Excellent electric autos tricks and energy trends Texas by Daniel Sumanth: The undeniably high-end Model S has been out for several years now, though. The longest-range models had a six-figure new price, but unlike contemporary Bentley, Jaguar and BMW saloons they have held their value well. Too well, in fact; last year they started from £25,000 secondhand, now, the cheapest are usually nearer £34,000. Tesla slashed the new price of certain models by up to £30,000 in early 2019, knocking residuals for a time but now the Model S represents terrible value for a secondhand car. Buy a nearly-new one, or wait for prices to settle. Tesla’s tendency to sell upgrades and offer over-the-air updates means that a 2015 Model S may be a very different car by 2022, but with no major changes to the design, and continued reliance on the Supercharger network for efficient charging, the experience of a used Tesla won’t be much different to the rarefied heights of a showroom-fresh example. Just don’t expect to get a full charge overnight from your household socket… Find extra info at Daniel Sumanth

Inside the Model Y is the usual minimalist interior, dominated by a horizontal 15.4-inch touchscreen that acts as the dashboard, infotainment and vehicle management systems, all of which perform very well. When it comes to battery range, the Model Y falls behind the Model 3 but still offers plenty in either Performance or Long Range form, at 298 and 315 miles respectively. Electric cars are not for everybody. Although the public charging infrastructure in the Texas is improving quickly, regular long trips in an electric car can still prove problematic. The perfect usage pattern for an EV involves charging at home overnight when electricity tariffs are lower and not needing to top up the battery again during the day. Ideally, you’ll need somewhere to charge at home, but you could get around this if there are EV charging points at work or plenty of public charging points nearby. If you do less than 200 or so miles a week, you could get away without having a home or work charger at all; just visit a public one every few days to top up.

Among all the benefits of solar panels, the most important thing is that solar energy is a truly renewable energy source. It can be harnessed in all areas of the world and is available every day. We cannot run out of solar energy, unlike some of the other sources of energy. Solar energy will be accessible as long as we have the sun, therefore sunlight will be available to us for at least 5 billion years when according to scientists the sun is going to die.

With all-wheel drive, the next step up is undeniably faster, lopping two seconds off its benchmark sprint time. But it also has a slightly shorter range, costs considerably more and doesn’t feel entirely comfortable to drive quickly. Every version features impressive ultra-rapid charging at up to 250kW, so if you can find a fast enough public charger, a top up from 10 to 80% is possible in less than 20 minutes. Its interior is no less desirable, thanks to a dashboard dominated by a pair of curved 12.3-inch screens for the instruments and infotainment setup. The Enyaq is an all-electric family car that is typically Skoda: that is to say it’s practical, well-equipped, comfortable and decent to drive. With top-spec models able to cover over 300 miles from a full charge, it soothes any range anxiety and just gets on with being an excellent family car – that just happens to run on battery power. Skoda has come up with an innovative way of helping you to personalise your new Enyaq; instead of standard trim levels it offers five individual ‘Design Selections’ – Loft, Lodge, Lounge, Suite and ECO Suite. Each provides a distinct design approach, with different materials used to create a certain style.

Solar energy has to be used right away, or it can be stored in large batteries. These batteries, used in off-the-grid solar systems, can be charged during the day so that the energy is used at night. This is a good solution for using solar energy all day long but it is also quite expensive. In most cases, it is smarter to just use solar energy during the day and take energy from the grid during the night (you can only do this if your system is connected to the grid). Luckily your energy demand is usually higher during the day so you can meet most of it with solar energy.

So here’s the thing: for all their usefulness when you’re living off the grid, generators are noisy. They’ll disrupt the quiet solitude of your off-grid home nestled in the woods, mountains, or other remote location. In fact, they’re so loud that today most manufacturers now include decibel (db) levels in their specifications. Consider the noise level BEFORE buying a generator for home use. And consider the noise level based on the proximity of the generator to your home. And if you have them – to your neighbors’ homes as well. Several studies like this one from the World Health Organization (WHO) have shown that people can get actual physical symptoms other than hearing loss from excessive noise.

Genesis is a brand-new luxury-car brand from the group that also oversees Kia and Hyundai. It has launched several petrol and diesel models in the Texas already, but this GV60 is its first purely electric effort. It gets off to a good start by using many of the same parts as its sister models the Ioniq 5 and EV6, but also has an identity of its own, with sleek, coupe-like styling and a luxurious but not overdone interior ambience. Genesis is also promising a unique ownership experience for those who buy its cars. There’s a five-year warranty, plus five years’ servicing and roadside assistance, along with mapping and software updates for the same period. The company will collect and drop off your car on a covered transporter whenever it’s booked in for work, and you’ll be assigned a Genesis ‘personal assistant’ throughout.

How long do solar panels last? However, while that’s usually the case with a central inverter (which handles the output of all the panels), a newer type, the so-called ‘micro-inverters’, are installed or included with each solar panel, and are said to have a much longer lifespan (up to 25 years), and could last for decades as well.