Electric Vehicles
Dear Editor: My family has switched from gas vehicles to all electric. We have a Nissan Leaf and a 100 percent electric converted Toyota Tacoma pickup truck. The pickup truck has taught me a lot about electric vehicles as I had to change some components and fix it to better suit our wet environment. With all the work I ended up doing on the converted truck, I have learned quite a bit about the latest innovations in battery technology.
We are at a tipping point with electric vehicles. In 2009, lithium ion batteries were $1,100 a kw for the manufacture. Now they are at $200 a kw. It’s said that when it reaches $100 it will cost the same to build as a gas car. The batteries on a Tesla will easily last 200,000 miles and we are heading toward having a car battery that last a million miles. Electric cars are an improvement over gas cars in all ways except refueling time, but even that is getting taken care of. The United States has 20,000 charging stations, 2,556 stations are Teslas which are the quickest and easiest to use, but most other brands of electric cars can’t handle that quick of a charge. The charging stations you will not see advertised, but your car screen will map them out for you. A Tesla is the only one I would do a long journey with at this point but that is changing quickly. There are now charging stations that will charge 170 miles of range in 15 minutes. Nationwide 80 percent of charging is done at home. There are very few moving parts, long life, instant torque, and rapid acceleration in an electric car. Most of the new electric cars being built right now have a range of 230 miles to 370 mile per charge.
For refueling comparison, a Toyota Prius, an efficient car, cost 11 cents a mile to drive verses 4 cents a mile with an electric Nissan Leaf. How does this tec fit in Sitka? It works very well. There are no range problems, lithium ion batteries last a long time here, no heat problems (batteries need cooling in hot climates) and no quick chargers needed unless you choose to go that route. Charging at home overnight gives a full charge by morning. A new battery can last 15 years with some driving range lost but not enough to matter in Sitka.
Fabian Grutter, Sitka
Rosary Rally
Dear Editor: First of all, thank you to Jesus and blessed Mother Mary for giving us the opportunity to hold a Rosary Rally Saturday, Oct. 12.
Thank you, Father Dwight Hoeberechts, OMI and Deacon Ron Mathews for your energetic support.
Also, special thank you to all of those who participated: Virginia Phillips, Margaret Swanson, Sherri Shauwecker, Gerry Schauwecker, Kris Johnson, Robert Johnson, Fallon Johnson, Mario Manaois, Tisha Bagley, Mike Perensovich, Kay Baird, Curtis Baird, Mike Trainor, Tilda Carbillon, Roger Carbillon, Brillantina Ancheta, Julie Stroemer, Warlee Gonzales, Nina Ceniza, Marlon Calatrava and Delia Estrada.
Also special thanks to Juanita Diego, Ellen Hughes, TJ Agne, the Sentinel and KIFW for their generosity and support. In Jesus and Mary,
Salvador and Adelia Agne, Sitka
