This is a graphic from the Toyota web site of their RAV-4 EV. It does a nice job of showing the major parts of the vehicle. Those of you who were at last months meeting were able to see the RAV-4 up close. Craig Childers who works for SMUD was able to get ahold of it and bring it to the meeting. Thanks Craig and SMUD for letting us get up-close and personal with this real nice vehicle !
Contents: Presidents Message | Monthly Meeting Minutes | Editors Corner | EV Charging on the Internet | How Many EVs In California | EV News Bits | Upcoming EVents |
Presidents Message by Mark Bahlke (mbahlke@mcd.intel.com)
I have to hope that September will bring some relief to us all with more moderate temperatures! It is not me so much, I can take a little heat now and again, but there are so many people complaining! "It's hot! It's hot!" The thing which frustrates me the most about this is that these are the same people (I know, I take names) who say in January "It's cold! It's cold!" The only response I have is: "It's weather." Oh well. But this summer's heat has pointed out one thing very clearly, and that is the air quality around here STINKS! I'm sure that all you EVers out there know what happens when you take some air pollution, put it in a bowl with a "lid" on it, and turn up the heat. As I said, the heat doesn't get me, but this summer I have had for the first time burning, itchy eyes, coughing, and a general feeling that breathing outside is a bad thing. If no one has figured it out yet, I'll tell you. It's only going to get worse! It's too bad, but it's the truth. That (to me anyway) makes it even more urgent for Sacramento to get some alternatives to pollution.
We are one group among many who are actively working on providing those alternatives. It is really important that we get around in our EVs, promote our own activities, and those of other groups, and show the Sacramento community that a) we care! b) we care enough that we are willing to do something, and c) we are even willing to encourage others to do something (about air pollution)
EVs are one part of the solution, and we should promote them as that, and show how they relate to other parts of the solution to clean air. Carpooling. If one EV helps clean the air a little bit, how much help will an EV with 2 or 3 others in it carpooling? Alot more, I think. If you don't have an EV yet, but are an active part of SEVA because you care about these things, make a commitment to yourself to take some action. Reduce your car trips. Carpool. Take your bike, the bus, walk. My favorite form of reducing car trips, pollution and traffic is telecommuting. What better way to go to work than to walk into the den? But MAKE IT HAPPEN for you! A once a week change in your transportation habits adds up to 52 contributions per year. Plus, that's 52 times other people will have a chance to see someone making an effort to clean the air. SEVA's membership can make more than 5,200 contributions to clean air each year directly by making one effort per week to not use a car. There is room for growth. If you can make a once a week change in habits, after you get used to it, you can double your environmental impact reduction by reducing one more car trip per week.
How many times can that be multiplied by the indirect contribution of influencing others in your community? I don't really know, but I'm sure it's alot. Add to that the other groups in Sacramento who make similar efforts, and you have alot of people working for clean air.
"But Mark, the air in Sacramento is getting worse, not better" you say. You are correct. This should point out how big a job this really is going to be. It will take HUGE efforts on the parts of lots more people than are working on this now to clean the air here. I believe that is what makes our job so important, and so significant. We are there with the determined few to get things started. We may not get the credit we would like when the air does get cleaner (and I believe it will), but we will be able to look at ourselves, and thank each other for being there first. It's a privelege which comes to few people.
I hope I don't sound like a complete downer with all this dirty air talk, and work work work. I feel good about making contributions to my community! I want this to be a good thing. We are working together to eliminate something bad (air poolution), and make something good happen (clean air). This is a good thing!
Ok, so we're cheered up, ready to go, let's go do it! We have been invited to the annual Food Drive & Car Show by the United British Sports Car Club of Saacramento. Sunday September 15, Hagan community park at the end of Chase Drive in Rancho Cordova. Cruise in 10:00-11:00, show 11:00am - 3:00pm. Bring a canned food (or several) to help benefit the Sacramento Food Bank, and CRPD's Children's Funding Assistance Program. Bring some EVs; if you're a member without an EV (yet), come along for a great time, and give people our message. We need clean air in Sacramento! Mark
Monthly Meeting Minutes by Tony Cygan (tonyc@144volts.com)
Ruth MacDougall presided over the meeting this month as Tim Loree could not make it. Ruth started the meeting off with an overview of the picnic and that we had 19 vehicles show up, plus an electric lawn mower and a go-cart. We even had a Honda EV and a Ford Ecostart show up, and the club car was present for the members to see. Ruth made additional comments about the picture in last months newsletter about all the vehicles parked and charging at the SMUD PV charging location after the picnic. Tony Cygan made note that an UNO game was found after the picnic and if anyone has a claim for it to contact him. Ruth told the members about the SMUD website (www.smud.org) that now has an EV newsletter located on it.
The August meeting was a special treat for those SEVA members who showed up. We not only had plenty of donuts and coffee, but a great presentation by Larry Hudson from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) (web at www.nyserda.org).
Larry, who was in Sacramento on vacation, volunteered to give SEVA members an overview of some of the projects his organization is involved with. We of course took him up on his generous offer to find out what other portions of the country are doing with electric vehicles.
Larry started off with telling the group that New Yorks pollution mostly comes from particulats and ozone, not NOx as in California. While the end result (pollution) is the same the origins of them are different. They are therefore looking at solutions other than passenger cars to help clean up the air. This has lead them to look at hybrid busses and taxi cabs as solutions to these problems. Larry went into great detail about the different buss configurations and the unique taxi designs they are trying to promote. An interesting point was about the taxi’s in New York, in that the owners don’t care so much about how many MPG the taxi’s got while driving since the driver pays for the gas, but that they did care how much down time the cab had for repairs or refueling. The hybrid cab concept NYSERDA is developing would benefit both of those areas and enable the cab to be earning money for longer times each day. This got the interest of the cab owners.
Larry also spoke about an upgraded Advanced DC 9.1" motor that they are helping to develope. The motor will handle 240 volts DC, and 600 amps and will be designed with regen capability in mind. He also spoke about electric boats and how this is a natural fit with sailboats. Larry said that since sailboats most have lead as a ballast that why not have this be batteries. They are in touch with a few boat companies to do project with.
NYSERDA has a website that you can visit to find out more about their projects. It’s located at http://www.nyserda.org
Editors Corner by Tony Cygan (tonyc@144volts.com)
Last month I mentioned that I was going to go to Monaco for their EV Rallye. Well time goes by and things change. Now I’m still planning on taking in some EVents overseas, but I’m going to Japan and Austrailia instead. Why you ask ? Well this year in Austrailia is the World Solar Challange, which only happens every three years and Japan is hosting EVS13 . Monaco on the other hand is an every year activity (so far) and so I decided that going to Austrailia and Japan were a better idea given their scheduling. Also Ruth MacDougall and some friends of hers are going too, and this way I’ll have some company for this adventure !
Hopefully I can get Ruth to give us a report on the happenings at EVS-13 since it’s more of an industry thing and I’ll give a report on the Austrailia leg of the trip. Look for these articles in December or January. We’re going to see what the rest of the world is up to with EV’s and see how far back the US car makers are in getting these cars developed.
Now on to another pressing issue:
If your interested in serving on SEVA’s Board of Directors we’re interested in hearing from you. Local elections are coming up and we’re looking for people interested in helping move our club forward into the future. Also the National EAA is looking for people interested in being on it’s Board of Directors also. You must be an EAA member (not just a SEVA member) to put in for their board positions. The National EAA Board meets (usually) every two months down in the San Francisco Bay area. Call or email me if your interested in the National EAA.
Find EV Charging on the Internet
Burbank, Calif. – CALSTART, California's advanced transportation consortium, has launched an invaluable new resource to support clean fuel vehicle use on its Internet World Wide Web site (http://www.calstart.org/services/stateindex.html) - graphical maps locating electr ic vehicle recharging and natural gas vehicle refueling sites throughout California.
The easy-to-use maps connect clean vehicle drivers with recharging/refueling sites at the click of a button. Nearly 200 natural gas refueling and electric vehicle recharging sites, representing hundreds of individual charge ports, are graphically listed and will be constantly updated. As clean vehicles enter the marketplace in increasing numbers, these maps are critical to show existing users and prospective buyers the growing list where they can get a clean "fill up." The sites are there: now it' s easy to find them.
Working with utility and other partners nationwide, CALSTART will continually expand and improve these listings. Point your web browser to http://www.calstart.org/ to log onto the site and choose "Vehicle Services" to get there.
Editors Note: Our local electric utility, SMUD (Sacramento Municiple Utility District), is also involved with bringing EVs to the Sacramento area and they have a local website with local charge locations on it. The site is located at -- http://www.smud.org/EVS/EVmain.html
How Many EVs In California ? by Mark Bahlke (mbahlke@mcd.intel.com)
Our President, Mark Bahlke, was in conversation with some folks from DMV and the California Energy Commission. He was able to get them to run some numbers of EV’s in the State of California. This was the letter and information he received back.
Dear Mr. Bahlke:
Per your request of 8-14-96, enclosed is Staff's estimate of electric vehicle (EV) counts in California, as of 6-3-95. Please note:
o 2604 records in DMV's 6-3-95 Vehicle Registration file-pass were identified by DMV as EVs. Of these, 1097 vehicles were identified primarily as golf carts or fork lifts on the basis of vehicle make and body type. Note that golf carts and fork lifts that do not use public roadways are not required to be registered with DMV; consequently, this total does not represent the California universe of such vehicles. An additional 273 vehicles were identified as trolley buses.
o Of the remaining 1234 records, 660 were identified as vehicles _likely_ to be powered by electric. Staff arrived at this estimate on the basis of the vehicle's make, model, series, model year, and body type; in addition, a subset of this count was included by association (i.e., by sharing the same make, model, series, model year, and/or body type characteristics as those of known or likely EVs). The remiaining 574 vehicles were identified as _unlikely_ to be powered by electric.
o Staff's 6-3-95 California estimate of 660 on-road electric cars, trucks, and buses, compares closely with the Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas' non-bus, survey-confirmed estimate of 587 EVs in California, pursuant to their 1995 Market Brief titled "Electric Vehicle Population of the United States". Nonetheless, Staff's estimate represents an _unconfirmed_ count; the actual count may be higher or lower.
o All 1234 records corresponding to possible on-road EVs are included in the enclosed EXCEL spreadsheet and hardcopy report. We would appreciate your feedback regarding our on road EV estimate.
Sincerely,
Gareth P. Occhiuzzo
Transportation Forecasting
Demand Analysis Office
EV News Bits
From Calstarts Website (www.calstart.com) and other sources.
Ford Launches EV Web Page
Dearborn, Michigan — Ford Motor Co. is putting its electric vehicle (EV) programs on-line with the launch of its new EV Web site. The site offers visitors the chance to learn about EV technology, EV battery research and Ford’s EV programs. Among topics available are What is an EV? and Tell Us What You Want – a way to tell the automaker what prospective EV customers want to see in the future. The Web site may be accessed at: http://www.ford.com/electricvehicle/. Ford now offers electric pickups built by Michigan-based Transportation Design & Manufacturing, but in 1998, electric trucks built entirely by Ford will be available.
GM Wins Contract for 250 Electric S-10 Pickups
Detroit — General Motors has been awarded a federal government contract to supply the General Services Administration with up to 250 of its electric pickup trucks, reports Fleets & Fuels. According to Rob Blackstone of the GSA, the majority of the S-10 electric trucks are headed for the Defense Department. Blackstone also said that after other federal agencies file their requests with the GSA, which does the purchasing for federal agencies, he expects additional contracts for electric pickups and vans to be announced. The GSA will be paying about $34,000 apiece for the electric trucks, which come with three-year, 36,000-mile warranties. So far in 1996, the GSA has purchased 2,742 alternative-fueled vehicles, which also include vehicles powered by natural gas, ethanol and methanol.
Calif. Assembly Passes HOV-Lane Access Bill
Sacramento — The California Assembly has passed a law to allow low-emission cars such as electric vehicles (EVs) and natural gas-powered vehicles (NGVs) access to high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. The 47-27 vote on Aug. 31 came after the Senate approved minor changes in AB2282, which allows the cleaner cars in HOV lanes even if not carrying two or more commuters. The bill, which is expected to be signed into law by the Governor, gives vehicle buyers an incentive to purchase vehicles certified by the Environmental Protection Agency as Inherently Low Emission Vehicles. Two weeks ago, the bill did not have sufficient votes to pass and was incorrectly reported as dead by news reports. (News Notes 8/15). Legislators in Arizona recently granted HOV-lane rights to drivers of alternative-fueled vehicles. (News Notes 8/2).
Automated Meter-Readers Could Reduce Smog?
San Diego, Calif. — Car exhausts have been cleaned up about as much as they possibly can – but a San Diego company’s technology could help reduce air pollution further because it would mean fewer vehicles on the roads. It’s an automated meter reading system – using digital equipment and radio transmitters – that virtually eliminates the need for utility-company meter-readers to physically read meters. How big is the market? There are about 300 million residential utility meters – electric, gas and water – in the United States alone. The first test of Greenland Corp.’s patented system is set for southern Oregon. The technology fits under the category of Intelligent Transportation Systems, or ITS technologies, which are designed to eliminate vehicle trips, avoid congestion, or increase roadway capacity through smart vehicles or technologies.
Jay Leno Wants An EV1
Milford, Michigan — Talk-show host Jay Leno wants an EV1, reports Reuters. Leno is one of the 1,000-plus who say they’re interested in buying General Motors’ innovative new electric sports coupe, according to Saturn ‘s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Joseph Kennedy. Saturn will begin selling the car for GM sometime this fall; GM has not yet announced a date but has been building the cars at its Lansing Michigan plant since early this year. GM also said it won’t sell the car – but will only offer three-year leases. GM executive Bob Purcell, general manager of GM Advanced Technology Vehicles, said the company is considering updating the cars with newer technology as the leases expire – then leasing them again.
Upcomming EVents
Local SEVA Activities
o General Meeting, Saturday, September 14th at 10am.
o Board Meeting, Monday, September 16th at 7pm
o General Meeting, Saturday, October 12th at 10am.
o Board Meeting, Monday, October 14th at 7pm.
o General Meeting, Saturday, November 9th at 10am.
o Board Meeting, Monday, November 11th at 7pm.
o General Meeting, Saturday, December 14th, at 10am.
o Board Meeting, Monday, December 16th, at 7pm.
Bay Area/Modesto Activities
o EAA Silicon Valley Rally, Saturday, September 21.
National/International EV Activities
o Beijing International EV Exhibition,
September 20 to 26.
o EVS-13, Tokyo, Japan, Oct 11-13th.
o 2nd Annual Monte Carlo EV Ralley in Monaco; Oct 17-20th.
o World Solar Challenge race across Austrailia, October 27th.
Return to SEVA's Homepage