This weekend I flew home from Boston, and I had the joy of sitting on the plane next to a Mechanical Engineer who specializes in solar, Ken. A truly interesting man who volunteers teaching Boys and Girls Club kids how to build robots, our conversation eventually turned to Electra, my 2012 Nissan Leaf. Ken, who lives in San Diego, was the first person whom I've talked to that actually knew a bit about the car. But he had questions.
How does the A/C pull from the battery and does it use Freon? I don't know.
What is the heater set up? Well, I know that there are heaters in the seats to keep from having to use the car's heater to drain the battery.
What is the voltage of the super charger? I don't know.
How do the lights pull power from the battery? Well, I know there's a solar panel.
How big is the solar panel? I raise my hands and hold them up to form a 12x6" rectangle, and state, "about that big."
Being the Mechanical Engineer that he is, my answers clearly weren't the level of detail he wanted, and I apologize for that, Ken! But I did get one question of mine answered, which I had asked a few folks prior to meeting Ken. Does my car have an engine or a motor?
After a dissertaion on the difference between engines and motors (chemical vs mechanical charges within the components), Ken advised me that Electra has a motor, and I should thus refer to her hood's privates as such. So, thanks Ken, for clarifying that for me...and I'm sorry my answers to you were insufficient. It was super to meet you though!
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