Page 7 - North American Clean Energy January/February 2019 Issue

Regarding the Editor’s Note from November/ December 2018
“I have a Nissan Leaf to serve my driving needs in retirement, which aren't much, so I'm able to recharge at home with the 120V charger (slow) that was provided with the car. But my local Walmart
has a public charging station and once while there I checked it out. I was mostly mysti ed by it - how do I start it, do I need an online account of some sort, etc., etc. And I'm a retired electrical engineer! I'm pretty sure the plug device would have been compatible with my car, but the station's operation didn't look intuitive
at all. Why couldn't it be like a self-service gas pump? Swipe your credit card, plug in and wait for the ll up. Technology should make things easier, right?”
- Mike Curran
“Rather than give readers one more reason to think twice about getting on the EV bandwagon, you should instead educate yourself about how easy it is to make the transition to an EV and how really simple most EV charging stations are to operate. ey don't all work the same way, but they are no more diverse than gas pumps in terms of how you activate them. Once they are active,
the steps are no more complicated
that plugging the connector into your charging port... Talk to new EV owners and you'll see what I mean. Most of us charge at home and it is really not that hard once you've done it a few times. Please, there are enough challenges in getting people to see how much greater life can be with an EV. Don't provide more xcuses for folks who are on the sidelines to delay getting an EV.”
- Marc Fontana
“As a marketing professor who studies the di usion of EVs, I too have noted that charging is perhaps THE key to the success of EVs appealing to mainstream drivers in the marketplace. One of the biggest issues I see is that 46 percent of America’s population live in apartments and multi-housing dwellings, many
of which do not allow for convenient overnight charging for EV owners. Consequently, EV owners must rely
on charging infrastructure provided
by Tesla, ChargePoint, EVgo, etc. I’ve encountered many would-be EV buyers, but because they can’t get charging at home set up, they’ve opted not to buy.”
One giant leap for visibility
e Kennedy Space Center’s visitor complex inspires millions of visitors with technology and human achievement. Five Spotlight Solar structures have found their home at this important place. 1958 marked the rst ight of photovoltaic solar cells in space, with the Vanguard 1 satellite (which remains in orbit). Space ight was one of the rst practical applications of solar electricity, and the US space program has been key to advancing PV technology. Now solar has a visible presence at Kennedy, educating visitors and endorsing renewable energy. Credit goes to the Kennedy Space Center’s leaders for their vision and partnership, and to Florida Power & Light’s 45,000 voluntary SolarNow participants, who contributed funds to bring solar into public, interactive places.
Spotlight Solar /// www.spotlightsolar.com
- Edwin Sta ord
letters to the editor
North American Clean Energy
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