ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN AMES: A HANDBOOK Electric Vehicles in Ames: A Handbook

Compiled by Kayley Barrios Lain, Energy Services Coordinator for Ames Electric Services

Originally published May 14, 2020, Last revised on July 20, 2021

ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN AMES: A HANDBOOK

Contents Introduction ...... 3 Taxonomy of Gas/Diesel and Electric Vehicles ...... 5 Why choose an EV? ...... 7 Which EV? ...... 9 Range and Charging Infrastructure ...... 12 DC Charging Speed and Connector Compatibility ...... 13 The Extras ...... 13 Getting Your EV ...... 14 Chargers and Charging...... 16 Which Charger? ...... 16 When to Charge? ...... 18 Your Battery’s Capacity and Lifetime ...... 20 Extending Your Battery’s Range ...... 20 Extending Your Battery’s Lifetime ...... 20 Replacing and Recycling Your Battery ...... 21

2 | P a g e Last Revised on May 11, 2021 ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN AMES: A HANDBOOK

Introduction

Even though the popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) is newly rising, EVs themselves are not new. In 1900, “more than one quarter of the almost 4,200 automobiles produced [in the United States] were electric.”1 Another quarter sported gas- or diesel-fueled internal combustion engines (ICEs), while the remaining half were steam-powered.

Ames has been home to one of the earliest EVs, a 1922 Electric Coupe. The car could reach 30 MPH and a range of 90 miles in favorable conditions. You can find the car’s story here: https://vintageelectriccars.com/car-1922-detroit.aspx

The electric car has some marked advantages over its gasoline-powered cousin that made it a strong contender from the beginning of passenger vehicles. “They were quiet, easy to drive and didn’t emit a smelly pollutant like the other cars of the time.”2

Despite its advantages, after about 20 years of developments in both internal combustion and electric motors, the longer range of the gasoline and diesel vehicles and low cost of newly found petroleum pushed steam and electric vehicles almost entirely out of the passenger vehicle market space... until now. Figure 1 with an electric car in 1913. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_electric_vehicle

Now that battery technology has improved and extended the range of EVs, they are once again gaining popularity. Charging infrastructure is exploding, emission intensity of electricity is dropping, and the is more appropriate than ever. As a result, many climate action plans call for electrification of transportation as one of a handful of the most effective methods of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as seen in Figure 2, an excerpt from the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ American Cities Climate Action Playbook published in 2019.

1 History of the automobile in the United States by the University of http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Environment/E_Overview/E_Overview3.htm 2 Timeline: History of the Electric Car by Rebecca Matulka https://www.energy.gov/articles/history-electric-car

3 | P a g e Last Revised on May 11, 2021 ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN AMES: A HANDBOOK

Figure 2 “Electrify Vehicles” is one of the five pathways to effective Climate Action, as identified by Bloomberg Philanthropies, published October 2019. Source: https://data.bloomberglp.com/dotorg/sites/2/2019/10/American-Cities-Climate-Challenge-Climate-Action- Playbook.pdf

This manual is a collection of resources to help you in your transition to driving electric. In the sections that follow, we’ll explain why EVs are a great option for most drivers in Ames. If you have any questions about shopping for, charging, driving, or maintaining your EV that aren’t addressed here, please to let us know by email at [email protected] or by calling the Energy Services Coordinator at 515.239.5177. We hope to grow and enrich th