Category Archives: SolarChargedDriving.com
Christof Demont-Heinrich is founder, creator andeditor of SolarChargedDriving.Com, which he launched in September 2009.SolarChargedDriving.Com is a unique site devoted to covering andpromoting the synergy between solar energy and EVs (electric vehicles)and PHEVs (plug in hybrid electric vehicles). In addition to offeringreaders a mix of how-to information, news feature and newswire coverage, and news analysis, SolarChargedDriving.Com is an interactive community: Readers can create their own blogs, post pictures and video, createtheir own photo and video galleries, and meet other solar-chargeddrivers online. A journalism professor at the University of Denver (DU), Demont-Heinrich is a lifelong environmentalist who loves to bird, hike, camp, and bike. Articles l Homepage
2nd LEAF Tour Announced by Nissan
So, we’ve been ranting for awhile about Nissan not treating people right who reserved a LEAF from a non-rollout state way back in April 2010. It’s certainly looking like none of us who reserved a LEAF back inApril 2010 when Nissan clearly implied that all 20,000 who plunked $99for a LEAF would see our LEAFs [...]
Celebrate Fueling Freedom on Independence Day
I used to think the environmental benefits of solar-charged driving were the best part of plugging into the home solar + electric car synergy. I still do. But fueling independence is a pretty damn close second for me – muchcloser than when I first started on the road to solar-charged driving in Aug. 2009. This [...]
Big Surprise: Germany Kicking our Butt in Solar Gas Stations
Germany is way ahead of the U.S. on solar. This despite the fact that it’s much, much smaller than the U.S., the fact that it has aboutone-quarter of the population of the U.S., and the fact that it has ahelluva lot less sun. Okay, so the fact that Germany has approximately 20 times as muchinstalled [...]
Envision Mini Solar Trees Headed to Northern Cali
Envision Solar has completed the design, engineering and fabrication of the firstcommercial offering of its Socket™ design, a mini Solar Tree® canopy.The structure is being shipped to a site in northern California forinstallation in July. The Socket™ is designed to provide shade for one vehicle, includesEnvision’s proprietary EnvisionTrak® tracking technology, and onevehicle charging hookup. The [...]
Solar Carport Comes to University of Colorado
You never know where you might see the latest solar carport. Yourstruly was zooming along U.S. Route 36 in Boulder, Colo. recently whenboth my wife and I said — "Hey, that’s a solar carport." (Yes, I’veroped my wife in with my enthusiasm for solar, at least partly ;-) We drive from our Aurora, Colo. home [...]
Toyota’s UK Plant Goes Solar
Toyota is joining the growing parade of carmakers – GM, Ford, Nissan, and Audi among them – tapping the power of the sun to build automobiles. Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK), in partnership with British Gas, has submitted a planning application to South Derbyshire District Council for aground-mounted solar array capable of supplying approximately 5% [...]
Hertz Gets Solar Powered EV Charging
Hertz Car Rental Company is planning to join a growing global trendtowards using solar energy as an alternative energy source to powerautomobiles. As part of one of the largest solar projects that the travel industry has ever seen launched earlier this year, Hertz plans to completeinstallation of 2.3 megawatts (mW) of multi-crystalline solarphotovoltaics at 16 [...]
Extra Fee for Solar Home Owners?
Remember that “fair share charge” Xcel Energy wanted to charge current Xcel Solar*Rewards customers in Colorado, including us? Well, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission has put a temporary halt to Xcel’s attempt to charge current solarcustomers extra thanks in large part to the fact that 440 people(including yours truly) filed protests against the proposed move [...]
PlugShare App: Locate EV Charging Stations
One issue with owning an electric car is the concern about running low on electricity. So, until gas stations are out-numbered by EV charging stations, PlugShare is coming to the rescue. PlugShare is an app for the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch that allows people to locate charging stations. However, PlugShare’s not like other EV [...]