Driving Electric

The last week of September is National Drive Electric Week, which is a good opportunity to learn about electric cars. I have had the opportunity to borrow an electric car over the past 2 years, and many people have asked me about the experience. Electric cars are fun to drive. They are quiet, and acceleration is smooth and fast. It’s easy to get used to plugging in at night instead of stopping at gas stations, and no oil changes or engine maintenance are required with an electric vehicle (EV). I do not have a charger at home, and have had no trouble simply plugging the car into a standard outlet to keep it charged. If I need to charge quicker, there are plenty of public chargers in the area. For road trips, there are fast chargers located along highway corridors to make it convenient to stop for a charge. Often, the time to charge is just enough to get a bite to eat, stretch your legs, or take a bathroom break. During the summer of 2020, I drove an EV from Highland Park to Colorado. The cost of the charging stops was exactly half the cost of gas for the same trip – and that was when gas prices were lower than they are now. If you want a more detailed description of the trip, I’ve posted it here. Read this NY Times article about an EV road trip to a remote area in Quebec and this article about a cross country EV road trip. When you buy your next car, make it electric!

EV Road Trip

Driving from Illinois to Colorado in an electric car, Summer 2020

We decided to drive 1,300 miles, across the plains and through the mountains, in the midst of a global pandemic in an electric vehicle. My car, being 12 years old, was deemed unsafe for such a long trip. With permission from my parents, I took their car instead, a Tesla model 3.

Packing the car full of snacks, filling our insulated water bottles, and charging the battery fully, we were ready to head out early in the morning. In addition to our luggage, we packed a picnic blanket, plenty of hand sanitizer, paper towels and a spray bottle of alcohol, and rubber gloves. The car has an impressive amount of storage space in both the front (where an engine would be) and the back.

Our first charging stop was in Davenport, Iowa in the parking lot of the Hy Vee supermarket. Iowa has invested in their electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and it was no problem to find charging stations along I-80.

We were able to route the trip through Tesla Superchargers, which decreased our total charging time. Still, charging stops added approximately 4 hours to our 20 hour one way drive. Interestingly, it takes 20-30 minutes to charge the battery to approximately 80%. After that, charging slows down significantly in order to avoid overheating the battery. The mapping feature on the car will tell you where and how long to charge, although we kept an eye on the battery as we were driving since both weather and speed can impact range. Driving across Iowa and Nebraska in the sun on a hot day, the air conditioner ate through our battery faster than we would have hoped. It would have been worth purchasing a cover for the sunroof to stay cooler.

Stop #2 was in Altoona, Iowa at the Kum and Go gas station. It was a nice day, so we ate the food we had brought for lunch outside the car, adjacent to a cornfield. We continued on to Council Bluffs, Iowa where the charging stations were in a strip mall parking lot. Leaving the car charging, we walked to a nearby restaurant to get food to go for dinner. We passed an impressive number of wind turbines through Iowa. You get a sense of the scale of these turbines when you see the trucks carrying the blades and towers on the road.

During this stretch, my son came up with the motto “Go slow to go fast.” The faster we drove, the more we had to stop to charge the car. When we kept our speed under 70 mph, we were able to go further on a charge. Lesson learned.

In Grand Island, Nebraska, we ate our carry out dinner by the car. This charging station was at a truck stop where the air was filled with the exhaust of idling diesel trucks. A natural area across a divided highway looked like it would have been a nice picnic spot, but we couldn’t safely walk there, so stayed by the car. Pushing on to Ogallala, Nebraska, we stopped to charge before heading to the hotel. This charge took an hour, as we wanted to start the next day with a full charge. Had there been a hotel with a charger in the parking lot in the area, we would have stayed there and left the car to charge overnight.

Setting off early after a good night’s sleep, we made it over the border to Brush, Colorado before stopping to charge. This charging station was in the parking lot of a gas station again, so there was nowhere to get food or walk while the car was charging. None of the charging stations we used were under cover. On the way east, we used this charging station in a severe rain/hail storm, which was not pleasant. 

Somehow we missed a charger outside of Denver, so we were nervous about making it to Poncha Springs for our next charge. We turned off the A/C to save battery, and I looked at the map for level 2 chargers on the route. Unfortunately, without much internet reception, it was difficult. My son gets an A+ for his efficient driving in this stretch, gaining 30 miles by coasting down the hills. In the future, I’d print out a map of charging stations on portions of the route where we might need a boost and may not have cell reception. At Poncha Springs, we got Thai Food and used the picnic blanket to have a birthday lunch by a river across from the charging station. We brought our own utensils, which was helpful. Nervous about the distance and elevation gain in the next stretch, we spent extra time and charged the battery fully here. There were no super chargers after this stop.

The last stretch of the trip went smoothly, and we arrived at our destination with battery to spare. While some charging stations are free to use, faster chargers do have an associated cost. Even so, charging along the route was half the cost of gas for the same trip — and gas prices were lower than they are now. We plugged the car in to a regular outlet in the garage at our destination, where it took several days to fully charge for the trip home.

EV Road Trip Lessons Learned:

  1. Keep to a reasonable speed.
  2. Watch your battery if you are driving fast and using a/c or heat.
  3. Be prepared for weather – consider a cover if you have a car with a sunroof and are driving on a sunny day. Bring a raincoat or poncho just in case. The charging stations are often in the open.
  4. Be self sufficient – many charging stations are not near amenities. Bring a picnic blanket, utensils and plenty of water so you can eat while charging. Bring food or pick stops in advance that have food available.
  5. Charging slows down as the battery fills so plan to stop more frequently rather than filling up. This is also better for battery life.
  6. Map out your route in advance, and print or download a map of charging stations in case you don’t have cell reception.  
  7. Download apps for the charging station networks along your route and set up accounts before you leave home. Be sure you have appropriate adapters in the car.
  8. Stay at a hotel with a charger so that you can charge overnight, if possible.
  9. Relax and enjoy the ride!

Safe Driver Training

Has it been awhile since you took Driver’s Ed? Brush up on your skills and learn more about sharing the road with cyclists at Ride Illinois’ free bicycle-friendly driver course. These  virtual courses are offered through the Ride Illinois Safely education program and focus on the Illinois Rules of the Road, sharing the road, bike infrastructure, causes of common crashes, taking the lane, and the information that Ride Illinois shares with cyclists in education courses. The next course is at noon Thursday, April 28. Register here.

Sustainable Vehicles

Transportation is currently the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the US. Electric and hybrid vehicles are better for the environment, and also cost less over their lifetime than gas powered cars. Electric vehicles require almost no maintenance, and the cost of electricity is less than the cost of gas. You can compare the ownership costs of different vehicles here to see how much money you can save with a more efficient vehicle.

When the City purchases new vehicles, I have asked staff to calculate the total cost of ownership and savings for cleaner models. As a result, the City has added hybrid and electric cars to the fleet and put in place a Sustainable Vehicle Policy to guide future purchases. At the February 8 City Council meeting, we approved the purchase of 4 new hybrid vehicles for the Police Department fleet. Each of these vehicles will save the City over $4,000 in gas costs annually, making up for the additional upfront cost in under a year. Purchasing sustainable vehicles saves the City money while reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

I am proud of my role in greening the City Fleet, but there is more work to be done. In 2021, I am working to add Electric Vehicle (EV) readiness to our building code, following the lead of Chicago and other cities around the country. Wiring new buildings at the time of construction costs a fraction of retrofitting later, thereby saving money for residents.  As more auto manufacturers announce the shift to electric vehicles, we should make sure that new construction in Highland Park is ready for Electric Vehicle charging.

Share the Road Reminders

On most roadways, bicyclists (including those on electric bikes or low-speed vehicles such as scooters and mopeds) have the same rights and responsibilities as other roadway users. Additionally, bicyclists riding on the sidewalks are reminded to please alert pedestrians before safely passing them, either verbally or using a bell. The Illinois Secretary of State provides an overview of essential laws and safety tips regarding bicyclists:

  • Bicyclists are required to travel in the same direction as vehicles.
  • Drivers must yield the right-of-way to a bicyclist just as they would to another vehicle.
  • When passing a bicyclist, motorists must do so slowly and leave at least three feet of passing space.
  • Crowding or threatening a bicyclist is prohibited.
  • A motorist should not park or drive in marked bicycle lanes.
  • If a motorist is turning right and a bicyclist is approaching on the right, the motorist should allow the bicyclist to proceed through the intersection first before making a right turn. Motorists and bicyclists should always signal when turning.

Read more on the Illinois Secretary of State’s website. Always remember to wear your helmet!

Bike Fair and Family Friendly Bike Route Opening

Join Highland Park’s Bike Walk Advisory Group and Trek HP for a bike fair at the Trek parking lot, 1925 Skokie Valley Road on September 22 at 1 pm. The fair includes bike safety and helmet checks, a bike safety course, Aidan’s Crazy Bike Creations and more. Bring your bike and join us at 2 pm for the inaugural ride of Highland Park’s new Family Friendly Bikeway in the Highlands neighborhood. This new route is a short, on-street loop that is easy for families to ride. Working Bikes will be there to collect old bikes in any condition to refurbish for those in need of transportation.

Highland Park achieves Bronze Bike Friendly Community Designation

The League of American Bicyclists recently awarded the City of Highland Park with their Bicycle Friendly Community designation at the Bronze level. The League reserves this award for select communities with impressive commitments to bicycling. The Bike Walk Advisory Group, a dedicated group of volunteer residents, has worked with City staff and our sister governments over several years to improve bicycle education programs and implement elements of our Bike Walk 2030 plan. City Council has dedicating funds to fix gaps in our sidewalk network and improve our pedestrian and bicycling facilities over several years. I’m proud of our achievement, and look forward to continuing to work to make Highland Park a walkable and cyclist friendly community.

 

Complete Streets: Good for Business

We are fortunate to live in a community with excellent bicycle and pedestrian access, and I am proud of my work to ensure that future projects maintain the walkability so integral to Highland Park’s character.  Complete streets play an important role in livable communities, where all people – regardless of age, ability or mode of transportation – feel safe and welcome on the roadways.

A new book states what I have long believed: “…it’s pedestrians (and now bicyclists in increasing numbers) that drive sales to street-level businesses, not drivers of cars. There is now an ever-increasing amount of research that demonstrates conclusively that changes to our streets which support bike and pedestrian activity have a profoundly positive impact on street-level businesses.

Active By Design Summit

Please join me on October 4 at 1 pm at Chicago Botanic Gardens to learn more about the many benefits of designing communities that promote physical activity. Featuring Mark Fenton, nationally renowned walkability expert, and Eric Chehab, MD, of Illinois Bone and Joint Institute, the program will also include a panel of local community leaders who will share their successes with complete street enhancements and strategies for funding healthier places for walking and bicycling. Registration is required for this free event. There will also be a “walk audit” in Highland Park at 8 am on October 5. If you’d like to participate, email me for details.

Bike Walk Fair and Film Fest

Bike walk flyer 2

Bike over to the Highland Park Library on Sunday, May 15, 2016 for Highland Park’s second annual Bike/Walk Fair. From 1-3 pm there will be bike and helmet safety checks, information from local bicycle shops and environmental organizations, and even some free stuff. Bring used bikes that you no longer need to donate to Working Bikes. Stay to see the one hour Bicycle Film Fest inside the Library at 2 or 3:15. This event is free and all are welcome. Please share.