WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:05.410 Perhaps the most worrisome thing about electric cars in the eyes of drivers is charging them. 00:00:05.410 --> 00:00:08.750 With a conventional vehicle, you stop by a fueling station, go to the pump, swipe your 00:00:08.750 --> 00:00:12.169 card yada yada and you’re tank is full again in a few minutes. 00:00:12.169 --> 00:00:16.320 Many people think we need to have a vast charging infrastructure capable of similar feats for 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:17.390 EVs to be viable. 00:00:17.390 --> 00:00:22.349 I’d like to present to you why for 95% of the time, that’s not really the case. 00:00:22.349 --> 00:00:25.340 First, let’s discuss the types of EV chargers. 00:00:25.340 --> 00:00:27.810 There are three so-called levels of charging. 00:00:27.810 --> 00:00:31.750 Level 1 charging is the slowest, using electricity from a standard household 120V outlet. 00:00:31.750 --> 00:00:34.180 I’m about to make an outlandish statement. 00:00:34.180 --> 00:00:37.670 For most people most of the time, level 1 is all you need. 00:00:37.670 --> 00:00:38.720 No, seriously. 00:00:38.720 --> 00:00:42.820 If you think I’m off my rocker just hang tight and I’ll explain in a few moments. 00:00:42.820 --> 00:00:44.940 Level 2 charging is the next step. 00:00:44.940 --> 00:00:50.120 Level 2 charging equipment supplies 240V, usually between 15 and 40 amps. 00:00:50.120 --> 00:00:54.380 Most public charging stations are level 2, and these are capable of recharging the exhausted 00:00:54.380 --> 00:00:58.460 batteries of most EV’s in 4 to 10 hours depending on the car. 00:00:58.460 --> 00:01:02.850 Much effort seems to be spent on getting level 2 charging stations in more places, but except 00:01:02.850 --> 00:01:05.549 in particular circumstances they might not be needed. 00:01:05.549 --> 00:01:07.340 Again, more on that later. 00:01:07.340 --> 00:01:10.090 Level 3 charging is the fastest current charging level. 00:01:10.090 --> 00:01:14.619 Rather than work with AC electricity, Level 3 equipment supplies high voltage DC right 00:01:14.619 --> 00:01:19.020 into the vehicle’s batteries, and they can often charge a depleted battery to 80% full 00:01:19.020 --> 00:01:20.659 in 30 minutes or less. 00:01:20.659 --> 00:01:25.119 The Tesla super chargers, CCS, and Chademo are the three most common technologies and 00:01:25.119 --> 00:01:27.590 they’re usually referred to as DC fast charging. 00:01:27.590 --> 00:01:31.869 So, you might be asking, where does this guy get off saying this thing is all I need? 00:01:31.869 --> 00:01:32.869 I’ll tell you. 00:01:32.869 --> 00:01:37.609 There’s an easier way to understand how fast the chargers are: miles per hour. 00:01:37.609 --> 00:01:41.640 Energy is energy, and since most cars are able to go about 4 miles per kilowatt hour 00:01:41.640 --> 00:01:45.649 of energy, then it’s really easy to tell how far it can go for a set period of time 00:01:45.649 --> 00:01:47.460 being plugged into a charger. 00:01:47.460 --> 00:01:49.670 Let’s take a Nissan Leaf as an example. 00:01:49.670 --> 00:01:54.139 When on level 2 charging at 30 amps, it adds 20 miles of range per hour it’s plugged 00:01:54.139 --> 00:01:55.139 in. 00:01:55.139 --> 00:01:58.459 It’s that simple, you can figure out depending on the size of the charger how fast range 00:01:58.459 --> 00:02:02.060 is added to the battery, and you can equate that to miles per hour. 00:02:02.060 --> 00:02:07.220 When plugged into a standard 120v outlet with a portable charger, a leaf gains 4 miles of 00:02:07.220 --> 00:02:09.380 range for every hour it’s plugged in. 00:02:09.380 --> 00:02:12.100 This probably sounds pathetic to you, but it shouldn’t. 00:02:12.100 --> 00:02:17.240 Consider this: The Leaf has an estimated range of 84 miles for 2014 and 2015 models. 00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:21.860 Let’s take a worst case scenario and assume that each day you use 100% of the range. 00:02:21.860 --> 00:02:25.960 Your trip to work is 42 miles (which by the way statistically is a very long commute), 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:27.680 and say it takes an hour each way. 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:30.580 22 hours of the day your car is sitting parked. 00:02:30.580 --> 00:02:34.100 If it were always able to be plugged in when parked (so, if you could plug in at work), 00:02:34.100 --> 00:02:38.320 then it would add 88 miles of range each day (which is 4 more than its total range). 00:02:38.320 --> 00:02:42.380 Even with level one “trickle” charging, as some people call it, the Leaf would always 00:02:42.380 --> 00:02:44.950 end up with a fully charged battery at the start of the next day. 00:02:44.950 --> 00:02:46.600 So here’s what I’m getting at. 00:02:46.600 --> 00:02:51.550 So long as you drive less than 80 miles in a day (which is most people most of the time), 00:02:51.550 --> 00:02:53.240 level 1 charging is sufficient. 00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:56.250 The catch is that this is so long as you could also charge at work. 00:02:56.250 --> 00:03:01.020 In fact, if your trip to work is 32 miles or less (which is most of you), then with 00:03:01.020 --> 00:03:05.760 a standard 120V outlet your car would be fully charged when it was time to go home. 00:03:05.760 --> 00:03:07.750 And that’s what I think we should be focusing on. 00:03:07.750 --> 00:03:11.401 We need to get more chargers available for people to use at their workplace, and level 00:03:11.401 --> 00:03:13.370 1 is a great option. 00:03:13.370 --> 00:03:15.980 Installing level 1 charging equipment costs less than level 2. 00:03:15.980 --> 00:03:17.790 A lot of this has to do with wiring. 00:03:17.790 --> 00:03:22.290 See, a standard 200 amp electrical panel like you have in your house could charge 26 EV’s 00:03:22.290 --> 00:03:26.710 at 15 amp level 1, compared to just 6 with 30 amp level 2. 00:03:26.710 --> 00:03:30.430 And in a commercial building there’s way more than 200 amps at its disposal. 00:03:30.430 --> 00:03:34.860 Just think of a building like a hotel--each room with its own electric heater has a 20 00:03:34.860 --> 00:03:39.260 amp 240 volt circuit (which is equivalent to 2 20 amp 120 volt circuits). 00:03:39.260 --> 00:03:42.240 So with the wiring for each hotel room, you could charge 2 cars. 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:45.620 A 100 room hotel, therefore, has the wiring to support 200 EVs. 00:03:45.620 --> 00:03:49.490 Now of course, you can’t charge an EV and run the heater at the same time, but I want 00:03:49.490 --> 00:03:53.260 to illustrate how many vehicles could be charged with what is already typical electrical supply 00:03:53.260 --> 00:03:55.010 for a commercial building. 00:03:55.010 --> 00:03:56.810 And 200 is just with the circuits for the heaters. 00:03:56.810 --> 00:03:58.940 And trust me, there are a lot more circuits in a hotel. 00:03:58.940 --> 00:04:01.150 Here’s another thing to consider. 00:04:01.150 --> 00:04:05.360 Adding 4 miles of range in an hour is with 12 amp charging, which is what portable charging 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:07.060 equipment supplies. 00:04:07.060 --> 00:04:11.890 Level one charging equipment wired to a dedicated 20 amp circuit like in a hotel room could 00:04:11.890 --> 00:04:17.079 potentially add 5.5 miles of range per hour, meaning that with 22 hours of parked time, 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:20.099 the car could add 121 miles of range. 00:04:20.099 --> 00:04:23.169 Very few people exceed 121 miles of daily driving. 00:04:23.169 --> 00:04:27.110 And even if you had to go farther one day, you could make up for it later. 00:04:27.110 --> 00:04:28.909 Say your commute is a 50 mile round trip. 00:04:28.909 --> 00:04:32.030 Still a good bit longer than average, but a good number for theory. 00:04:32.030 --> 00:04:37.210 If your electric car had a 200 mile range, then your car would never dip below 75% charged 00:04:37.210 --> 00:04:38.990 if all you did was commute. 00:04:38.990 --> 00:04:42.669 But if one day you did have to drive 100 miles doing errands, then you’d get home with 00:04:42.669 --> 00:04:44.189 your battery half full. 00:04:44.189 --> 00:04:47.129 But with 8 hours of being plugged in before you went to work the next day, you’d have 00:04:47.129 --> 00:04:49.730 132 miles of range when you started your day. 00:04:49.730 --> 00:04:54.450 After 24 hours, you’d start the next day with 162 miles, and by the third day you’d 00:04:54.450 --> 00:04:55.450 be nearly full again. 00:04:55.450 --> 00:05:00.379 See, each day you used 50 miles of range, but added 80 miles so you’ve netted 30 miles 00:05:00.379 --> 00:05:01.460 of range. 00:05:01.460 --> 00:05:05.669 All this is not to say that there’s no point in installing level 2 or level 3 charging. 00:05:05.669 --> 00:05:08.889 What I hope to explain here is that the need for those charging levels is atypical. 00:05:08.889 --> 00:05:14.629 Sure, a workplace might need a few level 2 chargers for those that have very long commutes, 00:05:14.629 --> 00:05:17.830 but for most people just having level 1 would be fine. 00:05:17.830 --> 00:05:21.570 Level 2 chargers would be most handy in places like shopping malls, so that someone whose 00:05:21.570 --> 00:05:26.169 commute pushes past 60 miles or so could get their battery full quickly for a day of shopping 00:05:26.169 --> 00:05:28.060 or roundabout chores. 00:05:28.060 --> 00:05:32.200 Level 3 charging is needed exclusively for road trips; or when total travel for the day 00:05:32.200 --> 00:05:34.689 will greatly exceed the car’s range. 00:05:34.689 --> 00:05:39.029 I think that if we want to make it easier to drive electric, we need to change our focus. 00:05:39.029 --> 00:05:41.810 We need level 1 chargers in more places. 00:05:41.810 --> 00:05:45.819 If everyone is able to charge their car at work, even if it’s only level 1, their daily 00:05:45.819 --> 00:05:48.469 driving needs would pretty much be taken care of. 00:05:48.469 --> 00:05:53.100 My trip to work is about 16 miles, and with my Volt that leaves me with about 60% of the 00:05:53.100 --> 00:05:55.900 battery left, or about 23 miles of range. 00:05:55.900 --> 00:05:59.569 If I could plug in at work to just a standard outlet, my Volt would have a full battery 00:05:59.569 --> 00:06:02.879 in about 4 hours, well before the time I ended my 8 hour day. 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:07.240 Then when I got home, I’d again have 23 miles left for shopping and chores, meaning 00:06:07.240 --> 00:06:11.379 I would almost never have to rely on the Volt’s gasoline backup generator. 00:06:11.379 --> 00:06:15.610 And since the first gen Volt takes 10 hours to charge fully with a 120V outlet, even if 00:06:15.610 --> 00:06:19.400 I used up all those 23 miles after work, I’d have a full battery in the morning (assuming 00:06:19.400 --> 00:06:21.650 I got home 2 hours before I went to bed). 00:06:21.650 --> 00:06:25.360 If you don’t believe me that level 1 charging is enough, just try this. 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:29.400 Every day for the next month, reset the trip meter on your dash before you head out for 00:06:29.400 --> 00:06:30.400 the day. 00:06:30.400 --> 00:06:31.979 Write down how many miles you drove in a log. 00:06:31.979 --> 00:06:35.659 I’ll bet that for many of you, you never exceeded 80 miles in a day. 00:06:35.659 --> 00:06:39.699 And for those that did on a few of those days, the gains you make from your other days would 00:06:39.699 --> 00:06:41.729 more than make up for the loss. 00:06:41.729 --> 00:06:43.000 Still think this claim is dubious? 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:44.460 Let’s make it even simpler. 00:06:44.460 --> 00:06:51.300 80 miles a day is equivalent to driving 2,400 miles in a month, or 29,200 miles a year. 00:06:51.300 --> 00:06:55.339 So with just a standard electrical outlet, your electric car could travel more than double 00:06:55.339 --> 00:06:58.400 the average annual distance traveled by car today. 00:06:58.400 --> 00:07:00.759 In short, the problem isn’t so much infrastructure. 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:02.319 It’s access. 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:06.659 Most buildings today are loaded with wiring, already enough to support most drivers. 00:07:06.659 --> 00:07:09.969 The problem is none of that wiring goes to the parking lot or parking garage. 00:07:09.969 --> 00:07:13.300 And we don’t need expensive equipment to get people charged. 00:07:13.300 --> 00:07:16.280 A level 1 charger costs about 400 dollars. 00:07:16.280 --> 00:07:21.069 Compare that to the national cost per space of a new parking garage, which is over 18,000 00:07:21.069 --> 00:07:25.499 dollars, and you discover it’d increase the cost of a parking garage only 2.2 percent 00:07:25.499 --> 00:07:28.199 for every spot to be capable of charging. 00:07:28.199 --> 00:07:32.599 Maybe double that for wiring and labor, and you’re still at less than a 5% increase. 00:07:32.599 --> 00:07:34.729 You might ask, who should pay for this? 00:07:34.729 --> 00:07:37.479 If companies were smart, they’d do it themselves. 00:07:37.479 --> 00:07:41.370 Providing vehicle charging as a benefit to employees doesn’t cost much at all. 00:07:41.370 --> 00:07:45.449 The electricity costs about a dollar a day with national electric costs and 8 hours of 00:07:45.449 --> 00:07:46.919 charging. 00:07:46.919 --> 00:07:50.630 Considering that the minimum wage is more than 7 times that amount per hour, and the 00:07:50.630 --> 00:07:53.599 average wage many times more, that’s pennies. 00:07:53.599 --> 00:07:56.059 And the cost of installation isn’t that high either. 00:07:56.059 --> 00:08:00.199 At perhaps 1,000 dollars per charger, you’re talking a week’s pay for someone making 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:01.400 $52,000 a year. 00:08:01.400 --> 00:08:04.710 New construction should just be done with EV charging in mind. 00:08:04.710 --> 00:08:09.479 If you want to hire top talent, having free EV charging will certainly be a welcome perk. 00:08:09.479 --> 00:08:13.620 For fast charging, I’d like to see roadside restaurants install level 3 charging. 00:08:13.620 --> 00:08:17.099 You’re on a road trip, your battery’s depleted, and what better place to stop for 00:08:17.099 --> 00:08:18.849 a half hour than a restaurant. 00:08:18.849 --> 00:08:23.330 Smart restaurant will subsidize the cost of installation with added revenue from hungry 00:08:23.330 --> 00:08:28.059 EV drivers, with chains like McDonalds, Wendy’s, Sonic, or countless others having the opportunity 00:08:28.059 --> 00:08:31.719 to become the first nationwide public EV charging network. 00:08:31.719 --> 00:08:34.029 If I were them, I’d seize that opportunity. 00:08:34.029 --> 00:08:38.760 We’re so close to having all we need to support mass adoption of electric cars. 00:08:38.760 --> 00:08:42.130 200 mile affordable EVs are just around the corner. 00:08:42.130 --> 00:08:48.690 Now all we need is for people to start doing something. 00:08:48.690 --> 00:08:52.870 I can tell you’re formulating comments to tell me about the things I am glazing over. 00:08:52.870 --> 00:08:56.500 I’m going to try and address some of those now and save you some effort. 00:08:56.500 --> 00:08:59.750 First, yes, EV range does go down in the winter time. 00:08:59.750 --> 00:09:02.089 Sometimes as much as 30% or so. 00:09:02.089 --> 00:09:05.350 Which would mean that the number of miles level one charging could support could potentially 00:09:05.350 --> 00:09:07.330 drop to as little as 50 in a day. 00:09:07.330 --> 00:09:12.410 But 80 miles would still be maintained if 20 amp charging became more widespread. 00:09:12.410 --> 00:09:15.399 There are certainly places where level 2 charging is good. 00:09:15.399 --> 00:09:18.600 Shopping malls, movie theaters, theme parks, basically places that you’d go out of your 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:19.889 way to get to. 00:09:19.889 --> 00:09:23.560 These places would certainly benefit from having level 2 charging so you could get a 00:09:23.560 --> 00:09:25.360 quick recharge to go home. 00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:29.010 But, I think you’ll find that even on the days you go shopping, you’ll still be driving 00:09:29.010 --> 00:09:30.579 less than 80 miles. 00:09:30.579 --> 00:09:34.810 You might ask, if we’re adding wiring to install level 1 chargers, why not beef up 00:09:34.810 --> 00:09:36.769 the wiring for level 2? 00:09:36.769 --> 00:09:40.449 I think I already answered that with the number of cars that can be supported per electrical 00:09:40.449 --> 00:09:41.449 panel. 00:09:41.449 --> 00:09:45.410 A finite amount of energy can be pulled through a given transformer and a given electrical 00:09:45.410 --> 00:09:49.310 panel, so I think that it would make more sense to have more level 1 chargers than fewer 00:09:49.310 --> 00:09:50.630 level 2. 00:09:50.630 --> 00:09:53.950 With 6.6 KW level 2 charging you could charge 1 car. 00:09:53.950 --> 00:09:57.500 But the same 6.6 KW could charge 5 cars at level 1. 00:09:57.500 --> 00:10:01.060 It’s the same number of miles per hour, but by spreading it out amongst more people 00:10:01.060 --> 00:10:04.930 you can have a greater impact, particularly at a workplace, and it helps alleviate the 00:10:04.930 --> 00:10:07.329 problem of who should get the charger when. 00:10:07.329 --> 00:10:11.529 I would argue it’s better for 5 people to get 32 miles of range added each over their 00:10:11.529 --> 00:10:15.320 8 hour day, than for 1 charger to provide 20 miles of range per hour. 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:19.069 You’d have to keep switching cars around on that charger, and that’s a waste of time 00:10:19.069 --> 00:10:20.500 and effort. 00:10:20.500 --> 00:10:24.069 Installing a level 2 charger at home is not without merit, particularly when you can take 00:10:24.069 --> 00:10:28.240 advantage of lower electricity rates at night, if your utility company offers them. 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:32.209 Then with a long-range EV, you can completely charge it overnight when it’s cheaper to 00:10:32.209 --> 00:10:33.209 do so. 00:10:33.209 --> 00:10:37.019 In fact, I would suggest that new construction homes be wired with a couple of dryer outlets 00:10:37.019 --> 00:10:40.550 in the garage so level 2 charging would just be plug-and-play. 00:10:40.550 --> 00:10:44.040 But one thing that is often overlooked about EVs is that the amount of time it takes to 00:10:44.040 --> 00:10:47.160 get a full charge depends on how charged your battery is when you plug in. 00:10:47.160 --> 00:10:49.940 It’s not like it always takes the same amount of time. 00:10:49.940 --> 00:10:54.060 It doesn’t always take 10 hours to charge my Volt, it only takes 10 hours if the battery 00:10:54.060 --> 00:10:55.350 is depleted. 00:10:55.350 --> 00:10:59.260 Oftentimes I get home with 10 miles of range left, and then it only takes 7 hours to charge. 00:10:59.260 --> 00:11:03.420 It’s really like I said earlier, the charger provides x miles per hour, so it requires 00:11:03.420 --> 00:11:06.670 a different mindset than filling up when necessary. 00:11:06.670 --> 00:11:10.570 If your battery is only down 40 miles, then just like my Volt it will take 10 hours to 00:11:10.570 --> 00:11:14.670 charge fully with a household outlet, regardless of how big the battery is in your electric 00:11:14.670 --> 00:11:15.670 car. 00:11:15.670 --> 00:11:20.280 EV enthusiasts may know that level 1 charging is about 2% less efficient than level 2, so 00:11:20.280 --> 00:11:24.330 you will waste just a bit of electricity by charging consistently with level 1. 00:11:24.330 --> 00:11:28.940 But, access to level 1 charging at home is plentiful, and I think sacrificing a little 00:11:28.940 --> 00:11:32.430 bit of efficiency is worth having more access elsewhere. 00:11:32.430 --> 00:11:37.250 And lastly, I know there are plenty of people who don’t commute, and that there are plenty 00:11:37.250 --> 00:11:39.420 of reasons to drive besides commuting. 00:11:39.420 --> 00:11:41.410 But it all boils down to access. 00:11:41.410 --> 00:11:45.880 If you could plug in whenever you’re not driving--which in a car’s lifetime is the 00:11:45.880 --> 00:11:50.050 vast majority of the time--then level 1 charging could very well do more than what you need.