Sierra Commons

With word getting around the Commons about SiGBA’s upcoming event, the usual Commons office banter turned green (greener than usual, anyway). With my own trip to Tesla’s San Carlos office/showroom, the discussion quickly evolved into a back and forth about current and future electric and zero emission vehicles.  The larger topic of sustainable living seems worthy of some consideration here.

It’s no secret that Nevada City has aspirations towards a completely sustainable lifestyle.  NC already has the highest ratio of solar panels per household in the state and many groups, including SiGBA, are leading a green building effort to renovate existing buildings and build new ones following green/sustainable guidelines.  As part of this effort, SiGBA features links on their Resource Page to documents and websites with information regarding green materials, sustainability, energy and water conservation, and available grants and funding for green building.

What is perhaps most exciting about all of this is that the technology and the means of implementing it in the real world are either here or coming very soon.  And nowhere is this more evident than in the burgeoning electric automobile industry.  With Tesla Motors and its new Roadster and upcoming Model S sedan, the previously held stereotypes about range limitation and impracticality are quickly disintegrating.  But what is even more dramatic and astonishing is the progress being made under the radar.

ZENN Motors, a Canadian car company, currently makes a 25mph electric city car with a limited 40 mile range.  This is by no means earth-shattering performance.  It has all the limitations and downsides that seem to feed naysayers and prevent the electric car from capturing mainstream consideration.  What is earth-shattering, however, is what is currently coming down the ZENN Motors pipeline.  ZENN will reportedly feature the EEStor ceramic battery in their ZENNergy driveline in an upcoming ZENN car.  Why ceramic?  Compared to Lithium-ion batteries with the same 54kwh output, the EEStor weighs 1/3 as much with a 100% recharge time of “minutes” compared to the 3+ hrs required to recharge the Lithium.  Even more incredible is that the ceramic battery contains zero hazardous materials, has a 1,000,000+ recharge lifespan, and is negligibly affected by outside temperatures, unlike LI which contains hazardous materials, is limited to a few thousands recharges in a lifespan, and is drastically affected by colder/hotter temperatures.

What does all this technical mumbo-jumbo mean?  Quite simply that ZENN will soon offer a car with a (pardon the metric) 400km range, a top speed of 125km/h, and a recharge time of “less than 5 minutes” that costs no more than a current, run-of-the-mill gas-powered car.  In effect, the difference between the refill time of gas and the recharge time of electric will soon be nil. Go for a 3000 mile trip, with periodic recharges of 5 minutes.  Brought to you by ZENN.

The implications off all of this are tremendous.  With green building, businesses will be able to lower their long-term and regular operating costs with green retrofitting.  The use of green building materials, which take into consideration thermal mass, and the use of solar power will allow businesses to operate in an ultra-efficient and self-sustaining manner.   And the upcoming electric cars will allow businesses and individuals zero-emission commuting and transportation at 1/10th the cost of current technology.  Cheap, effective, sustainable living with a drastically smaller carbon footprint.   Amazing.

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