Plug-in Cars Pay for Rooftop Solar Power: Why Chevron Hates This Idea

Electric cars 97% are cleaner than gasoline cars when plugged-in to off-peak electric power, it's true; but the real advantage comes when the car is paid for by electric from a home rooftop solar Photo-Voltaic ("PV") system. Most EV owners have installed rooftop solar systems, and many generate more electric than needed for daily driving. As a bonus, they pay for that solar system in less than three years, using money that formerly fed the oil beast.

Those driving an EV and paying for it with excess PV power ("EV-PV") can live virtually pollution-free, free of gas stations, oil changes, smog checks, tune-ups, and free of monthly electric utility bills.

Electric is measured in kilo-Watt-hours ("kWh"). Each kWh that is used for domestic electric is worth no more than about 15 cents, enough to power a hair-dryer for half an hour.

But each kWh powers an EV at least 4 miles, and if used to replace gasoline at our average fleet 20 Miles Per Gallon ("MPG") avoids purchasing at least a fifth of a gallon of gas, currently worth no less than 60 cents. Add to that the avoided cost of oil changes, tune-ups, engine repair, smog-checks, etc., and the savings from plug-in cars become even greater.

A solar PV system yields about a 7% Return on Investment ("ROI") if used only for household power. But when used to avoid gasoline purchases, the ROI jumps to 28%, and the solar PV system pays for itself in less than 3 years.

Examining these facts, well documented by dozens of EV-PV homes, which you can visit and examine, it's no wonder that oil and auto companies hate solar power and plug-in EVs. They stand to lose a huge amount of money, political power and perhaps even their current immunity from environmental lawsuits.

Just one case study: our modest solar system cost us $19,000. We've driven, so far, 160,000 miles on our two Nickel Metal Hydride ("NiMH") battery-powered Toyota RAV4-EV, avoiding purchase of 8,000 gallons of gasoline. At even $2 gas it's $16,000 after-tax dollars that we didn't have to spend supporting oil wars. Then, we get the satisfaction of sailing right by gas stations, don't need 'em, and of donating excess electric to the grid at the time it needs it most (over $200 this year so far!). And all of our domestic electric power for no additional cost. This will last as long as the PV system, at least 25 years, and as long as we can get plug-in cars (the difficult part).

Why not use the avoided cost of buying gasoline to finance purchase of a PV system? It makes loads of sense.

There is no doubt why oil and auto companies fought so hard to kill the plug-in EV program, why they crushed almost all plug-in EVs, why no plug-in is for sale right now, and why Chevron's Cobasys unit wound up owning the patent rights on the Nickel Metal Hydride ("NiMH") batteries needed for all production plug-in cars that last for more than 100,000 miles.

Don't believe the promises and misinformation coming from oil and auto companies; the above calculations show why they are not going to willingly allow plug-in cars. There's too much money and power at stake.

GM claims that they cannot produce their supposed "Volt" plug-in until they do battery research into Lithium; ironically, GM has teamed with Chevron for this "research". GM is ignoring the standard, most researched, most tested, and most proven EV battery, Nickel Metal Hydride, more than sufficient to take the Volt over 100 miles in all-electric mode. Why would they spend money on research toward a goal that even GM's Bob Lutz now admits has a "10%" chance of failure, ignoring the superior NiMH batteries still powering the RAV4-EV?

The unpleasant fact is, GM has no intention of making the Volt, just as Chevron has no intention of allowing use of the batteries its Cobasys unit controls.

Unless the people force the California Air Resources Board ("CARB") to do its job and CARB confronts the auto and oil companies. Oil is not our friend, and the regulators need to figure that out. The time for allowing oil and auto companies to self-regulate is past and gone, if it ever existed.