SEG & Chill – How Sustainable Are EV’s really?

A critical look at EV’s from a CO2 and GHG (greenhouse gas) perspective.

Although we should always remember vehicles emit more than just GHG like CO2 but also pollutants like nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and many volatile organic compounds that contribute to smog.

Sorry Tesla: Why I still think a plugin hybrid is better than a full electric vehicle

Alternate Quirky Title: “Here is why I would buy a plugin hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) instead of an all electric car (EV) and I work for a solar company.”

The “all things should be electric” mantra is great until you live in the Sierras.

We have the full spectrum of issues when it comes to reliable energy.

We experience:

1. PSPS’s – warm weather
2. Fires – warm weather
3. Snowmageddons – cold weather & snow

Our energy and transportation challenges happen in warm and cold weather, therefor our solutions have to be more complex than “let’s electrify everything.” 

With that said, for our homes, I still believe in the energy trifecta. Solar + batteries and a backup generator. However, transportation introduces a different set of challenges.

Electric vs hybrid vs combustions vehicles in 2023

As I contemplate my next vehicle purchase, I can’t help but consider several scenarios:

1. What happens when your electric is out, but you need to charge your car?
2. What if a fire breaks out and your EV’s battery is depleted from driving all day, and you don’t have time to charge? To top it off, PG&E decides to preemptively cut the power.  *Suddenly your EV becomes an immovable object at a very crucial time.
3. What if the nearest charging station is “out of order,” and there are no others within your car’s range?
4. What if you’re stuck in the snow, the road’s impassable and your EV’s battery runs out? With a hybrid or gas-powered vehicle, a gas can could save the day.
5. For combustion-only vehicles, what if a fire forces evacuation and your car’s low gas mileage creates an emergency scenario when you find out gas stations are out of service, out of gas or closed?
6. On the flip side, there is also a benefit to being able charge a car at home, especially if gas pumps are out of fuel which can happen before/during emergencies. 

All of these scenarios are possible, and unfortunately they happen in our area.

How about range?

Heard this question before?

A fully charged Tesla can travel approximately 300-360 miles, nearly enough to reach Los Angeles.

However, a fully charged and filled 2023 Prius Prime plug-in hybrid car (which employs both electric motors and gas combustion engines) can cover an impressive range of 600-660 miles.

Simply put, you could travel twice as far on a full charge plus a full tank of gas in a 2023 Prius PHEV than you can in a Tesla EV.

To break it down even further:

• A fully charged Tesla EV could potentially take me as far as Oregon and Nevada.
• A fully charged Prius Plugin Hybrid could take me to Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.

When I buy a vehicle I like to consider the extremes and unfortunately these scenarios have become all too real in our community.  Recent fires and snowmageddons along with Covid, created a need to evaluate what our vehicles can do. 

This is why we at SEG we focus on appropriate AND sustainable technology. That is why we install solar, batteries AND generators.

In Conclusion

Given all these factors, and with the reasonable prices of these cars currently in production, I personally would buy a plug-in hybrid over any other type of vehicle.  The plugin hybrid can be charged by my home’s solar panels and the electric battery is big enough to get me to work and back without gas. Also because they also have a gasoline engine, which I can fill up anywhere and they can get over 100 mpge!

I will be writing about the Prius PHEV in a future article because it also has solar panels built into the roof as an option! Imagine that, even if all the power was down, I could still keep on going, indefinitely, even it I could only charge up to 6 miles a day. 

Read our article about the 2023 Prius Prime PHEV, to be published in late August 2023 here or subscribe to our newsletter for more (see the side bar or below). 

Also, if you were wondering… there is such a thing as a Solar Electric Vehicles or SEV’s. These concept cars insert solar cells everywhere they can, to gain the most chargeable miles per day. The Lightyear SEV claims it can charge about 44 miles in full sun, per day, which is exciting! But I still believe the extra combustion engine makes a PHEV a more appropriate form of technology for transportation at this moment, in Northern California.

The Lightyear SEV

Gas Guzzling Giants: The Absurdity of 16-MPG Trucks in a 2023 World

*Really?! Worse than prior years? Is this a joke? Who does this delay benefit?

Automotive technology has seen significant shifts in recent years, with particular emphasis on fuel efficiency. Trucks, traditionally seen as gas-guzzlers, are finally seeing some improvements. But just how far have we come in creating the efficient truck of the future?

*Read until the end for a our comprehensive spreadsheet comparison.

Hybrid Trucks

When examining the hybrid offerings, three trucks vie for the top spot. The Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra hybrids both hover at a similar price point (approximately $40k), but the F-150 offers a more impressive electric ability able to drive 39 miles on electric compared to the Tundra’s 22 miles. However, the real disruptor in the hybrid truck category is the 2024 Ford Maverick. This well priced truck ($21,490) outperforms the more expensive models with an electric range of 42 miles and a whopping 40 MPGe.

Let’s remember that it’s “whopping,” because the average, for a long time, for a lot of pickup trucks, has been lower than 20 mpg. Also compared to a new hybrid electric car, which can drive more than 100 mpge, 40 mpge for a vehicle is not as impressive. 

Ford Maverick Hybrid – 40 mpg : $20-25k

Side Note – Cost:

We all can agree that burning less gas, will create less pollution and use less finite resources. This is what makes fuel efficiency so important. But how about the cost?

Check out this graph for the average cost per year vs miles per gallon in the USA. In California it would cost more because our gas is some of the most expensive in the nation, especially in our region. Each MPG below 20 becomes exponentially more expensive per year. 

– image from www.gizmodriver.com/fuel-economy/average-and-median-mpg-for-all-types-of-pickup-trucks/

FYI: Below are average gas prices per state for July 2023. 

Gas prices in July 2023 from AAA

Here the different counties in California… ouch. 

PHEV Trucks?

The Plug-In Hybrid Electric Truck (PHEV) scene sees a lone contender, the Ford Ranger. Sitting at $36,285, this truck delivers 34 miles of electric range and a 42 MPGe rating, numbers that make it a worthy competitor to the traditional hybrids and can be charged from home. 

Electric Trucks?

When we venture into the electric truck territory, the efficiency numbers take a leap. Here, the electric Ford F-150 Lightning (68mpge) and the Chevrolet Silverado EV (47mpge) both present a interesting value proposition, with starting prices around $40k and electric ranges of 230 miles and 400 miles, respectively. However, the Rivian R1T, despite its hefty price tag ($67,500), delivers an impressive 314 miles electric range and leads the pack with a 105 MPGe rating.

The GMC Hummer EV and the future Ram 1500 REV are both decent offerings that present solid electric ranges and MPGe ratings, yet their high prices and the Hummer’s weight (a hefty 9,063 lbs or 4.5 tons!) makes it a tougher buy.

The EV Hummer is morbidly obese.

In sharp contrast, traditional combustion trucks continue to lag in the efficiency race. The Ford F-150, Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota Tundra, and GMC Sierra all hover between 14-19 MPG, with no electric range to speak of. This reality underscores the significant leaps made in hybrid and electric technology.

Let’s dive a little deeper.

Batteries on trucks are HUGE, and they take a lot of energy to charge and a lot of energy to create.

When analyzing battery size, electric trucks lead the way. The Chevrolet Silverado EV and the Ram 1500 REV have enormous 200.0 kWh and 215.0 kWh batteries. In contrast, hybrid trucks utilize significantly smaller batteries, with the Ford Maverick leading this category with its 13.8 kWh battery.

Battery power used for home backup is normally around 10-20kWh.

— Can we use our vehicles to charge our homes? Short answer, you will be, and in some cases yes. But you’ll want read our article about it, to be published in part 2 of our Transportation Issue coming out late August 2023 here or subscribe to our newsletter (side bar or below). 

In terms of production numbers, it’s clear that combustion trucks continue to dominate the market, with Ford’s F-150 seeing an estimated 800,000 units produced in 2023. However, it’s impressive to see electric trucks like the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV projecting decent numbers (150,000 units each).

To sum it all up, the shift toward more efficient trucks is evident but not yet at a point of dominance. Hybrids like the Ford Maverick and PHEVs like the Ford Ranger make efficiency accessible at a lower cost. Electric trucks promise the greatest efficiency, but at a significantly higher price point and higher impact in mining the materials and have the greatest need for electricity to charge them.

Meanwhile, traditional combustion trucks continue to hold a significant market share, although their efficiency metrics remain stuck in the past. Why is that?

One thing is clear: as technology progresses, the future of efficient pickup trucks lies in electric and hybrid innovations but this change will present some interesting challenges. 

Data, coming at ya!

Here is a rough run down compiled by SEG of the available types of trucks and their key metrics. 

What do you think? Are you happy to see some new trucks on the scene? I know we are.

*Share your thoughts with us on our social media (Facebook and Instagram)! 

Also…

Some of the Most Fuel-Efficient Pickups (not including Rivian) You Can Buy 

from the Motor Trends 2023 Truck Efficiency Article 

Concrete Is Out: SEG’s Groundbreaking Switch to Ground Screws (pun intended!)

At SEG, we are dedicated to innovating for the well-being of our planet and helping our customers feel good about working with us, knowing sustainability and innovation are our core values. Ground-mounted solar systems, which have traditionally relied on concrete footings and piers, now have an eco-friendlier alternative to secure them to the earth, RESUSABLE ground screws.  

By using ground screws instead of concrete, SEG saves an average of 7 cubic yards of concrete per installation. This is the equivalent of over 28,000 lbs or 14 tons of concrete that is not manufactured and transported to the site. 

To be clear, steel ground screws also need to be manufactured and transported but they can be REUSED while still holding their integrity and function, while concrete cannot be reused in the same fashion.

Not only are ground screws reusable, they also better preserve soil ecosystems and reduce site disturbance.  Their lightweight and maneuverable design enables faster installation, immediate loadability, ability to cut through any ground and rock, while also functioning well on slopes and challenging construction sites.

Why has concrete come under fire as being un-sustainable?

Here is what 14 tons or 7 cubic yards of concrete for a solar installation represents:

• Energy consumption: The process of producing cement for concrete is energy-intensive and involves heating raw materials, such as limestone and clay, to very high temperatures in a kiln. This process is typically powered by fossil fuels. Producing and transporting 7 cubic yards of concrete demands around 7,000 megajoules of energy. This amount is equivalent to the energy used by an average US household in approximately 63 days.  

• Waste generation: Producing 7 cubic yards of concrete generates around 0.7 metric tons of waste materials, such as dust and sludge. This waste contributes to air and water pollution and creates challenges for disposal.

• Limited reuse potential: Although some concrete can be crushed and reused as aggregate, only an estimated 10-15% can be effectively repurposed. This means that up to 5.95 cubic yards of the 7 cubic yards produced could end up in landfills, taking centuries to decompose and occupying valuable space.

• Greenhouse gas emissions: Producing 7 cubic yards of concrete generates a substantial amount of greenhouse gases other than CO2, such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).

• Resource depletion: Creating 7 cubic yards of concrete requires a large quantity of raw materials, including limestone, sand, and gravel. This process contributes to habitat destruction, loss of biodiversity, and exhaustion of non-renewable resources.

• Water consumption: The production of 7 cubic yards of concrete necessitates approximately 770 gallons of water. This consumption contributes to water scarcity and puts a strain on local water resources.

• Longer construction times: The use of concrete footings for solar panel installations typically requires and extra day or two of labor increasing costs.

• Lastly, this amount of concrete is hard on our vehicles and the backs of our amazing SEG crews, making ground screws a better technology in a whole picture point of view.

Hopefully you can see that SEG’s switch from concrete to the successful implementation of ground screws in our ground mounted solar projects highlights our commitment to promoting sustainable and innovative practices in the solar industry and our community.

SEG ground mount solar array with bifacial solar panels and ground screws

Ground screws are reliable, strong and most of all, moveable and sustainably re-usable.  Our choices matter and a little change in thinking can go a long way. Can you think of any upgrades (small to big) that you can do in your business and at home?