Jim Corning's Prometheus electric motorcycle.
We looked at how Jim Corning came about building his own electric motorcycle. Now let us see the other side of his business, the clean, alternative energy used to power his electric bike.
Alternative Energy For EVs. The other aspect of PrometheusSolar is the alternative energy to feed the bikes with pollution free electrons. Jim chose to use a grid-tied solar photovoltaic system to generate power for transportation. He says it is a freeing experience without feeling guilty of your carbon footprint.
If transportation, a 100 years ago was mostly animal-driven who derived their energy from locally grown grasses, using locally harvested solar and wind energy to power EVs today is a logical progression. According to Jim’s calculations, homeowners installing solar photovoltaic panels to offset power from their electric utilities, means a payback period of ten years or more. If the power from their solar array is used to recharge an electric car for their local travel, the payback at current gas prices dramatically comes down to 6 to 7 years.
From Oil To Alternative Energy. When we compare solar electric with renewable fuels, such as corn-ethanol production, considering today’s farming practices, we can produce 300 gallons of ethanol from the corn grown on one acre. In a typical car, this will provide 7,500 miles of mobility per year. If on that same acre we install 10,000 square feet of solar photovoltaic panels at their current efficiency, we could produce an average 600 kW-hr per day, or 220,000kW-hr per year. Add on top of it that typical electric car conversions today get about 2½ miles per kW-hr, this acre of solar power could provide over 500,000 miles of mobility per year. No matter how you look at it, alternative clean energy is by far cheaper and advantageous.
Considering that 80% of the average daily distance driven in the U.S. is 40 miles, or about 11,000 miles per year, this means, each driver would need 1.5 acres of corn production to support 100% ethanol driven cars. In 2008, producers planted 90.5 million acres of corn, so complete reliance on ethanol fuel for 250 million of us would require a 3 times that amount in land cultivation of corn, or close to 300 million of acres. It is obviously impossible to reach, especially when we consider that ethanol is still after all a pollutant.
The Alternative Electric Production Solution. However, the same driving distance of 11,000 miles per year, in an EV would require a 2,400 watt solar photovoltaic array, smaller than many residential grid-tied solar electric installations. That same photovoltaic array and grid-tied inverter system would cost about $18,000 before rebates and tax credits. In most U.S. Southwestern states, this means the cost is below $10,000. If the solar power is used to offset gasoline consumption at an optimistic $2.50/gallon in a typical car doing 24.6 mpg then, for that 11,000 miles per year of transportation, a driver can saving $1,100. In other words, the return on this investment is 6% for the next 20 years, if the cost of gasoline does not rise, which we know it already has and will continue to do so.
No matter how you look at it, alternative clean energy makes sense in the short and long term. With government incentives and local tax rebates, those with enough space could become energy producers and not only get paid for producing it but also provide for their transportation.
What struck me most about Jim, is that he is the quintessential American entrepreneur that thinks well outside the box. By building his electric motorcycle, he proves we can be innovative and efficient. By designing his own frame, he also proves with enough will and training, we can take things into our own hands and personalize our EV experience. And lastly, by adding the all important feeding an EV with clean, renewable alternative energy, the foot print becomes as close as possible to zero, taking into consideration the manufacturing anything pollutes. It will be interesting to see how Jim does in the future and shows America that it still has that which has made it famous for a century, that unbeatable entrepreneurship.
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