A Fully Solar-Powered Campervan Has Just Driven Through Europe

[move on]

Originally Posted by Kid Gloves

As an owner of a Plug-in Hybrid vehicle for the past 2 years and an owner of solar panels for the past 10 years, I can tell you that it is entirely possible to charge the batteries “directly” from the solar panels. By directly, I mean that the energy from the panels goes through an inverter which powers various circuits in the house. Whenever the car is being charged during daylight hours, the electricity from the panels is charging the car. Typically, in the months of May-September the panels make far more electricity than we use each day, including charging the car.

Personally, I’d like to see a requirement that anyone who buys an EV must install solar panels on their house, the size of which should be no less than 10% of the vehicles battery capacity. A 90kWh battery would require the installation of at least 9,000 watt of panels.

In your case then you are charging without using fossil fuels. Unfortunately that's not what most people with EVs are doing. When they charge their car somebody at the power plant has to add gas to the turbine or coal to the boiler. That results in more energy being used than would be used by a modern hybrid or diesel ICE vehicle. I would only say that solar panels are not cost effective and I doubt you will ever get your money back on the installation.

[followingsea]

Originally Posted by Kid Gloves

..... When a nuclear powered RV becomes a viable option, then discussing nuclear schniz will be relevant to the topic.

.....

Nuclear propulsion, heard of it?

Been there done that got a sword!



If you want a renewable energy RV, get a sailboat.

[Kid Gloves]

Originally Posted by move on

In your case then you are charging without using fossil fuels. Unfortunately that's not what most people with EVs are doing. When they charge their car somebody at the power plant has to add gas to the turbine or coal to the boiler. That results in more energy being used than would be used by a modern hybrid or diesel ICE vehicle. I would only say that solar panels are not cost effective and I doubt you will ever get your money back on the installation.

Ten years ago, federal and state incentives offset approximately 70% of the cost. We may have broken even over that time when looking at the reduced electric bills. That is of no concern to me. We’ve had one extended power outage and numerous shorter outages. The solar and batteries keep the water flowing, we’re on a well, and the food cold/frozen. That’s priceless.

A backup generator would never offset a dime of electricity usage, but that doesn’t keep people from buying them. Sometimes you buy something because it serves a purpose or suits your needs. Like a motorhome, for instance. Using the logic that you’ll never get your money back isn’t always logical.

[followingsea]

Originally Posted by Kid Gloves

Ten years ago, federal and state incentives offset approximately 70% of the cost. .......That’s priceless.

A backup generator would never offset a dime of electricity usage, but that doesn’t keep people from buying them. Sometimes you buy something because it serves a purpose or suits your needs. Like a motorhome, for instance. Using the logic that you’ll never get your money back isn’t always logical.

Taxing the poor and giving to the rich. Priceless indeed!

That is what is happening in California. If you have solar, batteries, and a well you are rich. The poor have been priced out of housing and are sleeping in their old cars or on the sidewalk.

The obvious solution was to invest in millions of 'no parking 2 am to 4 am' signs. From personal experience I can tell you the police enforce it where you find rich people and not poor people.

When I was rich I had twice I lived in the mountains with enough enough trees to heat with dead wood. Where it got very cold, I never lost power. In California, lost power all the time because the inept utility could not keep trees trimmed.

I designed my house in California. It had passive solar, thermal mass, and a wood fired boiler for radiant heat. What I learned but already knew is that it was cost effect but had limited application of south facing hills.

Also had natural circulation solar hot water. My system worked great. What I learned is I could not ethically make a living designing installing systems. From reading and observation when working in China, it works in if you have a lot of poor people crammed into a 4 story apartment building with cheap labor and no lawyers.

As a point of reference, my mother always said you could not be 'poor' if you live in town with a good library.

[Kid Gloves]

Originally Posted by followingsea

Nuclear propulsion, heard of it?

Been there done that got a sword!



If you want a renewable energy RV, get a sailboat.

Of course, nuclear propulsion. We’re not all as ignorant as you may believe us to be.

Now, tell us, which RV manufacturer is offering a motorhome with nuclear propulsion. That shouldn’t take much of your time to answer.

A sailboat, what a great idea. How much time would it take to blow one from Minneapolis to Denver?

[Kid Gloves]

Originally Posted by followingsea

Taxing the poor and giving to the rich. Priceless indeed!

That is what is happening in California. If you have solar, batteries, and a well you are rich.

I was poor. Even when I was working. Just kept going in for those meager wages, paying taxes, eating ramen. We’ve all been there. It paid off. Now I’m rich. Solar, batteries and a well. That pretty much does it.

[Mod Edit]

I don’t make the rules, but I am free to seize an opportunity when one presents itself. Maybe that’s part of the reason I’m so rich right now. Our PHEV had a $5K dealer discount, a $7500 fed tax credit and a $2500 state rebate. That offset 40% of the sticker price. It just happened to work out that it was time for a new car. Besides all the subsidies, we can go months with having to buy gas. It’s good to be rich.

I hope you enjoyed reading my posts. Now it’s time to end our conversation.

[followingsea]

Ran across this video looking for something else:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1E8SQde5rk

At about the 8 minute point, the speaker discusses how much CO2 is in the batteries before the BEV is driven.

The speaker is a principal engineer in the automotive. I was a principle engineer in the power industry. It is odd that he did not discuss the emissions of wind and solar before they produce any electricity.

The speaker advocates a solution outside his area of expertise. What do I expect if we accelerate investment in wind and solar? More junk that does not work.

[RussOnTheRoad]

Originally Posted by followingsea

Ran across this video looking for something else:

At about the 8 minute point, the speaker discusses how much CO2 is in the batteries before the BEV is driven.

The speaker is a principal engineer in the automotive. I was a principle engineer in the power industry. It is odd that he did not discuss the emissions of wind and solar before they produce any electricity.

The speaker advocates a solution outside his area of expertise. What do I expect if we accelerate investment in wind and solar? More junk that does not work.

Thanks for that link.

Why did you find it odd the speaker didn't mention wind or solar? Also, what makes you say the speaker advocates a solution outside his area of expertise? I mean, while it was stated he was an automotive engineer that doesn't necessarily make clear all his areas of expertise, does it? Have you not offered valuable opinions outside the area your core competencies?

Separately, I question some of his statements, for example that it takes 40K miles of driving before an EV makes up for the carbon costs of its manufacture compared to an ICE. I have seen other estimates as low as 13,500 miles.

I have also read that the most carbon efficient vehicle for any one person depends in part on where they live as to the methods of the generation of electricity as well as the kind of driving they do, i.e. city vs. highway and how much of each.

[RussOnTheRoad]

Originally Posted by followingsea

Ran across this video looking for something else:

At about the 8 minute point, the speaker discusses how much CO2 is in the batteries before the BEV is driven.

The speaker is a principal engineer in the automotive. I was a principle engineer in the power industry. It is odd that he did not discuss the emissions of wind and solar before they produce any electricity.

The speaker advocates a solution outside his area of expertise. What do I expect if we accelerate investment in wind and solar? More junk that does not work.

The speaker makes the case that EVs, to us a lay vernacular, are not yet ready for prime time. There are thoughtful based opinions to the contrary including this at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32572385/

"Electrification of passenger road transport and household heating features prominently in current and planned policy frameworks to achieve greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. However, since electricity generation involves using fossil fuels, it is not established where and when the replacement of fossil fuel-based technologies by electric cars and heat pumps can effectively reduce overall emissions. Could electrification policy backfire by promoting their diffusion before electricity is decarbonised? Here, we analyse current and future emissions trade-offs in 59 world regions with heterogeneous households, by combining forward-looking integrated assessment model simulations with bottom-up life-cycle assessment. We show that already under current carbon intensities of electricity generation, electric cars and heat pumps are less emission-intensive than fossil fuel-based alternatives in 53 world regions, representing 95% of global transport and heating demand. Even if future end-use electrification is not matched by rapid power sector decarbonisation, it likely avoids emissions in almost all world regions."

Full text at:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7308170/

[Lt Dan]

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