Chevy Bolt EV | Earthshine Nature

Earthshine Nature Programs Newsletter 2020

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Stevo

Note: I apologize in advance for the bizarre formatting in the following post. I have tried everything to rectify the issues – yet they persist.

It has been a very strange year but we are still here. Although we lost close to 100% of our nonprofit income this year due to not being able to present our outreach programming to the public in schools, camps, festivals, special events, and birthday parties – it was your support that kept us above water…but only just.

Even with the global pandemic we still managed to accomplish amazing things this year!

Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation

In the spring of 2020 we rescued a family of young Opossum joeys who lost their mother. They were close to the age where they would have left the warm home of their mother’s pouch to strike out on their own so we gave them a few days to build their strength, fed them tasty natural treats, and released them in a remote forest. (See them in the Virtual Leaf Festival video linked later in this document). We rescued only one Eastern box turtle this year. Strangely, it was found in the bathroom of a motel in a nearby town. There was no suitable box turtle habitat near the motel so our hypothesis is that a visitor to the motel may have picked it up during a local forest excursion on a local highway or byway, it may have come from out of state, it may have been a “pet,” that was forgotten when its “owner” departed – or it may have been left intentionally. Whatever the case, we have no idea on its origins and therefore, due to its questionable origins, it cannot be released into the wild for fear of vectoring a disease to the local box turtle population – so it is now in our quarantine facility. Come spring of 2021, if it checks out health wise, it will join our small population of non-releasable education ambassadors in our newly improved box turtle habitat.

Yes, that’s right, one of this year’s major projects was to improve and enlarge our outdoor box turtle habitat. The students of Trails Momentum worked very hard over the summer to increase the habitat’s size by over 2x its original footprint. They also built a newer and better shelter/overwintering structure for our 9 non-releasable resident Eastern box turtles and our two Red-footed tortoises who share the habitat during the warmer months of the year. The students also built a very nice stone shelter structure in the box turtle habit and named it “Turtlehenge” – so cool!

This year we also relocated several Copperheads, a dozen hatchling Common snapping turtles, and one massive Timber rattlesnake. These beautiful and very misunderstood animals were discovered in areas that are highly used by humans therefore, for the safety of all parties, they needed to be moved to new habitats. While the trans-location of reptiles is not the ideal option – it is far better than the other option of death. I moved these animals to remote locations in protected areas with excellent habitat and resources that will hopefully serve to meet their needs for the rest of their lives.

A New Recruit!

In the fall we adopted a female opossum from the wonderful folks at Appalachian Wildlife Refuge. They had rescued her after she was hit by a car and lost an eye. She also has some neurological trauma and therefore, due to her injuries, is non-releasable. She will spend the rest of her days with us where she will live in our awesome ‘possum palace as an education ambassador for her kind.

Opossum facts: The Virginia Opossum, or ‘possum, is North America’s only native marsupial. Female Opossums have a pouch on their belly where they can carry up to 13 joeys. When the joeys are old enough they climb onto their mother’s back and cling to her soft fur and watch everything she does – this is their “home schooling” time where they learn all there is to know about being an Opossum. When they are too heavy to hold on, they fall off and start their lives as mostly solitary, mostly nomadic, most important members of the forest community. Opossums have 50 teeth – that is more than any land mammal in North America! Opossums are omnivores and will use all those teeth to eat just about anything including carrion. Some of their favorite foods are wild berries, grapes, persimmons, strawberries, bananas, and any insect they can catch including all the pest species that would invade your home and garden as well as small rodents such as mice, moles, voles, and rats. They will even eat lizards and snakes including venomous snakes such as Copperheads and rattlesnakes! Opossums have a very strong resistance to the venoms of these snakes and therefore, if bitten by their meal, they just shrug it off and continue on with their serpentine lunch. Opossums are also highly resistant to the Rabies virus so it is extremely rare for an Opossum to catch, carry, or transmit rabies. Opossums are nocturnal so you will usually not see them during the day as this is the time they are comfortably sleeping in whatever warm place they have found to call home for the night. Opossums do not hibernate so they may be seen at almost any time of the year – but not usually during the coldest times when they just stay home, roll over, and sleep in until it gets warmer. They are not equipped for excavating burrows so they will often use the abandoned burrows of other animals such as Groundhogs, skunks, foxes, and sometimes the crawl space under your house. Opossums have very dexterous toes and opposable thumbs on their hind feet – just like we have on our hands. These adaptations help them hold onto tree branches when they are searching for some of their favorite foods – birds and their eggs, rodents, and fruit. Opossums also have a prehensile tail that helps stabilize them when navigating in the tree branches and it also allows them to carry bedding materials back to their den to make a soft nest to sleep in as in this photo of Potter some of you may remember from almost a decade ago.

When frightened and/or cornered, Opossums will snarl, growl, and show their wide toothy grin, but they rarely bite. If the threat does not abate the Opossum will “play ‘possum” – it will go into a self-induced, involuntary comatose state where it will fall over, often defecate and urinate on itself, stiffen, – and for all intents and purposes – appear dead. This incredible tactic serves to deter the would-be attacker from feeding upon what looks like a possibly sick animal and it departs to find a better meal. After a time, the Opossum reanimates, grooms itself, and continues on about its day as if nothing happened. Opossums are amazing and wonderful creatures that help us far more than we will ever know. While they are misunderstood by many, they deserve our respect and admiration for the special and vital role they play in helping to keep nature in balance.

Outreach

*Photo: Our volunteers are AMAZING and make it all possible!*

Unlike every year during the decade since our founding, due to the pandemic in 2020 we were only able to present one in-person public nature education program this year in February. We did however, adapt to the situation and present several virtual programs for private family groups, one science museum program, and one virtual festival. Please feel free to watch two of these via the following links.

Virtual LEAF Festival video

Asheville Museum of Science Ask a Scientist Series

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=526509431592103&ref=watch_permalink

Sadly, until the pandemic subsides and things start to get back to some kind of “normal,” we will not be able to physically take our animal ambassadors and our outreach programming classes into any classrooms, summer camps, festivals, or special events. However, we will continue to introduce and educate thousands of people to the wonder and beauty of wildlife, nature, and our deep interconnectedness to our shared environment via our virtual programming and via our YouTube channel. These online platforms allow us to offer alternative and safe ways for you to learn and support nature, live alongside and respect wildlife, and be better stewards of our shared environmental life support system with the adoption of cleaner, more energy secure, renewable energy and transportation technologies such as our focus – solar energy and electric vehicles.

Speaking of vehicles, September 29^th, 2020 was our one year anniversary of driving the ENP Chevy Bolt EV – The “Mighty Bolt” as we lovingly call her – as our dedicated outreach education and wildlife rescue vehicle.

Photo: *Mighty Bolt meets young Rat snake.*

Keep reading for some mighty cool “Mighty Bolt” stats from the first year of driving the ENP Mighty Bolt EV:

14,356 miles driven.

That is an average of: 1,196.33 miles per month. 299.08 miles per week. 42.72 miles per day.

Electric fuel used: 4,330.17 kWh Avg. miles/kWh: 3.2 Avg. kWh/100 miles: 31 Avg. MPG Electric: 110.3

Estimated Gallons of Hydrocarbon Fuel Saved: 613 Estimated CO2 Avoided: 12,153 lbs.

Fuel costs: For the 14,356 total miles traveled: $176.71 – or, $14.71 per month. $3.68 per week. $.52 per day.

So that breaks down to an average of $0.012 cents per mile for the Mighty Bolt’s electron fuel.

$0.1 cents per mile! I will let that sink in for a moment.

The math: 176.71(fuel cost)/14,356(miles driven) = .0123 (cost/mile)

I have calculated that if ENP were still using a gasoline powered vehicle for our work, its fuel costs would have been around .13 cents per mile which would add up to around $1,800 for one year of use – and that is not including repairs, ”tune ups,” and maintenance costs! The ENP outreach EV is over 75% solar charged so its operational costs are lower than if it were to be charged only on grid power. Even if we had charged the Mighty Bolt EV on grid power alone it would have only increased our operational costs to: $433.017 – wow! Still a much better deal than anything powered by fossil fuels. The math: 4,330.17(kWh used to fuel EV) x .10(energy cost/kWh) = 433.017

Driving electric over the last year has given ENP an operational cost savings of over $1,600! No matter who you are, where you are from, or how much money you have to burn – you must logically agree the choice is mighty clear: the Mighty Bolt EV is the best choice for ENP in getting from point A to point B!

A very revealing energy use chart for year one with the Mighty Bolt EV.

The ENP Bolt EV is truly Mighty, it is over 75% solar charged and therefore costs ENP only .01 cents/mile to drive, it has a very small environmental footprint, and it serves as a wonderful energy education teaching tool inspiring the next generation to think above and beyond the status quo.

SO COOL!

*Photo: The Mighty Bolt after a canoeing expedition on a local lake.*

The ENP EV Motto: Drive electric to preserve nature, wildlife, and wild places. Drive electric for the health of you and your family. Drive electric for freedom from dependence on expensive, polluting fossil fuels. Drive electric for energy independence. Drive electric for a better future for all.

Learn more about driving electric at: www.blueridgeevclub.com

(ENP Executive Director Steve O’Neil co-founded this club)

This EV is owned by ENP and is used primarily as the ENP company outreach vehicle. It is charged and fueled mostly with cleanly generated electricity provided by the ENP/Trails student-built classroom solar array. It also serves as an outstanding teaching tool for our Trails students, ENP outreach program participants, and everyone we meet.

Organic Garden and Chickens

2020 was the fourth year for our student organic garden project. This year, after letting the chickens free range in the garden and turn and fertilize the soil over the fall and winter months, we decided to plant our garden in the soil again. This no-till all-natural fertilization and planting method worked surprisingly well. It allowed us to produce almost as many tasty organic vegetables as we produced in the 2019 straw bale garden experiment. We also noticed more vigorous plants and far less pests this year and it may be due to the chickens scratching up and eating many of the pests overwintering in the soil. We believe the only way to have a truly organic garden is to not use any toxic chemicals or fossil fuels in the preparation and tending of the garden so, as in past years, this year the students and I prepared the garden using only human and chicken power and fertilized it with composted food scraps and composted animal waste from our chickens and education animals and a few local horses.

The students planted and tended the garden throughout its growing season and we never used any toxic insecticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers! I am happy to say that our fourth year of the garden project was a great and tasty success with over 100 yummy squash, endless bunches of green beans, countless tomatoes, Peruvian black corn, red and yellow carrots, and several varieties of peppers – and this year our Passion fruit vine produced dozens of tasty fruits! All of this wonderful organic produce was shared among the students, staff, chickens, turtles, and tortoises! We also constructed a new grape arbor and planted six apple trees – so next year we hope to have an even more fruitful harvest.

*Photo: Happy birds basking in the summer sun 🙂*

Our small flock of friendly laying hens had a slow start but grew to over 25 birds this year! Several of the new recruits stayed with us and several more were adopted by chicken people in the community. Our chickens are free-range, organically fed, and have been hand-raised by our students as pets. They are wonderful therapy animals – with the great side benefits of giving us tasty organic, free-range eggs, no-cost organic fertilizer, and toxin and pesticide-free pest control for our student organic garden project!

*Photo: Moonlight with her chicks. She is nesting in the coop-car – a salvaged EV converted into a chicken nesting coop.*

Just in case you missed it, ENP was featured in The Laurel of Asheville

Read the story at this TinyURL link: https://tinyurl.com/yb7zxhdp

Or just search online for “Laurel of Asheville Earthshine Nature”

The ENP Renewable Energy Program

*Photo: A drone’s eye view of the ENP office/classroom/science lab/organic gardens.*

On November 8^th 2020 we celebrated three full years of producing clean, renewable, “locally grown” solar electricity for our classroom and electron fuel for the ENP outreach EV! With the generous support of Bob Harris of Black Bear Solar Institute, Pisgah Forest resident Jim Hardy, Lake Toxaway Charities, Trails Carolina, Trails Momentum, and our many other wonderful project supporters – maybe you were one of them – and all of my amazing Trails Carolina and Trails Momentum students, ENP interns, and volunteers – this project has been an phenomenal success! As of the writing of this document our student-built solar array has produced over 22 megawatt-hours of clean, renewably produced, electricity! Since the classroom solar array became fully operational on July 04^th 2019 (our Energy Independence Day) it has consistently, quietly, and without any harmful toxic pollution or emissions, produced close to 4 times the power we need to meet the daily needs of our classroom building, education animal habitats, our all-electric outreach vehicle’s electron fuel needs – all this and with power to share! We produce so much electricity that we send the surplus out to the local energy grid giving our closest neighbors on the campus of Trails Momentum renewable energy. Some of that excess power even goes to our nearby off-campus neighbors. Over the course of the entire year that excess has totaled close to 10 mWh – so our classroom has now become a renewable energy power plant not only for the campus and students of Trails Momentum but also for the local community!! Due to all that excess energy production, we have built up so much energy credit with Duke Energy that we could turn off the array and run on solar credits for several months without paying anything for energy!

*Photo: An even higher drone’s eye view*

With the completion of Phase 2 last year, the most complex portion of our classroom solar array project is now complete. We are now continuing with fundraising for Phase 3 – the final Phase of our classroom energy project. This will consist of a “secure power” off-grid circuit that will allow us to use energy direct from the solar array – this backup power system is almost finished and when online it will allow us to harvest electricity directly from the solar array when our grid connection is offline, giving us power as long as the sun shines. The final components of Phase 3 is a “plug and play” battery storage system that will store excess electricity produced during the day and will then supply that stored solar energy to all our building’s systems at night and during power outages. We will then only use our grid connection to Duke Energy as a back-up power source during long periods of dark/rainy/stormy weather. Isn’t science amazing! To make the remaining portion of the 3^rd and final Phase of this amazing student energy project a reality for our classroom, our students, and our animal ambassadors, we need your continued support in this final push to the end.

*Photo: Steve and a student place the first solar module (panel) on Phase Two of the Classroom Solar Array*

Please consider making a year-end gift to Earthshine Nature Programs and help us reach our renewable energy-powered goals. Read on for several other unique ways you can support us later in this document.

Watch this short time-lapse video of Phase Two of the solar array’s construction!

Supporter Spotlight – Jewell and Joe Mimms

My mother-in-law Jewell Mimms was born in 1939 in the beautiful, wild, mountains of Western North Carolina in a small log cabin without electricity or running water. She spent her life dedicated to her family and friends, her religion, reading almost anything, and to her music. She was an accomplished musician and could play the piano and guitar, and she had a beautiful voice and loved to sing with friends and with her daughter, my wife Marian. Jewell’s husband Joe Mimms was born in 1928 in southern Georgia and, like his wife, he grew up on a remote farm without electricity or running water. Joe joined the Navy when he was a teenager where he became a master radio operator/electrician and later focused on the new and quickly evolving fields of computers and radar. Joe’s mastery of these technologies led him to serve in all branches of the armed services save for the Marines and Coast Guard. After leaving the service Joe worked as a communications and computer specialist for NASA during the Apollo era. Joe was one of the specialists responsible for keeping the massive deep space network tracking/communications antennas at the Pisgah Tracking Station (now the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute) locked on the Apollo spacecraft as they journeyed to and from the moon! Joe loved nature and spent much of his off time hamming it up on his amateur radio set, in the forest hunting deer, or on the lakes and rivers fishing for catfish – his favorite. Jewell and Joe supported Earthshine Nature Programs with generous donations for many years because they had a very close connection with nature when they were young and felt that kids today were drifting away from this most important connection with nature. They understood that Earthshine Nature Programs’ education programs and projects serve to connect people of all ages with the natural world and how important that is in today’s world. Jewell and Joe left us over the last few years but their legacy lives on in all of the projects and programs they supported with their donations over the past decade. Thank you Jewell and Joe for your love, wisdom, knowledge, and for your support of ENP – you are both so greatly missed by so many.

*Photo: Steve and Joe fishing a few years ago.*

Our Wildlife Conservation Programs: Turtle Tracks, Snake Tracks and Snake Trails

Our wildlife tracking programs have ended and we are now focusing all our energy on our classroom and environmental education outreach programming, wildlife rehabilitation, and renewable energy education programs as well as on reporting our findings from the reptile conservation projects we conducted over the last decade of following misunderstood reptiles. What we learned while tracking these wild reptiles is far too much to fit into the pages of this newsletter so we have decided to write it all down and share it with you in three very special publications. The first of these three publications – The Rattlesnakes of the Blue Ridge – contains a naturalist’s perspective on everything we have learned by following the secret lives of Utsanati and Zoe – the two wild Timber rattlesnakes we followed in their native habitats for four years in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of WNC. Within the pages you will find an overview of the natural history of the Timber rattlesnake, a consolidation of my field observations and personal reflections, tracking and activity maps, and many high-quality photographs. This document, and the others that will follow on our Eastern box turtle and Black rat snake conservation projects, will grant fascinating insight into the lives of these unique, wonderful, and very misunderstood creatures as well as useful information on coexisting with these animals and other native wildlife species on your lands. All proceeds from the sale of this, and the future documents in this series will be 100% directed toward our continuing nonprofit wildlife conservation, rehabilitation, and environmental education missions.

*Photo: Ben Franklin – a rescue turtle from many years ago.*

To purchase a copy of The Rattlesnakes of the Blue Ridge, and/or Turtle Tracks: Box Turtles of the Blue Ridge or Snake Trails: The Rat Snakes That Live Among Us at the special price of $30.00 each – please contact us via our email address or via the contact link on our website http://www.earthshinenature.com/contact

There Are So Many Ways to Support Our Work

We welcome your support in keeping our unique programming alive – especially now with the pandemic greatly reducing our nonprofit outreach income. There are many ways you can choose to help us make our programs and projects a reality. During the pandemic the best and safest way to support us isthrough direct donations of funds and supplies and there are several ways to do so;

Donate on our website www.earthshinenature.com/donate via the PayPal link – while you are there please take a look at our website wish list for more detailed information on our current needs.
Send us a donation to our “snail mail” address – contact us for more information.
Visit our GoFundMe campaign www.gofundme.com/enpsolartrails and/or Patreon pages www.patreon.com/earthshinenature and support us with one-time or ongoing monthly donations.
Visit our Amazon Wish List at this TinyURL Amazon link: https://preview.tinyurl.com/y6mvwzm5 or by searching Amazon for the Earthshine Nature Programs Wish List.
An easy way to support us – at no cost to you – is via Amazon Smile donations. Just visit: smile.amazon.com and sign up to support Earthshine Nature Programs and every time you make a purchase on Amazon using your Amazon smile account, a portion of Amazon’s profits will be donated to ENP!
Support us with a Legacy Donation. This is a gift from you to ENP in your will. It could be monetary, land, or even a vehicle donation. For more details please visit: www.earthshinenature.com/donate
After the pandemic subsides you may donate time and energy by volunteering with us as we always have many opportunities available from working festivals, in the garden, cleaning animal habitats, etc.
Due to the pandemic we are exploring new ways of conducting our outreach programming outside of the classroom. To that end we are now looking for a hard shell mini-camper to use as a portable outreach classroom. A camper donation of any size or age will be considered but our best fit would be a small unit we could pull behind our outreach EV such the smallest versions of the Scamp, Casita, Lil Snoozy, or Happier Camper mini-campers. If you choose to donate a used or new mini-camper to ENP we will be sure to put it to good use as a mobile outreach education classroom that will benefit all our program participants on the road at schools, camps, festivals, and all of our Trails Carolina and Trails Momentum students.

*Photo: Steve teaching in the Trails/ENP classroom.*

However you choose to support us, your support will have a lasting positive impact on our ability to bring our nature, wildlife conservation, and science literacy messages to the hundreds of young naturalists, scientists, and thinkers that we encounter each year via our outreach programming in the local and regional community, and through our wonderful partnership with Trails Carolina and Trails Momentum where Steve works as naturalist to provide nature knowledge, science education, curiosity, and inspiration to their populations of outstanding youth. Learn more at: Trailscarolina.com and Trailsmomentum.com

All donations to ENP are tax deductible. Receipts available upon request.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT

*Photo: 2019 intern Abby and friends at a local river festival.*

Without your continued support, Earthshine Nature Programs would not function. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation, end of year, or legacy gift to us today and in the future. Earthshine Nature Programs is a 501c3, donation-funded, volunteer operated, wildlife conservation and rehabilitation, environmental stewardship, science education and communication, not for profit organization.

At ENP we are passionate about sharing our love, respect, and curiosity for nature, wildlife and wild places, environmental stewardship, science literacy, and reason with everyone we meet – especially our classroom and outreach programming students. It is the students of today who will make the big wildlife and nature conservation, science, and energy decisions of the future, and it is our goal to communicate to our students the most up to date, unbiased, peer-reviewed evidence, practices, technologies, and environmental ethics so they will be better informed and ready to take on the world and will be the change that will guide us all forward. We feel that by sharing the facts and evidence, demonstrating working models of what is possible, respectfully coexisting with each other, and by working together toward the common goal of creating and maintaining a better world for all living things today and into the future, we will bring the changes that will make all of our dreams come true.

Earthshine Nature Programs (501c3) is supported primarily through monetary, resource, and time donations from caring, concerned individuals just like you. We work hard to fundraise and acquire grants and donations from any and all sources that would like to support us. With your help with a one-time donation of equipment or funds, a year-end gift, a legacy gift, and/or your continuing patronage, and eventually – post pandemic – we will get back to hands-on volunteering. With our help, together we will continue to create something truly unique and wonderful that will serve to educate and inspire the thousands of students, summer campers, knowledge seekers, and others we meet each year with a newfound curiosity, a greater respect, an evidence-supported understanding, and a powerful conservation ethic for caring for the natural environment that supports us all and gives us all life.

Steve and Ashley by Evan Kafka www.evankafka.com

THANK YOU ALL

Sincerely, Steve O’Neil

Executive Director of Earthshine Nature Programs (501c3)

Email: earthshine.nature@gmail.com

Website: www.earthshinenature.com

Nature Blog: www.earthshinenature.wordpress.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/snakesteve68

EV Blog: bluewaterleaf.wordpress.com

A new set of wheels for ENP

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Stevo

Darwinian Evolution is defined as: “descent with modification from preexisting species : cumulative inherited change in a population of organisms through time leading to the appearance of new forms : the process by which new species or populations of living things develop from preexisting forms through successive generations” – From Merriam-Webster

In Automotive Evolution we might say the following: automotive technologies descend with modification and enhancement from earlier preexisting forms and technologies : cumulative inherited change of traits occur within a population of automobiles/automakers through time leading to the appearance of new and often more evolved/advanced automotive forms : the process by which new automotive systems and/or collections of systems – as dictated by necessity and/or markets – lead to novel and more advanced automotive systems and/or collections of systems developed from preexisting forms through successive generations often (but not always) leading to more superior technological adaptations : those forms and technologies deemed inferior by function/markets are quickly weeded out of the population by the process that drives both automotive and Darwinian evolution – Natural Selection. Those forms and technologies deemed superior and that perform at or above their design will survive and their technological traits will be passed down to future populations.

Recently, I made the EVolutionary choice and I EVolved my automotive system.

In late September 2019 I purchased a 2019 Chevrolet Bolt to be the new ENP outreach vehicle.

Yep. The days of the Nissan Leaf are over.

My trusty old 2012 LEAF “Elektra” served me well as the ENP outreach vehicle for a little over six years but due to her failing battery chemistry and resulting limited driving range of only around 45-50 miles – natural selection prevailed and I was forced to automotively EVolve.

The old LEAF found a new home with a wonderful couple in a nearby town. Since they only drive around 25 miles per day I believe it will serve them well for many years to come.

For my ENP outreach vehicle needs, I require a vehicle that will travel more than 50 miles per day and sometimes upwards of 200 miles at a time. I also needed a vehicle that I can afford to fuel, maintain, and pay for as a company vehicle. Now that we have EV’s I feel that it is not logical nor is it a good use of funds for a small nonprofit organization to pay large amounts of money for fossil fuel powered vehicles and their fuels and maintenance. Essentially, using a fossil fuel powered vehicle for a nonprofit – or any business for that matter – is like lighting generously donated and/or hard earned money on fire, then tossing it out the window. It is not only a garish waste of funds but it also pollutes the environment – the very thing my organization is working so hard to protect, conserve, understand, and share.

So, after extensive research and planning, I decided to purchase a new 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV – Premier edition – as a replacement outreach vehicle for Earthshine Nature Programs (501c3) – www.earthshinenature.com

I have owned the Bolt EV now for 4.5 months and during that time I have driven the little EV close to 6500 miles! It is a remarkable car that makes the old LEAF seem, well, – like ancient technology – or, in keeping with the EVolutionary theme – an earlier form of life.

I really loved my LEAF EV but the primary reason I decided to go with a Chevrolet over another Nissan was mainly due to the ongoing terrible experience I had with Nissan HQ. Despite my detailed record keeping, sticking with the car’s dealer defined maintenance/warranty schedule, countless service visits/inquiries/emails/phone calls with Nissan HQ about my LEAF’s battery degradation issue, and even working tirelessly to promote the LEAF to many people online via this blog and in person via my nonprofit programming through EV education classes, and through the Blue Ridge Electric Vehicle Club at EV car shows during National Drive Electric week – all of these things lead up to many people I knew and many I did not who then purchased Nissan LEAF’s for themselves. Despite all this Nissan still refused to stand by their product and would not offer to replace my car’s degrading battery. Then, to make matters worse – just when I was about to consider the purchase of a new battery for my LEAF – Nissan raised the price by thousands of dollars as if trying to force owners of the first generation LEAF’s to upgrade to a newer car!

On top of all this madness, Nissan opted to forgo the implementation of an active battery management system that would extend the useful life of their EV batteries in favor of keeping the costs down so they could then sell more new LEAF’s using an out-dated technology while making a higher profit.

All these reasons pushed me over the edge so I decided that I was finished with Nissan and chose to look elsewhere. I looked at Tesla, Hyundai, Kia and then Chevrolet. Chevrolet already had several years of EV experience with the Volt and the Bolt’s technology was a few years old therefore giving them some time to weed out any major issues with the newer Bolt. Chevrolet also opted to go with a battery management system similar to Tesla’s that would keep the battery at the optimum operating temperature extending its driving range and its useful life. The bolt also has amazing driving range second only to Tesla (at the time) – at 238 it was a massive improvement over the old gen one LEAF which would only travel 73 miles before needing a charge. Another big deciding factor for me was the fact that at the time I was shopping there were some really nice end of model year deals on the Bolt so, for all these reasons, I chose the Bolt EV.

Taking ownership of the new “MIGHTY BOLT” from Walker Chevrolet in Franklin, Tennessee…interestingly enough only a few miles from where I purchased the Nissan Leaf in 2013.

With the new Bolt at the Nissan HQ saying goodbye Nissan!

So far I love the little EV – although, it does have a few odd issues that need mentioning. These are issues that I believe need some real attention from Chevrolet – so let us get those out of the way first.

1: Ultra reflective dashboard deck. The windshield facing side of the dashboard (in my car) is light colored so it reflects sunlight onto the underside of the windshield making it almost impossible to drive without visual discomfort from the “flashing” reflections. This creates an unsafe and uncomfortable driving experience. During the test drive I did not notice this phenomenon – possibly due to the sun angle at the time – or I would have chosen a vehicle with a dark colored dashboard. To remedy the situation I purchased a custom fit charcoal black, non-reflective dash cover from Covercraft.com and the problem was solved.

2: Thin driver’s seat bottom cushion. I am a relatively thin person so the narrowness of the seats do not bother me as they do for some people. However, the thin cushion and adjacent plastic framework of the seat near the seat adjusting levers puts pressure on my left outer thigh region as I exit the vehicle. Over time this fact began to cause my left upper leg to ache. I fixed the issue with a simple pool noodle slipped over the plastic piece. It worked for me but GM should really work to remedy this problem as it may be a deal breaker for some buyers especially those who do not want a pool noodle flopping about in their new car.

This added pool noodle cushion ended all discomfort and is removable if need be.

3: Cargo space. For many people the Bolt will be perfect in size for town runs etc but I needed more carying capacity so I opted to install a roof basket.

This allows me to carry much more cargo when I take long trips and even lumber 🙂

Or bales of straw for the chickens 🙂

And even more lumber and conduit 🙂 !

Things I LOVE about this little car.

238 miles of range – and more depending on conditions! WOW! It is a real car!!

Range anxiety is a thing of the past!

Cool UI. I love all the data and functionality the UI provides and it is pretty.

One pedal driving – SO COOL!!! (and the brakes will last MUCH longer!)

Awesome stereo system with the option of SiriusXM.

Roof rack ready.

The three level cargo area.

Arm rest/drink holder in the rear seat.

Heated seats and steering wheel.

USB charging ports everywhere.

Qi/wireless phone charger.

Wonderful windshield wipers that really work well.

Deep, multi-level storage in center console.

Sliding sun visors.

Built-in rear-view mirror backup camera.

Surround view camera.

Automatic headlights.

Automatic Emergency Braking.

Lane keep assist.

Android Auto.

The hulkingly huge 60 kWH battery that lets me go for days without needing to charge.

The insanely low cost to fuel and operate.

In fact, lets look at some numbers on that last topic.

I am not bragging but I feel that I need to share this very revealing automotive data with you should you be considering EVolving up to a Bolt or other EV.

I have calculated the fuel costs to drive the car the 6500 miles I have traveled up to this point.

Are you ready for this?

Are you sitting down?

Here it is.

$119.71

Those costs come primarily from the five “quick charge” sessions I needed during these first four months of ownership. Those sessions resulted in a total charge of $77.95 or and average of $15.59 per charge.

The remaining $41.76 comes from multiple “Level 2” charge sessions on the road and from several overnight “Level 1” and “Level 2” charging sessions at home.

In summary, during the last four months, I have driven an average of

1,625 miles per month.
406.25 miles per week.
58.03 miles per day.

At a cost of –

$32.60 per month.
$8.15 per week.
$1.16 per day.

119.71/6500 = .0184

So that breaks down to be $0.0184 cents per mile for the Mighty Bolt’s electron fuel.

$0.2 cents per mile! I will let that sink in for a moment.

Those numbers are accurate as I keep detailed notes on all charge sessions/energy costs.

My EV’s electric fuel costs are much lower than many EV drivers since I am able to use locally generated renewably produced solar electricity as my EV’s primary fuel source. The largest percentage of my Bolt EV’s electron fuel comes from the classroom solar array my students, interns, volunteers and I installed on the ENP office/classroom.

For the average US homeowner without solar who is charging their EV at home using the local power utility energy mix (US average @ .12/kWh), their costs would be a bit higher than my numbers.

My stats.

Regional Energy Grid Data from: https://www.eia.gov/state/

Arcadia Power: https://www.arcadia.com/

The fact remains that no matter an EV’s fuel source – fueling, maintaining, and driving an EV will always be much lower than anything powered by dirty, toxic, nature, life, earth, and future polluting fossil fuels.

It is very interesting and revealing to note that if I had driven those 6500 miles in my only remaining gas guzzler – a 2013 Honda Pilot – I would have needed to stop maybe 15 – 20 times to refill the gas tank (and change the oil and oil filter one and possibly the air filter once) and therefore my gasoline fuel bill (maybe we should call it a conveyance convenience cost) would have been a massive $812.50 or around 0.13/mile! …then add in the cost of the oil/filter change of around $50 and that’s $862.50!!

I do not care who you are, where you are from, or how much money you have to burn but you must logically agree with me – that is a CRAZY STUPID expense for anyone to spend just to get from point A to point B!

In fact, below is a photo of the gas pump the last time I filled up the Honda’s fuel tank…YIKES!

That $47 will push the Honda Pilot around 360 miles but it will also push the Chevy Bolt EV over 2300 miles!!!

Some Maths

6500 miles at an average of 20mpg = 325 gallons x $2.50 (per gasbuddy.com) = $812.50

Or
812.50/6500 = .125 (per mile)

(812.50 (gas) – 119.71(electricity))

That is a fuel only cost savings of $692.79!!

No one can deny the fuel savings of driving electric – but what about all those grossly unacceptable downsides of driving EV’s:

THE DIRTY DOWNSIDES OF DRIVING ELECTRIC

Charging: What about the horrible inconvenience of charging my EV while I sleep…It is just so difficult and time-consuming to need to remember to plug in the car before going on to other things…oh the horror!

Stopping: The painfully needling fact that when on a road trip I always need to stop driving every 200 miles or so to plug in my car while I take a break, read a book, surf the net, take a nap, graze on food, have a cold one, get some exercise, go shopping, fish for lunch, fly a drone, watch a movie, spend time with friends and family, ride a zipline, pet a dog, pick some fruit, or just smell the flowers (these are just a few of the terribly inconvenient things I have been forced to do or could do while waiting for my EV to charge)…I just can’t take this intolerable electric car life of any longer!

Gas Stations: What about the hot insanity of never ever again needing to stop at dirty gas stations*? I so greatly miss the ritual of waiting in line for a pump, grasping the infectious germ and “booger” covered gas nozzle, shoving it into my legacy vehicle’s fuel port, engaging the trigger, inhaling deeply of the toxic and highly flammable hydrocarbon fumes while watching other oil addicted users doing the very same – oh and sometimes some of them leave their engines running and/or are even smoking while fueling – WTF!!! All this time our tanks fill up and our bank accounts drain…oh and let’s not forget the great fun of shopping in the station’s store for low quality overly processed foodstuffs…oh how I miss those days. *Ok, so I do occasionally stop at filling stations – but only if they have EV charging stations and/or to use their bathrooms or squeegee my EV’s windshield 🙂 (Read one of my earlier posts about an earlier and most unusual filling station experience.)

Fueling up on electrons at a Dandridge, Tennessee Exxon station – maybe one day the pump locations will be reversed 🙂

Cash Flow: How about the fact that driving electric means you will never again be forever stuck in the endless “subscription to dependency” that owning and driving petroleum-powered vehicles truly is. Therefore, I will be FORCED to stop endlessly paying out loads and loads of cash for gas/oil only to just burn it up over and over again harming our individual lungs and our shared environment. Whatever will I do with all this extra cash???

Health: When my asthma and the seasonal ozone/fossil fuel pollution-induced respiratory inflammation and distress go away – I will shed a great and lonely tear of loss. What will I ever do with all this improved health I just do not know…

Maintenance: Then there is the unbelievable madness of having virtually no maintenance costs/repair downtime on the EV’s motor, battery, brakes, and drive systems…like the LEAF before it, this BOLT EV (and all EV’s) are virtually maintenance-free. I am going to really miss the time-honored ritual of raising the hood and/or crawling under my vehicle on the side of a busy road – in the rain, mud, ice, snow, and boiling summer heat (been there done all that many, many times) – to fix some failing component such as a faulty belt/hose/fuel line/fuel tank/plug wire/radiator/thermostat/clutch/carburetor/alternator/exhaust/intake manifold/”johnson rod” and on an on…and/or wiring up a broken exhaust pipe/muffler…and/or adjusting some broken or maladjusted linkage/shaft in 20-degree weather then bashing my knuckles on a cross member etc…or having my old beater car towed to a repair shop and then waiting hours or days for it to be professionally repaired and then receiving the huge charge $$$$$$ for all those frequent repair/labor costs…again, what will I ever do with all this extra money and time? Note: I really do love working on older, classic cars – especially with my dad. However, working on a classic car at home in the garage or in the driveway/yard on a nice day is a totally different animal than what I described above – which is a fresh hell I would not wish on anyone.

Efficiency: Oh, and what about the insanely stupid fact that EVs produce a portion of their own electron fuel through the process of regenerative braking thereby extending their driving range by hundreds to thousands of free driving miles each year and therefore lowering my fuel costs even more…how will I ever adapt to all this egg-headed science nerd tech geek madness saving me loads of money and making my life easier, faster, stronger, better?!

The first road trip from Franklin, TN to Chattanooga, TN – a Bolt and a Tesla Model 3 – so cool! Photo by Bob Harris of Black Bear Solar Institute

Sound of silence: How about the unbearable and unbelievably smooth, quiet ride? I just cannot handle all this calmness, comfort, and serenity. Oh, how I miss the endless internal combustion engine drone drowning out the silence and/or the nuances of my favorite songs, audiobooks, and podcasts. Then there are the random noises, sudden jerks, squeaks, rattles, bangs, parts falling off (yes, that really happened), and body wrenching lurches that used to assault my ears, muddle my thought processes, and often torque my spine in all my previous legacy vehicles…

…all this EVolved silence is just so unbearable – oh, the humanity!

Convenience: What about that ridiculous one pedal driving thing! It is just so bizarre and inconvenient to only need to use one pedal instead of two. Not having to step on the brake all the time means my brake pads may last over one hundred thousand miles – how will I ever adapt to all this efficient madness? What will I ever do with all the extra money that I would have spent on bake jobs? My foot really misses stepping on the brake all the time so sometimes I do it out of nostalgia.

High above my EV’s fuel refinery. Note how clean the air is 🙂

Safety: I am not at all comfortable with the increased safety of this car. It will automatically and without asking me to authorize it – put on the brakes to avoid a collision!! What a HUGE compromisation of my freedoms to stop whenever I want to and under my own power and control!!! …oh and then there are all the airbags – they wrap around me on all sides – and then there’s the seatbelts holding me down keeping me from flying through the windshield in an accident – I feel so invaded!! …and what about all the CAMERAS!!! Giving over control to the machines – we all know where that leads!! It all must be a conspiracy…a plot fabricated by the Russians or maybe the Chinese…NO it is the greenies working with the Russians, the Chinese, the North Koreans and the DUTCH!!!! (To be clear: I am not racist and this was not a racial slur – it was a cheezy reference to an obscure comedy movie series staring Mike Myers.)

Furthermore!

I will not stand for all the EV safety madness!!!!

Give me back my 1969 Vista Cruiser!!

That 70’s Show photo courtesy of Carsey-Warner.

Fuel: How about the garishly un-American ability to charge an EV’s traction battery with home-grown electron fuel made on my own soil – be that electron fuel renewably generated by sun, wind, water, landfill gas, cow farts, or even the dirtiest hulking coal-fired power plant.

It is all domestically produced American made energy that does not require dirty deals, endless wars, and the terrible loss of our brave loved ones in the service just to keep it flowing into our tanks.

Nor does all this locally grown renewable energy destroy the very environment that gives all of us clean air, clean water, healthy food, diverse wildlife, our own lives, and a healthy future.

Source: NASA https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_2159.html

Driving electric vehicles powered by renewable energy is obviously such an un-American, un-patriotic sacrilege that our founding fathers must be spinning like oil-soaked V8 crankshafts in their graves!

__________________________________________

Ok, so for those of you that somehow missed it – I absolutely LOVE my Chevrolet Bolt EV and I absolutely LOVE driving electric. I was attempting to be overly and intentionally sarcastic and humorous with my previous outline of EV shortcomings. From my point of view and over six years of EV driving experience – there really are no EV shortcomings.

Driving electric is simply a better way to drive.

Despite my sarcastic attempts at humor aside and despite all the mostly manufactured EV shortcomings you may encounter from the deniers, doubters, Luddites, and FUD generators – and those with money/politics tied up in the legacy automakers and fossil fuel economy – I fail to see how anyone can rationally dispute the massive cost savings of driving electric vehicles as daily driver commuter vehicles and soon, much, much, more…and all this before we have even looked at the significant reductions to toxic air and water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions saved by driving electric vehicles especially when they are charged by locally grown renewably generated 100% energy secure electricity – but that is another long-winded data-rich topic for yet another blog posting on yet another day.

Final Question:

How much does it cost you to drive your fossil burner 6500 miles?

So, suffice it to say that I absolutely LOVE my Chevrolet Bolt EV.

I will keep you posted on my newly EVolved EV life with the “Mighty Bolt” EV and hopefully I will be able to offer you some insight into the world of the Electric Vehicle, renewable energy, and maybe, if you have not already, you will take the necessary steps toward your own automotive EVolution.

GREAT AND SPECIAL THANKS to Bob Harris of Black Bear Solar Institute, Jim and Alice Hardy, Catherine O’Neil, Marian O’Neil, and the Blue Ridge EV Club, my awesome students, and everyone who worked with me to make this possible – you know who you are!

Note: I do not work for, receive compensation from, or own stock in GM, Chevrolet, Tesla, or any electric vehicle or electric vehicle supply equipment company or renewable energy technology or company. I do however support all of these technologies, companies, and ways of life as long as they stay focused on their goals and work to help more than harm and because they are all working toward a better, cleaner, more energy secure, lower ecological footprint, science-focused way of life that supports everyone everywhere.

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