​As we approach this Independence Day, I want to call attention to two things from the world of electric vehicles (EVs). First, I am thankful that EVs provide independence from foreign petroleum fuel products. The market price for vehicle fuel depends largely on global supply/demand mixed with the latest foreign crisis. The net result can be extreme price volatility. The global petroleum market is complex and there are certainly other impacts to consumer fuel pricing, but global oil prices are the largest component. Conversely, an electric vehicle only uses electricity that must be produced locally, distributed locally, and consumed locally, supporting local jobs. That is true whether the electricity is produced from solar, wind, hydroelectric, nuclear, natural gas, or coal - it's all local. You can’t ship a boatload of electricity from a foreign country!

Secondly, I want to celebrate the fact that EVs make up four of the top six most American-made vehicles sold according to the 2022 American-Made Index by Cars.com. The Tesla Model Y and 3 took first and second place while the Model S and X were fifth and sixth respectively. It is encouraging to see an American company locating its factories and jobs in the country and becoming the United States’ largest EV seller while some iconic American brands choose to manufacture their most popular EV models in other countries - looking at you, Mexican-built Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Consider adding some independence to your driving with an electric vehicle and please have a safe and happy Independence Day holiday!

The West Virginia Electric Auto Association (WVEAA) has released a position statement on West Virginia registration fees for hybrid and electric vehicles. In short, West Virginia’s existing per gallon fuel tax to support public roads is antiquated and does not work as designed with fuel efficient, hybrid, and non-combustion engine vehicles. It should be replaced with a road usage fee for all vehicles based on annual miles driven by class of vehicle. Creating new registration fees for modern vehicles that do not fit into a decades old road taxation scheme is neither equitable nor sustainable.

Taking off my WVEAA hat and providing a bit of personal opinion, I would like to touch on how we might handle the transition from the existing gas fuel tax and how out of state drivers support West Virginia roads. For now, my personal opinion is that West Virginia should continue collecting liquid fuel taxes. However, if a mileage-based annual usage fee by vehicle class were implemented, West Virginia drivers of gasoline powered and hybrid vehicles should be issued a credit for estimated fuel taxes paid based on miles driven. This would offset the usage fee for those vehicles based on taxes already paid at the pump while collecting the full amount from out of state travelers. Ideally, I would base this credit on the most efficient vehicle in the class to reward those drivers that choose efficient vehicles and disincentivize less efficient vehicles (i.e., less efficient vehicles would receive less of a credit toward their usage fee). Fully electric vehicles would receive no credit from fuel taxes, of course, and would pay the full usage fee for their miles driven. Miles driven could be based on an odometer reading taken at the time of the mandatory annual vehicle inspection or during registration renewal. The DMV stores the odometer reading by VIN and compares it next year to determine miles driven. West Virginia drivers already show proof of property tax payment and insurance so showing the receipt from the mandatory vehicle inspection wouldn't be burdensome. Regardless of how it is implemented, the key takeaway is this: every driver is paying for their actual usage by miles driven.

In the future, as vehicles become more connected with onboard GPS and connectivity, I could see more automated solutions. Just as Amazon collects state and local taxes to submit to authorities based on address, I believe automakers or some governing authority could collect usage data from vehicles that is submitted to local authorities to collect miles driven data by location. For example, if I live in the eastern panhandle and commute to DC every day, I drive very little in West Virginia and should be mostly supporting roads in Maryland, Virginia, and DC. This concept could be extended even further to handle tolls for road segments or congestion fees during different times of day for example (with proper driver notification of course). The natural response to this is privacy concerns although I believe these could be handled. Regardless, there isn't enough connected cars on the road today for this to become a reality anytime soon.

Feel free to opine in the comments!

Behold! The Lordstown Motors Endurance electric truck! I was able to get a firsthand look at a prototype of the new truck today in Montgomery Country, MD. And, before anyone asks, the event was completely outdoors, masks were required, sanitizer was provided, the truck cabin was being sanitized, and folks were keeping a respectful distance.

That's enough of the fine print. What was it like? Well, we didn't get to drive it unfortunately, but the exterior of the truck looked fairly complete and it was better looking in person than in photos, in my opinion. It looked and felt like a work truck. It wouldn't look out of place on a construction site or reading utility meters and that's a good thing since that's the market it is designed to serve. A very lite spec sheet was provided, but subject to change, yada, yada.

The reps onsite did note that there would be a front trunk (frunk), but that we couldn't see it as it's not in the prototype. The charging port was only Level 2 AC but the reps indicated that it will support CCS fast DC charging on the finished model so that will also be changing. There were a lot of items that will or could potentially change between this prototype and the production model which is expected in Q4 of 2021.

The Endurance is unique in that it uses electric hub motors on each wheel. There is no central motor or motors driving the wheels through shafts - the electric motors are embedded into the wheel hub itself. You'll see a couple photos trying to get a peek at those hub motors. You can see a glimpse of high voltage cabling in one photo, but really, the uniqueness of this design doesn't jump out at you from the photos.

The interior was the most pre-production aspect. If you look at the photos closely, you can see gaps, electrical tape and other unpolished bits and pieces as you'd expect to find on a prototype, but overall, I thought the look of the interior lined up well with other work trucks. I had plenty of room inside and it appeared functional from an admittedly non-work truck guy's perspective.

Because the event was hosted by the Montgomery County Division of Fleet Management Equipment Maintenance & Transit Operation Center, transit buses were coming and going during the event. I was surprised to look over and see a Proterra electric bus charger and asked one of the Montgomery County folks about it. Mr. Calvin Jones was exceedingly knowledgeable and gracious enough to speak at length about the efforts Montgomery County is undertaking to test not only Proterra buses, but other alternative fuel vehicles as well. They may also be testing a Ford Mach E with the local police department. West Virginia could learn a few things from Montgomery County!

All in all, a great visit and discussion! There wasn't a large crowd at any one time, but there seemed to be steady flow of visitors pulling up in Teslas and LEAFs. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Yes, that may sound a little geeky, but Gallium Nitride (GaN) is gaining ground in multiple industries. I first ran across GaN devices in the newest crop of high powered chargers for electronics like cell phones and USB-C laptops/tablets. These new chargers can deliver a lot of power to even large devices and still be kept small and lightweight. They also run cooler and should last longer.

When I first encountered them, I wondered when GaN might make the jump to EVs and it looks like Texas Instruments, the company of calculator fame, is heading in that direction. By using GaN to make EV inverters/converters smaller, lighter, and more efficient, it will improve the one thing we all want more of - EV range! The cost may not be at parity with older silicon or silicon carbide (SiC) tech at the moment, but with scale and the other advantages above, GaN sounds like it will eventually be in all EVs. It could also play a part in shrinking and making fast DC charging equipment more efficient.

Driving the electric vehicle evolution with GaN

What an impactful electric vehicle! We talked about electric transit buses a while back, but electrified school buses can make an difference in every community whether rural or urban. I can remember school buses idling in the winter while waiting for children to assemble and load/unload. And, I can vividly remember the unpleasant smell of diesel exhaust and you can just imagine the particulates and other emissions being breathed. I believe that has changed somewhat with rules about bus idling, but regardless, we need to see more electrified school buses everywhere. To that end, I'm excited to see Proterra working with Thomas Built to provide these clean, efficient alternatives to those old, smelly diesel buses! 

As an added bonus, the large battery packs in these buses can be used for energy storage by local utilities to further reduce pollution and electricity costs for consumers during periods of peak demand. Read about the work that Dominion Energy is doing in Virginia. If Appalachian Power and First Energy are listening, we need more of this type of innovation in West Virginia!