Author Archives: bwinsberg

Does being wealthy entitle you to pollute more than anybody else?

Richie Rich

Richie Rich

I did not think this question up on my own. This question was brought up on a episode of “Fully Charged”. In case you have not heard of or watched it you can follow this link.

There is no question that in our society that being wealthy comes with many privileges.

You live in the best neighborhoods. Have access to the best medical care and the best schools just to name a few.

There are others we don’t openly admit to like hiring the best lawyers that most likely will help you get away with many crimes a poor person would plead guilty to, or in the case of Elliot Spitzer, money allows you to buy some really hot tail.

Yet what most people would probably agree is that your wealth does not allow you to dump your garbage in my backyard. Unless you live out in the woods or desert somewhere the odds are pretty good that if you get caught dumping your garbage on my land or changing your cars oil and dumping it down the city sewer system you would be liable for damages if not criminal charges.

But, we do not only allow the wealthy to dump large amounts of waste but even the poorest among us as well. Why. Well for some reason we don’t consider the burning of fossil fuels as dumping waste. And while the average person driving a 4 cylinder Kia dumps less than the V-8 Chevy Suburban a V-12 Jaguar dumps even more.

If you had to pay for the amount of CO2 your dumped in the atmosphere like you have to pay for the amount of trash or waste water you dump in the sewer system would you drive a 12 MPG car or opt to buy the 30-40 MPG car? And yes, the wealthiest among us could drive the biggest gas burner ICE car and would have no problem paying the cost but isn’t that individual responsibility and paying for what you use?

The Carbon Tax was originally a “Conservative” idea. Because it is based on conservative values. You pay for your own actions. You don’t pass them off on to others.

And please don’t start with how electric vehicles use more resources than a gas car. How do you think they refine a gallon of gas? They use electricity. As much electricity as it takes to make 3 gallons of gas will power most electric vehicles further than the 3 gallons of gas will move your car.

Electric Cars are mostly charged at night. This is when most Utilities are running on Nuclear Power. Your utility uses their cheapest sources of energy first. See this video for an explanation. Although this is in the U.K. the principle is the same here in the U.S.

And finally. Are Electric Vehicles only for the rich? That’s a post for another day.

People are not so EV Friendly

Ford Focus

2015 Ford Focus

I have had my BEV (battery electric vehicle) less than a week now. And just like the complaints about cars having to share the road with bicycles, ICE cars have to share the road with drivers who are trying to get the most range out of their battery.

Now don’t get me wrong. I love flooring the gas pedal and going fast but I do it for fun, not because I am trying to get anywhere in a hurry.

Yet most drivers, my wife included drive like they are always late to work or trying to catch a flight leaving in 5 minutes. You’ve seen people like this or you might be one. They are first to the red light and the first to honk their horns if you aren’t going at least 10 MPH faster than the posted speed limit.

Just today while driving just a few miles to my mothers house. I was doing the speed limit when I saw the light ahead of me turn red. There was a line of about 5-6 cars ahead of me so I clicked off the cruise control, (yes, I do use the cruise control a lot now and have it set at the speed limit) and coasted to the light ahead of me. I was probably at least a block away from the light when I did this. The person in car behind me threw  up their hands in frustration. I look in the mirror a lot more now too.

As I coasted to a stop, so I didn’t hit the car in front of me, the light turned green. Had I gone faster all I would have done is wasted a lot of energy by not getting all the regeneration from slowing down and put a bunch of wear on my brake pads instead. An advantage of hybrids or electric vehicles.

Once I reached 30 MPH I let the car coast again so I would make the next light where I was turning left, now we all know you have to slow down to turn. That is unless you want your passengers puking in your car.

At this point the Chrysler 300 that was dying to get out from behind me did and speed off ahead into the distance. Not so far a head though that two miles ahead I caught them at the second stop Light. They were now 6 cars ahead of me instead of just behind me. Probably still frustrated though they weren’t the first car at the light. LOL

This is not a one time incident, this happens all the time. Every day, many times a day. More than once has someone speed past me giving me the finger only to have to sit next to me at the next light if not the next 2 or 3 traffic lights. And that’s not in my Electric car. That’s with my Miata or my Mazda 6. Going fast just to stop ahead just wastes gas and adds a lot to your maintenance bills.

If you wonder why your gas millage is terrible, why you need to replace your brake pads every 12k miles or why your cars are beat to crap in just a few years, just look in your mirror.

Next time you drive to work, or the store or somewhere you always go trying doing this. When you reach the speed limit, set your cruise control. When the light ahead of you is red cancel the cruise and coast. If it turns green before you come to a complete stop and it is safe to do so hit the switch to resume your speed on the cruise control. Try to use your brake as little as possible. Do not speed or at least don’t do more than 5 MPH over. Time it. See how much longer it takes to get where you are going.

See how much less stress you have driving like that as well. Another benefit is you won’t stand out when the police are around. Drunks and stoners drive to slow and thieves and drug dealers usually drive to fast. How many times do you see some guy who sped by you getting a ticket down the road?

Another thing you can do is compare your gas millage. Like most cars now days your car probably has a trip computer that is pretty accurate. It probably even tell you how long the trip took. There was a reason they set that 55 MPH speed limit back in the 70’s. That’s the speed where you generally get the best gas millage per mile of driving. After the power needed to move your car through the air takes far more gas than the engine moves the car efficiently.

I do realize that 55 feels slow, real slow but 65 is really pretty fast and since most people are doing 70 anyway the 75 MPH speed limit is ludicrous. At most it will say you 5 minutes every hour and cause you far more stress of having to be vigilant of others. Another draw back is if you opt to have one of those drive safe discount monitors on your car it will send love notes to your insurance company every time you exceed 75.

The easiest way to see what kind of damage and wasting fuel speed can do is take your car to the race track.

I have a Mazda Miata that I have taken to the track and a car that can get a combined MPG of 26 becomes a car that gets less than 12 MPG. The tires last about a third of their regular life and the brakes last even less. Even if you aren’t going from 35-110 and back down to 30 again in seconds, all that acceleration and stopping is what causes wear and tear on your car.

In an Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) driving smart can be the difference between getting 50 miles per charge versus 100 miles per charge. Maybe the reason you don’t like or have never considered driving a BEV is because you drive like a teenager. That or you don’t have to pay the bills.

Check out this website. It will open your eyes. https://www.fueleconomy.gov

EV Parking Only

Maybe the problem is with the sign and not the EV Driver?

T5615In the week I have had my BEV I have seen some pretty poor charging etiquette.Electric-Vehicle-Parking-Sign-K-8559

There is a Level 2 charger near my home. Less than a block away as a matter of fact. It is also close to the home of a Tesla Driver. While we are both BEV drivers he plugs in, goes home and doesn’t unplug when he has topped off. He stays there till he decides to leave again.

So while the sign says “EV Parking Only” it doesn’t say your are the only EV that can park there.

The problems with parking your car and leaving it as long as you feel like it are many. This is not your personal parking space. There are people who actually need to charge their cars.

You wouldn’t go to a gas station, fill up your car and then leave it there while you go to a movie or have lunch? or would you. Do you think the owner of the gas station might have a fit if you were blocking their gas pump. They put it there to make money. Or in the case of my friend with is Tesla, they put it there as a convenience to the people who live there or visit friends.

When you are done charging, move your car. I doubt you would keep your car there if your were charged for time in the space vs. time actually charging?

There is also the question of being a Plug in Hybrid vs. a pure BEV. Yes your Plug in allows you to use a charger but as a BEV owner I might really need that charge to get home. So as a Plug In you really need to get out of the way when you are done. I’m sure many of you have fits when you see and ICE vehicle parked in the EV space, don’t you?

Just like many States now are limiting or eliminating exemptions for Hybrids it won’t be long before they eliminate special privileges for PEV’s. You are not committing to the cause, you are just testing the waters. Pretty soon if you need to feel special you will have to jump into the deep end and go pure BEV.

So, since somebody has to make the rules I propose the following.

If you have more than enough juice to get home (if you have a home charger) then leave a note saying that it is OK to disconnect you. If you have a PEV and a BEV needs the juice please move ASAP or let the BEV disconnect.

And so businesses will keep installing and expanding the charger networks please let them get as much paid time as possible. If we want more places and spaces we are going to have to show that we can be responsible consumers and that we are not just looking for Rock Star Parking.

If you stay parked in a space and not charging you are no better than that friend who comes over to your house every night to drink your beer, eat your food and play footsie with your spouse when your not home.

Parking at the airport

Parking at the airport

There is one and only one place where I have seen an acceptable place to park for an extended period of time. An airport parking lot. There were 2 spaces that had a 72 hour limit on the sign and 4 spaces that had a 10 hour parking limit sign. They want you to drive and park there. Odds are really good you can’t get back to your car quickly.

Tesla S

As for my neighbor, either you live nearby or your girlfriend lives nearby. Get of the couch, stop drinking for a few minutes and go move your car. Either that or go home to your wife and kids.The excuse that daddy is just going out for a charge isn’t going to work for long.