Flat Rate EV Charging

Does an electric car make sense?

A car is a very personal decision and investment with choices depending on your desires and lifestyle. In many cases a plug-in car turns out to be less expensive for a new car and fuel than what you may be spending on gasoline alone.

Electric vehicles are higher performing, quieter and more advanced than other vehicles as well being more economical while coming in a wide variety of makes and models from sports, to SUV to sedans.

By driving a plug-in vehicle you:

• 1. Utilize fuel that is local and renewable, rather than sending money to the oil producing regions that create instability and security problems.
  2. Keep the benefits of clean air and money in your community. You enrich where you live rather than sending it elsewhere

We recommend www.pluginamerica.org for more details on plug-in vehicles and benefits.

How do I get to use an EV charging stall in my building?

• All Electrictrees.com stations are shared use and if not already in use, accessible by any Electrictrees.com member in good standing. Drivers sign up for use on the web.

Is this stall dedicated parking for a specific person?

• No. To keep costs low and serve as many as possible, Electrictrees.com provides the parking without additional charge while a vehicle is charging on a shared basis. When fully charged, a vehicle must move or it is charged an overstay fee that increases until the vehicle is moved.

If my car is not an EV can I use the Electrictrees.com parking space?

• No. The stall is specifically intended for the shared use of plug-in vehicle charging.

How do I pay for EV charging with Electrictrees.com?

• Sign up for an account and register the vehicle via the website or mobile app. Service is provided for unlimited use including parking while charging at any Electrictrees.com location. You will be charged a monthly fee based on your vehicle and selected plan.

How much does this cost for my car? How much do I save?

• Less than gasoline. Plan prices are based on your specific vehicle model. Electrictrees.com prices the plans to achieve a substantial savings over typical gasoline driving. In most cases we expect drivers to save at least 50%, and up to 65%, over the equivalent cost of gasoline depending on your driving style.

Do I have to be a renter in the building where the charger is installed?

• No. You do need to have a valid Electrictrees.com account with a registered vehicle. Use the mobile app to locate an available station.

How fast do I charge at a Electrictrees.com station?

• As fast as possible. Electrictrees.com stations are designed to charge your vehicle at the fastest rate your vehicle can accept an AC charge. Each station is configured to support up to 70 amps or 18 kilowatts. This is roughly equivalent to 60 to 70 miles of range for every hour of charging. The exact rate is dependent on your specific vehicle model as not all vehicles are designed to charge at the same rate.

Is this faster than other stations?

• Yes. Many other stations are configured to charge at 15 amps (3.3 kW). If your vehicle can charge faster than this you will not get a full rate of charge at those stations.

Is my vehicle compatible?

• Yes. While there are different formats for charging, Electrictrees.com’s station use the J1772 format which is available on 100% of currently shipping vehicles. Some vehicles (Tesla or private conversions) may require an adapter which is available from the vehicle manufacturer.

I’ve heard that electricity comes from coal so how clean is this electricity?

• 100% renewable power generated on site is used in almost every case. Electrictrees.com’s system is specifically designed to provide the cleanest and most reliable power possible. In addition to using some of the solar power generated on site to directly charge vehicles during the day, energy is stored in the on-site battery system for delivery during the night or when overcast. Only when this power is not available does it get drawn from the grid. The grid’s renewable content is monitored every 5 minutes from the CAISO to assure vehicles are recharged with the cleanest power possible.

Electrictrees.com stations are compatible with 100% of the EVs available today. You don’t have to worry if your car is compatible.

• Electrictrees.com’s station use the J1772 format which is available on 100% of currently shipping vehicles. Some vehicles (Tesla or private conversions) may require an adapter which is available from the vehicle manufacturer.

Plug-in cars use less electricity than gasoline cars. Using gasoline actually increases the total amount of electricity needed.

• 1. 1 KWH will take the typical plug in car 3.5 to 4 miles. ¹
  2. 1 Gallon of gas will take the average car 24.5 miles. ²
  3. It takes 7.5 KWH of electricity to refine 1 gallon of gasoline. ³

  So to travel 24.5 miles it takes…

  1. EV: (24.5 miles) ÷ (3.5 to 4 miles per KWH) = 7 to 6.125 KWH
  2. Gas (Internal Combustion Engine): 7.5 KWH embedded electricity

  This also means completely avoiding the emissions and toxic byproducts of auto exhaust.

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  1. Green Car Reports – 2013 Electric Cars: Rated Range For Each Model, Ultimate Guide

  2. Fleet gasoline efficiency

  3. Jacob Ward, Program Analyst/PMF Vehicle Technologies Program, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy writes:

  The energy required to refine a gallon of gasoline can be estimated based on the energy content of crude oil and the refinery efficiency of the facility performing the energy conversion; I can provide you a reputable source for both values.

  In a 2008 report, Argonne National Lab estimated that the efficiency for producing gasoline of an “average” U.S. petroleum refinery is between 84% and 88% (Wang, 2008), and Oak Ridge National Lab reports that the net energy content of oil is approximately 132,000 Btu per gallon (Davis, 2009). It is commonly known that a barrel of crude oil generate approximately 45 gallons of refined product (refer to NAS, 2009, Table 3-4 for a publication stating so). Thus, using an 85% refinery efficiency and the aforementioned conversion factors, it can be estimated that about 21,000 Btu—the equivalent of 6 kWh—of energy are lost per gallon of gasoline refined.

  The documents referenced herein are publicly available, as follows:

  Wang, M. (2008), “Estimation of Energy Efficiencies of U.S. Petroleum Refineries,” Center for Transportation Research, Argonne National Laboratory,
  www.transportation.anl.gov/modeling_simulation/GREET/pdfs/energy_eff_petroleum_refineries-03-08.pdf

  Davis, S., Susan W. Diegel, and Robert G. Boundy (2009), Transportation Energy Data Book, edition 28, National Transportation Research Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, cta.ornl.gov/data/

  NAS (2009), Hidden Costs of Energy: Unpriced Consequences of Energy Production and Use, The National Academies Press, www.nap.edu/openbook.php? record_id=12794&page=1

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  It is worth noting that refining one barrel of oil yields gasoline in addition to other products, so only a portion of the refining energy used to refine a barrel of crude is truly attributable to gasoline. Even so, in terms of energy equivalencies, the preceding estimation is valid.

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Refueling in San Francisco: Electrictrees.com EV charging stations = 101, Gas Stations = 100

• Retail Fuel Stations – Survey Responses and Estimated Totals by County