Any Good Books on EVs or Clean Tech?

I'm thinking about books to read and review for this blog, and wanted your input.

I've been getting more and more interested in the macro view of this industry as a whole and would like to read books on electric vehicles, clean technology, sustainability, energy, etc.

I was recently referred to The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World, by Jeremy Rifkin.

I'm ashamed to say that this will be the first book that I've read of his, although I've heard great things about his previous books.  So, I'm awaiting my order on Amazon.

Drop me a title and author - would really appreciate it!

The EV Charging Dialogue in the Commercial Real Estate Industry

Image courtesy of Naly Yang

I'm returning from an excruciatingly busy week of traveling.  I had the pleasure of attending two large conferences in Phoenix and Los Angeles with plenty of commercial real estate companies.  These conferences, expos, etc. all run the same gamut with booths and happy hours and fancy wi-fi stations.

But what I really look for when I attend these event is honing in on the dialogue.

What is being said?
What is important enough to converse about?
What are the idea generators at theses events?
Why do they find this topic important?
etc.

At both shows, involving large commercial real estate companies, I was surprised by the little amount of dialogue and attention that involved Electric Vehicle Charging Stations.

Most executives are probably wondering - "How does the world of EVs and EV Charging affect my business?"


In which I respond with another question:
Where is the place that people spend most of their lives? --- Work and home.

This impacts commercial real estate executives in tremendous ways!  Now you actually have to consider installing stations for tenants, employees, multifamily dwellers, etc. who are more sustainability conscious.

Whether they're business tenants or multifamily dwellers - how will you cope when a tenant rings you up and says, "Guess what?  I just bought a Chevy Volt.  Will you be installing EV charging stations here or should I move to a building where there are some."  

Who should be in charge of installing the station?
Who will manage it?
Should you charge tenants?
Should it be open to the community?
How many will you need?
Does your building have the capacity to install stations?

The EV and EV charging station industry is directly impacting the commercial real estate world in many ways - this is just one example.

SemaConnect, along with other companies, are part of the U.S. Green Building Council.  This organization brings attention to building sustainable spaces.  But the great thing about EV charging stations is that it is a sustainable amenity that employees, tenants, multifamily dwellers, etc. can utilize back and forth in home life and in work life.

I'd be ecstatic to attend another one of these shows and see a whole break-out session devoted to this subject because I believe it's going to be a major topic as more EVs roll out from top automakers, and the need for EV charging infrastructure grows.

When commercial real estate companies like Corporate Office Properties Trust, Tower Companies, The Bozzuto Group and so much more are starting to install EV charging stations - isn't it time you start the dialogue at your company?

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Naly Yang leads the Marketing Communications initiatives at SemaConnect, and manages the company brand.  She actively follows and reports on trends in the EVSE and EV industry.  When not brainstorming a new creative idea, reading, writing, or graphic design, she is an avid traveler, cook, and all around life lover.  Contact her at naly.yang@semaconnect.com or follow her on Twitter @Sema_Connect. 

The Charging Landscape

[SemaConnect's commercial grade ChargePro Charging stations at a Bozzuto/PMI multifamily parking garage in Baltimore, Maryland]

The electric vehicles are here and with rising gas prices, more and more people are thinking about making the switch (or at least adding one to their line of vehicles).

But another budding industry is taking shape in this country and around the world and at rapid speed – the Electric Vehicle Charging Station industry. Other names are Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, EV Chargers, EV Charging station – regardless the name, theses stations are popping up in our cities, on our streets and in our neighborhoods.

Business’s like Walgreens, McDonald’s and Best Buy are promising to install EV Charging Stations at their locations to help new EV drivers extend their range. New EV drivers are filled with questions about where to install an EV station in their garage if they purchase one.

And in the fog of all this excitement, I still get asked the same question.
“What is the difference between Electric Vehicle Charging Stations?”

The short answer:
If the charging station has a J1772 plug, and meets all code and is certified to UL standards then it is safe to use, regardless of which brand you purchase.

The long answer:
Charging stations are becoming a new breed, and can be broken down into various categories. The first difference is whether you are purchasing a station for residential or commercial use.

Residential stations might come with lower voltages and have a different make or model. Since the station won’t be strenuously used by various amounts of people, the need for added technology won’t be necessary since your EV will be jam packed with great features already.

Commercial stations should be more rugged, have software or an added technology feature. This is most suitable for making it easier for the station owner to have, giving you the ability to run sustainability reports, billing EV drivers and monitoring electricity usage.

Pike Research recently ran a study on the best EV Charging Station companies on the market right now. It’s a great list, however I’d suggest you to continue doing more research to find a charging station that is best suited for your needs.  Use the research as a reference, but not as a final list because your needs will differ greatly from another EV driver, another business or another industry.

As history has told us, bigger sometimes isn't always better, and there are smaller niche companies out there (SemaConnect included!) that produce a great product, provide wonderful customer service and will help you extend EV range.

Good Luck!

Why Electric Infrastructure Makes Sense

[image courtesy of NPR]

In the past couple of years there has become an emergence for sustainable options from automobiles to plastic bags to even eco ipod cases.—and with good cause!

Specifically for the auto industry, the push for electric vehicles has now passed the brainstorming phase and has entered new terrain: the mass market.  But why is there still so much confusion about why an electric vehicle makes sense, and more importantly, why it would be easier to build an electric infrastructure that is able to support it.

There are a plethora of reasons why it would, and wouldn’t makes sense, but here is something to think about…

Electric vehicles require electric charging stations in public locations across the nation in order for it to become a feasible option for the mass market to consider purchasing an electric car.  Why not hydrogen?  Why not diesel?

The answer? 

Because of something called, The Electric Grid.

Without a doubt it’s an old framework that needs some serious mending, however, its transmission lines run from the most metropolitan cities to the most rural and discreet locations through the U.S.  From the streets of Los Angeles to the back roads in North Carolina, electricity exists. 

This makes the idea of building an electric vehicle charging infrastructure that much closer to probability.  That also means, that the U.S. is intrinsically geared to take on such a task. 

What are your thoughts?

The Psychology Behind Charging an Electric Car

Electric cars are here.  But are they really here?

Psychologically, I mean.

Using and charging an electric car is a completely new user experience that needs more research and time to develop.  Just like when the first automobile came out, there was a slight learning curve.

You drive, and then when the car runs low on gasoline, you had to go to a place called a gas station.  There is this object that pumps gasoline out and into your car.

In order to support the gasoline car there had to be gas stations.

This is pretty much how it’s been.

So to ask a nation (if not the whole world) to suddenly change to electric cars can be, dare I say, a bit demanding without the proper information, instruction, and guidance.  Sure, there definitely is more to this story than simply throwing money on a large marketing campaign.  But like all causes, there needs to be some simple communication that can be comprehended by the masses.

We’re talking about teaching the fundamentals of driving an electric car.  We need to think about the habitual habits that people have from driving a regular gasoline car and challenging them to think differently about how they drive their car, when to pump, the new places that will become the “fuel,” charging in the garage at night, etc.

In order to support electric cars, there needs to be electric charging stations.

This is pretty much our current dilemma.

Without electric charging station infrastructure, the roll out of electric vehicles is going to be slow.  Who wants to buy an electric car if they are constantly worried about running out of battery?  Also, without the proper technology, how will I know that I’m actually helping the environment and not just displacing our economic, environmental and social issues?

Electric cars are here.  Technology is pushing this industry, and automakers are finally offering electric cars on a mass level.  But are people really ready, and willing, to make that psychological, cultural and habitual change to electric cars?

The verdict?  TBD.