Electric Vehicles and the Grid Sampler

Electric Vehicles and the Grid Activities Inside: • • • •

Observations on the Bus Electric Vehicle Energy Flow An AMAZIN’ Delivery Elementary Baseload Balance with Storage

Grade Levels:

Pri

Primary Intermediate

Elem

Elementary Secondary

Subject Areas: Science Language Arts

Technology

Teacher Information Background As the effects of climate change accelerate and become more prevalent across the country, more people are looking for ways to decrease their use of carbon-based energy sources and shift toward energy sources that do not have a net production of carbon dioxide when they are used. Petroleum, natural gas, and coal are fossil fuels that produce carbon dioxide when burned. Hydropower, nuclear energy, solar energy, and wind energy do not produce carbon dioxide when used, and therefore do not contribute to climate change in the way that fossil fuel use does.

One of the challenges surrounding the use of solar and wind energy for electric power generation is that they peak in production at times that do not align with times that electric utilities need the most power. Regional transmission organizations that help to manage the grid need power producers to be at peak production in the late afternoon and early evening when demand is highest. However, this is when solar arrays are going offline as the sun is setting, and wind energy has not yet begun to reach its highest output. The Federal Government, utilities, and private entities are focusing on storage solutions to give us the capability to store excess renewable energy from peak production windows to make it useful for peak demand windows. At present, the most common method of storing electricity is by using pumped storage facilities. In these facilities, water is pumped to a high location during times of peak production and allowed to flow to a lower reservoir, through a turbine-generator system, during times of peak demand. Another common way to store electricity is with battery storage systems installed on-site in conjunction with photovoltaic systems. The batteries store excess power to be used in the evening or on cloudy, rainy days when solar production is diminished.

The transportation sector is the greatest emitter of carbon dioxide. Scientists and government officials suggest we reduce carbon emissions by shifting toward greater use of electric vehicles. EVs, as electric vehicles are commonly called, are powered by electric motors and a large battery and are recharged by plugging into the electric power grid at home or at work. A common concern raised in response to this is the greater strain charging these vehicles may have on an aging, already overworked grid system. Adding storage to the grid and increasing use of renewables will help to combat the increased demand on the grid system resulting from increased EV use.

The activities in this sampler are designed to introduce your students to EVs, electricity storage, and the grid system as a whole.

Observations on the Bus introduces electrically powered buses as an alternative to diesel-powered vehicles, and enhances listening and visualization skills. Electric Vehicle Energy Flow allows your students to understand the energy forms and transformations through the entire electric vehicle system, from sun to run. An AMAZIN’ Delivery helps students understand how electric vehicles can reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector from the perspective of an online shopper. Elementary Baseload Balance with Storage helps students to understand the juggling act that regional transmission organizations undergo as demand changes throughout the day, and how generation must be increased or decreased to meet that demand.

The addition of storage to this activity illustrates the way storage can be incorporated into the grid system as more renewable sources are used to generate electricity in the future.

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MATERIALS ACTIVITY

MATERIALS NEEDED

Observations on the Bus

Paper

or journals

Art supplies

Electric Vehicle Energy Flow

Art supplies AN EXCELLENT EV Story Props: Yellow

ball Yellow

ribbon Blue

ball 2 Orange balloons 2 Blue balloons 2 Pinwheels 2 Drawings of a lightning bolt Black

rope Wooden

birdhouse Drawing

of electrical outlet Charging

cord Remote-controlled

car Rechargeable

battery

Posterboard

for cue cards Cell

phone or tablet to record video

An AMAZIN’ Delivery

1 Pair of dice per student or small group

Elementary Baseload Balance

One

double-pan balance Plastic

building bricks or weights Clock

Plastic

box or bowl Cardstock

or construction paper

NEED gratefully acknowledges Mercedes-Benz USA for their support of our Electric Vehicles and the Grid curriculum sampler, and continued partnership as NEED expands our curriculum offerings related to the electrification of our transportation system and infrastructure.

Mercedes-Benz new all-electric EQS

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Observations on the bus Similar stories, exploring sources of energy and energy use, can be found in Energy Stories and More, at shop.NEED.org.

Grade Levels Primary,

grades K-2 Elementary,

grades 3-5

 Time One

to three 45-minute class periods

Background Electric-powered delivery trucks, personal automobiles, and transit buses are gaining prevalence in society. This activity aims to help students identify electricity as an alternative to traditional diesel-powered buses, and list the benefits. In the automotive industry, a vehicle that uses electricity to charge a battery, with no other fuel source, is known as an Electric Vehicle, or EV. As a teacher and consumer, you may wonder, is an electric-powered bus (or vehicle) better for the environment than a bus powered by diesel fuel or natural gas? Unfortunately, there isn’t a simple answer. It depends on how your local electricity is generated.

Today, most buses burn diesel fuel to power a diesel engine to make the bus move. Combustion of diesel fuel produces carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and particulate matter (soot). Some buses operate on compressed natural gas, which burns more cleanly but also emits CO2 and other particulates. From a climate perspective, one of the most important emissions is carbon dioxide, as it enhances the greenhouse effect, causing climate change. The other emissions are harmful for the environment as well, contributing to smog and ground-level ozone production and forming acid rain.

Even though electric vehicles do not emit tailpipe pollutants while they are driving, the power plant that generated the electricity used to recharge the vehicle’s battery could be emitting them! Therefore, we need to consider life cycle emissions. Life cycle emissions describes the total emissions produced from the production and use of the product. In areas of the country that depend on natural gas or coal fired electricity generation, EVs may not demonstrate a strong life cycle emissions benefit. In areas of the country that use low-polluting energy sources for producing electricity, EVs may have an advantage over diesel or gasoline-powered vehicles. Keep in mind, while power plants fueled by nuclear, hydropower, solar, or wind energy do not cause any direct air pollutants while generating electricity, the process of manufacturing parts and materials for those power plants has its own pollution profile.

This activity will help primary and elementary learners analyze text to look for information about electric buses.

Objectives Students

will be able to describe information about an electric bus.

Materials Art supplies Paper

or journals

Procedure 1. Read the story aloud, or have students read the story independently.

2. Lead the class in discussion of the story. Some questions you may wish to ask include: Have

you ridden on a bus? Where did you go? (answers will vary) What

is an observation? (Using your senses to notice the world around you. In the story, Jamal uses his senses to see, hear, and smell what is happening around him on the electric bus.)

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Why

did Jamal think the bus was broken? (Jamal says, “Papa, this bus looks normal, but it is very quiet, and it doesn’t smell. Is the bus broken?”)

New

vocabulary: asthma, electric bus, bouquet 3. Engage students in a written response to the story. Some ways you might do this include: Primary

– have students draw a picture that shows something Jamal learns about the electric bus and write a sentence with a fact about the electric bus.

Elementary

– have students write a journal entry describing what they know about the electric bus.

4. Discuss EVs as a class.

Extensions Create

a class storybook. Format lines of text onto individual sheets of paper and have students create corresponding illustrations. Bind and read to the class.

Draw

a Venn Diagram on chart paper. Compare and contrast an electric bus and a diesel bus, using evidence from the story, and/or student research.

Electric Bus

Diesel Bus

Example:

quieter/less

sounds in motion no exhaust smell

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people

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makes

sounds in motion exhaust

smell

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Observations On The Bus On Fridays, Jamal and his Papa go to story time at the public library. Afterwards, they walk through the park. They look for squirrels, quack at the ducks swimming in the pond, and usually ride on the swings. When it’s time to head home for lunch, they walk to the bus stop near the park entrance.

Jamal sits on a bench to wait for the bus. He pulls out a picture book about a fluffy dog who likes to get into mischief. It’s one of his favorites.

Suddenly, Papa taps him on the shoulder. “Hurry Jamal. Put the book away. The bus is here!” Jamal looks up in surprise. “Sorry Papa,” he says, dropping the book into his bag, “I didn’t hear the bus.”

That’s strange, he thinks. I always know when the bus is coming because I hear the engine roaring as it drives along the street.

As they climb onto the bus, Jamal sniffs the breeze. Where is the strong smell? Sometimes it bothers his asthma.

That’s strange, he thinks. I always smell diesel exhaust as I get on the bus.

Jamal and Papa settle into their seats. While Papa reads the messages on his phone, Jamal looks out the window.

He’s going to count every dog he sees. He counts two little poodles wearing colored sweaters and one golden retriever walking on the sidewalk.

Next, Jamal uses his senses to see, hear, and smell what is happening around him on the bus. He sees a crumpled piece of paper on a seat, and some muddy footprints by the door. He hears the brakes squeaking and the bumpety bump noises of the wheels on the road. He smells a bouquet of flowers a woman holds in her lap, and the donut someone is eating a few seats behind him.

After observing the sights, sounds, and smells on the bus, Jamal turns to Papa to share his observations and some questions. “Papa, this bus looks normal, but it is very quiet, and it doesn’t smell. Is the bus broken? Will we have to walk home?”

“Those are good observations,” says Papa. “But you don’t need to worry. This is a brand-new bus.”

“Is that why it’s so quiet?” asks Jamal.

Papa explains, “No, the bus is quiet because it’s an electric bus. It uses an electric motor that is quieter than the diesel engine you’re used to. Soon, all the transit buses in our city will be just like this one.”

“But where’s the usual smell? Right now, I can only smell that donut,” Jamal says as he uses his thumb to point over his shoulder.

“Electric buses are powered by electricity instead of burning diesel fuel. So, there isn’t anything to smell but that donut,” Papa says with a little smile. “A bus burning diesel fuel puts pollutants and particles into the air. Burning fuel has a smell and it’s unhealthy to breathe. This electric bus puts zero emissions into the air when it runs, so it’s better for the environment and healthier for us, too.”

“That’s good, because I want the air to be healthy for all the dogs I saw taking a walk,” exclaims Jamal. “I sure hope we ride this bus every week!”

“Me too,” says Papa, as the bus pulls up to their stop. “Let’s go home. All this talk about donuts is making my tummy grumble for lunch!”

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ELECTRIC VEHICLE ENERGY FLOW Background This lesson has students use props to physically model an energy flow, and uses manipulatives and flow charts to help students understand forms of energy, energy transformations, and the flow of energy through systems. To spark student interest, the focus is an electric vehicle.

One factor that affects climate change is vehicle emissions. In the automotive industry, a vehicle that uses electricity to charge a battery, with no other fuel source, is known as an Electric Vehicle, or EV. EVs have no tail pipe emissions, so students may be motivated to learn about them as an alternative to conventional gasoline-powered vehicles. As manufacturing EVs grows in the automotive industry, students will be more aware of them and potentially driving them in the near future.

Using wind in this lesson was purposefully chosen for teachers who want to include a discussion about the transportation sector and environmental impacts. This model allows you to explain there are no emissions created as wind generates electricity and no tail pipe emissions as the electric vehicle is in use. For a majority of Americans, it’s unlikely that your home’s electricity is generated 100% from the wind. Depending on where you live in the U.S., your electricity could be produced using any combination of natural gas, coal, hydropower, uranium, biomass, wind, and solar. Most conventional thermal power plants give off some emissions as they generate electricity. It is important to consider the entire life cycle of electricity before declaring an EV emissions-free or zero emission.

The activities in this lesson are an extension of the Energy Flows guide, a free download available at shop.NEED.org.

In Energy Flows, students learn about the forms of energy, how energy is converted from one form to another, and how energy flows through systems.

Depending on your students’ current energy knowledge, you may want to start with the introduction activity, utilize the masters in the guide to review energy flows for other sources of energy, or complete additional modeling activities.

Grade Levels Elementary,

grades 4-5

Objectives

Intermediate,

grades 6-8

Students

will be able to model the energy flow from the sun to an EV. Students

will be able to describe how energy is transformed through various items in a system.

Secondary,

grades 9-12

Materials

 Time One

to three 45-minute class periods

Art supplies Props

and/or art supplies as indicated on the pantomime sheet Posterboard

for cue cards Cell

phone or tablet to record video

Preparation Download

or make copies of the masters needed to project for the class.

Gather

props and/or art supplies to make props.

Create

your own props as desired or as suggested. For example, instead of a blue ball, print a picture of the Earth from space. Instead of a wooden birdhouse, use a cardboard box labeled “home.”

Make

one set of System Modeling Cards for each student.

Procedure 1. If necessary, review the forms of energy with students. A master and student worksheet are found in the Energy Flows guide and is available for free download at shop.NEED.org.

2. Use the Wind Energy Flow Master along with the other masters provided, to discuss the flow of energy from the sun, through wind generation, through electricity generation, through the grid, to your home and into an EV. (Please note, this is ONE example of how electricity is generated using one renewable resource. Additional energy flows using other sources of energy are available in the Energy Flows guide.) Discuss the energy flow in the vehicle after it is charged.

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3. Introduce the story, An Excellent EV Story, assign parts, create props and cue cards, practice the pantomime as the narrator reads through the story, and record a video of the performance.

4. Have students watch the video of their story performance. Hand out the System Modeling Cards. If necessary, watch the video again as students correctly arrange the energy flow using the cards (sun, wind, wind turbine, transmission lines, vehicle charging, electric vehicle). Finally, students should write out or verbally explain to a partner the forms of energy present in each step of the energy flow.

Additional Resources Two

additional automotive energy flows are available in the Transportation Trio curriculum sampler, a free download available at shop.

NEED.org. These automotive energy flows include the formation of petroleum to fuel a vehicle, and the formation of coal to generate electricity to fuel an EV. Teacher masters and student modeling cards are included.

NEED’s

suite of transportation guides provides information and activities covering conventional transportation fuels, alternative fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, and electricity, as well as the transportation sector’s energy consumption and environmental impact.

Download guides from shop.NEED.org.

Exensions Learn

how electricity is generated in your state. Download statistics and view maps and reports from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, www.eia.gov, and your state energy office. Create your own cards to show energy flow to EVs based on your state’s electricity profile.

Explore

the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Beyond Tailpipe Emissions” calculator to estimate the total greenhouse gas emissions associated with driving an electric car in your zip code. The calculator is found at https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=bt2.

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WIND ENERGY FLOW

H

H

IR

He

3

RM A

H

2

WA

1

CO O L A I

H

R

4 BLADE

SHAFT

5

TRANSMISSION LINES

6

NACELLE

GENERATOR

GENERATOR

7

8

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FUSION

Fusion

Helium

Energy

Hydrogen Isotope

The process of fusion most commonly involves hydrogen isotopes combining to form a helium atom with a transformation of matter. This matter is emitted as radiant energy.

Hydrogen Isotope

Neutron

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HOW WIND IS FORMED How Wind is Formed

WA

RM A IR

CO O L A I

R

1. The sun shines on land and water.

2. Land heats up faster than water.

3. Warm air over the land rises.

4. Cool air over the water moves in.

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HARNESSING THE WIND TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY Wind to Electricity ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION

1 BLADE

SHAFT

SWITCHYARD

2 NACELLE

3 GENERATOR

4

1. Wind turns the blades of the turbine.

2. The blades spin a shaft inside the nacelle.

3. Inside the generator, the shaft spins coils of copper wire inside a ring of magnets.

This creates an electric field, producing electricity.

4. Electricity is sent to a switchyard, where a transformer increases the voltage, allowing it to travel through the electric grid.

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Electric vehicles

Contains magnets mounted on the rotor and surrounding housing that attract and repel to move the wheels Converts electricity into motion and braking systems can convert motion back into electricity to charge the battery

ELECTRIC MOTOR

Electric Vehicles (EVs) use a battery to store the electrical energy that powers the motor.

EV batteries are charged by plugging the vehicle into an electric power source.

BATTERY Charged by wall outlet, charging station, and by regenerative braking system Converts electrical energy from the charger to stored chemical energy Can power the car for 100-300 miles on average

PLUG Delivers electricity to charge the battery Can be in different formats depending on the car manufacturer and country Can fully charge the battery in as little as one hour or over several hours, depending on the type and speed of the charger

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System Modeling Cards +

Radiant Energy

Sun

Through the process of fusion, I convert nuclear energy into radiant energy.

How Wind is Formed

WA

RM A

IR

CO O L A I

R

Wind

1. The sun shines on land and water.

2. Land heats up faster than water.

I am renewable. The motion energy in me came from the sun’s uneven heating of land and water.

3. Warm air over the land rises.

4. Cool air over the water moves in.

I convert the motion energy in wind into electrical energy.

Wind Turbine

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Transmission Lines

I am a system of wires that make up part of the electric grid. Electricity travels through me to reach your home.

I convert electrical energy into chemical energy stored in my battery.

Vehicle Charging

Electric Vehicle

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I convert the chemical energy in my battery into electrical, motion, thermal, and sound energy as I move, play music, and keep passengers safe.

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AN EXCELLENT EV STORY As a narrator reads the story from the left column, students will demonstrate the flow of energy to charge an EV using props. Students should pantomime each step while standing in a row, to better show the energy flow. Use cue cards to identify the energy transformations occurring. Record video of the performance for students to watch afterwards.

This model represents one source of energy used to generate electricity. This activity, with different props, can also be used to demonstrate energy flows with different sources of energy, like natural gas, uranium, or hydropower.

NARRATION:

CUE CARD:

PROPS & ACTIONS:

Nuclear fusion is a process that occurs in the sun. Nuclear fusion Nuclear Energy produces vast amounts of energy.

Hold up a yellow ball

The sun’s radiant energy is transferred to Earth by electromagnetic Radiant Energy waves.

Wave pieces of yellow ribbon in the air flowing away from the yellow ball

Since the Earth’s surface is made of very different types of land Thermal Energy and water, it absorbs the sun’s energy at different rates. Water usually doesn’t heat or cool as quickly as land because of its physical properties. During the day, air above the land heats up more quickly than the air above water.

Hold up a blue ball near the ends of the waving yellow ribbon.

The warm air over the land expands, becomes less dense and rises. Motion Energy

Lift a couple inflated orange balloons from the floor up overhead. Wiggle them around like air molecules.

The heavier, denser, cool air over the water flows in to take its Motion Energy place. This moving air is wind. It is a renewable source of energy.

Enter from offstage holding two inflated blue balloons down low. Hold blue balloons directly below the orange ones. Wiggle them around like air molecules.

A wind farm, with many wind turbines, is built where the wind is Motion Energy consistently strong and reliable.

Hold up two or more pin wheels.

Wind pushes against the blades of the wind turbine, making the rotor spin.

The person holding the blue balloons blows on the pin wheels from the side to make them spin.

The moving parts of a turbine work together to power a generator Electrical Energy to produce electricity.

Hold a drawing of a lightning bolt up over the heads of people holding pinwheels.

The electricity travels through cables down the turbine tower to Electrical Energy a transformer and then to a transmission line. Electrical energy travels through transmission lines to our homes.

The person holding the lightning bolt holds one end of a black rope. A helper stretches the black rope across each persons’ hands, holding rope up like a transmission line.

Finally, end of rope held by person holding a wooden birdhouse.

Electrical energy flows from a wall outlet, through a charging cord, Electrical Energy into an EV parked in the garage.

Hold up a drawing of an electrical outlet and the plug end of a charging cord. The other end of the cord is held next to a remote-controlled car.

The electrical energy is converted into chemical energy stored Chemical Energy inside the car’s rechargeable battery.

Hold up a rechargeable battery.

When the EV starts, chemical energy in the battery is converted Electrical Energy to electrical energy to power the motors and the electronics in the car.

Hold up a drawing of a lightning bolt.

As the EV drives out of the garage, electrical energy is changed Motion Energy into motion, heat, and sound, as the car moves down the road.

Thermal Energy

Set remote-controlled car on the ground and drive it offstage.

Sound Energy

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An AMAZIN’ Delivery Background It’s likely students have experienced a cardboard box delivered to their front door. Today, most lastmile delivery vehicles use gasoline to power an internal combustion engine to make the van move.

Combustion of diesel fuel produces carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and particulate matter (soot). From a climate science perspective, one of the most important emissions is carbon dioxide, as it enhances the greenhouse effect, causing climate change. The other emissions are harmful for the environment as well, contributing to smog and ground-level ozone production, and forming acid rain.

This activity aims to help students understand how improved technologies offer an alternative to traditional gasoline-powered delivery vehicles. This most current technology includes vehicles that use electricity to charge a battery, with no other fuel source. In the automotive industry this technology is known as an Electric Vehicle, or simply an EV. One benefit of this technology is an EV does not produce any tailpipe emissions.

Within the commercial sector of the economy, demand for electric delivery vans is growing. Some demand is due to auto manufacturing regulations. For example, California is requiring commercial truck manufacturers to increase the number of zero-emission vehicles they sell starting in 2024.

But much of the demand is due to the continued growth of e-commerce, which really boomed during the Coronavirus Pandemic. Delivery companies want to save money by using more fuelefficient vehicles for their expanding last-mile delivery routes. Another source of demand comes from companies, such as Amazon and FedEx, who have pledged to be carbon-neutral by 2040 or sooner. One carbon emission elimination strategy is to have an all-electric fleet.

It makes a lot of sense to electrify last-mile delivery vehicles. Current battery technology provides enough range for their short routes, with ample charging time overnight as fleet vehicles sit idle. Also, typical delivery trucks are less efficient and produce more emissions than individual passenger cars. Each conventional commercial truck or van replaced with an EV has a greater environmental impact.

While there is much demand for electric delivery vehicles, there is currently a short supply. Many auto manufacturers are developing EV technologies worldwide, and some already have vehicles out on the roads being tested or used. In the U.S., FedEx, Amazon, UPS, and DHL have placed orders for electric vehicles, but it could be decades before their entire fleets are battery-powered.

Someday in the future, when you place an order online it’ll be an electric delivery van pulling up to your door.

This activity focuses on the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from gasoline-powered and electric-powered delivery vans.

To explore the fuel efficiency differences between gasolinepowered and electric-powered vehicles, use NEED’s Pretzel Power activity. A teacher’s guide and an interactive digital version are available to download on shop.NEED.org.

To download NEED’s extensive suite of climate science curriculum, go to shop.NEED.org and click on “climate science.”

Grade Levels Elementary,

grades 3-5 Intermediate,

grades 6-8 Secondary,

grades 9-12

 Time 1 class period

Materials Note Solar

House kits can be found in NEED’s solar curriculum kits and purchased by visiting shop.NEED.org

Objectives Students

will be able to describe the environmental impact of tailpipe CO2 emissions from vehicles.

Students

will be able to describe a benefit of using EVs.

Materials Student

worksheet, page 20 1 Pair of dice per student or small group

Preparation Copy

the student worksheet for each student.

Gather

materials for student use.

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Procedure 1. Introduce the activity. Explain that students will be comparing the carbon emissions of conventionally-fueled delivery vehicles to battery or electric-powered delivery vehicles.

2. Say, “You work for the AMAZIN’ Company as a delivery driver on a last-mile route. This means most of your deliveries occur around town, in neighborhoods and delivering to small businesses. After seeing a science fair presentation about carbon emissions, you wonder if your delivery van is impacting the environment. The fleet manager is helping you collect some data. Today, all the AMAZIN’ Company drivers will keep a log of their delivery routes.”

3. Direct students to choose the delivery van each would like to drive and write it on the line under the boxes on the student worksheet.

4. Explain to students that each line represents one delivery on their routes, and that each box represents one mile driven for each delivery. For example, if delivery #2 is seven miles, it is represented by seven boxes.

5. Students are to roll two dice and add the numbers. If a 2 and a 3 are rolled, the total is five. That is the number of miles for their first delivery. Students should shade or mark x’s in the first five boxes for Delivery #1.

6. Students will repeat step #5 for the rest of the deliveries, 2-10, to complete the route.

7. When students have completed their delivery routes and all lines have shaded or marked boxes, students should total the number of miles driven. Younger students can just count the total number of boxes, while older students can add the individual number of miles together for the total. Record this number on the line that says “Total miles driven.”

8. Say, “Your fleet manager wants to know how many miles you drove, and how many grams of carbon dioxide are emitted.” As needed, demonstrate how to complete this calculation. a. Using the information in the boxes at the top of the worksheet, students should see how many grams of carbon dioxide are emitted per mile for the delivery vehicle they selected. b. To calculate the mass of CO2 emitted by their delivery routes, students should multiply the total number of miles driven by the number of grams of CO2 emitted per mile. This will provide the total grams of CO2 emitted by their delivery vehicles on their individual routes.

9. Choose one or more of the following questions, or develop your own, to discuss students’ findings: a. What are tailpipe emissions? Why are they important? b. What does last-mile delivery mean? Why is this important to logistics and delivery companies? c. What is a fleet manager and what do they do? Why would a fleet manager want to know how many miles is driven on each delivery? d. Who would make a good fleet manager? Why? 10. Say, “The next day when you report to work, your fleet manager has some electric-powered delivery vans to drive. You will need to keep a data sheet of your route deliveries just as you did before.”

11. Direct students to the information about the delivery vans in the middle of the student worksheet. Instruct students to select one and write its name on the line.

12. Allow students time to complete the data sheet again, rolling dice, adding the numbers, and marking boxes as described in step 5.

13. Direct students to complete calculations independently or lead students through the calculation of total grams of CO2emitted by their vehicles.

14. Ask students to look at the mile ranges for the vehicles listed on the page under “Electric-Powered Delivery Vans”.

15. Say, “A vehicle’s range is how far it can travel before it needs more fuel. When driving a gasoline or diesel-powered vehicle, the driver just goes to the nearest fueling station and pays for more fuel for the vehicle before continuing on their way. But when the vehicle is electric-powered, it must be plugged into an appropriately wired charging station and allowed to recharge. This can take 30 minutes or up to several hours to complete.”

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16. Ask which students’ routes exceeded their delivery route distances. There may be none, depending on how students rolled their respective dice, but several probably came close.

17. Ask students what might happen if their electric delivery van ran out of power in the middle of a route.

18. Ask students to use a scrap piece of paper and list some pros and cons for using electric-powered delivery vehicles. As a class, make a combined list where everyone can see it.

19. Ask students if electric delivery vans are the best choice for the AMAZIN’ Company. Have each student support their answer with facts from their combined pros and cons list. Alternatively, you may want to ask students to write an opinion editorial, using facts from the list to support their position.

20. Ask students, “Which is better for the environment, gasoline or diesel-powered delivery vehicles, or electric-powered delivery vehicles?

Why?” Allow students time to discuss as a group. Reinforce the norms of group discussions with differing opinions if necessary.

Extensions Draw

and plot a graph of your first ten deliveries. How do the number of miles driven and amount of carbon dioxide emissions correlate?

Have

students compare the fuel economy (MPG and MPGe) between gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles, downloading and using the paper or digital version of Pretzel Power from shop.NEED.org. Pretzel Power can be found within NEED’s oil and natural gas curriculum or in Transportation Trio.

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AN AMAZIN’ DELIVERY Student Worksheet Gasoline-Powered Delivery Vans 2021 Ford Transit Connect Van FWD

2021 Mercedes-Benz Metris (Cargo Van)

2021 Ram Promaster City

20 City MPG, 348-mile range Tailpipe

CO2 = 397 grams per mile

19 City MPG, unknown range Tailpipe

CO2 = 432 grams per mile

21 City MPG, 386-mile range Tailpipe

CO2 = 374 grams per mile

Data: www.fueleconomy.gov Delivery Van: _________________________

ROUTE DATA: Delivery #1 Delivery #2 Delivery #3 Delivery #4 Delivery #5 Delivery #6 Delivery #7 Delivery #8 Delivery #9 Delivery #10 Total miles driven: ___________________________ Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emitted: ________________ MILES x ___________________ GRAMS/MILE = ___________________ GRAMS CO2

Electric-Powered Delivery Vans 2022 Ford E-Transit Cargo Van

GM’s BrightDrop EV600 Van

Rivian’s Custom Amazon Electric Van

126-mile

range Tailpipe

CO2 = 0 grams per mile

250-mile

range Tailpipe

CO2 = 0 grams per mile

150-mile

range Tailpipe

CO2 = 0 grams per mile

Data: Car and Driver, autoblog.com, Roadshow Delivery Van Selected: ___________________________________________

ROUTE DATA: Delivery #1 Delivery #2 Delivery #3 Delivery #4 Delivery #5 Delivery #6 Delivery #7 Delivery #8 Delivery #9 Delivery #10 Total miles driven: _____________ Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emitted: ________________ MILES x ___________________ GRAMS/MILE = ___________________ GRAMS CO2

20

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Elementary Baseload Balance with Storage Background Most students don’t give electric power much thought until the power goes out. Electricity plays a giant role in our day-to-day lives. This activity demonstrates how electricity supply is adjusted to meet the demands of consumers. It also encourages students to explore the differences between baseload and peak demand power, and how energy source cost and availability factor into the decisions made in power generation. After students have explored meeting demand with supply of power, the concept of storage for renewables is introduced in a second round of play.

You will lead your students through a hypothetical day in each round, consisting of morning, all day, evening, and night. As the time of the day changes, students are encouraged to think about how their energy use changes. Brass or plastic weight sets or plastic building bricks are used to represent power demand or power generation, and you can adjust the activity according to the age and abilities of your students. Some groups may be able to self-direct in this activity and determine the mass in grams or the number of plastic bricks to use, and others will need your guidance and direction. A simple, double-pan balance is used to show how demand for electricity is balanced with generation by electric power producers.

A more thorough demonstration of this activity is played out in the original Baseload Balance, recommended for grades 6-12 and found in Exploring Coal, Exploring Hydroelectricity, and Exploring Wind. Download these resources at shop.NEED.org.

Grade Levels Primary,

grades K-2 with guidance Elementary,

grades 3-5

 Time 45-60

minutes

Objectives Students

will be able to explain how demand for electricity changes throughout the day.

Students

will be able to list energy sources used for baseload generation and those that can be used for peak demand.

Students

will be able to explain why storage in combination with some renewable energy sources is a good option to incorporate into electricity generation planning.

Materials Double-pan

balance Gram

weight set OR plastic building blocks Clock

Plastic

box or bowl Cheat

Sheet, page 24 Balance

Placards Master, page 26 Peak

Demand and Generation Cards Master, page 27

Preparation In this activity, a five gram weight will represent 5 MW of load or generation. If your weight set has enough pieces to accommodate this activity, use it. If not, collect enough plastic building bricks, using a scale of one brick is equal to 5 MW of load or generation (two bricks of the same size equal 10 MW). Consult the Cheat Sheet to see how many you will need. If you use building bricks, you may want to designate one color for generation and one color for demand. If you teach younger students and decide to use bricks, you might assemble brick sets representing the different amounts of load or generation as written in the Procedure. Use a dry-erase marker to label them.

Copy

the Balance Placards. Cut them apart and fold them on the dotted line to make tent-style labels that stand up.

Copy

and cut apart the Peak Demand and Generation Cards.

Designate

one student to be the time keeper. That student will be responsible for indicating the time on the demonstration clock as you move through the activity.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ©2021 The NEED Project

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21

Procedure PART ONE – WITHOUT STORAGE 1. Start by explaining what demand, load, generation, baseload, and peak mean in this activity. Demand describes the amount of electricity consumed at any time. Load is the amount of electricity we pull from the grid. Generation is the amount of electricity that power plants produce. Baseload or base generation refer to electricity consumption or generation at all times of the day or night, all year long. Peak demand or generation refer to electricity consumption or generation that vary at different times of the day or night, and different times during the year. For example, hospitals use power all day and all night, and coal-fired power plants generate power all day and night. However, we may only use air conditioning during the warmer months and usually more in the afternoon and evening than in the morning. Some energy sources, like solar and wind, are only able to produce power at certain times of the day. Some energy sources, like hydropower and natural gas, can be used as baseload generation, and can increase their generation to meet peak demand.

2. Distribute the peak demand or generation cards to students. Hand them as many weights or bricks as they need, or have them calculate what they need, depending on age and ability.

3. Place the balance on the table in front of you. Place the “Demand” card on one side of the balance such that students can read the word. Place the “Generation” card on the other side of the balance in a similar fashion.

4. Say, “All day and all night, we use electricity. Our refrigerators run, hospitals take care of people, and factories produce goods.” Place 115 MW worth of bricks or weights in the Demand pan. The balance will tip to the Demand side.

5. Say, “All day and all night, power plants produce electricity. Coal, natural gas, hydropower, and nuclear power plants run all day and all night, generating electricity.” Place 115 MW worth of bricks or weights in the Generation pan. The pans should now be balanced.

6. Say, “See how the two pans are balanced? Electric utility companies are careful to make only as much electricity as we will use. If they produce more electricity than needed, the energy is wasted and cannot be stored in most situations. If they don’t produce enough, some things we need will not be able to work correctly.”

7. Instruct the time keeper to set the clock to read 7:00. Say, “It is now 7:00 in the morning, and people are getting up to start their day.

Who has the Morning Peak Demand?” As this student comes to the table with the balance, ask students to think of things they use in the morning that need electricity. Answers may include things like a coffee maker, toaster, the lights in the bathroom, or an electric toothbrush. When the Morning Peak Demand student places the weights or bricks in the pan, the balance should tip toward Demand.

8. Say, “What will the power company do now?” Allow students a moment to think about what should be done. Allow them to see the card the Morning Peak Demand student had, and know how much demand was placed on the system. Ask students to come to a consensus about what peak power source(s) should be utilized to balance the scale.

9. The student(s) with the power source(s) to meet morning demand should place their weights or bricks in the Generation pan. The pans should now be balanced.

10. Say, “Utilities try to make sure they spend as little as possible while meeting demand. This way they don’t have to bill customers even more in the future. How much money did it cost to meet the morning demand? Do you wish to change the sources you used? If so, what should we use and why?” Allow students some time to discuss this and come to a consensus, adjusting the Generation pan as appropriate.

11. Say, “Some things are turned on and run all day long, like lights at a school or computers at a business. Who has all day demand?” As this student comes to the front, ask students to think of things that we use during the day that use electricity. Answers may include things like television, computers, and any machines at school. The All Day Demand student should place the correct number of weights or bricks in the Demand pan.

12. Say, “What will the power company do now?” Allow students a moment to think about and come to a consensus about what should be done. Remind them to consider the cost of their choice. Students should add Generation weights or bricks to balance the pans.

13. Instruct the time keeper to move the clock to 5:00. Say, “It’s now 5:00 and the end of the day. School is over, offices are closing, and people are going home for the day. What do we need to do to the Demand pan?” Allow students to think about what should be done, and come to a consensus.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

22

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14. As students remove the morning demand and perhaps the all day demand weights or bricks from the Demand side of the balance, the balance will tip toward the Generation pan.

15. Use your hand to equilibrate the balance so it’s even on both sides. Say, “Are there any other adjustments we need to make? Does someone have a card that says, Evening Peak Demand?” As that student comes forward, ask students to think of things that might be used in the evening, but not during the day. Ask students to guess whether evening demand would be less than, the same as, or greater than demand during the day. As the Evening Peak Demand student lays the appropriate weights or bricks in the Demand pan, hold the balance steady until students decide how demand will shift in the evening. Then remove your hand, allowing the balance to equilibrate.

16. Say, “What about generation? What will happen to the source(s) you have chosen to use to generate power during the day?” If students have chosen solar power, they will need to remove that from the generation side of the balance and replace it with something else.

They may or may not need to add or subtract generation depending on what they did with the all day long demand.

17. Instruct the time keeper to move the clock to read 11:00. Finally, say, “It is now 11:00 pm, and everyone is in bed or will be in bed very soon. We are back to baseload demand and baseload generation.” Remove all of the Peak Demand weights or bricks, and remove excess Generation weights or bricks, returning to the same amount you started with at steps 4-5.

18. Discuss with students how demand and generation changed throughout the day. Ask them how they think it changes from one month to the next, or how different seasons affect the demand and generation of electricity.

PART TWO – WITH STORAGE 1. Collect the Demand and Generation cards and their associated weights or bricks from students. If you’d like, assign a different student to be the Timekeeper.

2. Replace the first Solar Generation card, valued at 10 MW, with a Solar Generation card valued at 25 MW. If and when solar is used, they must put the full 25 MW on the Generation side of the balance. Distribute the appropriate mass or or number of bricks.

3. Replace the first Wind Generation card, valued at 10 MW, with a Wind Generation card valued at 15 MW. When students decide to use wind generation, they must use the full 15 MW. Distribute the appropriate mass or number of bricks.

4. Replace the first Evening Peak Demand, valued at 15 MW, with an Evening Peak Demand card valued at 35 MW. This will simulate peak demand in the hottest part of the summer when air conditioners are taxing the grid. Distribute the appropriate mass or number of bricks.

5. Explain to students that in reality, some renewable resources, like solar and wind, produce more power than is necessarily needed at that time of day. Solar Generation is at its highest generation midday, but the demand for electricity is not at its highest point at the same time. Wind generation is at its highest late in the evening, but people do not always use as much power at that time.

6. Explain that adding some way of storing the excess energy will ensure that it is available when peak demand is at its highest, which is the late afternoon and evening during the hottest parts of the summer.

7. Set the plastic box or bowl in front of the balance. Place the Storage placard in front of it. Explain that the bowl represents ways of storing electricity for use later when the demand is highest. If age-appropriate, go into further detail about some options available for storing electrical power, such as pumped storage or battery storage systems.

8. Redistribute the Demand and Generation cards and their associated bricks.

9. Explain to students that you are going to run through the activity again, but this time if a renewable resource is producing more power than needed, the excess energy (bricks) will be placed in storage (the bowl or box). Later in the activity, if more power is needed than is being produced, bricks from the bowl or box can be added to the generation side of the balance to meet the demand.

10. Run the activity again, allowing students to come to a consensus every time a decision must be made.

Extensions Have

students keep a daily log of devices that are turned on and off throughout the day. They should list the time of day something is turned on and something is turned off. Discuss these lists and see how they compare to the changing demand in this activity. As a class, decide how you might update this activity to reflect your class’s energy use.

Invite

a representative from your utility company to talk to your class about managing demand for electricity and how the utility keeps up with changing consumer demand.

Ask a local utility or business to bring an EV to your class or talk about their EV fleet. ©2021 The NEED Project

Electric Vehicles and the Grid

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23

Cheat Sheet Demand and Generation Equivalents MW Equivalent

Total mass of weights

Bricks needed

5

1 gram

1 2x2

10

2 grams

1 2x4

15

3 grams

1 2x2, 1 2x4

20

4 grams

2 2x4

25

5 grams

1 2x2, 2 2x4

30

6 grams

3 2x4

35

7 grams

1 2x2, 3 2x4

40

8 grams

4 2x4

45

9 grams

1 2x2, 4 2x4

50

10 grams

5 2x4

55

11 grams

1 2x2, 5 2x4

60

12 grams

6 2x4

65

13 grams

1 2x2, 6 2x4

70

14 grams

7 2x4

75

15 grams

1 2x2, 7 2x4

80

16 grams

8 2x4

85

17 grams

1 2x2, 8 2x4

90

18 grams

9 2x4

95

19 grams

1 2x2, 9 2x4

100

20 grams

10 2x4

105

21 grams

1 2x2, 10 2x4

110

22 grams

11 2x4

115

23 grams

1 2x2, 11 2x4

Part One – Without Storage Time of Day

Demand

Generation Required

Baseload (all day, all night)

115 MW

115 MW

Morning

20 MW

20 MW

All day

15 MW

15 MW

Evening

15 MW

15 MW

Demand and Generation Amounts

*NOTE: Baseload remains on the balance throughout the activity. Morning, all day, and evening are added and removed according to the time during the activity, and whether students consider the all day activities to be included with evening. The maximum demand or generation that should be on the balance during Part One is 150 MW.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

24

©2021 The NEED Project

Electric Vehicles and the Grid

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Cheat sheet Part Two – With Storage Time of Day

Demand

Generation

Storage

Baseload (all day, all night)

115 MW

115 MW

0 MW

Morning – with solar only

20 MW

35 MW

15 MW

Morning – without solar

20 MW

20 MW

0 MW

All day – with solar

15 MW

30 MW

15 MW

All day – without solar

15 MW

15 MW

0 MW

Evening

35 MW

20 MW

0 MW

** Students may decide that solar comes online in the morning, or they may decide it comes online at the “all day” time period. Thus, both scenarios are given here. Either way, when solar comes online, 15 MW of power go into storage that can be used in the evening.

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25

Balance placards

Demand Generation Storage 26

©2021 The NEED Project

Electric Vehicles and the Grid

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Peak Demand and Generation Cards Morning Peak Demand,

Natural Gas Peak Generation,

20 MW

10 MW, $150, any time

All Day Peak Demand,

Wind Generation,

15 MW

10 MW, $45, evening only

Evening Peak Demand,

Solar Generation,

15 MW

10 MW, $75, daytime only

Natural Gas Peak Generation,

Hydropower Peak Generation,

10 MW, $90, any time

5 MW, $50, any time

Natural Gas Peak Generation,

Hydropower Peak Generation,

5 MW, $90, any time

10 MW, $60, any time

Solar Generation,

Wind Generation,

25 MW, $75, daytime only

15 MW, $45, evening only

Evening Peak Demand, 35 MW ©2021 The NEED Project

Electric Vehicles and the Grid

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