FAQs
The country has rolling brownouts every year during the summer. What effect will the influx of EVs have on the power grid?
The consequences are enormous. As EVs come out, if you think about it, to charge Teslas, which utilize DC fast charging, that’s about the same amount of electricity from a whole neighborhood all at once. They are now looking at EVs as being bi-directional, because you could run your house for three days off the battery on a Tesla. So, it is enormous. It’s something that the grids are very aware of and it’s one reason why we as a company was formed. We realize that it’s going to take some time for the electric grid to get everything in place especially in specific areas. And we see we can provide a solution that will get people to net zero while waiting for the power they need from the grid and the grid to expand, and also to expand into renewable fuels or sources.
Will renewable propane only be available as an option in California?
It’s currently available in California and a number states in the Midwest as well as in New England. Overall, there’s a rapid move towards renewable propane now that it is being distributed by some of the largest propane retailers. It’s expanding very quickly.
Are these available to rent (to fill that gap while waiting for the grid/electric upgrade)? Or just ownership?
Great question. We provide them for purchase, for lease or lease to own. We’re working with a number of the large rental organizations, the national brands, to work with them to be able to provide them for renting, for example for humanoid spikes, where large numbers of people gather for a short periods of time. We’re trying to be as flexible as possible because we see the need strong in different organizations who need to use them in different ways. So all of the above.
Do you have an option to connect a hardline to natural gas?
Although we run on propane, we have been in the power business, generator business for 30 years. In fact, there are couple of cases where customers want to hook up directly to national gas. So yes, we can do that as well. For some organizations that’s what they have on site, hardlines to natural gas. But yes, we can connected up directly to natural gas.
What are the costs for the e-Boost units?
Every customer’s need is a little different. Are they trying to charge 30kW charger, or is it 150kw charger? Is it a single charger or maybe there are a dozen Level 2 chargers. We configure each to specific needs. But to give you a general idea, the skids start at about $100K for the simplest configuration. Whereas a unit to meet the requirements of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) where the requirements must include 4-150kW DC fast that going to run in the higher six figures. We’re glad to talk about specific needs and provide specific pricing.
Do the Pod options situated in rural locations or in parks include a restroom to use while people wait for their car to charge?
It’s a very timely question. It is something we’re working on integrating. We haven’t released one yet. But we want to figure out a better experience, especially for women and children, at sustainable concerts and other similar events and venues.
Shouldn't there be a development of solar panels on EVs so they can charged while it's being driven? Why can't the EV equipment with an alternator continue to charge the battery while the wheels are in motion?
Yes, solar panels could be added to the tops of EVs, but the challenge is that each solar panel puts out so little power. The amount wouldn’t be enough to sustain the needs of an EV. In terms of having EVs self generate power, they all have regenerative braking, which tops off the battery. They still have conventional braking. In conventional braking, the friction creates kinetic energy which dissipates in the form of heat. In regenerative braking, the kinetic energy is converted into electricity when the brakes are applied or the accelerator is let up. Again, it’s not enough to keep an EV charge, but it assists in battery range.
Is charging available in urban or downtown settings, where EV owners can park on the street overnight and get their vehicles charged?
That’s another great question. It’s easy enough to put down an e-Boost mini on a skid and have a dozen Level 2 chargers running off of it. What’s nice is you can put it anywhere, and at anytime. It’s similar to the situation where there is housing congestion, that may not support the electric load or where it’s not feasible to tear up the surface to install EV charging infrastructure. So charging in congested areas is very, very doable.
How are these mobile units charging themselves?
That’s a great question, so we are propane based. You’ll notice the propane tanks in some of our photos. Because we’re monitoring our systems 24/7 we’re able to ping the local propane dealer when tanks start to run low. They’re onsite automatically to refill the propane, refilling even while vehicles are charging. So there’s no interruption in time spent charging vehicles.
The average stadium size holds 60,000 spectators. Let's say there are 2 people per vehicle so there are 30,000 vehicles. What are the logistics and cost to set up the chargers?
If you’re going to the stadium, you’re usually not three or four hours away, where you’ve got to travel that many miles. But, it’s not unrealistic that people will, if they have EVs, and free charging, that they’re going to want to use it. Most people in 90% of all EV charging will charge home. Sometimes they may be travelling a bit further and might need a charge. But you’re probably never going to need 30,000 chargers at a stadium. Charging at these types of venues will most likley be a premium service where there’ll be a few that will want to pay for the fast charging available. Or maybe if you have season tickets, that might bring the cost down.
Do you only support specific chargers or any charger?
So we’re charger agnostic. So in the many examples we showed, we’re working with different sized chargers as well as different charger manufacturers.
Is propane as clean as all the hype?
Propane has a carbon intensity lower than the grid in 38 states. It has been listed as a clean fuel since the 1990 EPA Clean Air Act. The law was designed to reduce acid rain (caused by sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), and dramatically improve public health. Stronger standards were set in 2022 against NOx targeting diesel emissions used by heavy duty trucks & buses.
Propane is also more efficient than electricity. Using one unit of electricity can take up to nearly 3 units of source energy, while propane has a source to site ratio of nearly one to one.
Renewable propane (rLPG) is cleaner than the grid in 49 states. It is already available in many of the CARB states with stricter low-carbon standards, such as California, New York, Maine and Vermont. Vermont has the cleanest grid in the US with a carbon intensity of 1.
rLPG with rDME (renewable dimethyl-ether), a renewable additive with a net negative carbon intensity (-278), lowers rLPG’s carbon intensity to zero. Propane is clean today and cleaner tomorrow for the march to net zero.
What is renewable propane made from?
Renewable propane, also known as biopropane, is produced from 100% renewable raw materials. It’s commonly produced from inexpensive and abundant feedstock, such as animal fat, algae and cooking oil. It has the same chemical properties as conventional propane.
