Living Like Ed by Ed Jr. (i have read the book a hundred times TXT) 📕

energy back into electricity through regenerative braking, so when the driver of an electric vehicle steps on the brake pedal, it can actually recharge the car’s batteries. Regenerative braking can be used to reduce the total energy requirement of a trip, as well as reduce the wear on the vehicle’s brake system.

Since Ed purchased his first electric vehicle more than thirty years ago, he has experienced firsthand the progression of battery technology—and that progression has been dramatic. Our vehicles are powered by UQM Technologies’ propulsion system, using Boshart Engineering’s certification process, and they are equipped with a nontoxic, revolutionary Altairnano Nanosafe battery pack. These three factors make it possible for Phoenix Motorcars’ all-electric, zero-emission vehicles to reach speeds of more than 95 mph with a range of 100-plus miles per charge. They also produce a serious 480 lb-ft of torque as much torque—as the 500-horsepower internal-combustion engine that powers the new Ford Shelby GT500 muscle car! Our vehicles also have a battery pack life of more than 12 years.

Phoenix Motorcars are not only all-electric and environmentally friendly, they also have the creature comforts people have come to expect in a vehicle that they drive every day—things like air-conditioning and heat, power windows, and power door locks.

In the last two years, the world-wide media coverage of global warming and the high cost of our dependence on fossil fuels has intensified. For those of us in the electric-powered transportation industry, it would be easy to say, “It’s about time.” But that viewpoint is too simple. It is, however, the right time for meaningful action. As a matter of fact, Phoenix Motorcars is poised to meet the growing demand of consumers who want a cleaner, more responsible alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles, and we consider our company an early leader in the mass production of full-function, zero-emission, green electric trucks and SUVs.

As Ed has said, “With a car like this Phoenix Motorcars SUT, you don’t have to compromise on performance or space you get it all!” And if you do like Ed does and plug it into your solar power system at home to charge, you literally create a zero carbon footprint!

—Dan Elliott

INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES

So, given their many advantages, why doesn’t everyone own an electric vehicle? Well, for one thing, municipalities are making it harder, not easier, to operate one. In the mid-’90s, California instituted special parking spots where EV owners could recharge their cars midtrip. Today, these have al-most vanished. Why? To understand this, you need to know a bit about battery technology. Until recently, when you bought an electric car, you also got a charging station, which most people mounted in their garage. I had the charging station for my Toyota RAV4 EV mounted in my garage, and I charged it at home almost exclusively. It was rare that I could do my charging elsewhere—very rare. That was partly because my life had become very busy, but it also was because L.A. had become less friendly for electric vehicles. Precious few of those electric vehicle charging stations were still in existence by 2007.

That’s because the major car companies—GM, Toyota, Honda, Chrysler—that were making electric cars during the ’90s and right up until recently didn’t come to a consensus in terms of what type of charging system to use. Instead, they came up with two—well, really three—different charging disciplines. Think of it as VHS vs. Betamax vs. DVDs. Some of their electric cars used large-paddle chargers—these big flat plastic pieces that had to be plugged into the right-size hole in the right type of charging station. Other companies used small-paddle chargers. Both of these setups used what’s called an inductive charging system. The third type of charging system was a conductive style.

None of these formats were interchangeable at all, so you could only use a charging station designed specifically for your vehicle’s system. This made it really hard for people to charge their electric cars anywhere but at home, and it upset people who didn’t own electric cars. They’d see a parking space reserved for electric vehicles—with a charging station—and they’d wonder, “Why don’t I see any electric vehicles charging there?”

The good news is that most new electric cars—including my new Phoenix Motorcars SUT—have the charger built right in. You no longer need a separate charging station at home or anywhere else. You plug your car into a standard 220-volt electrical outlet, just like the one for your clothes dryer at home. Because these cars are designed to charge on 220 current, they charge a lot faster than older models. It takes just four or five hours to fully charge the battery pack.

In a pinch, you also can plug into a standard 120-volt outlet, the standard wall outlets you have in your home. That makes charging on the road easy, if you find yourself running low on range. Instead of having to look for a special charging station, you look for any 120-volt outlet. You can find them in parking garages. You can find them at restaurants. Those 120-volt outlets are in a lot of places.

True, it will take about twice as long to charge on 120-volt power as it will on 220-volt power, but it’s nice to have that option. It just makes these new electric cars even easier to live with.

Rachelle’s Hybrid

                  Today’s electric cars are great, but I wasn’t willing to be limited by the range of an electric car. In 2001, when I was ready to get a new car, I decided I wanted a Volvo because of its safety features, until Ed made me this deal: “If you get a Volvo, you pay for it. And if you get this newfangled Toyota hybrid thing, even though we don’t know how well it works, I’ll buy it.” So I said, “Okay, I’ll try the new technology.”

Actress Donna Mills and Ed were the first people in L.A. to get a Prius. We were the guinea pigs. And I love it. I’m so happy with it.