Plug-In Hybrids and Electric Vehicles (EVs)

Hello fellow green thumb enthusiasts.  My name is Lawrence  

While driving tirelessly through the parking structure at Cal State Fullerton looking for parking, I noticed the parking structure rooftop came equipped with plugging stations for both Plug-In Hybrids and Electric Vehicles (EVs) and I thought to myself, “I wonder how much these vehicles would cost?” and “Would the price of paying extra be worth what I would be saving on gas?” My curiosity has led me to blog about Plug-In Hybrids and Electric Vehicles (EVs) including their costs and advantages.

A plug-in hybrid car is similar to a conventional hybrid vehicle- both use a gasoline engine as well as an electric motor.  Likewise, an electric car is purely powered by an electric motor instead of gasoline engine.  The electric motor gets energy from a controller, which regulates the amount of power- based on the driver’s use of an accelerator pedal.  The hybrid plug-in and the electric car (EV) both use energy stored in its rechargeable batteries, which are recharged by common household electricity.

(Below are examples of a few popular Plug-In Hybrids and Electric Vehicles (EVs) by cost)

Toyota Prius (2012) Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle: $35,000

Ford C-Max Energi (2013) Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle: estimated $33,000

 

Chevrolet Volt (2012) Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle: $41,000

 

Nissan Leaf (2012) Electric Vehicle: $32,000

Ford Focus (2012) Electric Vehicle: $39,000

Pretty hefty upfront cost right? However, further research shows an increased savings in the long run!  The U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center has an interesting tool on its website for comparing the costs of fuel and ownership of nearly every motor vehicle sold in the U.S.  LA Times journalist Dan Turner researched the Nissan Leaf and taking into consideration fuel cost, purchase price, registration, insurance, etc; he concluded the Leaf eventually made up for its higher upfront cost by matching its cumulative cost at year fifteen.
(http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-gas-prices-electric-cars-20121005,0,5048496.story)

Solar Energy- USA gives more examples of how much money can be saved by driving an electric car (www.solarenergy-usa.com)

After researching cost of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, I can reasonably conclude that these vehicles definitely have their advantages.  I think getting over the (higher) up-front cost would be the biggest challenge for many people, including starving students like myself.

 

In the meantime, I’ll continue to circle the parking structure of Cal State Fullerton in my (2006) Honda Accord while paying for increased gas prices.  Maybe after I graduate and land in my ideal career I’ll be able to one day afford an electric vehicle?  Until then, here’s to all current EV drivers… more power to you!

Lawrence

To Trash or not To Trash? Is that Really a Question?

Hey Fellow Green Thumbers, I’m Andy part of the Green Thumb blog team. What are some of the things people do to help reduce carbon footprint? First thing that usually comes to mind is recycling. When someone thinks about recycling, it’s not just about putting cans, papers, and glass into separate bins and send them off to some factory. It’s more than that. The word recycling means to convert (waste) or something not of use into something useful/reusable. Anything around the household can be recycled. Recycled items around the household can be converted into kids arts and crafts, have multiple uses, and save the environment.

Great projects to keeps little monsters busy is arts and craft, not only is it fun but very educational and opens their mind to greater imagination. Items around the house can be recycled to be used in arts and craft without leaving a hole in your wallet. Items like a Piggy Bank can be made out of recycled materials.

http://www.inhabitots.com/diy-christmas-recycled-piggybanks/

With the right material you can make other really great things. Here is a website that will give you some ideas.

A Great way to save money and the environment is using regular everyday household items not just for the main practical use, but for other things. With multi used items it can save you from running to the store and needlessly spending money. Items like Lemon, vinegar, baking soda, salt, and aluminum foil. Aluminum foil is not just for baking and cooking food, but can act as a scrub for oven, mold for doorknobs to protect from dripping paint while painting, clean glass pans with aluminum foil to get baked on food off, and not only that, aluminum foil in some cities can be recycled. There are hundreds of ideas you can find with a common items laying around the house. But don’t just stop here, you can find more ways and items to save time, money, and the Earth you can always do research.

For more ideas and DIY projects you can visit this website.
http://voices.yahoo.com/diy-reusing-household-items-other-things-around-8914131.html?cat=6

The GreenThumb team is about bringing people together even if we have our differences. We all share one thing in common, which is this only planet that we live on. We should protect and preserve for future generations so that our kids and grandkids can live a healthy and happy life.

Green House - Green Neighborhood – Green Community

Hi everyone, I’m Nhi. This is my first post on Thumb Green’s blog. The word “Green” makes me think about something that is eco-friendly. I’m an “eco-friendly” girl and I love living in a “Green House”, an eco-friendly house. I always try to find some simple and useful tips to save household energy. I’ve watched three interesting YouTube videos called “Tips to Green your Home” that show us how to reduce energy use in our house:

After watching them, I summarized what I had learned:

1) Use cold water for laundry:

When you are using your clothing washing machine, the water temperature should always be on “cold water” section. Many people think that their clothing will be cleaner if they use warm water or hot water, but in fact, cold water is good enough to wash–off all the dirt in your clothing.

2) Use insulating windows instead of the normal ones:

Clif Castleman, the owner of a “Green House” shows us the benefits he gets from using energy-saving windows:

•         His electrical bill is reduced by 50 dollars;
•         Percentage of energy saved: 20-50% in summer and 80% in winter.

The high-tech window might be more expensive than the others. However, as it was shown in the video, if you choose the insulating window, you will pay less for your monthly electrical bills since it preserves the energy inside of your house. Hence, this window is a better choice.

3) Planting Trees on your backyard:

It’s not only for decoration but also for energy-conservation: The trees give cool shade to reduce the heat of your house in summer and block the cold winds during wintertime. Hence, you can save the air-conditioning and heating costs at the same time.You can also find the right way to do the gardening and the right trees to plant from the third video. 

To find more information, you can visit the main website that is linked to those videos:  http://www.nwf.org/goodneighbor  You can share those tips with your family, classmates, friends, and neighbors, so that we can build not one but many “Green Houses” together to create a “Green Community”.

            If you have any questions, you are welcome to discuss with us by leaving some comments below. I hope that all of you had a wonderful weekend,

            Nhi.

Welcome to the greener side...

In this day and age, many people are coming to realize that with an exponentially growing world population, we all are facing depleting resources that can’t be replenished. Increasing research and studies are showing that the best way to save on our remaining fossil fuel resources is to conserve energy. You may have noticed that more companies are moving towards “green” products and services to help consumers find effective ways to save energy and resources that we depend on in our daily lives.

               

   So, to help ease the pain of finding what works, and what doesn’t, a group of us decided to create this blog to provide helpful energy efficient websites, products, and tips for the home that anyone can benefit from. My name is Adrienn, and I’m always on the lookout for energy efficient ways to live by, anything that helps conserve our resources, and eliminate unnecessary waste. I’d like to also introduce you all to my teammates Tony, Andy, Nhi, and Lawrence. The five of us are thrilled to see what we can find to make conserving energy a breeze and fun! We are all focused on making this world a better place… one post at a time.