communities were destroyed by White massacres. The examples are too numerous to list here, but they include the infamous Tulsa massacre of 1921, when airplanes were used to firebomb “Black Wall Street” and its surrounding neighborhoods.
In the 20th century, Black wealth denial was associated to a large degree with racist policies vis-à-vis home ownership, which led to reduced rates of Black homeownership and lower rates of appreciation for those homes purchased. The situation was exacerbated in the late 1940s when the GI Bill was introduced in a manner that overwhelmingly benefited White veterans. Ira Katznelson reported in his book, When Affirmative Action Was White, in Mississippi, only two returning Black veterans received home buying benefits from the GI Bill.
Public policy has created the Black–White gulf in wealth, and it will require public policy to eliminate it.
Therefore, as we argue in From Here to Equality, erasure of the racial wealth disparity must be a core objective of reparations for Black American descendants of U.S. slavery. We estimate, at minimum, this will require $10 to $12 trillion in federal expenditures. Attaining long-denied full citizenship has a critical material dimension. That dimension will be achieved by closing the immense gap in Black and White wealth.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. Would another form of “payment” other than direct cash qualify as reparations?
In past cases of reparations initiatives, a central feature has been direct payments to eligible recipients. Examples include German payments to victims of the Holocaust and their descendants, U.S. payments to Japanese Americans unjustly incarcerated during World War II, and U.S. payments to families who lost loved ones during the 9/11 terror attacks. We see no reason for a Black reparations project to be any different. Since a central goal of the Black reparations project is elimination of Black–White wealth inequality, the most effective and direct way to achieve that end is by payments to eligible recipients. Certainly, an overall reparations fund could be directed to neighborhood and community building projects—or even toward building endowments for Historically Black Colleges and Universities—but, for both substantive and symbolic reasons, we think the preponderance of the funds must be directed precisely at eligible recipients. We must add that the payouts need not be “cash payments,” per se; they could be made via the provision of less liquid assets, like endowments that take the form of trust accounts.
2. How will reparations change the effects of the political, social, and economic inequities that Black Americans confront daily?
Reparations will not solve all problems that confront Black Americans. For example, the recent national (and international) wave of protests against anti-Black police violence triggered by the highly visible execution of an unarmed and prostrate George Floyd brings to the fore a seemingly eternal problem of atrocities associated with law enforcement practices. Reparations payments alone are unlikely, automatically, to alter those practices. However, an $800,000 increase in net worth per Black household could have a dramatic impact on Black health outcomes, homeownership, education, economic security, and more. Of course, the full impact of a reparations project is, necessarily, a matter of speculation, but we say, “Let’s, finally, run the experiment and see what happens.”
3. If African Americans are due reparations, what about other ethnicities like Native Americans, Mexican Americans, Japanese Americans, and Chinese Americans?
There are any number of communities that may have legitimate claims for compensatory action by the U.S. government. We urge those claimants to make their respective cases. The case we are making is specific to the cumulative, intergenerational effects of the harms of slavery, the Jim Crow regime, and subsequent ongoing mass incarceration, police atrocities, and discrimination on living Black American descendants of U.S. slavery. Note that Japanese Americans already have received reparations, and, in the process of the enactment of legislation for their claim, no one asked “What about other ethnicities?” like, for example, Black Americans. Nor should anyone have asked. In addition, the Black American claim is for full citizenship, while we assume that for some other groups—indigenous Americans in particular—a reparations claim they might bring is for sovereignty.
4. How would reparations be distributed? Should the payments go to individuals or programs and institutions working towards long term Black wealth?
As we’ve said, the aim of elimination of the racial wealth gap is best accomplished by the precision of direct payments to eligible recipients. While it is reasonable to have some intermediary organizations receive support on a highly selective basis, intermediaries can divert resources from the ultimate beneficiaries, and they have an incentive to continue to exist to receive funding on an indefinite basis. The vast majority of payments should go to individuals.
5. How would reparations address ongoing institutional racism? Won’t the wealth gap persist?
The wealth gap will not persist if the target of well-executed reparations is direct elimination of it. However, as we’ve pointed out, there are other social policies that will need to be maintained or put in place to support a transformative environment that will produce equality extending beyond the financial sphere.
6. Should reparations be addressed as an issue of economic disparity, racial disparity, or both?
Black reparations are a matter of racial justice; therefore, they are an issue of racial disparity. If there is a belief that class inequality in the United States requires reparative action, again, we invite advocates to develop and bring forth their case. But it is not the case on our agenda.
7. Is there a globalist perspective to reparations? Should international organizations like the UN or G7 play a multilateral role in issuing reparations?
In a 2016 report, the United Nations’ Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent explicitly declared that the U.S. government owes reparations to Black Americans. International support from other sources could benefit the national movement. For example, African nations could, collectively, refuse American corporate entry into their countries until the U.S. adopts Black reparations for citizens who have been subjected to slavery, inferior status, mob violence and individual acts of terrorism, legal segregation, de facto segregation, excess morbidity and mortality (particularly evident in the COVID-19 crisis), discrimination, and elevated levels of poverty and deprivation. This would parallel Black American political activity that promoted divestment in corporations that had operations in South Africa during the apartheid era.
8. Is it possible for the United States to retroactively calculate the value of resources that have been denied Black Americans since Jim Crow, especially the value of resources that Blacks were denied when they were shut out from access to New Deal benefits?
It is possible to do that, in parallel fashion with retroactive calculations of the value of time stolen from the enslaved during the course of their subjugation or the earnings lost due to discrimination in American labor markets. But we focus on the racial wealth gap, since we view that differential as capturing the cumulative, intergenerational economic impact of the long trajectory of American White supremacy.
9. How should we balance the need for reparations with other important issues, such as climate action, that will require large investments?
The moral claim for justice for Black Americans finally must be assigned priority. The denial of restitution for the formerly enslaved took place 155 years ago, and payment of the debt is long past due. But the recent federal response to the coronavirus crisis indicates that, barring inflationary effects, the national government has virtually unlimited spending capability. So it would be possible to finance other important needs simultaneously with Black reparations if the expenditures were tailored carefully to minimize the inflation risk. Patently, COVID-19 has made it clear that federal government spending is not constrained by the intake of tax revenues.
The authors did not receive financial support from any firm or person for this article or from any firm or person with a financial or political interest in this article. They are currently not an officer, director, or board member of any organization with an interest in this article.
RELATED CONTENT
2020
APR
27
PAST POLICY 2020 EVENT
Webinar: Reparations for Black Americans—Whether, why, and how?
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Online only
AABE SPOTLIGHT: Paula R. Glover, President, Alliance to Save Energy
Author: AABE Staff Published: 2/18/2021 AABE
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Mission and Vision – Intentional Endowments Network
Author: IEN Staff Published: 2/16/2021 Intentional Endowments Network
The Leading Mission-Aligned Investing Network for Higher Education and Other Endowed Institutions
Our vision is that all endowed institutions mobilize capital to create a world where all people thrive with equal access to personal and economic opportunity.
Our economic system’s prioritization of short-term returns over long-term value creation has exacerbated the issues of climate change, racial injustice, and widening economic inequality. Intentional Endowments Network encourages and supports higher education institutions to adopt long-term investment strategies that create an equitable, low-carbon, and regenerative economy.
We believe that higher education institutions are influential actors with power to drive systemic change – to benefit themselves and society as a whole.
Higher education and other social purpose institutions are making critical choices every day about how to operate in a society and economy facing multiple intersecting crises. The higher education sector educates 20 million students per year in the US, who are society’s future leaders and professionals. It helps solve current problems, anticipate tomorrow’s challenges, and serve as a model in all of its actions, including endowment investing.
Our goal is for the 2,000 higher education institutions, totaling $650 billion in endowment assets and $890 billion in retirement funds, to invest in ways that accelerate the shift to an equitable, low carbon, and regenerative economy. We are also working to ensure higher education institutions develop the next generation of leaders committed to this type of economy through student managed investment funds and sustainable investing curriculum.
About the Intentional Endowments Network
The Intentional Endowments Network is a non-profit, peer-learning network advancing intentionally designed endowments – those that seek to enhance financial performance by making investments that advance an equitable, low carbon, and regenerative economy. Working closely with leading organizations, the network engages leaders and key stakeholders from higher education, foundations, business, and nonprofits. It provides opportunities for learning and education, peer networking, convening, thought leadership and information exchange around a variety of strategies (e.g., ESG integration, impact investing, and shareholder engagement).
Read about IEN’s history.
Demonstrate and advance your leadership in creating a low-carbon, regenerative, and equitable economy by becoming a member of the Intentional Endowments Network today.
The Crane Institute of Sustainability, Board of Directors
Natasha Lamb (Chair), Managing Partner, Director of Equity Research & Shareholder Engagement, Arjuna Capital
Dianne Dillon-Ridgley, environmentalist and human rights activist; Co-Chair, Green Leadership Trust (GLT); Vice Chair, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
Robert E. Johnson, President, Western New England University
Bob Litterman, Chairman, Risk Committee and Academic Advisory Board at Kepos Capital LP
Glen Macdonald, Managing Director and Senior Investment Advisor at Cornerstone Capital
Joanna Olin, Chief of Staff, Smith College
Jameela Pedicini, Executive Director, Climate Finance Initiatives, Bloomberg LP
Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, Founder and CEO, Red-Horse Financial Group, Inc.
Gabe Rissman, Co-Founder & President, Yourstake.org
Anthony Rust, Impact Fund Manager, BEI Business Equity Fund; Chair of the Investment Committee, Warren Wilson College
Sandra A. Urie, Chairman Emeritus, Cambridge Associates
Georges Dyer, Co-founder and Executive Director
Intentional Endowments Network & the Crane Institute of Sustainability
Noreen Marton, Business Manager
Intentional Endowments Network & the Crane Institute of Sustainability
Executive Committee
Garrett Ashley (Co-Chair), Vice Chancellor, University Relations and Advancement, The California State University
Joe Biernat, Trustee, Gettysburg College
Lisa Hayles, Investment Manager, Trillium Asset Management
Tamara Larsen, Executive Director, Head of Mission Aligned Investing, Agility
Ken Locklin, Managing Director, Impax Asset Management
Jeff Mindlin, Vice President of Investments, ASU Enterprise Partners
Tom Mitchell, Managing Director, Cambridge Associates
Carol Jeppesen, Head of US, UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)
Libby George, Director of Investments, North Carolina State University
Steering Committee
Garrett P. Ashley, Vice Chancellor, University Relations and Advancement, The California State University
Joe Biernat, Trustee, Gettysburg College
Keryn Brock, Head of Institutional Endowment and Foundation Business, Brown Advisory
Tim Coffin, Senior Vice President, Breckinridge Capital Advisors
Felicia Davis, Co-founder, HBCU Green Fund; Coordinator, Sustainability at Clark Atlanta University
Libby George, Director of Investments, North Carolina State University
Erik Gross, Board Treasurer, UNH Foundation
Kelly Major Green, CIMA®, Chicago office of Graystone Consulting, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Carol Jeppesen, Head of US, UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)
Robert E. Johnson, President, Western New England University
Karan Kishorepuria, Student, Northeastern University
Alex Lamb, Trustee, Montserrat College of Art; Managing Director, Commonwealth Impact Partners
Tamara Larsen, Executive Director, Perella Weinberg Partners
Henry M. Lancaster, Partner at Lancaster Craig & Associates, Director of the HBCU Green Fund, and Trustee of Lincoln University
Maria Lettini, Director, Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return (FAIRR) Initiative
Ken Locklin, Senior Advisor – Director, Impax Asset Management
Carol Malnick, Vice President, Boston Common Asset Management
Tom Mitchell, Managing Director, Cambridge Associates
Jeff Mindlin, Vice President of Investments, ASU Enterprise Partners
Robert Nava, Executive Director, California State University San Bernardino Philanthropic Foundation
Catie O’Connell, Director, Institutional Development Unit, Natixis Investment Managers
Neda Nobari, Vice Chair of the Foundation Board, San Francisco State University
Anthony Rust, Impact Fund Manager, BEI Business Equity Fund, Chair of the Investment Committee, Warren Wilson College
Tim Smith, Senior Vice President, Director of ESG Shareowner Engagement, Walden Asset Management, Boston Trust
Daren Smith, President and Chief Investment Officer, University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation (UTAM)
Randall Strickland, Director and Investment Advisor, Cornerstone Capital Group
Heidi Welsh, Executive Director, Sustainable Investments Institute
Lindsey White, Senior Manager of the Investor Network on Climate Risk and Sustainability, Ceres
Justin Wilson, Director, Diverse Asset Managers Initiative (DAMI)
A Complete Guide To Electric Cars
Author: Michael Schuck Published: 2/16/2021 THINK-EV
Introduction: Get Charged Up!
As time goes on, electric cars become more popular. There are an increasing number of brands from Jaguar to BMW to Audi that are making their own electric cars, and they’re becoming easier to access for the general public.
There are a lot of benefits to buying an electric car – they’re not just for the richest people in society anymore. They are affordable, and you’ll spend a lot of money on gas. You can also get tax breaks as they are energy efficient.
With that being said, electric cars are still a fairly new thing in some respects. This means that a lot of people may not know how they operate, or even if an electric car is the right choice for them.
Thankfully, we’ve got the lowdown in this article about every single thing you could possibly need to know about electric cars.
When Was The First Electric Car Invented?
It’s easy to think that the electric car was a recent, 21st century invention. What you may be surprised to learn, however, that its history spans back a lot further than this.
Electric cars have actually been around since around the late 19th century, almost the same amount of time that we’ve had standard gas fueled cars.
It is somewhat challenging to pin an exact date on when the first electric car was invented. The reality is that it was a journey consisting of a range of smaller ideas.
During the early 1800s, many inventors in the Netherlands and the United States were beginning to come up with the idea of vehicles powered by batteries.
It was during this time that some of the very first smaller-scale electric cars were produced. Then, later on the first electric carriage was made by Robert Anderson. With that being said, the first electric cars made for practical purposes didn’t emerge until the latter half of the 19th century.
There are a few different inventors credited with the ideas behind the first electric cars used in a practical setting. The electric motor is generally attributed to the Hungarian Engineer Anyos Jedlik.
Lead acid batteries for commercial projects were invented by the French physicist Gaston Plane in 1859. These two things then combined together to manufacture the first electric car in London in 1884 by Thomas Parker.
The first ‘real’ electric car was made in 1888 by a German inventor by the name of Andreas Flocken, and it was called the Flocken Elektrowagen.
In fact, during the late 19th and early 20th century, electric cars were widely popular and a favorite method of transportation.
They have continued to be popular through the years, especially during the 1960s and 70s where gas was short and electric vehicles were an attractive alternative. They were not without their faults, however.
Today, electric vehicles are seen as an environmentally friendly alternative to gas fuelled cars, releasing far fewer carbon emissions for the sake of a greener planet.
Electric cars may be seen by many as the way forward for motorized vehicles, so understanding more about these energy efficient contraptions is certainly beneficial.
Electric Cars: A Short Timeline
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1830s |
First small scale electric cars developed, and the very first crude electric car was made in 1832 to debut in the United States in 1889. |
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1901 |
Thomas Edison develops a new battery to make electric batteries more efficient and the very first hybrid electric car is invented by Ferdinand Porsche. His car was called the Lohner-Porsche Mixte. |
|
1908 |
1908 – the electric car briefly falls out of popularity, thanks to Model T releasing gas operated cars that were earlier to purchase and were more affordable to the masses |
|
1960–70 |
During the 60s and 70s, the prices of gas began to skyrocket. As a result, electric cars started to rise in popularity once again. |
|
1973 |
General Motors created an urban electric car prototype that’s later exhibited at the Low Pollution Power Systems Development in the same year. Alternative fuel cars are being investigated by automakers across the world. |
|
1979 |
Electric cars yet again fall in popularity as they couldn’t provide the same range and performance as gas alternatives. |
|
1996 |
The EV1 is released by GM, and it gains a large amount of popularity in niche groups. |
|
1997 |
The very first mass produced hybrid is unleashed onto the market by Toyota – it was called the Prius. It became a massive hit among celebrities and gained global fame. |
|
2006 |
Tesla Motors, a company started in 2003, unleashes the prototype Tesla Roadster to the world. It used the lithium-ion battery, a common battery in electric cars in the users following. |
|
2009 |
A nation wide charging infrastructure is developed to allow users to charge their cars on the go. In the United States alone, there are at least 8,000 charging stations to date. |
|
2010 |
The first plug in hybrid is released by GM called the Chevy Volt, followed by the Nissan LEAF in 2010 |
What types of electric cars exist today?
As time has advanced, the kinds of electric vehicles on the market have also developed. As such, there is not one specific type of electric car on the market. Rather, there are numerous different kinds of electric cars on the market, all with their own pros and cons.
There are currently three primary kinds of electric cars on the market, also known as EVs. The electric vehicles are BEVs, PHEVs, and HEVs.
The first is the BEV, short for Battery Electric Vehicle. Then you have the PHEV, standing for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles. Finally, HEVs – Hybrid Electric Vehicles. Of course, there are a number of additional types of EVs, but these are the main ones that you need to know about.
|
BEV |
PHEV |
HEV |
|
|
Emissions |
Low |
Higher |
Higher |
|
Engine Type |
Electric Only |
Electric & Back Up |
Electric & Back Up |
|
Charging Type |
Regenerative Braking |
Plug In |
Regenerative Braking |
|
All Electric Range |
50-250 Miles |
5-50 Miles |
Short |
BEV
The first kind of electric vehicle is the Battery Electric Vehicle. These are generally just referred to as EVs, but to put it simply they are entirely electric vehicles.
They usually come with rechargeable batteries that you would need to charge at a designated charging point, and they do not feature a gasoline engine.
You heard that right – they run on only one kind of fuel type. There’s no more worrying about the extortionate prices of gas if you have a BEV!
These vehicles are also sometimes called pure electric vehicles.
You may have already heard of some Battery Electric Vehicles. Just a few examples include:
- Tesla X
- Hyundai Ioniq
- Renault Zoe
- BMW i3
- Kia Soul
- Nissan LEAF
- Volkswagen e-Golf
- Toyota Rav4
A BEV usually stores its electricity inside of a high capacity battery pack that’s inside of the vehicle. Of course, you can’t just use any battery, in case you’re wondering.
The batteries are made just for powering up your electric vehicle, and the packs power up all of the electronics in the BEV. They also charge the electric motor.
To charge a BEV, you simply need to plug them into an external outlet. This may be an outlet that you would normally have at home, though it is best to get your own home charging point. This will make the charging better, giving your car a thorough charge in a shorter amount of time.
Battery Electric Vehicles usually tend to come with a way of charging the battery internally. This is known as regenerative braking. In essence, when you slow the vehicle, the effort of this charges the battery inside of the car.
This means that the heat and kinetic energy that is normally wasted inside of a car is instead put to good use.
There are a bunch of benefits to getting Battery Electric Vehicles, though the primary benefit is that it’s eco friendly. If you are eco conscious then you will be pleased to know that BEVs are the best for the environment out of all the EV types.
They don’t produce any harmful emissions, and you don’t need to worry about hazards caused by other kinds of fuel. You can also save a lot of money on fuel, and they’re generally easier to maintain. You even get tax benefits for owning an EV!
EVs also run much more quietly. This can be a little alarming at first if you’ve never driven an electric vehicle and you’re used to cars making a lot of noise.
It is not without its issues, however. While the ranges on EVs are certainly better than they once were, they certainly aren’t the best. They can only run for so long before they need to be charged again. This is made even more annoying thanks to the fact that EVs can take a pretty long time to charge.
PHEV
PHEV stands for Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicles. It’s not difficult to figure out how they operate – it’s literally in the name. These vehicles are pretty similar to the BEVs discussed above in the sense that you can charge them by using an external charger.
They’re also pretty good as far as energy is concerned – in fact, using a PHEV car can save you up to 60% in energy, pretty impressive in comparison to many other kinds of hybrids.
As the PHEV uses an external charger to power up the electric motor, they actually boast a zero emission range. If you aren’t sure what this is, it’s essentially a vehicle that’s capable of emitting around 75g/km of CO2 or less than this.
If you’re looking to go greener in your day to day life and transport, then a PHEV is a good choice.
What about their running time? Well, a PHEV is capable of traveling at low speeds for a short amount of time, and then the standard gas engine will activate for the remainder of the journey.
You can sometimes find a PHEV will run for around 40 miles before the power will switch. As a result of this, it’s much better suited to drivers that are planning on traveling short distances than for people traveling long distances on the highway.
In short, the PHEV is essentially a stop point in the middle of a parallel hybrid and an entirely electric vehicle.
There are a few Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicles on the market that you may have heard of, including:
- Mercedes C350e
- Kia Optima
- Toyota Prius
- BMW 330e
- BMW i8
- Ford Fusion Energi
- Chrysler Pacifica
- Chevy Volt
- Mini Cooper SE Countryman
- Audi A3 E-Tron
- Volvo XC90 T8
- Fiat 500e
- Hyundai Sonata
So why should you invest in a PHEV, instead of the alternative electric car options? Well, the main reason is that it has a much longer range than a standard electric car. You can get quite a substantial run time out of your electric car before it needs to switch to gas.
As a result of this, it’s also rather cheap to use, especially for short journeys. If you’re only traveling for around 40 miles then you can save yourself a lot of money on fuel, and you don’t need to worry about the fuel depleting for the short journey.
What about the problems? Well, the battery of the PHEV can be rather heavy. This means that when your car is operating on fuel after the electricity has run out, the fuel economy isn’t the best for long journeys.
Thus for longer journeys, you are probably going to be spending more money on fuel than you may have anticipated. You will also need to charge the batteries a lot more often than you would on a standard EV, and it needs to be plugged in to charge, in contrast to a parallel hybrid.
HEV
If you aren’t quite ready to fully let go of traditional fuel sources but you want an introduction on the way to going fully electric, an HEV Electric car may be a good choice for you.
HEV stands for Hybrid Electric Vehicle, and as the name suggests, they usually run both on electricity and on gasoline.
Hybrid Electric Vehicles are likely the type of electric vehicle that people know the most about.In fact, they made their way onto the market all the way back in 1997 when the Toyota Prius made its first debut.
A standard hybrid vehicle usually runs on electricity, in addition to another kind of fuel such as diesel or gas.
The car will usually start on the electric motor, and then when you’re traveling at higher speeds it will switch to the standard form of power, and it may also change in other situations where the vehicle needs additional power.
Like the standard EV, the HEV charges the electric battery through regenerative braking. This means that you don’t need to seek out an external power source.
In addition to this, a standard hybrid controls its motors through the use of a computer system inside of the car.
The decision about whether electricity or gas is used is dictated by this system, and the decision is based on the most economical option for the driver. It means the car will always work in the way that you intend for it to work.
As we’ve already covered, you’ve probably heard of a few hybrids before now, but some specific models include:
- Honda Civic Hybrid
- Toyota Camry Hybrid
- Toyota Prius Hybrid
A hybrid vehicle is usually best suited to drivers doing short to medium journeys. Thankfully though you aren’t limited to shorter journeys thanks to the additional fuel source.
They’re ideal for traveling around the city or in urban areas, and this is primarily because the regenerative braking is highly effective for charging the electric motor. You’re a lot less likely to brake on a motorway than you are in an urban area!
The big glaring issue with a hybrid is that the fuel economy is not the best. This is again because of the same problem with PHEVs – the batteries are very heavy, and the motor can run low on charge when you’re traveling at high speeds.
It’s also not nearly as eco friendly as the other two models, though it’s certainly better in this respect than a standard gas powered vehicle.
Electric Cars: How do they work?
So now you know about the main kinds of electric cars, how exactly do they work? In many respects, they don’t operate like the standard gas fueled cars that we’re used to.
Before we get into it, here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know:
- Instead of a gasoline engine, the electric car features an electric motor
- This motor receives power from a controller inside of the car
- This controller then receives power from rechargeable batteries.
Here’s the long version:
An electric car has an electric motor inside of the car. This contrasts to the combustion engine that you would find in most gas cars.
They also have a large traction battery pack – these are positioned on the interior of the car quite low down, and are pretty large. This battery pack is what powers up the electric motor.
They are positioned lower down to make sure that the centre of gravity of the car is low, and it means that it stays in place when you are rounding corners. As we’ve already mentioned, the batteries can be incredibly heavy.
In addition to this, you will usually find most electric vehicles are equipped with auxiliary batteries. This means that if you run out of your primary kind of power the electronics such as lights and the information system will continue to work.
Once you have charged your vehicle, the inverter kicks into gear. This will change the direct current, also known as DC, from the electrical charge, into the alternating current (AC) instead.
This AC power is then changed into AC power in the AC motor, and this is what gets the wheels moving. The power from the motor is then transferred to the wheels thanks to the drivetrain.
Some cars also feature an E-Pedal. This will get the regenerative braking system going, which in turn changes the kinetic energy into the electricity you need to get the battery working properly.
EV Batteries
One of the key parts of an EV is the battery. To put it simply, the battery is what enables it to run on electricity! EV batteries are usually very long, sometimes stretching up to several meters! They are usually positioned on the bottom of the car along the chassis.
The batteries can stay charged for quite some time, though it depends largely on the vehicle that you buy.
There are a few different types of battery available for your EV.
- Lithium Ion Batteries
The vast majority of EV batteries are lithium ion batteries. In terms of operation, they’re pretty similar to how batteries work in laptops or mobile phones.
The battery whole eventually drains and needs to be recharged, and their capacity will also decline as the years go on. It won’t decline too much though – it’ll likely only be around 80% of the original capacity once you’ve been using the car on a daily basis after 8 years or so.
These batteries tend to have the best power to weight ratio, they work very well in high temperatures and have low self discharge. You can usually recycle these batteries too. There are some concerns about overheating with these batteries, however.
- Nickel Metal Hydride
These batteries are generally found in computers and medical equipment. They’re ideal because they tend to last much longer than some other battery types, they are very safe and durable. They are also expensive, however, and hydrogen loss needs to be controlled with these batteries.
- Lead Acid Batteries
These high power batteries are pretty affordable, can last for some time without any trouble and they are safe to use.
The problem is that they aren’t the best in cold weather and they have low specific energy. Manufacturers are working on new high powered lead acid batteries, but they aren’t really the best choice at this stage.
EV Infrastructure and the Challenges of Charging EVs
Thankfully, owning and running an electric car is becoming much more feasible as time goes on and the EV infrastructure improves. With that being said, it’s not without its challenges.
In fact, one of the main reasons why EVs aren’t even more popular is because of how it works for regional travels.
Many EV owners worry about the range of their vehicle and how it will perform for longer journeys. While EV charging stations are becoming more common, there also aren’t nearly as many as there should be.
Even so, in 2020 the market size for electric vehicle charging infrastructure was placed as 2.08 billion USD and it is only estimated to grow. More governments throughout the world are beginning to focus on making charging stations more accessible in order to support the environment.
Naturally, cities and other metropolitan areas are the most prepared for electric vehicles. Here are just a few of the locations in the United States with the most charging stations to offer its residents.
|
Location |
No. Charging Stations per 100,000 Residents |
|
Washington DC Metropolitan Area |
4.7 |
|
Orlando, FL |
4.7 |
|
Honolulu, HI |
5.1 |
|
Tucson, AZ |
5.3 |
|
Austin, TX |
5.3 |
|
Seattle, WA |
6.5 |
|
San Francisco Bay, CA |
6.6 |
|
Nashville, TN |
8.2 |
|
Dallas, TX |
10.6 |
|
Portland, OR |
11.1 |
Naturally the infrastructure will change as more charging stations are made available, though owning an EV is becoming increasingly more popular as time progresses and more awareness is made about them.
Economics of Owning an EV
There are a few things to consider when it comes to buying an EV when it comes to price. To put it simply, you may be paying more upfront to buy the car, but could you be paying less in the long run?
Let’s get the most obvious part out of the way: buying an electric vehicle up front can be expensive. Even some of the more affordable vehicles start at around $30,000 for the latest model. Does the tax relief and the fuel economy make up for this? Let’s take a look.
Tax Credits and Incentives
The first thing to think about is tax credits. What you may not know is that if you buy a new electric vehicle, you can have up to $7,500 in tax credits depending on your location.
There are some brands that have reduced the tax credits, but this is not the case for all electric vehicles so you will need to check that with the car you are considering buying. Nevertheless, it’s a pretty big incentive to buy one of these vehicles. If you aren’t sure exactly how the electric car tax credits work, you can check out our guide here.
In addition to this, there are also incentives that your state can provide. For instance, in Massachusetts you could get a rebate up to $2,500 if you buy or loan a PHEV so long as you apply for the rebate within three months of the date when you purchased the vehicle.
You can find out what incentives are available in your state here.
Charging Costs
The running cost is the next thing to think about. If you’re free from gasoline and other fossil fuels, you may think you’re in the clear and that your car will cost you barely anything now you’re running on electricity.
This is not totally true, as it will cost some money to charge your vehicle. After all, even an electric vehicle can’t run on Fresh Air!
As you may expect, the amount of money that it could cost to run your EV can depend on a number of things from the type of charger that you use to the model of the car. When you charge an electric car it’s measured in kWh.
So for instance, if you’re going to be paying around $0.13 per kWh for your car, and your vehicle requires roughly 33 kWh in order to do a 100 mile journey, then you’re paying around $0.04 per mile.
If you’re trying to charge an EV that can travel for 200 miles then you may be spending around $9 to get it fully charged.
If you’re planning on installing your own EV charging station you may be looking at paying more than $1000 for that alone. If you’re charging in public though, the costs can vary depending on the time of day that you are charging and the location of the charging point.
For instance, if you had the 2020 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus then it could cost you around $5.88 for 50 miles of electricity to charge it during peak hours, seeing as this car is rated at 24 kWh/100 miles.
In comparison, if you were charging it at home it may cost $1.44 for the same amount of power. It can cost a lot less if you were charging the vehicle during quieter times of the day in public.
Regardless of how you look at it, you’re still going to be paying less than you would for a vehicle that runs solely on gasoline, even if you have a HEV.
The only problem is that once your EV runs out of electricity (if you have a PHEV or a HEV), it is going to switch over to your backup fuel source such as gasoline.
So you will still need to purchase the fuel, it’s just going to cost you less money as you won’t be using it so often as long as you can charge your vehicle regularly enough.
Maintenance Costs
As with any other vehicle, you need to think about how much it’s going to cost for you to maintain the vehicle. The biggest thing to consider is the batteries. Yes, they are made to deal with long term use, but eventually they will wear out.
Batteries can be pretty expensive, though many manufacturers will provide you with 8-year/100,000 mile battery warranties despite the fact that many could last you as long as 12 to 15 years so long as they are looked after properly.
Safety of Owning an EV
Manufacturers have worked tirelessly for decades to ensure that the battery of your EV is completely safe.
The cars often have things like smart management systems installed to ensure that the battery doesn’t overheat, and some even come with things like liquid cooling systems to ensure they remain cool.
The biggest concern when it comes to electric vehicles is the fact that the lithium ion battery can sometimes combust and catch fire. This is because they have power cells that on rare occasions can short circuit if they end up getting damaged.
They are less likely to get caught in fire explosions than your standard gasoline vehicle would be. Vehicle explosions are also usually due to car accidents – it’s the same for standard gasoline vehicles.
It should be noted that really, EVs are incredibly safe. They actually tend to have lower centers of gravity than most vehicles do, and this means that the likelihood of them rolling over is much slimmer.
Electric vehicles are generally quite quiet in terms of operation, and this can sometimes make it more dangerous for pedestrians that may not be able to hear the vehicle when they are walking along the road.
Some EVs do come with the ability to play sounds that pedestrians can hear when you’re traveling at slower speeds, however. You just need to be more careful if you are planning on driving your vehicle in highly populated areas.
Common Questions About Electric Cars:
How long do they take to charge?
The answer to this question largely depends on a number of factors. Some vehicles may take as little time as around 30 minutes, whereas others could take as long as 12 hours to charge.
The amount of time that it takes to charge an electric vehicle depends on the size of the battery.
It can also depend on how fast your charger is. To put it short, you can use the following equation to figure out how long the car will take to charge:
Battery size ÷ charging speed = charging time.
For instance, if you have a 40kWh battery size, and a 7kw home charger then it would take around 5 hours to charge the battery.
If you used a 22kW charging point then it would likely take less time to charge your vehicle. It could take around 2 hours.
There are also rapid chargers available that are 43-120kW, and this may mean you can get on the road after a mere 20-40 minutes.
Usually a home charging point has a power rating of around 3.7kW or 7kW. Unfortunately it’s not possible to get 22kW chargers – you need to have three phase power for this. Some cars are also not able to charge at 22kW, though it’s sometimes possible to use them for charging at a lower speed.
It’s also worth remembering that top up charging is an option. Sure you can charge it all in one go, but if you live in an area where there are a lot of charging stations then you can just top up as you go about your day. Just charge the car whenever it’s idle.
For instance, you can sometimes get workplace charging points providing 7kW to 22kW of power, so when you’re at the office you can put your car on charge. A public charging point is also suitable. Alternatively, you can charge the car overnight and then top it up throughout the day.
If you’re still a little confused and want more information about charging times, check out our electric vehicle charging time calculator.
How long does the battery last?
When you first charge your car’s battery, if you charge it using a 3kW slow charger then you will get an additional 10 miles of battery after you’ve charged it for an hour.
This increases when you use a more powerful charger, so if you used a 7kW charger then you may expect to have up to 30 miles after 60 minutes of charging.
The amount of time that the battery lasts will depend on the power of the charger and the amount of time that you are charging.
It’s also important to know that a car battery is a lot like the battery in a smartphone or any other electronic device – it will eventually get weaker as time goes on and will need to be replaced. When the battery degrades, it usually means that the amount of time that the car stays charged is reduced too.
Generally the vast majority of manufacturers will have a warranty of between five and eight years on the battery, however they can usually last anywhere between 10 – 20 years if they are well maintained.
Taking proper care of your car’s battery is key to ensuring that it lasts a long time.
The first thing to keep in mind is that it’s actually a bad idea to constantly keep the car completely charged. This can damage the battery because heat is created when it’s charging.
You don’t often need to worry about this as many car models on the market will automatically stop charging once they are totally charged. With others you can charge the car up to a certain percentage before it automatically stops charging.
It’s also not a good idea to let the car run on a totally empty battery. In fact, the vast majority of car batteries are at their peak performance at around 50% – 80% capacity.
You should also be careful about what weather you are traveling. The battery of the car may not react well to very cold or hot temperatures, and this means that the weather can impact how far you can travel.
If your battery isn’t sufficient to your liking, it’s worth considering your warranty. Some manufacturers such as Nissan can give you a warranty spanning 5 years for the battery.
Can you drive them in the rain – what weather conditions impact an electric car?
If you’re not familiar with electric cars, you may not be sure whether driving one in certain weather conditions is a good idea.
Perhaps one of the biggest questions that people have is whether it’s safe to drive an electric vehicle in the rain.
Thankfully you are not limited by the rain when you have an electric vehicle.
the idea that you can’t drive one in the rain is a complete myth. These cars have been made with covering shields and protective layers on the charging plugs. This means that they don’t spark, lose their current, and water won’t get into the circuits.
If you wish to do so it’s also possible to charge an electric vehicle in the rain. The charging plugs have been protected so that they aren’t impacted by the rain. Vehicles are extensively tested before they’re unleashed onto the market to avoid any issues pertaining to rain. For more information about charging your vehicle in the rain, check out our article.
What about other weather conditions? Well, winter weather can have an effect on electric vehicles as it can influence the range of the vehicle. Unfortunately the cold can impact the batteries in the vehicle in a negative way, as the cold can slow down the chemical reactions inside of the battery.
In addition to this, the cold can also affect the speed at which your vehicle charges. The charging speed is generally lower during the winter.
Other than this there’s no real need to worry about the winter affecting your vehicle. You just need to take precautions when you’re out to ensure that the range is still okay and that the roads are safe to drive on.
On the same note, the range of your vehicle can be affected when it’s extremely hot outside. There are a few things that you can do to maximize the performance of your vehicle when you’re driving in hot weather. These are:
- Don’t charge your battery too fast or at an exceptionally high capacity overnight. This can cause the battery to heat up too much, only for the hot weather to drain it again later on. If you have a large drive ahead of you then charge it to 100%, but generally you don’t need to go much higher than around 60%-80%.
- It’s worth activating the preconditioning setting on your car if you have one. This will help to ensure that the temperature of the battery is cool enough when you are ready to drive.
- Leave your car out of the sun – it’s best to park it in a shaded spot when you stop. It can also help to have tinted windows or sunshades.
- Put the AC on when you’re driving, and activate eco mode. If possible, try to avoid driving at very high speeds.
What are the Pros and Cons of Having an Electric Vehicle?
There are a lot of reasons to buy an electric vehicle. Likewise, there are also reasons why you shouldn’t. Let’s take a look at both:
Pros
- Environmentally friendly – The impact that electric vehicles have on the environment is one of the main reasons why many consumers choose to buy them. These cars usually don’t include an exhaust system like their gasoline alternatives, so they don’t emit any harmful substances out into the atmosphere. It’s an easy way to reduce your eco footprint.
- Long Term Affordability – It costs a lot less money to run an electric car. Gasoline can be expensive, but EVs usually run at less than a third of the cost of a standard car. In addition to this, EVs don’t run on oil so you don’t need to change the oil. The brakes don’t wear as much either, so you’re saving yourself at least a little bit of money on maintenance costs, too.
- Quiet operation – Cars are loud. This may be good for some people, but others may not like the noise pollution. EVs operate very quietly, so you don’t need to worry about the noise that they make.
- Tax Credits – Owners of electric vehicles can sometimes get tax credits as their vehicles are having less of an impact on the environment.
Cons
- Charging points – You’re going to need to charge your EV on a regular basis, and unless you live in an urban area or in a city, you may have a hard time finding a charging point.
- Charging Time – It can take a while to charge an electric vehicle, and you need to think about this before you set out on your journey. It’s often best to plan your journeys in advance so you can make sure that the car is charged properly.
- Price – While electric cars are a lot cheaper now than they ever were before, they can still be pretty expensive.
Are All Electric Cars Automatic?
If you’re used to driving a manual car where you have to change gears, it may take you a while to get used to an EV. This is because yes, pretty much all electric cars feature automatic operation. They don’t have clutches.
This has its advantages as it means that you won’t stall nearly as often. You do occasionally see 5 or 6 speed gearboxes but they are hard to come by.
This is because an electric vehicle doesn’t really need to have a gear for it to operate correctly. They have fantastic 100% torque, and this is even the case when you are traveling at lower speeds.
To get more torque then you should try to ensure your revs per minute are under 2000. Your car won’t generate as much torque at higher revs.
There’s no real reason to add gears to an electric car – it overcomplicates the system and adds extra weight to the vehicle. It may even decrease the overall power of the car.
How Do You Charge an Electric Vehicle?
The way that you charge your electric vehicle will largely depend on the type of EV that you have. If you need to charge your vehicle at a charging point, then you will need to think about where the best place to charge it will be.
For instance if you have off street parking then it’s possible to install a home charger in your house. This will allow you to plug your car in overnight, especially handy if your car takes a particularly long time to recharge.
Having a plug in station at home is also handy as they can come with additional features, such as Wi-Fi functionality that allows you to monitor software updates and the energy.
The vast majority of chargers for the home come with a Type 2 socket that is universally recognized. If your car does not use a Type 2 socket then most of them also work with a separate cable that you can plug into the car and charge it right away.
The manufacturer will usually give you the separate cable when you purchase the car.
It’s also possible to plug the car into a normal 3 pin charger, but this isn’t the safest option and it can often take longer to charge. It’s usually better just to invest in a home EV charger instead.
Alternatively you could charge your EV at a public charging station. As we’ve already mentioned, there are thousands of these dotted around the United States, so you shouldn’t have a problem getting to one!
How do you find an EV charging station? Your EV will likely come with a sat-nav system built in, and this should send you to the nearest location where there is a charging point.
If your car does not come with one of these, you can look online for websites that may tell you where the charging points are. You can often even see whether the charging points are currently being used.
Generally though, you will find the vast majority of electric car chargers in cities or any other urban areas – they can be more difficult to come by elsewhere.
Using a public charging station is fairly simple – it usually involves using the swipe card or mobile phone app for your vehicle. Then you can unlock and use the charging point. Then, you connect the charging cable from the charging point to your car.
It is important to note that some different charging providers will work differently than others do. It’s worth checking in advance how the charging station works before you visit it to avoid unnecessary time waiting around.
You should also keep in mind that the charging point usually comes with a lock that will stop it from disconnecting. To remove it you will again need to use your swipe card.
Conclusion: Time To Volt
So now that you know everything that there is to know about electric cars, you’re ready to embark on this new, green way of driving!
Electric cars are a great choice if you want to save on fuel expenses and you want to have a positive impact on the environment. So – what are you waiting for? Time to take all of your new found knowledge out for a test drive!
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STEM
Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Architecture, Agriculture and Math related professionals, speakers, presenters and instructors for our Saturday program titled The STEM Foundation.
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Board Members
Board and Advisory Board members that are passionate about students and seniors; share your valuable time, knowledge and connections to enhance our programming.
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Digital Media Contributors
Social Media / Bloggers (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) contributors.
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Give Freely
There is a spot for everyone at South Union CDC. Come on and feel us out! We are sure that we will addict you to our mission, so feel free to donate as much time as you desire.
Lobbying Training Webinar
Author: Anya Schoolman Published: 2/15/2021 Solar United Neighbors
Dear Ronald,
More than 225 organizations and businesses have signed on in support of the 30 Million Solar Homes campaign!
I hope you’ll join this strong coalition to fight for rooftop and community solar as a solution to our country’s biggest challenges.
Please join us for these two important online events:
Lobbying Training Webinar
Monday, Feb. 22, at 7:00 pm ET
Registration required (free)
During this unprecedented time, it’s more important than ever to make your voice heard. Learn how to lobby for pro-solar policies during the pandemic—safely and effectively.
After discussing ways to lobby for 30 Million Solar Homes, we’ll break out by state to discuss ways to support pro-solar legislation in your area.
Campaign Launch Webinar
This Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 pm ET
Registration required (free)
Learn about the power of rooftop and community solar to solve our country’s biggest challenges. We’ll discuss the campaign plan and how you can help make it a success!
Speakers: Anya Schoolman, Executive Director, Solar United Neighbors; Subin DeVar, Co-founder and Director, Initiative for Energy Justice; and John Farrell, Co-Director, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and Director, Energy Democracy Initiative
Anya Schoolman
Founder and Executive Director
Solar United Neighbors
P.S. If your organization or business would like to sign on in support of the campaign, please do so here. Thank you!
Last Week in ILSR’s Energy Self-Reliant States
Author: John Farrell Published: 2/15/2021 ILSR’s
Join the 30 Million Solar Campaign Launch on Feb. 17th..
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Support the Climate Crisis and Education Act
Author: Zac Pinard Published: 2/13/2021 The Action Network
MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The disastrous effects of climate change in Maryland are already being felt by our most vulnerable communities. Rising sea levels, increasing intensity of storms, and pollution-inflicted health disparities have become a reality in our state and nationwide. Top scientists around the country have been warning us about the harmful effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on our health and environment for decades. Fossil fuel companies have ignored these warnings and continued to put profits over people. Our current statewide emissions goals do not do enough to stop the accelerating impact of climate change.
We need to take serious action and use every tactic to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and hold polluters accountable. Putting a price on carbon offers a market-based solution to incentivize the reduction of emissions while also providing essential funding and protections to education and low-income households.
The COVID-19 crisis has revealed that now more than ever we need real solutions that address existing inequalities and hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for the damage they inflict. The Rebuild Maryland Coalition recognizes the sensitivity of this issue and is committed to fighting for a carbon price that protects everyday Marylanders from further bearing the cost of climate change.
SPONSORED BY
ADDITIONAL SPONSORS
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Owings Mills, MD
To: Maryland General Assembly
From: [Your Name]
Whereas, every child in Maryland should be able to breathe clean air so they can grow and fulfill their maximum potential. An unhealthy climate threatens a sustainable environment and thus violates our right to life;
Whereas, changes in the climate, primarily due to fossil fuels entering the atmosphere from transportation, electricity, and heating systems, are jeopardizing the future of our children, our economy, and our infrastructure;
Whereas, we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in line with the latest science by reducing Maryland’s emissions to 60% by 2030 and achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 based on 2006 emissions;
Whereas, the Climate Crisis and Education Act (CCEA), sponsored by Senator Benjamin Kramer and Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo, will demand accountability from fossil fuel companies by charging them for the damages they are causing. The CCEA will invest in clean energy infrastructure improvements; protect low- and moderate-income households and energy-intensive, trade-exposed employers from financial harm; and invest in our children’s education by helping to fund the Kirwan Commission’s recommendations;
Whereas, the communities hardest hit by climate change are the same that have historically experienced the worst air pollution in the state. Targeted communities, such as urban areas, low- income communities, communities of color are disproportionately harmed by air pollutants; and
Whereas, the Maryland State Constitution requires the General Assembly to “establish throughout the State a thorough and efficient system of free public schools. The Kirwan Commission was established to review the current education funding formulas and make recommendations that would improve the quality of Maryland’s public education system to benefit ALL of its more than 790,000 students, which will, in turn, benefit the State’s economy and quality of life for all Marylanders.
Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the undersigned individual supports the Climate Crisis and Education Act (CCEA) legislation that will help meet Maryland’s greenhouse gas reduction goals; help fund actions to reduce emissions, enhance resilience to climate impacts; help protect low- and moderate-income households and energy-intensive, trade-exposed employers from financial harm; and direct $350M per year to help fund the Kirwan Commission’s recommendations.
Howard University Announces 20-Year Energy Partnership with ENGIE North America
Author: Howard Newsroom Staff Published: 2/11/2021 Howard Newsroom
WASHINGTON – ENGIE North America announced today that it has solidified its relationship with Howard University, one of the nation’s premiere HBCUs, by executing a long-term agreement for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of a new central utility plant on Howard’s campus located in Washington, D.C.
“Guided by our shared “Howard Forward” strategic vision, Howard is taking a proactive approach to strategizing and modernizing the University’s aging steam plant. Our partnership with ENGIE, to address one of the campus’ more critical infrastructural risks, will not only move our existing steam plant into the 21st century, but provide a blueprint for other HBCUs in their efforts to reduce vulnerabilities and become more energy efficient,” said Howard’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Tashni-Ann Dubroy, Ph.D.
The new central utility plant will provide both electric and steam services for buildings on campus. Under this agreement, ENGIE will design and construct the new plant and once complete, provide operations and maintenance services over the next 20 years. This long-term partnership will result in safe, reliable operation and resilient service for Howard’s students, faculty and other stakeholders, while at the same time reducing the campus’ carbon footprint and furthering Howard’s energy efficiency goals. ENGIE plans to begin construction in late-February with expected completion in late 2022.
The new, modern steam plant will be a combined heat and power (CHP) plant, which will generate 35-40 percent of the University’s electric consumption on site. This technology produces a single source of energy that generates electricity or power at the point of use and utilizes exhaust heat that would normally be lost in the generation process to be recovered and recycled to produce steam.
After managing numerous challenges related to its aging energy distribution infrastructure, the University sought a new solution in 2018 that would completely overhaul the existing central utility plant. ENGIE worked alongside the University on a feasibility study that included a site investigation and recommendations for near-term and long-term solutions for the system. The shared goal was to develop a cost-effective, energy solution to ensure safe operations and eliminate the risk of future campus closures stemming from problems with campus utilities.
“Howard University is an incredible leader in the constellation of Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the United States,” said Serdar Tüfekçi, head of large campus partnerships at ENGIE North America Inc. “It is fitting that Howard University has taken this bold step to lead towards the energy transition. ENGIE North America is proud to serve the community’s long-term vision of creating a utility system that is resilient, reliable and affordable for the University and its stakeholders.”
About Howard University
Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.
About ENGIE North America
ENGIE North America Inc. offers a range of capabilities in the United States and Canada to help customers decarbonize, decentralize and digitalize their operations. These include comprehensive services to help customers run their facilities more efficiently and optimize energy and other resource use and expense; clean power generation; energy storage; and retail energy supply that includes renewable, demand response, and on-bill financing options. Nearly 100% of the company’s power generation portfolio is low carbon or renewable. Globally, ENGIE S.A. relies on their key businesses (gas, renewable energy, services) to offer competitive solutions to customers. With 170,000 employees worldwide, customers, partners and stakeholders, we are a community of Imaginative Builders, committed every day to more harmonious progress. For more information on ENGIE North America, please visit our LinkedIn page or Twitter feed, www.engie-na.com and www.engie.com.
ENGIE North America Media Contact: Sandrine Deparis, sandrine.deparis@engie.com
Howard University Media Contact: Alonda Thomas, alonda.thomas@Howard.edu
The Right Combination: Solar, Storage, and Demand Response
Author: SETO Staff: Published: 2/11/2021 SETO
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Meet Alniesha Carter, the First Black Woman to Own a Tax Franchise System in the U.S.
Author: Shanique Yates Published: 10/7/2020 Afrotech
Alniesha Carter is the first Black woman to own a tax franchise business in the United States.
According to Black Business, her company, TaxPrep Evolution Inc. (TPE), is already making power moves in the country. Carter has served the U.S. tax industry for over 20 years and has managed to singlehandedly assist more than 50 Black women to become entrepreneurs and business owners.
Per Face2Face Africa, Carter licensed her business model and partnered with others to open multiple tax offices across the U.S. which led her to become the first Black woman to own a tax franchise system.
Carter is a serial entrepreneur herself, having other successful businesses outside of her tax firm. She made the transition from successful restaurateur to owning a fleet of trucks for hauled freight across the country. It is actually her entrepreneurial drive that led her to launch the tax business.
During an interview with Forbes Magazine, Carter shared once she began to build her tax franchise, she felt as though the sector was overlooked due to the extensive amount of development, research, and time to create a successful business model.
“I have experienced discrimination as a black female entrepreneur especially in the banking industry,” she tells the magazine.
A recent study by Citigroup reports that discrimination against minority groups, particularly Blacks, has cost the U.S. economy $16 trillion. It also estimated that if racial gaps closed within the next five years, the U.S. economy could see a $5 trillion boost.
“You have to get educated on credit, debt, interest rates, savings, retirement accounts, real estate, and the stock market. It’s a lot of discipline,” Carter also tells Forbes. “Things that have helped me in terms of getting organized financially are staying on top of my credit and bills, making sure I’m within my budget, making sure I’m putting money away to save, and investments.”
TPE franchising does not require a costly initial investment and their aim is to provide exceptional franchising opportunities that would give its consumers financial freedom.
Their future plans include helping over 100 men and women obtain financial freedom by creating TPE franchise owners across the nation.
Turning talk into action Are leaders walking the walk on racial inequality?
Author: info@aabe.ccsend.com Published: 2/5/2021 AABE
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A special Black History Month event. Taking action on racial inequality.
It’s been nine months since the killing of George Floyd sparked protests worldwide. In the soul-searching that followed, many business leaders pledged to do better at addressing racial inequality within their organizations. So, have they been able to turn their talk into action? This year’s Black History Month gives us an opportunity to take stock.
In this webinar, we’ll examine what organizations have been doing to deliver on their pledges. Effecting deep structural change is never easy. Where have businesses made progress – and where are they stalling? As a business leader, it’s in your power to shape a more diverse, equitable and inclusive business. This discussion will help you find the way.
Register by completing the form to the right.
AUDRA BOHANNON
Senior Client Partner,
Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry
MIKE HYTER
Chief Diversity Officer,
Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry
JOHNÉ BATTLE
Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion,
Dollar General
Dollar General
SUSAN CHAPMAN-HUGHES
EVP, Global Head of Digital Capabilities and Operations,
American Express
TONY MARINO
EVP & Chief Human Resources Officer,
Fiserv
Fiserv
30 Million Solar Homes campaign
Author: ILSR Staff Published: 2/3/2021 ILSR News
Please copy paste Link: https://www.30millionsolarhomes.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/30-Million-Solar-Homes-policy-proposals-jan-20-final-.pdf
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