EV Quick Charge Stations a Boondoggle and (potentially harmful) to EV Batteries

I think that this idea of having 480 volt “quick-charge” EV charging stations is an unproven and potentially dangerous Federal and State Boondoggle.  Federal and State funds will provide a grid of charging stations that will allow (at this time) the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf EV’s to travel beyond their normal range capabilities, not to mention create a weird hang time while the EV owner waits for a dose of Kilowatts.  Consider this: Pacific Power Batteries has 6 retail battery stores in what might be prime sites for selling power to folks EV owners: Bellingham (Owned by Frank and Cheri Nelson), Mount Vernon, Marysville, Everett, Monroe and Wenatchee.  But, as a business owner of 5 of those stores, I think that Industry, specifically the automakers and/or gas companies, rather than the government, should be setting up, selling, leasing, and controlling these potentially dangerous charging stations.  These charging stations are premature and not well-planned!  Because of this, there will be even more bad news about EV problems, fires, property damage and deaths, turning people away from possibly buying an EV.

First of all, a 480 volt AC, 50 amp circuit delivers a LOT of power.  That’s more power than the demand from 3 electric driers set on HIGH.  That, I believe, will cook anything, especially these new generation Lithium-Ion 360 volt batteries, like the one in our 2012 Chevy Volt.  OMG!  If that much power is available to the general public for, as they claim, a $15 or $25 charge, the risk to the car owner and the charging station owner is waaaaaay too high. Who will be responsible for the safety of the EV owner and passengers, and any future potential damage to the EV battery?  Consider the liability of gas station owners for “bad gas” that disables a car: if there’s contamination in the gas, then the station owner usually pays for the repair.  At the electric station, what if the charger damages or diminishes the capacity of someone’s battery?  Will this be an extension cord in a water puddle?  It will be easy to sue a charging station owner for diminished capacity of a battery if that battery overheats and gets damaged.  I can see someone complaining that their $6,000 battery “hasn’t been getting its 75 miles ever since it got hot at so-n-so’s charging station.”  Insurance companies have a habit of passing along claims to the premium payors!

Second, this program GIVES valuable charging stations (worth between $1500 and $6500) away to private industry and to individual property or business owners!  This is FREE money to businesses that often don’t need free stuff from the government.  As a Republican/Libertarian, I think that when the federal and state governments give businesses grant money for very little in return, it’s a BOONDOGGLE, it’s PORK, it’s a KICKBACK during a time when, in the overall scheme of fiscal responsibility, our DOE should not be in the business of giving away free money to millionaires!  What a waste!  I’m steaming and sputtering as much as an overcharging battery left on high!

Ok, maybe “for very little in return” is a little over the top.  I’ll take a deep breath.  The DOE does get something in exchange for giving away these charging stations.  At the end of 2012 the charging stations get turned over to the independent business owners as a reward for providing information about the EV owners’ travel and charging patterns: where they go, when they charge, how much power (KWhr) they use, and how far from home they travel, etc.  In a sense, they are gathering information that may be useful as the EV market matures.  But again, I ask, should tax payers be funding this or should private industry?  I believe that Industry should.  Shouldn’t Ford, GM, Nissan, and Toyota pay for and site, or lease, these to businesses or landowners?  They are the ones who are selling the cars.  It could be a profit center for them.

So how will it work?  Oddly, there seem to be 4 parties involved: a credit card processor, a data farmer who sells this info to the DOE, the local utility provider, and the station/land owner.  By law, only a Utility company can sell electricity.  The customer pulls up to a private or public parking spot, and plugs the cord into the car.  The EV owner swipes a special card (much like a VISA card, but with cookies attached).  He/she will be billed directly for the juice while giving that information that I described earlier to the DOE.  The credit card processor takes the customer’s money out of their checking or credit account to pay the local Utility company, itself, and the station owner.  The station owner receives a “convenience fee” of $5 to $10 for the visit.  The Utility company receives $.085/KWHr. (here in Snohomish County) or whatever the local rate is.  Perhaps the charger owner gets a fee too.  Let the juice and money flow.  But remember, EV owners are as independent as cats!  They don’t really want to pay at the pump.  Free?  Sure!  But they are independently minded folks who usually like “free” or reduced rate travel without the burden of filling up.  We are, in a word, CHEAPSKATES, and proud of it.  We are a bit like sailboat owners who think that the wind is kinda free and that gas and gas stations are…well, sucky.

So how long will it take to charge an EV customer?  As much and as long as they want!  We own a 2012 Chevy Volt which takes about 4 hours to completely recharge at 240 volts.  It takes forEVER at 120 volts.  The vendor for the 480 volt station says that it will take about 15 to 20 minutes to reach a 75% charge.  I doubt it.  If you have a Leaf (which at this time is the ONLY all-battery-only car in major production) then you’ll be able to reach 75% charge on a battery that gets about 75 miles, or 56 more miles (.75 X 75= 56).  The DOE, WDOT, and ODOT all plan to have these stations about 40-45 miles apart around each of their states.  Again, is this the business of government or of industry?  Why aren’t the gas companies offering charging stations at their facilities?  Why doesn’t Nissan or Chevrolet provide, sell or lease stations for its cars?  I dunno.

So will it really be only 20 minutes?  If a 240 volt, 30 amp charger like ours takes 4 hours, then because of the way in which batteries charge inefficiently when fast-charged, could a Volt or a Leaf really receive 80% charge within 15 or 20 minutes?  I ask you readers this question!  My experience tells me that jamming high watts (volts X amps) into a battery creates resistance, and, consequently, HEAT!  If a 240 charger charges a battery from 0-100% in 4 hours, would a 480 volt charger with twice the DC output charge the same battery in half the time?  No, not usually, because of resistance.  Resistance aside, if the slope is linear (which it’s not), let’s assume that a 480 volt charger could charge a depleted battery to 100% in half the time or 2 hours.  A 75% charge would then take about 1.5 hours, right?  Am I missing something or does 15 to 20 minutes get you the equivalent of a warm cup of spit?  20 minutes is 1/6 of 2 hours.  1/6 is a 17% charge if the stars are all lined up and there’s no resistance.  There is no real charging information from either Aero Vironment or ECOtality about the Level 3 charger such as amps, volts, charge levels over time and so on.  They simply make marketing claims such as about the “DC fast charger, which can charge a car from empty to full in less than 30 minutes…” (the Herald, pg. B8, October, 29,2011).  Did anyone check with GM or Nissan to see if pounding THAT much wattage into those unstable batteries would be OK, not to mention possibly void the 10 year, 100,000 mile battery’s warranty?

 This much I know: All batteries will accept a charge at different rates.  Charging batteries are as much of an art as a science.  Lithiu-Ion batteries, although making recent improvements, are, by nature, not entirely stable yet when it comes to charging.  They can and do, from time to time, explode when overcharged.  If there is a slightly corroded or weak connection, then high amperage will create heat and destruction at that point.  Any battery is only as reliable as its weakest point.  Lithium Ion batteries charge differently than Ni-Cad batteries or Nickel Iron or Ni-MH ones.  There are lots of algorithms for charging batteries and there will be many destroyed batteries along this path due to excessive heat buildup.  For potential revenue of $5 or $10 to the station owner, I wouldn’t want to own one of these 480 volt babies!  I wouldn’t want to connect OUR Chevy Volt to any Level 3 charger until I had something in writing from GM to make me rest assured.  Instead, I would want to be about 1.5 to 2 blocks away from a $6000 Lithium Ion battery flaming away in a $45,000 automobile (not to mention EVERYONE OUT OF THE CAR WHILE CHARGING).  I’m not sure which would be hotter: the EV or the EV owner!  Talk to me people! 

“Electric Vehicles: Good, but Work in Progress”

As you may know, Pacific Power Batteries owns a Chevy Volt. We have owned and sold several NEV’s (Neighborhood Electric Vehicles) that poked along at 25 mph on any street that was posted at 35 mph or less.  Although it was completely legal to drive 25 in a 35, let’s just say that it was annoying for other drivers to get stuck behind us.  We were, in fact, slowing down traffic as we seemingly made our statement, “Suck it up, gas hog.  We are better than you because we are not burning gasoline.” Well, yesterday’s message was an arrogant way to promote a “seemingly green” lifestyle.  Finally, the market told us that NEV’s are only good for private or semi-private neighborhood communities, parks and quiet resorts where cars cannot travel.  Goodbye NEV’s.

Now we have the Chevy Volt that goes 370 miles running the first 30 miles or so on electricity, then switching on a generator to keep the battery charged for the remaining 340 or so miles.  The 9 gallons of gas runs the generator which charges the battery that continues to power the car.  We can drive the Volt just like a car: full speed is no problem, acceleration is great, and it’s a genuine car that holds 4 people comfortably (for a compact).  This is a great, first generation, hybrid gas/electric car.  It’s the first generation of what GM thinks that we all want: range, high performance, economy, light carbon footprint, all with no sacrifices.

The Nissan Leaf operates differently: its battery allows the car to go about 75 miles.  That range gets even worse (about 55 miles) if you are driving at freeway speeds.  But it is great as a commuter car.  It has its place in the market, but certainly it is not designed for long-range travel; not yet at least.  Perhaps Generation 2 will have a longer range, just as the Toyota Prius has improved with each generation.  Note: although Nissan claims “up to 100 miles” it only seems to be occurring if the sole driver weighs 75lbs, and is coasting downhill with a stiff tailwind from mount Fuji.  All EV makers are notoriously optimistic in their range estimates!  It’s a great commuter car for most people.  And beside, how often do we suddenly go zipping off to Portland on a lark?  Never.  That’s the day for the gas car, truck, or Chevy Volt.

I love EV’s.  I like the fun of driving ‘em and I like their potential for reducing our dependence on petroleum.  These EV’s are in the very first stages of viability.  I like their potential interaction with our homes: they charge at night and will get us to work and back.  As EV’s and hybrid gas/electric EV’s develop, they may become more attractive to more people, more mainstream.  But let’s not jump to conclusions!  Many piston-fans don’t like them just out of principle.  There are many issues that need to be resolved: range, price, where does the electricity come from, how will road taxes get paid, what type of batteries will be used, will those batteries be recyclable?  Many will miss the roar, the chirping of the tires, the look and feel of the muscle cars.  The Motorola brick phone was a first generation of cell phones, so let the Volt, Leaf, and the Whatever lead to better stuff!  I say, buy one today!  BE part of the movement from the inside!