Top electric cars tips and renewable energy trends Texas with Daniel Sumanth: With more competitive electric models on the market than ever before, now’s a great time to buy. Recent spikes in the price of petrol and diesel have made a better financial case for EVs, which have outsold full hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars so far this year. Being able to charge at home saves money in the long run. It’s easy to see why there’s such a growing interest in electric cars at the moment, with the best EVs delivering excellent comfort, performance and range in a desirable package. Enough range to compete with a petrol or diesel car? We’re not far off now, with some of the best electric cars capable of over 300 miles between charges. See extra details at Daniel Sumanth Texas
If your average daily mileage exceeds the range of your electric car, we’d advise you to think twice, but the occasional longer trip should be perfectly manageable. As the technology improves and the average range of electric cars grows, more and more people will find that they could live quite happily with an electric car. The list prices of electric cars can look expensive compared to equivalent petrol or diesel models, even when the Government’s plug-in car grant has been applied, but looks are very likely to be deceiving. List prices are just one part of the cost of vehicle ownership and the overall cost becomes much more palatable when you factor-in the relatively low running costs of EVs – often around 60% of those of a similar petrol model depending on usage patterns. As a general rule, charging an electric car is far cheaper than fueling a petrol or diesel one – even if you use more expensive public charging points.
Among all the benefits of solar panels, the most important thing is that solar energy is a truly renewable energy source. It can be harnessed in all areas of the world and is available every day. We cannot run out of solar energy, unlike some of the other sources of energy. Solar energy will be accessible as long as we have the sun, therefore sunlight will be available to us for at least 5 billion years when according to scientists the sun is going to die.
Although some customers might still be a little hesitant about making the switch to electric power, one key advantage is that there is a greater selection than ever before. There are small, city car-sized EVs such as the Fiat 500, while Skoda’s capable Enyaq offers SUV practicality, and models from Porsche and Tesla offer plenty of prestige and pace. Also wading into the mix is the brilliant, yet controversial Ford Mustang-badged Mach-E SUV and of course, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 took our Car of the Year award for 2021. There are other benefits to pure-electric motoring besides the environmental credentials – you’ll be exempt from London’s congestion charge zone and from paying road tax. Electric cars still remain more expensive than their combustion engined counterparts to buy, even with the government’s plug-in car grant, but running costs have been shown to be as much as 60% less for electric cars than they are for pertol and diesel ones.
Solar energy has to be used right away, or it can be stored in large batteries. These batteries, used in off-the-grid solar systems, can be charged during the day so that the energy is used at night. This is a good solution for using solar energy all day long but it is also quite expensive. In most cases, it is smarter to just use solar energy during the day and take energy from the grid during the night (you can only do this if your system is connected to the grid). Luckily your energy demand is usually higher during the day so you can meet most of it with solar energy.
Operating a generator indoors is unsafe. Never run a generator indoors or in an enclosed space. Why not? Because, as this article in Popular Mechanics explains, it’s dangerous. they produce carbon monoxide. And that can be fatal. Ideally, a generator for home use is best placed outdoors. This is due to noise levels as well as exhaust and other fumes associated with operations. Having said that, it’s still advantageous to have some type of enclosure that protects your generator from the elements. This will promote long life and fewer maintenance issues. This, of course, reduces your overall operating costs living off the grid.
The Model Y is the small electric SUV many people have been waiting for. Based on the Model 3 saloon, the mid-size SUV boasts a spacious cabin, slick infotainment system and boatloads of practicality thanks to a 117-litre ‘frunk’ under the bonnet and a whopping 854 litres of boot space as well. Plus, performance is still staggering, thanks to dual-motor setups in both the Long Range and Performance models that are currently available. Prices start from nearly £55,000, but one of the major benefits of Tesla ownership is access to the brand’s extensive Supercharger network. Use one of its latest V3 Superchargers, and you can top up the Model Y’s battery from 0-80% in just 36 minutes.
Almost as useful as solar batteries can be electric cars and vehicles – of any size. From the lawn mower to grandpa’s (or the friendly neighbour’s) electric wheel chair to pedelecs (e-bicycles) and e-scooters for the family. All of these contain lithium batteries which can conveniently be charged with solar electricity. Ultimately, there is the small electric car that can be used to go shopping, for short trips or to commute to work. For it is especially such frequent short trips that use up a lot of the fuel budget of conventional cars. To charge up an electric car, you need a wallbox charging point next to or inside your garage or in your carport. Which, of course, has been covered in high-performance solar panels. It is recommended to get a three-phase charging system capable of producing a decent output at short notice.