EV Ownership - Should You Switch?

Alan Shedd joins us to discuss electric vehicles and gives his thoughts on ownership. He has worked with Georgia's 38 electric cooperatives and their 4.1 million members to develop resources, solutions, and communicate best practices for energy efficiency, renewables, smart energy use, and EVs. Alan has logged over 400,000 miles on plug-in vehicles!

Transcript

This is Watt’s New, a series of conversations about what’s new in the energy space. Hosted by Cobb EMC, one of the nation’s largest electric membership cooperatives based in Marietta, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. Now here’s Watt’s New. 

Mike Codichini: And here we are with another episode of Watt’s New. My name is Mike Codichini, I’m the director of member and PR at Cobb EMC. Our guest today is Alan Shedd. Alan recently retired as the Director of Emerging Technologies at Oglethorpe Power Corporation and is now doing some consulting work. 

He’s worked with Georgia’s 38 electric cooperatives and their 4.1 million members to develop resources, solutions and communicate best practices for energy efficiency, renewables, smart energy use and of course, electric vehicles, our topic today. 

Alan was in the utility space for more than 40 years and is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Alan, welcome to Watt’s New. 

Alan Shedd: Glad to be here, thank you.

Mike: You have an impressive resume. What we really want to hear about now is your knowledge of electric vehicles and the over 400,000 miles you claim to have put on those various plug-in vehicles. 

Alan: Oh, absolutely. So, you know, I’ve been involved in electric vehicles for a long time, since high school back in the 70s. And you know, the first EV I actually built was with a group of high school kids. We built an electric racing go-cart. That was a lot of fun. 

But, you know, fast-forward, I’ve built several. I now drive a Kia EV6, a commercially made vehicle, and it’s more than a hobby of mine, it’s a passion. 

Mike: Talk about the EV landscape and what’s available to the average consumer that wants to buy. 

Alan: We’re really pretty fortunate, I think. Over the past three to five years, we’ve seen a lot more choices available for EV buyers. More than 70 models available of different kinds, you know, passenger cars, pickup trucks, you know, pretty much a broad sector. Now, not all of those are available from dealers in Georgia, so you need to do a bit of shopping around, but there are a lot of choices, typically. You know, the range has increased, the average range is about 300 miles per charge. There is even one available that can go over 500 miles on a single charge. 

But in addition to the passenger cars that we typically think about, there are more medium and heavy-duty trucks, garbage trucks, even electric jet skis. 

Mike: And for someone on the fence thinking about buying one, what are the pros and cons of ownership. 

Alan: A lot of it of course, depends on your needs. In Georgia, the typical suburban driver, drives about 49 miles a day. So, a car that can go 200 miles in a single charge is certainly well within that capability. 

On the pro side I’d say they are fun to drive, it’s convenient to be able to charge at home. They are less expensive to operate, not only for the energy that goes in the tank, but in maintenance costs. 

On the negative side, if you drive more than 300 miles regularly every day, you are going to spend more time using public charging and that can be a little more expensive than charging at home. 

If you live in an apartment, you know, you may have more difficulty finding a place to plugin. And if you tow a lot of big, heavy loads, you are going to spend more time charging. So, a lot of it depends on your use-case, I’d say. 

Mike: You mentioned driving range and price, our two big issues we hear about. Have you seen any changes in those two areas?

Alan: Well, we have seen a significant increase in range. You know, when EVs like the Nissan Leaf came out in the 90s with a 100-mile range, we thought WOW this is great, if we have a car that can go 100 miles, this is perfect. But, time marches on. 200 miles became the average, and now 300 miles is sort of what’s typical. 

Frankly, when you talk about range, how far do you need to go before you stop? After I drive about five hours, I am ready for a break to get something to eat and stretch my legs.  

In terms of cost, every car has gotten more expensive, unfortunately. EVs have become more mainstream, they are no longer really the luxury premium vehicle, there are lots of different choices available. In many cases, the electric vehicle doesn’t cost significantly more than the gas-powered equivalent, so you are not paying that cost premium that you used to be. 

Another option to consider is leasing, there are some great deals on leased vehicles. Or, if you are looking for second or a third vehicle, look into used EVs. There’s some really good deals there. 

Mike: Let’s talk about charging. In your opinion, what is the current status of the charging infrastructure and do you see any of that improving over the next few years. 

Alan: Everything of course is moving forward. When I drove across country in 2007, we didn’t have charging infrastructure. It was a kind of a challenge to find a place to plug in. 

2018 I drove to Salt Lake City, and some areas it still was a challenge. In rural parts of America, chargers can be sort of few and far between. But, you know, that is changing. We’re seeing a lot more high-powered, fast-chargers particularly on interstate routes that can you back on the road in minutes. 

But, charging stations are still not in every exit. As I said, in some rural parts of the state, they can be a little sparce. I rely on my car’s navigation system and apps to help me plan my trip. You know, Georgia got $134 million from the federal government to build out a state-wide charging network. That work is progressing, hopefully it will continue, and it will make it easy. But, keep in mind, that for most daily driving you can simply charge at home and you don’t need to use those public chargers. 

Mike: Cobb EMC offers a NiteFlex rate, but does the cost of charging vary both in home and at public charging stations? 

Alan: You know, we talked about those high-powered charging stations on interstates. They’re more expensive to use in part because you are paying for that expensive hardware, and in part for the energy that goes into them. They cost about the same per mile as buying gasoline. When you charge at home, of course, that’s when the real savings add up. 

It cost me about $1,000 to install the charging station at my house, but then your cost of putting energy in your car can be quite inexpensive. Cobb EMC as you mentioned has rebates for reducing the cost of that charger. But, when we talk about rates, a typical residential rate to charge at home is about the same as buying gasoline at $1 a gallon. Now, some utilities have EV charging rates that can lower that cost further. Cobb’s NiteFlex rate that you mentioned is particularly interesting. If you can charge in the middle of the night from midnight to 6 a.m., you get 400 kilowatt hours for free to charge your car. That’s about 1,200 miles of free driving every month. 

Mike: Earlier you mentioned low maintenance, that’s a big plus when purchasing an EV. Do you find the life of the batteries and the warranty to be sufficient. 

Alan: The warranty on my car’s battery is 10 years, 100,000 miles. There is every indication that the batteries are going to last longer than that. No auto manufacturer wants to have to replace an expensive component under warranty. I think you can be pretty comfortable that you’re going to get that sort of range out of it. 

But in terms of other maintenance considerations, there are very few moving parts on an EV. I took my car in for service, a few thousand miles ago. The only thing I did was rotate the tires, the only fluid I have to add is windshield washer fluid. There are some EVs on the road that have well over half a million miles on the odometer. So, you hear a lot about oh my gosh, they are going to die, they are going to leave you stranded. That really hasn’t been a thing. 

Mike: There is also an environmental aspect to consider, right? Yes, there is zero emissions and no fuel to buy. Another topic is battery recycling. Are EV batteries being recycled and can they be environmentally friendly? 

Alan: Batteries are the most expensive component of an EV. So, because of that, obviously there is a lot of interest in trying to reduce that cost and find a use for those materials. They are too valuable just to end up in a landfill. 

Recycling those batteries is critically important, and we are seeing more companies, even here in Georgia, get into the recycling space. But, when an EV reaches sort of the end of its service life, often times that battery is still useful. It can be used for other purposes, stationary aspects. Maybe not powering a car, but providing backup power to your house or a utility substation, for example. 

Mike: The podcast is called Watt’s New, so what’s new in EV technology. Do you see any innovations in that space that maybe aren’t quite there yet? 

Alan: Billions of dollars are being invested in EVs, in batteries, in EV technology, so you know, these new batteries, of course are offering a better range, longer life, faster charging time, lower cost. Trying to get away from some of these minerals that are in short supply and that we hear so much about, like cobalt, for example. Now a lot of EV batteries don’t use cobalt at all in their manufacturing, so, a lot of development there. New chargers, faster speeds, autonomous or self-driving is something that you hear a lot about. It’s easier to make a self-driving electric vehicle than a gas-powered vehicle. 

I got to ride in a self-driving taxi in San Francisco a couple of months ago, pretty interesting experience. But most of these developments are sort of incremental, it’s not like we’re going to wake up Christmas morning and the world’s changed. It’s an ongoing process. 

Mike: And talk about the future of the electric vehicle, what would you like to see from manufacturers in the next few years? 

Alan: Well, I’d say that electrification of transportation is going to continue regardless of what happens over the next four years. It’s a global market and the demand for more efficient, cost-effective transportation is increasing. That’s not just passenger vehicles, as I mentioned, heavy-duty vehicles, light-duty vehicles, garbage trucks, all those things are an important aspect of transportation electrification. But, I think it’s important to keep in mind that EVs aren’t right for everybody. This isn’t a thing that everybody’s got to go get rid of their gas-powered card and convert to EV. We’ll have different needs and wants, so with more choices, more convenience, more competitive prices, consumers can do their homework and learn more, take a test-drive, see if it makes sense for them. You might find that an EV makes dollars and sense. 

Mike: Alan, this has been great. Thank you for stopping by. 

Alan: Oh, it’s my pleasure. Thanks for having me on the show. 

Mike: Catch this episode and future episodes of Watt’s New at cobbemc.com/Podcast.