If you want to refer to this email, and not forward the entire long
message, you can point to it at the CalCars-News Archive,
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/message/115

This initiative has just launched, including a new website at
http://www.pluginaustin.org

I'm told this morning's press conference included the Austin Mayor, City
Council and County Commission members, U.S. Rep Lloyd Doggett, head of the
Chamber of Commerce and many others.

This effort makes more concrete what CalCars and so many others are doing.
It helps create a path to what economists call "commercialization" -- the
ready availability of products on the market.

* One important city is going all out to promote PHEVs, including a $1M
fund for incentives to individual and corporate purchasers.
This combines with actions from companies like Hyperion Solutions,
Timberland and others that are providing employee benefits to hybrid buyers
-- not yet to PHEV buyers because there are no production PHEVs! (See links
to these companies way down on the page http://www.calcars.org/kudos.html
in the Commercialization section.

* Austin Energy is spearheading a promising national campaign to gain local
support and fleet purchase commitments from the nation's 50 largest cities.
We hope this will tie in to the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/mayor/climate/ initiated by Seattle Mayor Greg
Nickels and already endorsed by the US Conference of Mayors and 175
individual cities. (This group's agenda was set before the recent increase
in awareness of plug-in hybrids, but we hope it will be included in future
policy recommendations.)


Here's the press release and the first news story:

For Immediate Release
August 22, 2005
Contact: Ed Clark, Austin Energy
(512) 322-6514

Austin kicks off Plug-In Hybrid campaign
Unveils model for national campaign

The City of Austin today, August 22, 2005, officially launched "Plug-In
Austin," a community-wide campaign to promote the mass production of
plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Plug-ins would combine today's new gas-electric hybrid technology with a
larger battery that could be recharged by plugging it into a standard wall
socket. The battery would be sufficient to meet every day commuting needs
that could reduce annual gasoline consumption for many Americans by as much
as 70 percent.

The Austin plan, viewed as a model that will be used by communities across
the country, includes:

* An Austin City Council resolution supporting the mass production of
plug-in hybrid vehicles.
* Local seed money from electric utilities (Austin Energy will provide $1
million) to help local governments, businesses and the public purchase an
initial round of plug-ins.
* Commitments for fleet orders by the City of Austin, Travis County, other
local governmental agencies and businesses.
* A grassroots petition drive to collect signatures from citizens
encouraging automakers to mass-produce plug-in hybrids

"Plug-in hybrids can help significantly address two very serious problems
facing communities and our country," said Mayor Will Wynn. "The
over-reliance of America on oil imports and the need to improve air quality
in our cities by reducing pollution from automobiles."

The appeal of plug-in vehicles is underscored by the fact that 78 percent
of Americans live within 20 miles of their jobs. A battery pack sufficient
to power a vehicle a distance of 35 miles on a charge would mean a majority
of Americans would likely need to fill up with gasoline only once or twice
a month. In addition, an "electric" gallon of gas would cost 70 to 80 cents
at prevailing electric rates. A plug-in hybrid that gets 25 miles on a
gallon of $2.55-national-average gasoline could travel more than 100 miles
on $2.55 worth of "electric" gallons of energy.

"This is an economic stability initiative," noted Travis County Judge Sam
Biscoe. "Escalating fuel prices are hurting everyone. They hinder our
ability to deliver services and drive up the cost of all goods. They create
tremendous hardship on businesses and households operating on small margins."

Prototype plug-in hybrids are being tested today as popular models of
today's standard hybrid are being converted into plug-ins with excellent
results. Next year, Austin will join some 10 other cities across the
country to test a prototype plug-in hybrid Sprinter Van built by
DaimlerChrysler, the only automaker currently considering the full
production of plug-ins.

"The advanced battery technology needed for a plug-in is being produced
right here in Austin by Valence Technology," said Greater Austin Chamber of
Commerce Chair Kirk Watson. "The positives that would flow from the
production of plug-in hybrids in terms of economics and air quality are
huge. Plus plug-ins represent a new revenue stream for electric utilities
that would keep dollars in our communities rather than sending them to
foreign countries."

A key component of the Plug-In Austin campaign will be a petition drive.
Austin environmental, civic and business groups will circulate petitions
with the goal of collecting at least 10,000 signatures by December. To sign
the petition and get additional information on the Plug-In Austin
initiative, visit www.pluginaustin.org.

Naturally, a key to the plug-in hybrid equation will be cost. Studies by
the Electric Power Institute (EPRI) indicate that after considering the
lower costs of fuel and maintenance, a mass-produced plug-in hybrid should
provide better overall economics than either a hybrid or a conventional
vehicle.

The mass production of plug-in hybrids is widely supported by environmental
groups such as Environmental Defense and by a long list of national
security policy groups such as Set America Free which includes former CIA
Director James Woolsey and former Secretary of State George Schultz.

###

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/stories/082205kvuepluginaustin-cb.9b28f68d.html

11:15 AM CDT on Monday, August 22, 2005
KVUE.com

The City of Austin kicked off a major campaign Monday to promote the mass
production of plug-in hybrid vehicles. Austin city leaders say batteries in
the plug-in vehicles would drastically reduce gasoline consumption -- some
estimate it would reduce gas use by as much as 70 percent.

"Plug-in hybrids can help significantly address two very serious problems
facing communities and our country," Mayor Will Wynn stated in a press
release. "The over-reliance of America on oil imports and the need to
improve air quality in our cities by reducing pollution from automobiles."

Plug-in hybrid vehicles combine gas-electric technology with a larger
battery that can be recharged in a standard wall socket. The vehicles that
use this technology are not in full production, currently, and only one
automaker, DaimlerChrysler, is even considering full production of such a
vehicle.

The City of Austin campaign is expected to be a model used by other
communities across the country. The promotion includes:

-- An Austin City Council resolution to support mass-production of plug-in
hybrid vehicles.

-- Local seed money from electric utilities to help local governments,
businesses and the public make the initial transition to the hybrids.
Austin Energy officials have committed to provide $1 million.

-- Commitments by the city, Travis County and other governmental agencies
to order plug-ins for their fleets of vehicles.

-- A citizen petition drive to encourage automakers to mass-produce the
plug-ins.

Valence Technology of Austin is already testing proto-type plug-in hybrids
by converting standard hybrids to use a new Saphion Lithium Ion battery.
Company officials say the battery has significantly boosted fuel-efficiency
in tests, and gas mileage increased to 125 to 150 miles per gallon.

Next year, the City of Austin will join 10 other cities to test
DaimlerChrysler's Sprinter Van, which is a prototype plug-in hybrid.
Officials say that 78 percent of Americans live within 20 miles of their
jobs. With a battery pack that could power a vehicle to travel 35 miles on
a charge, most people would only need to fill up with gasoline once or
twice a month.

"This is an economic stability initiative," stated Travis County Judge Sam
Biscoe. "Escalating fuel prices are hurting everyone. They hinder our
ability to deliver services and drive up the cost of all goods. They create
tremendous hardships on businesses and households operating on small margins."

For more information on the Plug-In Austin campaign,
http://www.pluginaustin.org

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Felix Kramer fkramer@...
Founder California Cars Initiative
http://www.calcars.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/priusplus
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