Are You (EV) Experienced?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to own an electric vehicle? Now, with JCREMC’s EV Experience, it’s easy to find out by borrowing JCREMC’s Chevrolet Bolt for a day.

Kevin Shelley, JCREMC’s Director of Engineering, doesn’t have to wonder. He owns a Nissan Leaf and has been carefully documenting its performance on an Excel spreadsheet since April of 2020. “You could call me an enginerd,” he says. “What I’ve learned is that with JCREMC’s single-phase time-of-use rate, we’re getting the equivalent of 135 miles per gallon.”

Shelley says an EV works well for his two-car family because they also have a gasoline-powered car for longer trips. “The Leaf is really great for round trips of 60 to 70 miles although it can go much farther,” he says. “It all depends on how hilly it is or if you’re running an air conditioner.” The Chevy Bolt has a maximum range of 259 miles and some Teslas can go over 300 miles on a single charge.

Although EVs can be charged with a standard 120V outlet, Shelley installed a 240V level 2 charger for faster, more efficient charging. The device also schedules charging times, so he can take advantage of JCREMC’s tiered rate structure. “It’s all automatic, so I don’t have to go to the garage and plug it in when rates drop at 11 p.m.,” he says. “As more members adopt electric vehicles, charging during off-peak hours will become increasingly important to managing demand.”

For JCREMC members who charge when rates are lowest, electric vehicles can offer substantial cost savings without sacrificing performance. “Except for a muscle car, I’d stack up my Leaf’s performance to any other car,” Shelley says.

Newsletter Winter 2020 – 2021 | Download the PDF version.