https://fremonttribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/retiree-touts-benefits-of-electric-car/article_2a6433b4-c980-5d8d-87d8-fd2714005f66.html Retiree touts benefits of electric car 2019-10-26 TAMMY REAL-MCKEIGHAN
[image https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/fremonttribune.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/02/402c391b-dc23-5b7a-a4ec-a318589e8e3d/5db385841c5bf.image.jpg (Bolt EV) Richard Hirschman of Fremont and his dog, Charley, stand by the electric vehicle the local man bought ... ] Richard Hirschman doesn’t have to worry about his car getting low on gas. That’s because the Fremont man has an electric car. While using his new car, Hirschman is helping the City of Fremont collect electric usage data. And he even got a rebate. In June, the city announced that it received grant funding from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for an electric vehicle incentive program. The program, which started July 1, is designed to study the effects that charging electric vehicles would have on Fremont’s electric system — and to encourage charging during off-peak hours. With the grant funds, the city can provide a $4,500 rebate in exchange for the new car owner sharing his or her electric vehicle charging data. “We have enough funding for 10 incentives,” said Lottie Mitchell, executive assistant for communications and grants. “We have six incentives remaining.” The grant funding ends June 1, 2020. “They’ll want to speak with us prior to purchasing their electric vehicle to make sure we still have an incentive available for them,” Mitchell said. Hirschman, a retired social studies teacher, said he became involved the program, because most scientists agree the main cause of many climate problems — such as more severe hurricanes — is due to burning fossil fuels. When the city put in its community solar farm, Hirschman said he got the most solar panels he could. “One of the main intentions of getting those was to kind of balance the electricity I would be using with an electric car,” Hirschman said. When Hirschman began looking for electric vehicles, he wanted to purchase one that was less expensive than a Tesla or a LEAF. Hirschman decided the electric vehicle that best met his needs was a 2019 Chevy Bolt, which he said looks like a small SUV. He bought the five-door car in July for $28,000. He said the charger, not included in the car purchase, cost $1,100, including installation. Hirschman hopes to gets a tax rebate from the Federal government for $3,750. “It puts it down to where it costs no more than a regular car,” Hirschman said. “It’s well worthwhile.” Hirschman has the charging station mounted on his garage wall. He plugs his car into the station. It takes nine hours if the car needs to be fully charged. “Usually, you don’t wait for that,” Hirschman said. Hirschman said he can get about 240 miles from a full charge. Recently, Hirschman made a couple trips to Lincoln and the mileage was closer to 180 miles per full charge. He noted how, like a gasoline-powered vehicle, mileage depends on wind and weather conditions. And unlike a gas-powered vehicle, Hirschman said he gets better mileage driving around town than out on the road. “In town, you are stepping on the brake and every time you step on the brake, it charges the battery,” he said. Because the battery is charged as he drives around town, Hirschman said he’s probably getting closer to 340 miles. Unless he would take a trip out of town, Hirschman only plugs in his car once every two or three weeks, depending on the miles he’ll drive. “It’s much easier to do in my garage than getting out into the cold and rain and filling a gas tank,” he added. There is one charging station behind the HyVee gas station in the Fremont Mall parking lot and another in the Ilgenfritz parking lot across from the Dodge County Courthouse downtown. Electric car owners can get an app for their phone that tells the location of the nearest charging station and if it’s available or how long before it’s available. Mitchell said she’s heard of electric vehicle owners driving successfully from Fremont to Florida, mapping the route on their app. “It requires a little planning, because the charging infrastructure is still being built,” Mitchell said, adding, “Traveling by electric vehicle across our nation is possible.” More hotels are offering more charging stations for patrons. Lincoln and Omaha, each have more than 25 stations, for the public and that number is growing. “Many businesses in larger cities also have that for their employees,” Hirschman said. What’s more, every car comes with a portable charger. So if a car owner is spending the night at a relative’s home and that person has an outlet, the car can be plugged in. “The problem is that you’re plugging into a regular outlet and it takes much longer,” Hirschman said. But the EV owner could top off the battery. Mitchell said an electric vehicle owner’s home charging station can be programmed to start charging at certain times. For instance, a local car owner could plug in the vehicle at 6 p.m. and set the charger to start charging at another specified time. It could be set to charge at off-peak times, which are after 11 p.m. and before 6 a.m. There’s currently not a reduced price for charging at these times, but the city’s goal is to obtain the metering technology to provide that, Mitchell said. If Hirschman moves, he can take the charger to another house. Hirschman cites other benefits of having an electric vehicle: virtually no maintenance. These vehicles don’t need oil changes or hose, belt or muffler replacements — because there are none. There’s no concern with a radiator, air filters, spark plugs, fuel or water pumps. “It’s eliminated half of the issues a gasoline-fueled vehicle typically has,” Mitchell said. Those interested in participating in the program must fill out a reservation application. “Once we’ve signed off on it, they have seven days to purchase the electric vehicle,” Mitchell said. The vehicle, whether car or pickup, must be all electric. No hybrids will be allowed. Participants may purchase their brand of choice, but the vehicle must be new and not pre-owned. A participant may purchase a 2018 vehicle. As long as it wasn’t pre-owned, it’s considered new. After completing the reservation application, participants have 90 days to purchase, install and activate their ChargePoint charging station. Charging stations must be purchased at: www.etpnebraska.com/fremont [ChargePoint home EVSE https://www.etpnebraska.com/fremont ] The station collects the charging data, which is what the city seeks to gather. After the person buys the electric vehicle, registers the charging station and signs an agreement to share their data with the city for three years, the person can be issued the rebate. To qualify for the incentive, the electric vehicle owner must: - Be a residential Fremont Department of Utilities electric customer. - Have an electric vehicle and charging station that is licensed and registered at their utility customer address. - Have a utility service address with wireless internet connectivity for 36 continuous months from the date of the incentive approval. Program participants could be eligible for other funds as well. The American Public Power Association (APPA) has joined forces with the automobile manufacturer, Nissan, to offer an additional rebate on the all-electric Nissan LEAF. Depending on which type of all-electric LEAF vehicle they purchase, program participants could be eligible for a $2,500 to $3,500 rebate. That program is available through Jan. 2, 2020. Customers of the Fremont DU are APPA customers and would be eligible for that additional incentive, Mitchell said. Mitchell pointed out that there are many electric vehicles on the market. “Market analysis shows the trend to switch from gasoline-powered vehicles to electric vehicles is increasing,” Mitchell added. She noted something else. “We as a Utility want to be prepared for the effects the charging of those electric vehicles will have on our demand and our electric system,” Mitchell said. Besides saving money, Hirschman believes he’s helping the environment. Mitchell said in three months of the city’s program, its four participants have avoided 622 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions which is like planting 16 trees and letting them grow for 10 years. Anyone interested in the program may go to the city’s website at fremontne.gov and search for the electric vehicle incentive program, which has links to the necessary forms, and contact Mitchell for questions at lottie.mitchell @fremontne.gov or 402-727-2624. [© fremonttribune.com] http://nebraskastudies.org/1800-1849/the-louisiana-purchase/john-c-fremont-pathfinder/ John C. Fremont, Pathfinder - Nebraska Studies Courtesy Nebraska State Historical Society, RG2411-1694-7 ... own maps, and one of the most significant chart-making explorers was Captain John C. Fremont. http://nebraskastudies.org/assets/images/Angie_Fremont.original.jpg ... (same Fremont in CA, home of Tesla) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Fr%C3%A9mont John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813 – July 13, 1890) was an American ... In June 1846, Frémont's and his army expedition's return to California, spurred .... Captain John Sutter, a German-Mexican (and later American by treaty) ... + https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/Article/Index/103668 Lawmakers told state must plan for more electric vehicles 10/22/2019 The Cherokee Nation's two Nissa Leaf vehicles sit on the Tribal Complex in ... OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ... The tribe already has invested in two smaller electric vehicles and in two solar-powered EV charging stations, and Secretary of Natural Resources Chad Harsha said additional EV buys and infrastructure investments are anticipated ... https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/Images/2019/10/103668_nws_191021_ElectricCars2-L.jpg For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://www.evdl.org/archive/ {brucedp.neocities.org} -- Sent from: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/ _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub ARCHIVE: http://www.evdl.org/archive/index.html INFO: http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
