Fueling an Electric Car with sunshine

[johnson1095]

Why don't they bring back the inductive paddles???

[darelldd]

@johnson1095 - Inductive isn't as efficient as conductive, and it is far more complicated and expensive. The question really is, "why do we want inductive?" So much easier to make an adapter and plug into any outlet, than to NEED a proprietary charger for each vehicle. Conductive is cheaper, more convenient, lighter, more efficient and more universal. And just as safe.

[TBman256]

how long does it take to charge your car using only the solar panels? how much energy do they generate per hour?

[darelldd]

@TBman256 - The system is grid-tied. That means when I'm not using the power, my neighbors are. As my panels produce more energy than the car uses - my car is fully "solar-offset-powered." The car charges at a rate of about 18% SOC per hour. Even if the sun isn't shining. My system generates 2.5kW under ideal conditions. So in an hour, it will produce 2.5 kWh.

[YoursAmid]

They should make the panels on the car. Combine it then you don't need to charge.

[darelldd]

@YoursAmid - Putting solar panels directly on the car is a waste of resources. Park in the garage, park in the shade, low sun, etc. When the panels are on the roof of the building they are collecting power whenever there is sunlight. When on the roof of the car, they add weight and aero drag, and they are rarely in the optimum orientation - and there are far too many hours when they're parked in the shade doing nothing for you.

[651DSM]

how lond does the battery last? its kool and all but what happens when you get electrcuted

[darelldd]

@651DSM - we're working on our 9th year of the original batteries. The batteries are lasting between 100k and 150k before replacement is needed. What happens when you get electrocuted? Probably similar to what happens when you stand in the middle of a gasoline fire.... but with less time for screaming and watching your skin burn off.

[pluginforless]

Toyota's website states that there was "Not Enough Customer Demand" to keep building the Toyota RAV4 EV. I cannot recall Ever Seeing ANY commercials for this vehicle. The first time I ever knew these vehicles existed was watching the movie "Who Killed The Electric Car" By this time, these vehicles were either crushed, no longer being built, and the remaining 325 vehicles were sold to the public.

[Raven00088888]

Where did you buy that car..??

[darelldd]

From my local Toyota dealer of course. It is a factory car that was available to the public for exactly eight months in 2002. Toyota testified under oath that they spend more time, money and effort in advertising this Rav4EV than they did for the Prius. I'm shocked that you didn't hear about it... Check out my other videos for more on this car.

[Raven00088888]

then you have such a nice car.. i like hybrids so much... there's already too much pollution on my city...

people in my city still affraid to drive hybrid or electric cars, dont know why...

but me, i love it..! :-D

[darelldd]

The only problem with today's hybrids is that they still burn gasoline!

[manoman0]

with EVs we can all start driving big fat heavy duty SUVs! yiippiii!

[darelldd]

I'm still trying to figure out what the point is?? That my Rav is big and fat? or that big fat SUVs can be made electric? or...

[MlleButterfly]

Where did you get your car and how much did it cost you? Also, what is the rate for installing the electric charger?

[darelldd]

I bought it at my local Toyota dealer. The "rate" for installing the charger? I did it myself in about an hour. All it needs is a dedicated 40A outlet. Cost me about $30 in parts.

[KmanMonkeyPig]

And then there is always the car that runs on compressed air.. if you dont want to waste electricity.. or gas for that matter..

[darelldd]

I'm afraid that you're ignoring one important aspect: The energy to compress the air. I use less electricity in my EV than a compressed air car would use - because of the inefficiencies of compressing air. Storage is also a HUGE issue. While batteries have increased in energy density by a significant amount every year, there is only so much compressed air that you can safely hold in a given volume.

[KmanMonkeyPig]

Yeah, you have a point. They take energy to charge up, but the technology is at an early stage since most big companies want to postpone Air, water and electric driven cars for as long as possible.

Of course the companies developing these will also put some kind of twist on it, like environmental fees for energy costs. Still, air driven cars take much less energy than traditional cars, if you count the refining processess of fuel for example, and they could decrease the demand for oil.

[supersmalls]

Its a giant USB port on the front

[darelldd]

Would be nice if it were that universal!

[darelldd]

If you were to take it down to 0%, which normally doesn't happen (that's gas-car thinking where you put off refueling as long as possible since it sucks) it would take about five hours.

Ask Toyota why you didn't know about it. Toyota testified before CARB that they advertised the Rav4EV MORE than they advertised the Prius at the time.

[shakwar]

How long does it take to fully charge from 0%?

and I didn't know toyota sell this???

[darelldd]

There is no weight limit. Electric big-rigs are currently being put into service at busy shipping ports. Electric switching engines (trains) have been in use for many years. Sometimes, extra weight is an advantage

[amerenio]

what is the weight limit on car bodies used to make an electric car? Thanks!

[dmak646]

darelldd thank you for posting this video. its inspiring. no only do you have an electric car but SOLAR PANELS on your house too??? thats awsome! i wish i had enough money for all that stuff :-(

[darelldd]

Thanks for the nice comment. Honestly, I don't have enough money to have NOT done this. Six years ago, my out-of-pocket expenses were $40,000. For that $40,000, I bought a brand new car (the Rav4EV) and fuel for an EV for the rest of my life. If I were to buy a new gas car for $20,000 today, and gas for that car for the next 40 years... well, I don't even want to think about it.

[BlueRSX]

Bravo Darell...by the way, I'll have a margerita...on the rocks with salt, thanx!

Here's to future of our oil independency!

[darelldd]

Oooh, bummer. We usually blend ours.

[champ2486]

Is the solar power stored directly in that wall mounted charging station? If so that's quite a convenient setup you got there.

[darelldd]

The only storage of the power is in the vehicles batteries. During the day when nobody is home, the meter spins backwards while the neighbors use our excess power. At night when we come home and plug the car in, the meter spins forward. At the end of the year we total it all up, and so far have not had to pay ANYTHING for our power consumption.

In the end, the setup I have is even more convenient than what you were thinking!

[Dilekz]

Stop posting these vids, you are just making me jalous and all the other people who can't buy such a car :) The toyota dealer here didn't even knew there was a electrical version of the rav4.. :D I think rav4 is the best EV on the road today. You are so stinky lucky dude :)

[darelldd]

Yeah yeah. Well, somebody actually ASKED me to do this for his class... to answer the very question: Where does your energy come from?

Even the Toyota dealer from which I bought my car (and that sold 26 others) is staffed with people that no nothing about the car. One sales guy just insisted that my car is a hybrid and wanted to know what kind of mileage I was really getting. I finally told him that I have 60,000 miles and haven't had to put gas in it yet!

[chairde]

I live in New Jersey so I never saw any EV cars like you have. I heard that they were only leased in California and Arizona. How did you keep yours?

[darelldd]

All production EVs were originally lease only. When Toyota told CARB one day that they wanted to stop making EVs because they could only sell so few of them, one potential EV owner stood up and pointed out that NOBODY could buy the car. A few months later, the Rav4EV became the ONLY EV for sale to private owners. I bought mine. Nobody can take it away. There are about 300 of them privately owned and on the road today.

[world101010]

cool, what is the specifications of the solar panel and how much it cost you, and do u have batteries attached to it to charge it then charge the car?

Ali

[darelldd]

The PV system is 2.5 kW. BP panels, and a Sunnyboy inverter. The system cost me $10,000 after rebates. It is completely paid for, and my energy for the home and car will now be free for pretty much the rest of my life.

[cuervo1957]

Ummm....Where do I get one??

[darelldd]

Well, you can find one used on eBay sometimes. You just have to be prepared to pay about $30,000 more than they cost when new. Do us all a favor, and ask this question of every auto dealership in your area.

[Bensim05]

I love that you have all solar and an EV!!!!!!!! More power to the future! I'm so excited to change the way we live!

[tazeat]

Wait so how long does it actually take to charge it from an empty battery to a full battery, you just show us connecting that cable....

[darelldd]

Yes. I show you how much of MY time is invested in the process. I typically don't care how long the CAR sits there and charges. I'm asleep. Same way I don't care how long my cell phone takes to charge. Or my electric tooth brush. But to answer your question - if you are totally empty (which just about never happens) it takes about five hours from empty to full.

[TheCopilot91]

And just how far do you go on a totally charged battery because I do drive about 70 miles at an extreme trip across town at most, but I do it with what would be lots of charge time if i were to have an ev. Do you have a portable adapter that you could plug into if you were to go on a large trip and wanted to top off at a restaurant or something?

[darelldd]

Farthest I've gone on one charge in the Rav4EVis 135 miles. I normally call the range 100 miles though. I regularly drive over 90 freeway miles in this car, and I'm coming up on six years and 60,000 miles on it.

[wakapass]

People just don't want to believe that the era of fossil fuels is passed!! so they bring up any excuse u can think of

[Ba101]

Amen wakapass.

I agree!

[TheCopilot91]

While I adore the throaty rumble of American Muscle, there is nothing funner than imagining the look on someones face as you blow them away to the sound similar to that of a jet turbine.

[darelldd]

Ah... I don't have to imagine it. Used to happen all the time in the EV1. Though the sound used to "blow them away" was barely over a whisper. In fact the main sound is the tires grasping for traction.

[TheCopilot91]

Really! I was generalizing with this video I saw of a TREX with and electric motor, the guy was revving it and it sounded like a get plane. I just wish there was a sensible way to convert my Suburban to be totally electric and get extreme mileage like a tesla. Now I'm messing with hydrogen! Hello "H Bomb"!

[darelldd]

Hmm. Not sure what a TREX is, and I've not heard of an EV that can be "reved." Normally the output shaft of the motor is mechanically linked to the drive wheels... and no clutch. Reving the motor would just rocket you forward. Normally you cannot hear the electric motor, though you can hear the reduction gearing if you listen closely. Normally the tire noise is louder though!

[TheCopilot91]

It's a video of a Kitcar Trike, on youtube no less but it was connected to a manual gearbox. It may have been a homebrew EV, that or it had REALLY low gears because it was loud and it was just barely crawling!

[LTF85199]

You might want to upgrade that vehicle with Lithium Polymer batteries. which can give you higher range, lower weight hece higher speed and even a longer life. I dont know if is worth to invest on that upgrade since Lipo batter are still very expensive.

[darelldd]

Doing so would cost considerably more than the original vehicle. Would love to do it if somebody else were paying... buy why? Why bother with that sort of extra expense when the range and speed I currently have is sufficient for over 95% of our driving? An entirely new BMS (and cooling system) would be required as well. Isn't as simple as just swapping one type of battery for another, unfortunately.

[LTF85199]

oh, you need to have cooling too huh? didnt know that. Do you have a ballpark figure of how mucha a lipo battery of that capacity would run around?

[darelldd]

Today, the batteries themselves would be well north of the $42,000 MSRP of the vehicle, I'm sure. And that doesn't include the BMS and cooling mentioned earlier. Yes, these large packs will all need some sort of cooling. The current NiMH pack is air cooled - and that isn't done evenly nor with much control.

[AcePilot101]

Everyone in ?America should see this video.

People keep saying to me, well how do you power up your electric car?

With solar panels!!

[darelldd]

The normal response is then, "But I can't afford PV" or "PV won't work where I live." PV works in places that normally surprises people, and in a case like mine, I could not afford to NOT put PV in. Five years ago I paid a total of $41,000 for a brand new car AND electric fuel for the rest of my life.

[atmor37]

I think Ev'S are a great idea. but if you live in the city park on the street and don't have your own charging port, what do you do?

I think built in solar pannels on the roof of the car and plugin hybrids would be a more realistic goal.

[darelldd]

There are many "on street" solutions that have already been developed and are being sold/used in Europe. They look just like parking meters, and you swipe a payment card and plug in. Here in the US, we're using the power from light poles for street charging as well.

Solar panels belong on the roof of your house where they are exposed to sunlight all day. Covering a car with solar panels - in the best of situations - would add maybe 2 miles of range per day. A waste of resources.

[Masun]

I wish more people would think like that. As soon as I graduate I'm doing exactly what you did.

[Dilekz]

41000 for the car and solar panels?

I wonder what your electrical bill is?

And its a good investment because electrical bills etc are going to rise too!

How much $ for each watt did you pay? (PV)

Here in europe its arround 5€ each watt. ( thats arround $ 7.50 each watt )

[darelldd]

Yes sir. $41,000 is actually a generous estimate of the total. I paid about $31,000 for the car, and $10,000 for the PV.

My total electrical bill is less than $70 per YEAR. And that covers the electricity for my house and the fuel for my car. Most folks spend way more than that per week just to fuel their car.

My PV system is 2.5 kW, and it cost me $10,000 after rebates. Today, installations run about $8 per installed watt - similar to what you've listed.

[AcePilot101]

Tesla Motors is based in Oakland, California but they are built by Lotus in England.

I stand corrected.

[AcePilot101]

Don't forget to check out the all-electric Tesla Roadster built in Oakland, California.

250 miles between charges, 165 mph..fully loaded with electronic goodies..body by Lotus.

[darelldd]

Well, they aren't built in Oakland... but yes - Tesla appears to be one of our best hopes for new "real" EVs going forward.

[Nichen]

Are there ANY EV1s left on the roads in America today?? Please let me know

[darelldd]

Certainly there are none in private hands. I'm sure there are a few around, though seeing them on the road would not be likely. A few were gutted and given to schools, so you may see some on test tracks. None of those are allowed to be driven on the road again, as I understand it. Part of the agreement to receive the vehicle.

[Nichen]

Damn you GM. Thanks a lot darelldd for the information, was great of you to reply.

[justaguy123456]

The government will never support solar electricity while Bush and Cheney are in office. There families are making millions in the oil business.

[Bogt]

This is my future dream!! I love the RAV4EV(er) just fuel your car from the sun. Ultimate freedom!

[gamewizard]

And people wonder why GM killed the EV1. Californians were fueling them with solar, so not only the oil companies, but also the electric utilities weren't making any money off them, and the EV1 was so low maintenance that even parts and service outlets weren't making much. Pretty much only the tire makers were getting anything out of it.

[chezalic]

I love this so much. I hope the CIA or the FBI doesn't come to your house and make you commit suicide. You know how they are.

[darelldd]

So far they have only supported killing my car... not me directly. Thanks for caring.  ;)

[mjkobb]

The first year that I had my solar panels in, my electric bill was about $46. FOR THE WHOLE YEAR. That included all of my usage at the house (2200 square feet with plasma TVs, air conditioning and so on), *and* ALL of my driving (12,000 miles!) in my RAV4-EV. That's less than it costs to fill many cars for a week's driving.

[Nichen]

lol :) 46 dollars...that´s "pretty" good :)

[cant7think7clearly]

I got 00:02.07 seconds! Very cool! I want one!

[darelldd]

Hey! I get time credit for having to hold the camera in the other hand! :)

[Jru5011]

I wanna go electric so bad. I eagerly await that day. It must be a wonderful feeling. Conductive charging is probably more practical than inductive as of now. Either way awesome!

[Nichen]

Thinking the same thing, I don´t own a car today, but next car will definately be a zero emissions car, definately electric

[darelldd]

It is a great feeling. And I agree that conductive is more practical (and cheaper and more efficient) than inductive. But this was the proprietary solution offered by GM and Toyota. If you make it conductive, why then you could just easily charge anywhere, and not NEED the expensive device supplied by the car maker. Yup.

[RCCGroup]

Great job Darell... If people would pay less attention to Paris Hilton, and more attention to the fact that solar power is available NOW, and more alternative fueled vehicles (like yours) should be available to everyone NOW, they could hold onto their hard earned cash longer! "Long Live American Electrons!"

[jim0266]

So you have one of the 328 Rav4's sold to the public. Lucky you.

[darelldd]

I own one of the 339 vehicles that were offered to the public in CA, yes. Only 101 of those were purchased orgininally, and the rest were leased. Many of those leases are now being converted to sales.

[cuervo1957]

So for now you can only go as far as half a tank will take you, then you have to come back home to recharge? Or are there any recharge stations at Rav dealerships?

[VidKingz]

Nice! :P

[rcyoder]

Let's see -- conviently fill up at home and have a full 'tank' when you leave or go to the toxic waste dump on the corner... Hmmm, which would I prefer?