If you've seen the movie, "Who Killed the
Electric Car," you know about the California Air
Resources Board's key role in regulating and
incentivizing plug-in cars. Now the ARB faces a
major turning point, and needs to hear from the
public, in person in Sacramento March 27, by
testimony and comments online, and by messages to
the Governor. We provide a range of background and ways to get involved below.

OUR OVERVIEW
Over the past few years, the Board's members and
staff have been gradually becoming more favorable
to plug-in hybrids. A key factor has been the
major review that led to the Zero Emissions Technology Symposium.

See http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html for:
11/10/07: California Leaps Ahead: PHEV Center:
100-Household Test; Early Driver Report; Air Resources Board Evolution
04/23/07: PHEVs Emerge as Nearest Technology in
Long-Awaited ZEV Tech Review by Air Resources Board of CA
10/05/06: Progress or Breakthroughs at California
Symposium on Zero Emission Vehicles
10/02/06: Toyota's Comments on PHEVs at Air Resources Board Hearing
10/02/06: Key Board Member Proposes "Plug-In California Initiative"
09/29/06: Experiences of 2 PHEV Early Drivers:
Testimony to Air Resources Board ZEV Technology Symposium
06/13/05: ARB last September: transcript of board responses

A month ago, the ISOR ("Initial Statement of
Reasons") by the ARB staff was released. On March
27, the Board will hear comments on this document
at a public hearing in Sacramento. This is the
culmination of "round two" of the Zero Emissions
Mandate. Some of this involves very complex
allocations of credits given to large carmakers for putting ZEVs on the road.

Some of the recommendations are favorable;
however, the proposals are tending to motivate
PHEVs at the expense of BEVs (battery-electric
vehicles), implying a choice that reflects the
Board's view that BEVs are significantly less
near-term than PHEVs. The response of plug-in
advocates has been that it's a major mistake to
pit these two complementary approaches against
each other, requiring that incentives for one
come from the allocations of the other. And the
perspective flies in the face of the reality that
several major carmakers have announced their
intentions to mass-produce BEVs within the next five years (along with PHEVs).

WHAT TO DO
CalCars is working closely with other
organizations to make our views known. Among
those leading the campaign is Plug In America and
the Electric Auto Association. Here's what PIA,
CalCars and other organizations are calling for:
* Require the full 25,000 ZEVs that automakers had promised for 2012-2014
* Create a separate requirement for plug-in
hybrids that lets them replace the dirtiest
vehicles in CARB's regulations, rather than the cleanest ZEVs
* Incentivize plug-in hybrids that have the most on-board electricity storage

We are in full agreement with PIA's points. (We
have one minor difference in perspective: while
the ARB's decisions are critical, we're not
saying that poor rules could "kill the electric
car again," since we believe the enormous
momentum and continued campaigns for
commercialization from many constituencies will
prevail even if ARB's incentives are counter-productive.)

We encourage our readers to join the hundreds of
citizens (not just from California, not just from
the 10+ other states that follow California's ZEV
Mandate regulations) in giving their views. Find out how below.


SEE THE DOCUMENTS:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/2008/zev2008/zev2008.htm BASE PAGE
http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/2008/zev2008/zevisor.pdf ISOR
http://www.arb.ca.gov/board/ma/2008/ma032708.htm AGENDA FOR MARCH 27

TESTIFY: Complete this form to submit your comment to zev2008
<http://www.arb.ca.gov/lispub/comm/bcsubform.php?listname=zev2008&comm_period>ht\
tp://www.arb.ca.gov/lispub/comm/bcsubform.php?listname=zev2008&comm_period


BLOG POSTING GIVING BACKGROUND PLUS COMMENTS
Killing the electric car, again, Part 1: Is CARB up to its old tricks?
By Earl Killian, guest blogger at Climate
Progress, reposted by Joseph Romm to Gristmill (with different comments)
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/3/13/143323/325
http://climateprogress.org/2008/03/13/killing-the-electric-car-again-part-1

BLOG PART TWO EXPLAINS: HOW TO GET OUT THE WORD
http://climateprogress.org/2008/03/14/killing-the-electric-car-again-part-ii/
Posting includes URLs.
First, the Air Resources Board (CARB) takes
comments at its website. These comments are
printed and given to each board member prior to
the meeting. You may also FAX or write to CARB. A
FAX, postcard, or letter addressed to Chairwoman
Mary Nichols will reach the entire board.
Second, a phone call to Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger helps, since the Governor appoints
many of the board members. The Governor’s phone
number is 916-445-2841. Press 1, then 5, and then
0 and you will be transferred to an operator to
leave your opinion about this “hot issue.”
Alternatively, FAX or write using the Governor’s
FAX and postal address, or use his web contact form.
Californians should also let their Assemblymember
and State Senator know their opinion.


THE GOVERNOR'S ROLE IS CRITICAL
Governor Schwarzenegger remains a missing piece
in the equation. Though he's awaiting a Tesla
vehicle, he has rarely spoken about plug-in cars.
(Most recently, at the LA Auto Show, we reported
on his comments at
http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/881.html .)
PIA has organized a joint letter to the Governor
(and see immediately above for ways you can contact the Governor).

Plug In America's Letter to Governor Schwarzenegger
http://www.pluginamerica.org/pia-letter-gov-17mar08.shtm

March 17, 2008
Dear Gov. Schwarzenegger,

President George Bush called on Americans this
month to "get off oil" and start to drive
electric vehicles. With gas nearing $4 a gallon,
global warming threatening disaster, and our
national security at risk, the president got it right.

Unfortunately, powerful California regulators are
perilously close to killing the electric car all over again.

On March 27, the California Air Resources Board
will revise their history-making program that put
more than 5,000 highway-capable Zero Emission
Vehicles (ZEVs) on the road and reduced our
output of carbon dioxide--the main global warming
gas--by one million metric tons.

But new revisions by the Board’s staff will
profoundly weaken the program again instead of
propelling our country toward a pollution-free
future. This proposal would require each
automaker to produce only about 150 ZEVs per year through 2015.

That’s less than what consumers are demanding,
less than the number of ZEVs that can be produced
today--let alone three years from now--less than
what’s needed to meet state goals for emission
reductions, and less than what these regulators
required in 2003 when they helped kill the electric car the first time.
Under the Clean Air Act, California is the only
state allowed to set tougher limits on vehicle
emissions than federal regulators. Ten other
states have adopted California's emission limits.
The board's vote has national implications.

Consumers want cleaner cars. According to a
recent Harris Interactive poll, 80 percent of
respondents said fuel efficiency would affect their next new car purchase.
Take Norma Williamson, a public high school
teacher in the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos.
Norma and her husband Alan have been driving a
fully electric Toyota RAV4 since 2002. They
charge the car with electricity generated by
their home's solar panels. They haven't purchased
gas in six years. They live—and propel—the promise of a pollution-free future.

Gov. Schwarzenegger, you showed true leadership
when you signed the nation's first global warming
law. You showed true leadership with your vow to
"turn back the clock on pollution" through your
Million Solar Roofs Plan, an initiative that is
the equivalent of taking one million gasoline cars off the road.
Now, how about putting one million electric cars on the road?

Please continue to lead our state by asking the
California Air Resources Board to strengthen
their staff proposal and get more electric cars on the road.
As you prepare to take delivery of your electric
Tesla, we ask you to support a stronger Zero
Emission Vehicle Program that will help us all
turn back the clock on pollution.

We ask you to save the electric car.

Chelsea Sexton
Executive Director, Plug In America

Plug In America is joined in this appeal to
Governor Schwarzenegger by the following supporters:

Ed Begley, Jr., Actor * Warren S. Gifford, Ph.D.
Executive Director (ret.) Bell Laboratories * Dr.
and Mrs. Peter R. Greer, former Deputy Under
Secretary of Education * Peter Horton,
Director/Producer * Chris Paine, Director, "Who
Killed the Electric Car?" * Bradley D. Turock,
Director (ret). Bell Communications Research *
Jon Wellinghoff, Commissioner, FERC * Jim
Woolsey, former Director of Central Intelligence
* Jerry Zucker, Director/Producer

As You Sow * CalCars * Central Coast EAA * Co-op
America * Desert Star, LLLP * Doublestone
Computing * Electric Auto Association * Electric
Vehicle Association of Southern California *
Energy Efficiency Solar * Enviro Plumbing *
Global Exchange * Jaguar Technologies * Lightning
Rod Foundation * Mainstreet Moms * Miles
Automotive * Northern Lights Foundation * Ocean
Defenders Alliance * Orange County Interfaith
Coalition for the Environment * Rainforest Action
Network * Ranch Air Transport Corporation *
Reclaim Democracy * San Francisco Electric
Vehicle Association * SBR Partners, LLC * Sea
Shepherd * Summit Green, Inc. * Sustainable
Transport Club * Telecom Internet, Ltd. * Tesla
Motors * Turock Family Foundation * V2Green *
Zenn Motors * Zero Motorcycles * 3121 Property Management Corp.


ELECTRIC AUTO ASSOCIATION GIVES MORE BACKGROUND
CalCars is a Special Interest Chapter of EAA,
along with about 50 regional and local chapters.
(Many EAA members have participated in CalCars'
technology demonstration and advocacy programs,
and we shared the organization's Keith Crock
Technical Achievement Award in 2006 for our work
in Prius conversions.) Here's the letter EAA sent to its members.

On March 27th, the California Air Resources Board
(CARB) is scheduled to vote on a change to their
Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) program that could
delay production EVs from the major automakers
another decade. The Electric Auto Association
urges you to take action to make California aware
that you want production EVs back on the
roads. We have set up a website to help. The
ZEV goals were once 2% in 1998, 3% in 2001, and
10% in 2003, but later the program was put off a decade.

Now as the end of that decade draws near, CARB
staff proposes to delay another decade. Staff
calls for 840 vehicles per year (0.04%) in 2012
through 2014. The old 1998 target is fifty times
what is now being proposed for 16 years
later. In 2015 CARB proposes only 0.4%. The
2012 goals do not even approach the number of
vehicles previously shown to be possible.

The EAA does not normally use email except for
membership reminders. Because of urgent upcoming
decision that may affect EVs to years to come, we
are sending this email to ask that you join a
low-traffic mailing list that the EAA will use to
alert you to developments where your emails,
letters, faxes, phone calls, etc. could make a
big difference. Participation is optional, but
please do consider joining and help us advocate
for EVs in important battles, such the one that will be decided on 3/27.

For further information about what you can do to
let California know you want a meaningful ZEV program, please visit:
http://www.eaaev.org/action/
This page also has details on how to join our
EV-advocacy mailing list to get future notices.

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