Eight Months in Our Nissan LEAF, Another Year with Zero Electric Bill, Kick Gas the Movie

Leather Seating and Steering Wheel Add to the Pleasure of Driving the 2013 LEAF SL

Our 2013 LEAF SL continues to impress us with its reliability, comfort, spacious utility and economy of operation.  In eight months of operation, the car has only been in the shop once, to correct a noise coming from the front axle, fixed by lubrication under warranty at no charge. The larger wheels and Michelin tires of the 2013 SL model make the handling more secure and make the car more fun to drive.  I enjoy driving in "B mode" because I like the feel of stronger regenerative braking when I let off the throttle pedal.  I tend to think that driving in this mode improves the driving economy by reducing the need to use the friction brakes, but I don't have any evidence to support that view.  I should probably do some simple experiments by driving the same route with and without using B mode to see if there is any measurable change in my miles/kWh readings.  My favorite feature is still the four camera Around View Monitor that helps me to position the car in parking maneuvers.  It's like having your own airborne camera hovering over the car.

Four Camera "Around View Monitor", Part of Luxury Package on 2013 LEAF SL

Another Year with No Electric Bill
Our third solar power Net Metering Year while driving electric just ended, and we have another bill of zero for the year.  Actually, we have now completed seven full net metering years since we installed our solar panels, and we've paid less than seven dollars total in electric bills for that entire seven years (aside from the $1 to $2 per month that we pay to be attached to the grid), and we're actually a few dollars ahead because we did get a small check from SCE a few years ago because we did produce more power for that year than we used.  Because of the Time of Use rates that California's PUC mandates through our utility, SCE, and because we charge our LEAF at night, during Super Off Peak hours, we ended the year with a credit balance of $342 even though we used 1,900 kWh more than our home's 5.16 kW solar panel system generated for the year.  We won't get a check back from SCE for any part of that $342 credit.  CPUC rules only specify that residential power producers get paid for the excess power they generate IF the residence produces more kWh of power than the home uses for the year.   And even then, the homeowner only gets a few pennies per net kWh that they generate for the year, less than four cents per kWh.  However, since the Net Metering Year ended with a credit balance, we owe SCE nothing for the year.  In case I need to emphasize the conclusion further, THIS IS A MAJOR GOOD DEAL!

The economics of putting solar panels on your home's roof already make good long term sense for many homeowners, especially those living in states with plenty of sunshine and in homes with good solar exposure and little shading, and who expect to remain living in the same home for ten to fifteen years or more.  But the payback accelerates when you can also use your home's solar electric power to avoid buying gasoline, and with the deal I described above, for NO ADDITIONAL COST, we are driving for FREE.

Utilities and legislators have moved to push the CPUC to allow utilities to charge at least some fee for residential power generators to use the public grid, and I expect to see some kind of monthly fee appear on our bill within the next year or two.  I hope that some kind of "grandfather" provision will be offered for folks like us, who have already made the major capital investment on solar panels based on rules that were in place in previous years.  There's a good argument to be made that residential power generators should pay something for their use of the grid and their use of the power plants that supply us power at night and during cloudy weather.  The counter argument, and the one that I tend to favor, is that the benefit of the clean, renewable power that we supply to the public and to rate payers is great enough to offset the rates that we don't pay under current rules.  The other counter argument is that if the economics of becoming a residential power producer shift too much, there will be a negative impact on the residential solar and wind market, enough of an impact to stall the growth of that market.  California, from the Governor down through the current legislature, has made the commitment to grow the percentage of renewable power throughout the state, in both the residential and the institutional markets.  Shifting the costs too strongly toward the residential generators has the potential to stall the success of that commitment.  So I doubt that the CPUC will allow the costs for home solar power generators to raise too greatly.


Kick Gas: The Movie
I had an opportunity last summer to briefly meet up with an inspiring team of people who were in the process of trying to break a Guinness record by crossing the country on an all-electric journey from the east coast to the west coast.  The tour started in Charleston, SC and ended in Mountain View, CA, near Google headquarters.  I was lucky to be able to meet up with the team in Newport Beach here in Southern California.  The team, organized by Susan Jones of Nashville, included people driving electric scooters, motorcycles, electric-assist bicycles and a Nissan LEAF electric car.  One of the goals of the tour was to emphasize that we have arrived at a point in the development of batteries and vehicles that such a journey is possible.  Another goal was to advocate for people to adopt electric transportation and move away from internal combustion as a mode of transportation.  Spreading a message about the dangers of climate change was a clear theme.

Accompanying the RTFT team was a film crew, headed by a young director named Jonathan Becker.  Becker and his crew were documenting the entire trip with the goal of making a documentary film about the project.  The trailer for the film, called "Kick Gas", is now complete and may be viewed via the link: here

Becker and his crew are now involved in the final stages of finishing the film.  They are looking for sponsors and they are seeking an Executive Producer to help with the finish funding.  Mr. Becker can be reached through the Kick Gas Facebook page.

The Numbers:  February 2014

All Home Charging Done Using: 240 Volt Aerovironment/Nissan Level 2 EVSE

Home Solar PV System: 24 Sunpower 215W panels totaling 5.16 kW DC mounted on a 20 degree South facing roof.

Total Solar PV Power Generated for Net Metering Year Ended February 2013:  8,448 kWh

2011 Nissan LEAF SL (Blue Ocean) Placed in Service: March 30, 2011

Our 2011 LEAF's Longest Range Full Charge to Empty ("Turtle"): 86.5 miles (at 4.0 mi/kWh on dash), April 2011.

Our 2011 LEAF's July 2012 Range, Full Charge to Turtle: 75 miles (at 4.1 mi/kWh on dash)
Our 2011 LEAF's Most Recent Range, Full charge to Turtle: 69.9 miles (at 4.1 mi/kWh on dash) June 11, 2013
NOTE: Longer maximum range is possible if the LEAF is driven more conservatively. LEAF owners have achieved range of well over 100 miles.

2013 Nissan LEAF SL (Super Black) Placed in Service: June 15, 2013

Our 2013 LEAF's Longest Range Full Charge to Empty ("Turtle"): 98.3 miles (at 4.5 mi/kWh indicated on dash) June 2013

Our 2013 LEAF's Longest Range Full Charge to Empty ("Turtle"): 88.9 miles (at 4.1 mi/kWh indicated on dash) August 2013

Total Electric Miles with Two Nissan LEAFs: 31,865

Month: February 2014

(Data in the set below is for the new 2013 LEAF with 6 kW charger only)
Total Miles Driven at Month End:  7,866 miles (88 miles on odometer at delivery)
Miles Driven in Month:  877 miles
Electric Power Used for Charging in Month: 245.3 kWh (measured at wall power source, includes public charging)
Public Charging in Month, Power Use: 10 kWh

Charging at Home in Month, Power Use: 235.3 kWh
Energy Efficiency, Month:  3.58 miles/kWh (wall to wheels) 

Energy Efficiency, Month:  27.9 kWh/100 mi (wall to wheels)

Energy Efficiency, Month:  4.09 miles/kWh (in car main dash display, battery to wheels)

Charging Efficiency Wall to Wheels, Month: (3.58/4.09) = 87.5%

Total Charging Energy Used, Lifetime:  2,190.1 kWh (Includes public charging)

Energy Efficiency, Lifetime:  3.59 miles/kWh (wall to wheels)

Energy Efficiency, Lifetime:  27.86 kWh/100 mi (wall to wheels)

Number of Home Charging Days in Month: 22

Most Electric Energy Used for Charging in a Day in February: 17.9 kWh (2.7 charging hours in two sessions)

Most Electric Energy Used for Charging AT HOME in a Day in February: 17.9 kWh (2.7 charging hours in two sessions )

Least Electric Energy Used at Home for Charging in a Charging Day in February:  4.9 kWh (0.74 charging hours)
Average Electric Energy Used for Home Charging in a Charging Day in February: 11.2 kWh  (1.7 charging hours)
Household Power Used for Month:  529.7 kWh (without car charging)
Total Household Power Used for Month:  765 kWh (includes car charging)
Solar PV Power Generated for Month:  562 kWh
Net Household Power Used or Sent to Grid for Month:  203 kWh net use

February Electric Bill, So Cal Edison, Schedule TOU-D-TEV:  -$2.17 (a credit of $2.17)

Solar Net Metering Year Total Cumulative kWh Used at Month #12:  1,900 kWh 

Solar Net Metering Year Total Cumulative Cost at Month #12::  -$342.32 Actual electric bill for the net metering year is zero.  (Yes, though total net power usage in the net metering year to date is 1,900 kWh, the total energy and delivery costs for all power usage for the net metering year adds up to a credit balance due to Time of Use rates and charging car at night during Super Off Peak rates.)

Cost for Charging Car in February:  $5

Cost per Mile for February:  $0.0057

Cost for Charging Car, Lifetime (for our 2013 LEAF): $16.69 (All public charging)

Cost per Mile, Lifetime (for our 2013 LEAF): $0.0021  (All from public charging)

(If We Didn't Have Solar Power, Est Cost for Charging Car in February:  $22.35)

(If We Didn't Have Solar Power, Est Cost per Mile in February: $0.0254)

Average (Mean) Miles per Driving Day in February:  32.5 miles

Average (Median) Miles per Driving Day in February:  33 miles

Longest Day's Driving in  February:  83 miles

Longest Day's Driving in February Without Mid-Trip Charging: 54 miles

Shortest Day's Driving in February:  5 miles

Number of Times we Took the Prius Instead of the LEAF Due to Low Charge or Lack of Range: 1

Unexpected Low Charge and Unable to Reach Destination:  Never

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