Sun Station

I have this vision of getting up in the morning, brushing my teeth, combing my hair, drinking my coffee, grabbing my briefcase, walking out to the car, unplugging it, winding up the extension cord, getting into a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), driving to work on solar energy that was harvested from my roof, getting out of the car at the office, plugging in to the solar panels in the roof there, charging up
all day, and then driving home, every mile of my commute powered by the sun.

I get excited when I think about that. At this point I feel like I understand the details. If you're ready, read on...

Rick of Thunderstruck-ev.com suggested to me that I purchase an old VW diesel that was in good shape. These are apparently good solid vehicles that can last forever and are simpler to work on and cheaper to fix. I saw a nice small pickup truck for $1500, but I'll probably go with an old Mini Cooper or a VW bug.

Anyway... the diesel motor can literally run on grease, a.k.a. biodiesel. And it gets great mileage. So that's a good solid start right away.

Then the vehicle can be electrified. I've been advised by my friend Alexander who has built a few electric vehicles to power the drive train directly from batteries. I'm not even 100% sure I understand what that means, but it sounds logical. Batteries power the axel which turns the wheels, which moves the car. Run the batteries until they are down to about 20%, maybe 15% capacity and then the diesel motor/generator kicks in to recharge the batteries. There are other options of course, but I like this model because it allows me to run off of the sun (granted, I have to plan my infrastructure properly).

The reassuring thing about the PHEV vs. an all electric vehicle is that if I run into a traffic jam, or want to drive 2 hours to LA, no problemo amiguito, I can put a few gallons of grease into my vehicle from my local taco shop. And if I run out of local taco shop grease, I can go down the street to the gas station and pay $3.00 for a gallon of diesel (or $5.00, or whatever... raise your hand if you remember thinking $3.00 gasoline was ridiculously expensive... That was yesterday.)

The key to making everything work on a budget and in a sensible manner, I now understand, is to properly size the batteries. Good, solid batteries are crucial. This is the primary cost of the system. I'm told that lithium iron phosphate batteries are the way to go and that the costs could be anywhere from $6,000 to $15, 000 depending on my needs. I'm still investigating specific options here, and any thoughts would be appreciated. Clearly an inexpensive, lightweight, compact, durable battery is the ideal.

So again, the key is to properly size the batteries to my actual needs. I need to go 15 miles at 55mph with a change in altitude of about 1000 feet. That was the whole epiphany for me, not trying to size the batteries to my longest trips and biggest needs, but getting it down to my most fundamental transportation needs.

So yeah, I was prodded into trying to find a way to get from my home to my office, the daily commute, at a speed of 45mph. Thanks again to Thunderstruck. 45mph? No way. But then I started to think about 55mph... and then I started trying to go no faster than 55mph. And I started easing in and out of the exit ramps and sticking to the slow lane, and not racing up hills. And now I've mastered the art of driving 55mph without, and this is the true art of it all, disrupting traffic. So far so good. It's very comfortable driving 55. I enjoy the commute more. I'm not braking and accelerating and braking all the time.... I will confess that on occasion, when late, excited, anxious, caffeinated, etc. I might drive 75. Just for fun. Briefly. But I've found that I don't have to drive over 55mph. Kewl, eh?

Anyway, now, instead of wanting to go 20 miles at a top speed of 65mph, I am willing to go 15 miles at a top speed of 55mph. I might want the ability to burst to 65, but I don't think I'll need to sustain it. My one sticking point here is I really want a vehicle that everyone would consider buying, which probably means batteries to support 20 miles at 65mph.

Driving 55mph instead of 65mph makes a substantial difference in the battery requirements. I.e. less batteries needed. (As a semi-obvious side note, the lighter weight the vehicle, the less batteries are needed). I need less batteries, ergo, I spend less money and/or I consume fewer raw materials. HOWEVER, and this is a nice serendipity, I have met all of my needs, very happily. I am getting to work on time, safely, effectively, and should I run low on electricity for any reason, I switch to a diesel motor that can be powered by the stuff at the gas station in a pinch.

So lets close the loop, shall we? Solar panels. Powering the vehicle with the sun. No fossil fuels (ideally). No combustion. No pollution. None. The dollars are reinvested in the local community. Life is good. So this number may evolve, but it sounds like a 3kw system installed at at the office, charging my car all day will get me home on the sun. At home, I'll have to have another 3kw system and sufficient batteries to store juice produced during the day and then use that to charge to the car at night. Viola! Now lets see if we can actually do it. (Notice I say we to those of you reading this).

Shana Tova - Happy Yom Kippur

Today is Yom Kippur, and it also happens to be Shabbat, which makes this perhaps the holiest day in a seven year cycle. Jews fast on Yom Kippur. I'm fasting. So is Pili for the first time ever. Last night, Friday evening just before sundown, we ate a perfect dinner cooked by our Israeli friend Dusi. I won't eat again until tonight after sunset. When you eat nothing for 24 hours, you become a little more conscious of what it takes to maintain your own life. You get hungry. You get thirsty. You think about food and water a little bit differently. You think about what it means to sustain yourself.

Bryan has promised me that if I update "Driving to Zero" regularly, that he'll get the nuts and bolts patched so the site can run like it should. This is a bit of a coming out party... this blog is now linked from DriveCurrent.com. Theoretically it's public. AwYeah!

Apparently Jim installed the sign yesterday. Or so I saw on the "image text" I got in the mail yesterday, and successfully uploaded to the Internet today. Thanks Daniel and Rich for continuing to drag me a bit further into the digital age. Occasionally I lose my taste for it, but them I am reminded of the power of the Internet.

I just came back from 4 days in Chicago. It was very warm up there, high 80's low 90's. Here in San Diego, in my living room this morning around 8:00 AM, it's feeling cold. It is cloudy and raining slightly. It's that time of year that I start to really think about the house - insulation, heating... time to call Deris again. And Rich Caputo. And Aziz. I've got a plan that involves some general home improvements, but also:

• Installation of a Solar Thermal Hot Water Heater
• Installation of Solar Thermal Hot Air Heaters
• Sky lights and ceiling windows to vent hot air in the summer
• Roof Rain Water Catchment for drip irrigation in garden
  
• Gray Water Recycling for use in pond
  
• Solar Powered Water Filtration System
• Improved Insulation

I'm transitioning out of the research phase and into the implementation phase. I'm doing my best to use recycled materials where possible. It's an exciting project. Hopefully the details are forthcoming and Bryan gives me a new blogging engine. The TP is dead. Long live the TP.