Electric
Vehicles (EV) and Solar
Cars and
trucks consume a lot of energy. 29% of the Washington State’s total energy
consumption, to be exact. The majority of this energy is from fossil fuels, the
burning of which is causing increasing climate instability. Artisan’s raison d'être is help fight climate change by competing agains fossil fuels. Hence, we want to
solarize your transportation, not just your home.
Unlike coal and nuclear-rich areas of our country, Electric vehicles
are a no-brainer for Puget Sound residents. We have the cheapest power in the
country because 62% of it comes from hydro-power. 7% is coming from other renewables, mainly wind. Hydro has it’s own
environmental problems, to be sure, but it’s much better than the alternatives making up the rest of our energy mix: coal, oil, gas, and nuclear.
We can already save
big $ every week by simply not going to the gas station and instead having a slightly
higher electric bill. The average EV uses 3,000kWh/year. That’s roughly
$300/year in electricity for us. The average gas-powered car in Washington uses
$3,000/year in gas. So, we pay 10X more for the privilege of supporting some of
the worst companies on the planet and contributing to what we all want to
prevent.
Now, add
solar. You replace the utility’s fuel mix with 100% renewable energy. You
replace utility rate increases with 100% stable power rates. That 3,000kWh/year
electric usage could be supplied by a 3kW solar system, taking up 200 square
feet. This will cost anywhere between $12-15K, before rebates and will give you
40 plus years of power. So, permanent renewable fuel on your roof, powering
your plugged-in car a few feet away. If you factor in the amount of money you
are saving at the pump as well as all the rebates and incentives for solar,
your return on investment (ROI) goes to under 5 years. WOW.
Not only
does Artisan prewire for and install EV charging stations, we are now
proud EV owners. We introduced two new Nissan Leaf EVs to our fleet this year.
Several of us also have EVs at home. We are working with our building owner to
install solar this year to close the loop. It’s a humble beginning, but our
company’s goal is to have 100% fossil fuel free transportation by 2020.
A recent
Nissan Leaf commercial I heard stated: “the question
is no longer ‘why electric?’ It’s ‘why gas?’” This question would not have made much since until a few years ago. While we can’t erase the path
that the world has taken for over 100 years towards more and more internal combustion engines (although
it’s fun to imagine the “what if”), we have choices now and can start
asking “why.” A colleague of ours, Jeremy Smithson, had a shirt on the other day
saying, “Gas is so Embarrassing. ” That’s how I feel every morning when our
fleet of diesel vans, advertising us a renewable energy company, leaves the parking lot. Thankfully, the solution is here.
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