Zero E-Michigan

Tesla app battery preheat icon Note: This is another Tesla-specific essay related to battery preheating in the pre-Ludicrous performance models. In my recent winter road trip essay , I recommend preheating the cabin while still being plugged in, which is one of the more useful features you often see recommended to maximize winter range.  The one feature I didn't remember to try out on that trip, but did on a subsequent trip was a battery preheat "hack" specific to the pre-Ludicrous Tesla P models that have the "Insane" acceleration feature .  All others can tune out at this point other than to stress that battery temperature has an effect on range. If you prefer a video overview, jump to this short YouTube video on the topic:   https://youtu.be/mF6LcMYUwcs Limited braking regeneration (dotted yellow lines) Even with cabin preheating, the Tesla Model S and X does not preheat the battery by default during cabin preheating unless the battery temperat

Woohoo!  Road Trip! Note: I'm focusing mostly on Tesla issues in this post, but the general information holds for other battery electrics (BEVs) as well. Our day 1 route from Muskegon to Effingham, IL Thanksgiving is one of the biggest travel holidays of the year, and this year my family contributed to the mayhem on the highways in order to see our daughter and good friends in Kansas City. We headed out from West Michigan as soon as school was out on Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving and joined the throngs of other car travelers. As the original owner of a 2015 Tesla with a nominal range of 250 miles and free lifetime Supercharging thanks to the promotion for early adopters of that vintage, our Model S is our logical choice for a road trip vehicle.  Well that, and we no longer own a gas car. Congestion at the Supercharger Our first stop out of Muskegon is the St. Joseph, MI Supercharger where we typically enjoy the nearby Panera for its yummy pastries,

Part of  WKTV Journal  Grand Rapids, MI Community Programming Listen Here:  Plug-In West Michigan Podcast ... or find it on your favorite podcast feed like iTunes or  Spotify . Episode 8 - EVs in Winter Show Notes Introduction Host: Karl Bloss Blog:  www.muskegonevguy.com Instagram  @muskegonevguy West Michigan EV community:   www.facebook.com/groups/WestMichiganEV/ Guest: Ted Ooyevaar, EV owner, enthusiast and road warrior Theme song composed by  Tyler Burke Main Topic:  Electric Vehicle Considerations in Winter Weather What happens to cars when it gets cold? All cars lose efficiency and range in the winter.  Gas cars just burn more gas and need to warm up longer. Traction: I highly recommend winter tires no matter what car you have.  The traction is so much better than so-called “all-season” tires, which I call “no season” tires. First let’s talk about the positives: If you’re just traveling around home, you just plug in at home in the comfort of y

Part of  WKTV Journal  Grand Rapids, MI Community Programming Listen Here:  Plug-In West Michigan Podcast ... or find it on your favorite podcast feed like iTunes or  Spotify . Episode 7 Show Notes Introduction Host: Karl Bloss Blog:  www.muskegonevguy.com Instagram  @muskegonevguy West Michigan EV community:   www.facebook.com/groups/WestMichiganEV/ Guest: Brad Kallio -  bkallio@zynoc.com , www.zynoc.com Theme song composed by  Tyler Burke Main Topic:  Electric Motorcycles The usual EV questions: How far can it go on a charge?  Zero DS 13.0 kWh - 70-140 miles How long does it take to charge?  Depends on the charger installed 9 hours on 110V standard outlet <2 hours with a J1772 Charge Tank Some motorcycles will have DC quick charging capability to allow charging in 20-30 minutes How much does it cost to charge? At $0.10 per kWh, a 13 kWh battery costs $1.30 to charge Efficiency 90-120 miles for 11 kWh = 8-11 miles/kWh, 2-3 times a

My trusty steed: a 2016 Nissan LEAF SV The 3-year lease on my 2016 Nissan LEAF comes to an end in August.  That means I need to make a decision whether to turn it back in or buy it out.  Linked with this decision is what vehicle would replace the LEAF as our daily driver if I decide to return it to Nissan. For the TLDR folks, here's the summary: I already have a Tesla Model S. The 2019 LEAFs are too expensive for me. My wife and I didn't like the Bolt EV. The other 60 kWh+ EV aren't available in Michigan yet. I have 16-year-old driver in the house. I'm buying out the lease on the 2016 LEAF. The point of this essay is not to convince anyone to come to the same conclusion, but rather to walk you through the thought process of how to approach the decision-making process and hopefully help you consider what EV may work for you.  For details on the above, read on. Rewind to 2016 When we first decided to lease the 2016 LEAF, our garage contained