Dear Supporters and Fans of Plug-In Cars and CalCars.org

We're succeeding in the world's first campaign to create a new type
of vehicle -- brought to market by popular demand. As ouor goals are
in sight, it's time to evolve -- to shift focus from "Put PHEVs on
the Map" to "Successful PHEV Commercialization ASAP." ( See our
CalCars-News Dec 13 posting, "Help CalCars Build the PHEV Tipping
Point" for more about how far we've come and where we're heading.) To
do this, we need your help!

Can we and all our partners rest on our laurels? Can we sit back and
say, "Wow, 2010-2012 willbe great! One or more carmakers hopes to put
tens of thousands of PHEVs and EVs on the road"? No, we can't wait --
because that's not soon enough.

THE URGENCY AND THE CHALLENGE

It's too late for "business as usual". Both the climate crisis and
fossil fuel dependence challenges are so serious we can't wait as a
few plug-ins trickle into the marketplace. Hybrids are still less
than 1% of US cars after almost ten years. We need manufacturers to
electrify significant chunks of the world's 50 million passenger
vehicles built annually ASAP -- because most stay on the road for
15-20 years. And we have find ways to power electrically many of the
miles and kilometers of today's nearly 1 billion vehicle global fleet.

AFTER FIVE YEARS, IT'S TIME FOR CALCARS 2.0

We've accomplished a lot. Now's the time to make the most of our
momentum, contacts and visibility. We have enormous opportunities. We
can take advantage of them by branching out and involving more
campaigners. While we await mass-produced PHEVs, let's spark new
efforts to speed up the rate of change in transportation.

How? Until now, each member of CalCars' small core group has tried to
do the work of two or three people, sometimes calling on eager
supporters. Now we're redefining CalCars and designing a management
structure to organize, support and coordinate many semi-autonomous projects.

SIX PROJECTS WE WANT TO START/EXPAND/PARTNER ON

As we reposition (and perhaps re-brand) CalCars for a broader
mission, take a look at some NEW PROJECTS through which CalCars 2.0's
can broaden awareness and support and speed mass-production. (We'll
share a longer list of 20+ potential projects with people who become involved.)

* PROMOTE INCENTIVES: Help align and package emerging public and
private revenue sources to motivate large companies to deploy
demonstration fleets and then mass-produce PHEVs.
* TARGET CAMPAIGNS: Customize programs to encourage several large US
and international automakers to catch up to the future by committing
to sell PHEVs in the SAME TIME-FRAME as GM and small startups.
* EXTEND PHEVS: Bring electricity to the most gas-guzzling vehicle
types: trucks, large SUVs, vans, recreational vehicles -- fostering
both new vehicle production and aftermarket conversions even of
EXISTING NON-HYBRIDS.
* SERVICE BUSINESS NEEDS: Establish a non-profit consulting branch
both for demonstration partnerships with component makers and for
strategic consulting with technology companies and cleantech investors.
* TELL STORIES: Transmit to carmakers and public audiences the
meaningful experiences and preferences of the fast-growing community
of PHEV drivers and owners.
* INFORM GLOBALLY: Provide the best up-to-date and usable
multi-lingual resources to increase awareness and understanding of
plug-in cars, their impact on the climate crisis -- and the short-
and long-term potential of distributed energy storage in cars, both
vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G).

THREE NEXT STEPS

* RECRUIT A PROJECT COORDINATOR to manage the process of matching
volunteers with projects, becoming a key CalCars team member.
* EQUIP EACH PROJECT MANAGER with the orientation and resources to
hit the ground running and recruit a volunteer team.
* DIVERSIFY CALCARS as we begin to work on projects, transforming
CalCars into a more effective and sustainable non-profit --
bolstering our donations and foundation grants with new revenue
streams from government grants and contracts, consulting and referral fees.

WE SEEK A PROJECT COORDINATOR WITH

* IMAGINATION: experience as a strategic decisionmaker, with a record
of spotting and maximizing opportunities.
* ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS: excels at prioritizing tasks, building and
managing teams, working harmoniously with volunteers and partnering
organizations.
* BACKGROUND: technical (engineering or automotive), marketing
(communications) organizing (environmental, nonprofit, political)
experience all a plus.
* LOCATION: preferably based in the SF Bay Area, though we won't rule
out a spectacular candidate in another location.
* COMMITMENT: interest in becoming CalCars COO/Executive Director.
* AVAILABILITY AND COMPENSATION: must be available INITIALLY AS A
PART- OR FULL-TIME VOLUNTEER; within several months full time with
compensation (the amount depending on our resources at that point).

TO APPLY: Please don't just shoot us a resume. Include a cover letter
with your feedback on CalCars and its strategy and your vision. Paste
your background info into the email or point to a URL -- to keep
things simple and avoid viruses, we won't open email attachments.
Write to jobs@.... Please don't call.


HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW:

Transforming the enormous and slow-to-change automotive industry is
an ambitious goal, and finally approaching some success is very
gratifying. Some people who've worked on the plug-in campaign have
described the experience as the most satisfying and meaningful thing
they've ever done. The new CalCars 2.0 will give many more people the
opportunity to make even more of a difference than we have already!

* PLEASE FORWARD THIS OR THE EMAIL THAT FOLLOWS (which includes more
CalCars background) to your network to help identify a Project Coordinator.
* SUPPPORT OUR WORK: If you missed the most recent invitation, read
our December 13 "Tipping Point" posting at
http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/890.html -- and then, to help us
make the transition to CalCars 2.0, with a credit card or check, send
your tax-deductible contribution via http://www.calcars.org/sponsor.html .
* IF YOU'D LIKE TO VOLUNTEER FOR A PROJECT, please wait until we
announce our Project Coordinator!

Thank you for your continuing support -- The CalCars Team

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Felix Kramer fkramer@...
Founder California Cars Initiative
http://www.calcars.org
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html
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