Electric Explosion! : A Decade of Electric Vehicles

When I took my cross-country adventure to set a Guinness World Record for distance in 2013, there were roughly 250,000 electric vehicles across North America and Europe combined; that's like putting everyone in the city of Buffalo, NY into an electric vehicle. Not insignificant, but still a very small piece of the American/Euro landscape.

Today, there are roughly 1.4 million electric vehicles in those two markets, or roughly the size of the U.S. city of San Diego. That's tremendous growth in only 5 years!! By the U.S. city comparison, it's a growth from our 81st sized city to our #8 largest city in only 5 years.

To be fair, a lot of this growth has been in Europe. Taking Norway's lead, Germany introduced incentives for electric vehicles in 2016 and, as a result, will double EV sales in 2017 vs 2016. If the trend continues, they will become the largest EV market in Europe in 2018. With a strong sales year, expectations are that Europe will sell about 310,000 EVs in 2017.

In the U.S., experts estimate 2017 sales of EVs to approach 225,000 vehicles which includes a slight decline due to Tesla's production woes for their new Model S. While that sales volume is lower than that of Europe, the U.S. remains the single biggest market for EVs with an estimated 780,000 EV vehicles on the road out of the Americas/European total of 1.4 million.

In 2013, I proved that an electric car can cross all types of terrain, is reliable and was a viable form of transportation with existing power supplies. The world is proving that electric is a viable form of transportation for daily living AND, most importantly, a piece of our sustainability needs!

Take a trip down the electric vehicle memory lane with Chargepoint:

https://www.chargepoint.com/blog/celebrating-10-years-electric-mobility/?utm_source=10thanniversaryemail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=18q4-em-b2c-10-year-b2c&utm_term=b2cdriver&utm_content=10thanniversary-b2c&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTURZMk5EWTBNR0pqTm1JMiIsInQiOiJ6amZPUFZzMGhYQ1NzUTFWVzgrSkNVQzc0TW1XbGxZd05NdmVPUjVpeDI0NUNYa2xvU2w4bU9ndDJIU2JHWE1kSnRWSnNpRTVBVHVic1NLXC9ZR1hBYXFkbzZaaVRlXC85WktlRCtIbVZldEd1Wk04dEl0U2pmZzZJK3JcL0FoY3J6bSJ9

An Answer My Friend.....Is Blowing in the Wind....

This past June, I took a cruise with my daughters to Europe. It was a trip around the Baltic Sea and we did 'sea' a lot of new sights there. One of the things that caught my eye was a number of very large wind turbine farms in the area around Copenhagen, Denmark. Being located in the sea, these large turbines didn't seem to bother anything and my assumption was that they undoubtedly were generating substantial energy for local residents. 

Well, it turns out that my observation was spot on....and much bigger than I knew.

In fact, it turns out Denmark was a pioneer in developing commercial wind power during the 1970s, and today a substantial share of the wind turbines around the world are produced by Danish manufacturers such as Vestas and Siemens Wind Power along with many component suppliers.

Wind power produced the equivalent of 42.1% of Denmark's total electricity consumption in 2015!!  In 2012 the Danish government adopted a plan to increase the share of electricity production from wind to 50% by 2020 and to 84% in 2035. Now that's commitment!

               Wind Turbine Farm near           

            Middelgrundsfortet, Denmark

So why is Denmark a leader in this technology? It all goes back to concerns over global warming that arose in the 1980s.  Denmark found itself with relatively high carbon dioxide emissions per capita, primarily due to the coal-fired electrical power plants which became the norm after energy crises in 1973 and 1979. Renewable energy (energy that is not depleted when used) became the natural choice for Denmark to decrease both dependence on other countries for energy and global warming pollution. They set a target of cutting carbon emissions 22% by 2005 (from 1988 levels) and planning of wind power was deliberately streamlined by authorities in order to minimize hurdles. 

The result: Despite a mediocre average wind speed, Denmark has the highest proportion of wind power in the world! In 2015, Denmark produced 42% of its electricity usage from wind power.  In addition, they met their carbon emissions goals easily and reduced overall emissions substantially. And, they have created an industry that the world now looks to for wind power. 

So is it any surprise that there are a number of large off-shore and on-shore wind farms being built in Denmark as we speak? 

Denmark is proof again that there are alternatives to oil and gas AND a part of the solution to our Sustainability goals.  And it's starting. Here's a recent article on an off-shore wind farm success in in the U.S.:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/custom-media/pictet/winds-of-change/

And the Light Bulb Goes On !

Here's an article from the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) that ties directly to one of the 25 easy action ideas (in my book Kicking Gas & Taking Charge!) everyone can take to do their part for sustainability: converting to LED light bulbs. For example, did you know that a comparable LED light bulb to a 100 watt incandescent bulb uses about 80% LESS energy and lasts 15-20 times LONGER than the incandescent? That means you can save energy AND save money by making the switch!!  

I'm considering a Facebook challenge to see how many people I can get to commit to converting to LEDs. If you think that's a good idea, let me know in the Comments section below!!                       #sustainability    #LED   #energy          #lightbulbs      #KickingGas

Expert Blog › Noah Horowitz

LED Lighting Could Save Developing Countries $40 Billion/yr.

November 14, 2017 Noah Horowitz

Developing and emerging economies could save $40 billion worth of electricity and prevent 320 million metric tonnes of carbon pollution annually simply by transitioning to LED lighting, according to estimates from United Nation’s Environment. Today speakers at a side event to the big international climate change conference (COP 23) occurring in Bonn, Germany, announced new model regulations that are designed to phase out inefficient incandescent light bulbs and establish minimum performance requirements for the LED bulbs to replace them in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Lighting represents roughly 15 percent of all worldwide electricity use and there are several billion sockets around the globe that still contain an incandescent light bulb. One of the best investments that developing and emerging economies can make is to switch from the inefficient incandescent light bulb, which is a technology that hasn’t changed much in the past 125 years, to super-efficient LED light bulbs. Unlike in Europe and the United States where these energy-guzzling bulbs are due to be phased out in mid-2018 and 2020, respectively, these old-fashioned bulbs will still be available for purchase in developing countries.

That’s a shame because today's LED bulbs are amazing products as they use 85 percent less energy to produce the same amount of light as the old incandescent did. Instead of using the old 60-watt incandescent bulb, one can switch to a 10-watt LED bulb. The energy-saving bulbs come in numerous shapes and light output levels, are dimmable, more shatter-resistant, and last up to 25 years under normal operation of three hours per day.

Model regulations for countries wanting to require the switch away from wasteful incandescents

The model regulation will soon be published by the United for Efficiency initiative, a public-private partnership led by UN Environment, for use by interested countries. It contains all the essential pieces: description of what to cover (product scope), definitions, test methods, minimum efficiency levels, and a set of common-sense minimum quality/performance requirements along with market surveillance that will help ensure consumers have a good experience (i.e., the bulb won’t fail prematurely) with LED bulbs. This model regulation will be provided to United for Efficiency partner countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In addition, countries that implement the regulation in a harmonized manner will reduce trade barriers and provide opportunities for sharing resources, such as testing facilities.

The model regulations are not only supported by leading environmental groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), UN Environment, and various national governments, but also by leading lighting manufacturers.

The path forward is a bright one

One of the fastest and cheapest ways to deliver massive carbon savings and relief to stressed electricity grids commonly found in developing and emerging economies is to shift to energy-saving LED lighting. Let’s get as many countries as possible to adopt regulations that make this a reality. By adopting these regulations, we can be assured that developing and emerging countries don’t become the dumping grounds for incandescents and halogens, or poor-quality LED bulbs.

Unlike the shift to more efficient appliances and air conditioners which can take more than a decade for the existing stock to turn over, or for the switch to electric cars which will take even longer, installation of more energy efficient lighting can happen far more quickly as the old incandescent bulbs burn out within a year or two. 

Sustainability Starts with "U".... as in Underground !

When is a cave not a cave? Well, how about when it’s being used as a concert hall for musical performances?

That’s just one of the many adventures outlined in “Kicking Gas & Taking Charge!” a new book written by Duane Leffel who set a Guinness World Record in 2013 by driving a Nissan LEAF all-electric car (nicknamed “Green Lightning”) from Charleston, SC, to San Francisco, CA.

In the book, Duane describes driving his LEAF down into Cumberland Caverns in McMinnville, TN, along with his fellow Ride the Future Tour members who rode electric bicycles, scooters and a motorcycle. The group drove down into the cave to make a point—that electric vehicles are not harmful to the environment. And since the LEAF isn’t harmful to the cave’s ecological system, cavern administrators actually use a LEAF similar to Duane’s to drive performing musicians down to a subterranean stage called the Volcano Room.

The acoustics in the Volcano Room are so good that it hosts an ongoing concert series called “Bluegrass Underground” (https://bluegrassunderground.com), a 13-time Emmy award-winning show on PBS. Top-name performers including Vince Gill, Chris Stapleton and Lee Ann Womack have performed there in front of enthusiastic crowds reaching over 500 at a time.

“Driving ‘Green Lightning’ down into the caverns was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. It was such a unique experience,” says Duane. “Yet it was only one of a long list of interesting activities, challenges and people that we encountered during our trip across the country.”

“Green Lightning” takes the narrow path down to the Volcano Room at Cumberland Caverns in Tennessee.

Members of the Ride the Future Tour and their guide pose with their vehicles in the Volcano Room.

Other places the tour visited included the Lookout Mountain Incline Railroad, the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. But the tour also visited a number of organizations that were focused on various aspects of sustainability, including Terrapin Brewery (Athens, GA), Southface Energy (Atlanta), Heifer International (Little Rock), the Grand Canyon National Park Service and Las Vegas Cyclery. Each of these locations had its own unique contribution to sustainability efforts.

“I started the tour wanting to do something for my kids to ensure the world was as beautiful as I’ve experienced it,” says Duane. “But I learned a lot during the tour and, after doing a little insightful research, decided to write a book about my experience and encourage everyone to get more personally involved in sustainability.”

After relating all the ups and downs of his once-in-a-lifetime adventure with behind-the-scenes reality and humor, Duane dedicates the final chapter of his book to explaining why everyone should care about sustainability, offering 25 achievable actions anyone can take to do their part to accelerate the sustainability movement.

Says Duane, “I’ve never been a ‘tree-hugger’ or activist on environmental issues, but when you consider that the US represents less than 5 percent of the world’s population but consumes 18 percent of all energy and natural resource usage globally, it certainly motivates me to take action as a responsible citizen. In other words, sustainability starts with me and you, and simple things like recycling and electric vehicles can help us rebalance the equation. ”

If you’d like to learn more about Duane’s story, “Kicking Gas & Taking Charge!” is available online at Barnes & Noble bookstores and on Amazon. If you order it at Duane’s website kickinggasandtakingcharge.com, he’ll sign and personalize it for you and ship it to you free (use promo code “kickoff”).

“Kicking Gas & Taking Charge!” releases January 1, 2018.

#sustainability  #electricvehicles  #Cumberlandcaverns   #zeroemissions   #NissanLEAF

Recycle Regret?

Here is an example that goes to the heart of my website and one of the major topics in my book Kicking Gas & Taking Charge!  I can't explain it any better than this article does.

        https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Fort-Worth-Landfill-455807753.html

Why does it happen?  Here's my belief:

         * Lack of U.S. and community focus

                > Cities don't make recycling a priority or make it convenient

                > People don't take recycling seriously and make it a habit

                     (remember: Sustainable is maintainable if the habits are retainable)

                 > There's still plenty of visible land available to bury our waste

                     (irrespective of the future environmental damage or cleanup required)

That's it. Focus. Are there other factors?  Yes, setting up a recycle process, costs, etc. But the only one that really matters is Focus by the public.

The world population is growing at an unbelievable rate. Energy use is growing at an ALARMING rate. Yet we only recycle 30% of our waste here in the U.S. 

We can do better America. And it's time we do. 

Momentum in the Electric Car World !!

General Motors just announced that they are making plans to convert to an all-electric vehicle line-up by 2023!  This is a huge step for the company and the industry in the U.S.

If this direction holds up, there will be dramatic changes in the auto world as we know it...from the types of service work done (no more oil and filter changes for example) to the types of service stations you go to to "re-fuel". Vehicles will not only have cleaner emissions, they will also be far more efficient in energy usage!

It's still early.....but this is a major announcement in automotive history!  Here are some of the details from GM:

https://www.wired.com/story/general-motors-electric-cars-plan-gm/

What do you think about GM's announcement??  Add your comments.

China may be finally taking cleaner air seriously

China, the U.S. and Europe are by far the largest consumers of energy and thus natural resources in the world. China is also the largest automotive market in the world with sales topping 28 million vehicles last year. However, air pollution has become a huge problem, especially in the large cities. So the government of China has been incentivizing companies to produce electric vehicles as a partial solution. This includes subsidies for new companies, incentives to current auto companies and even permission for foreign companies to form joint ventures with Chinese firms to develop electric models and increase supply.

Recently, there have been reports that the Chinese government is preparing legislation that will include a deadline for the sale of all internal combustion engines.  If true, this could be a major push for the electric vehicle world. China would certainly take a leadership role in this technology and likely push other continents, like North America and Europe to follow in some capacity. 

China's actual ability to make such a conversion from fossil fuel vehicles is debatable as their current demand for vehicles exceeds supply, so ramping up production to such levels seems difficult at best. Nevertheless, it would be a welcome sign to environmentalists worldwide and a certain boost to the electric vehicle world!

You can learn more at the following link....

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-plans-ban-sales-fossil-160134949.html