Bringing an open mind to solar-charged driving

mitsubishi-nissan-solar-ev

anna-dreiling-guest-columnThe following column is written by Anna Dreiling, a University of Denver student who has been interning at SolarChargedDriving.Com for the past two months.

I admit it: I didn’t know exactly what to expect when I came into this internship at SolarChargedDriving.com, and I definitely didn’t know what my opinions on it would be.

I can’t say I had ever looked into anything having to do with solar-charged EVs before I took it on… (Okay, I admit it: I didn’t even know exactly what an “EV” was!) I didn’t know where to start, and I certainly didn’t know any of the technical lingo that was thrown around so freely.

Learning about EV + PV
Since I started writing in September, however, things have certainly changed. I can say that I originally had an idea of what the website’s goal was, and that I also had an idea of what I would be expected to write. But since then, I’ve learned even more from the research that I’ve done, the stories that I’ve written and the people that I’ve spoken to.

Overall, the result was that I, personally, changed.

In the time that I have been writing for the website, I have come to deeply respect SolarChargedDriving.com’s mission. As a result, I would find myself in deep admiration of the people and organizations that are trying to make solar-charged EVs possible . . . And for someone of my background, that’s saying a lot.

envision-solar-canopiesConnections to oil business
I have always been involved with the oil business. My family and I owned oil, and as a result, I previously had never put much thought beyond the fossil fuels that served as a livelihood to my family.

It might seem strange, then, for an oil-oriented woman like me to take on an internship with a polar opposite focus from fossil fuel usage. How on earth, you may ask, would it be possible for me to write about a topic that frequently calls for the end of the big oil industry?

The answer is simple: I came in with an open mind.

Instead of viewing the concepts of solar power and electric vehicles as being the “enemy” or the “end of oil,” I viewed them as being innovative alternatives.

Sincerity of EV + PV proponents
In my mind, I knew that solar-charging EVs is a fundamentally well-meaning idea. The proponents of it, I came to see, are sincerely advocating alternative energy not for simply political, economic or personal gains; they are advocating it because they truly believe that it is the most beneficial thing to do for Earth and humanity.

Those who are advocating solar-charged driving have their hearts in the right place, and I respect them all. Though the idea of sustainable fuel faces many obstacles before it can be truly practicable on a mass scale, I see its value, and I see its potential.

I saw the concern, care and sincerity in what these people are doing, and as a result, I opened myself up to their message.

And now, I can say this: Those who are advocating solar-charged driving have their hearts in the right place, and I respect them all. Though the idea of sustainable fuel faces many obstacles before it can be truly practicable on a mass scale, I see its value, and I see its potential.

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Oil still holds upper hand
I believe that the current economic state and predisposition towards expecting oil-based vehicles will prevent solar-charging EVs from catching on in the near future, but I believe that eventually it will be a viable way to fule transportation.

Overall, I still believe that there is some value in oil. However, if any steps can be taken to create a positive, practical form of transportation that does nothing to harm the environment and separates the U.S. from its dependence on foreign oil, then how can anyone argue against something that could create such a positive impact?

In this sense, I’m glad to have written for SolarChargedDriving.com. It’s up to sites like this and the people who follow it to make sure that solar charging EVs becomes possible, practical and popular.

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