Public interest in electric vehicles (EVs) continues to grow, with the number of EVs registered in Nebraska doubling since July 2018.
"Along with that growth comes an increased need for education," said Nebraska Public Power District's Marketing Manager Chad Podolak. "There are differences in comparing EVs with traditional gasoline/diesel powered vehicles, such as mileage by charge versus miles per gallon, cost of fuel, available incentives, and purchase price."
That's where the Public Powered EV calculator comes in handy. This calculator can compare a wide variety of EV and conventional vehicle models, determine costs and savings, and even estimate carbon reduction projections. It is now available at https://publicpowered.wattplan.com/ev/. "Using the calculator is easy, takes just minutes to do, and you only need a minimal amount of information to initiate vehicle comparisons," Podolak added.
By adding in personal information on the amount of mileage for round trips, the cost of your current monthly electric bill, and other items based primarily on charging the vehicle at home, a comparison is developed. Using this data, the calculator can estimate your breakeven point during which time you will begin achieving cost savings. It will also project how far your selected EV could travel on a single charge, mapping that range visually. Also available is detailed information on current NPPD and federal EV incentives, charging station locations and benefits of using an EV, and the tool includes an EV 101 guide.
"The calculator is a good resource for the public to determine whether an EV is right for them based on their individual transportation needs," Podolak stressed.
For those interested in installing customer-owned solar, there is also a new calculator available at https://publicpowered.wattplan.com/pv/, which will help a homeowner or business make informed decisions relating to the purchase of solar panels. The tool estimates the cost of installing rooftop solar by taking into consideration the direction the rooftop faces, its slope, and the amount of shade it receives. Within this tool, a homeowner will obtain much of the same information as above, while also gaining additional resources relating to the benefits of participating in community solar projects, should rooftop not be an economical choice for rooftop solar.
For details on NPPD's EV and charging station incentives, visit https://www.nppd.com/save-money/incentives-programs#electric-vehicle and information on community and customer-owned solar can be found at https://www.nppd.com/powering-nebraska/solar.
