Today we offer some encouraging news: significant
progress from the companies that are working on
practical solutions to convert millions of
gas-guzzlers to run partly or entirely on
electricity. The new plug-in cars that will begin
to arrive later this year, while long-awaited and
much-welcomed, won't make much of a dent in our
fuel consumption for over 15 years. If we want to
do something sooner, we need to fix" tens of
millions of the 250 million internal combustion
vehicles on U.S. roads, and even more of the 900
million vehicles in the world. Read on for the
latest developments that set the stage for a
commitment to this strategy -- first by
advocates, then by legislators and elected
officials. In contrast to CalCars' seven-year
campaign for PHEVs, this time, we expect that the
needed incentives and other commitments will come
mainly because companies' new announcements of
products, partnerships and customers are making this a reality.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting
will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there
you can add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

Of the retrofit companies profiled at our page,
"Join the Campaign to Electrify World's 900+
Million Vehicles (as many as possible, to plug-in
hybrid or all-electric)"
http://www.calcars.org/ice-conversions.html , we
have good news from two: a first shipment from
REV; a new facility and a significant meeting in
Washington from ALTe -- we can expect to hear
much more from them in the coming months.

RAPID ELECTRIC VEHICLES DELIVERS CONVERTED FORD
TO FIRST FLEET CUSTOMER: Green Car Congress
reports the SUV has a 160-kilometer range
(99-mile), a top speed of 144 km/h (89 mph), and
charge time is 3.8 to 5 hours at 240V.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2010/04/burlingtonhydro-20100423.html

See Burlington Hydro's press release at
http://green.autoblog.com/2010/04/23/burlington-hydro-gets-a-rev-for-its-gridsma\
rtcity-initiative-w/
. "The REV 300 ACX is not a hybrid nor is it a
concept vehicle -- it is a fully electric vehicle
that will be in daily use in the Burlington Hydro
and GridSmartCityTM fleet," said Jay Giraud,
REV’s CEO and president See REV's press release
at
http://www.rapidelectricvehicles.com/Documents/Rev%20Release%20for%20BHI%20Event\
.pdf
and a video at http://www.rapidelectricvehicles.com/media-coverage.html .

ALTe OPENS NEW FACILITY: We described this
emerging company http://www.altellc.com at length
in March at
http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/1095.html .
Now it's moving ahead rapidly, opening a 185,000
square foot headquarters in April. Here are
excerpts from the report, "Electric vehicle
converter has connections to go far," by Brent
Snavely in the Detroit Free Press at
http://www.freep.com/print/article/20100418/BUSINESS/4180461/Electric-vehicle-co\
nverter-has-connections-to-go-far
:

"ALTe aims to turn existing commercial fleet
vehicles already on the road into plug-in
hybrid-electric vehicles. [CEO John] Thomas said
ALTe is targeting used commercial vehicles that
are two to four years old and whose mileage has
exceeded the warranty….ALTe's plug-in hybrid
electric powertrain is expected to power a
vehicle for about 40 miles on a single charge
before a gasoline engine kicks in to recharge the
battery. Vehicles should be able to travel about
400 miles without refueling. ALTe's system can
improve fuel efficiency by 80% to 200%. ALTe
already has a $240-million [four-year] purchase
order for about 12,000 powertrain kits with a
company called Gulfstream Coach for airport shuttle buses.

"In February, ALTe secured $8.4 million in state
tax credits from the Michigan Economic
Development Corp. The company also is seeking a
$101-million loan from the U.S. Department of
Energy and is in the middle of a review process.
What's more, former Chrysler President Thomas
LaSorda and former Chrysler sales executive
Steven Landry are both on ALTe's board of
directors and their consulting firm, LaSorda
Group, is an investor. Landry said LaSorda Group
invested in ALTe because they liked the company's
business model as well as the background of ALTe's founders."

FOUR-MINUTE CNN interview by Al Velshi with ALTe
Chief Technology Officer Jeff DeFrank at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_U4uIFYttI .

MR. THOMAS GOES TO WASHINGTON: Here's a report by
ALTe CEO John Thomas on a key meeting in DC May 5
that brought together CEOs from multiple
cleantech companies and shows how the company is
delivering its message that it's heading into a giant business opportunity:

"The Senate Clean Energy Jobs Bill Steering
Committee includes roughly 15 Senators. Sen.
Bingaman and others were supportive of John
Doer's initiative to place a carbon tax to
accelerate adoption and fund these programs with
up-front cash. Sen. Boxer was excited about what
we were doing. I met other staffers and CEOs. We
started the meeting with roughly 15-20
CEO/Chairmen of for-profit companies mixed with
industry associations. Sen. Reid opened, asking
for help to get a bill passed so we don't
continue to have oil spills and other unnecessary
costs to the budget and society.

"Sen. Stabenow called on Mary Ann Wright from
Johnson Controls and myself and gave a little
Intro on our behalf.  Afterwards, I gave a very
brief explanation of our technology and business
model. The room of CEO/Chairman and approx 10
Senators heard that we are ready now to annually
convert 90,000 vehicles of the existing 108
million PSVs (pickups, SUVs and vans) on the road
today starting with fleets where it makes
financial sense, and that ALTe will be the
catalyst for massive job growth in the EV and
hybrid industry and the larger V2G ecosystem.

"At a subsequent meeting, we explored ways to
develop a big and sustained push for ALTe and the
industry over a period of six months to encourage
legislators to support these initiatives and the
public in the US to finally 'get it.'"

ALTe's NEW BROCHURE BOLSTERS THE CASE: We urge
you to read ALTe's new four-panel brochure that
describes its vision, its technology, and
provides an illuminating cost-benefit analysis.
It shows paybacks in two-to three years for
multiple vehicle types that are driven 50,000
miles a year (frequent for fleets), and shows
scenarios based on gas prices at different
levels. The projections assume these vehicles
will be eligible for federal tax credits
equivalent to those provided to large-battery EVs
and PHEVs. Far smaller conversion credits are now
in the law, making this a central goal for ALTe
and CalCars. Download it at
http://www.calcars.org/altellc-brochure-may2010.pdf
--I t's easy to read on-screen but when printed
on a letter-sized sheet the type is small.


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

Over 20 more carmakers are falling into line with plans for PHEVs --
and those that aren't are doing EVs. Below our list, you'll also find
info on this weekend's Maker Faire, two big plug-in conferences,
PHEVs in airplanes, Joe Romm's new book, and other media items,
including our updated home page.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

We'll soon update our list at our Automakers Page
http://www.calcars.org/carmakers.html . See also information roundups
at http://www.greencarcongress.com/plugins/ and
http://www.pluginamerica.org/vehicles/ . Some of these are showcased
in a slide show at The New York Times website
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/05/09/automobiles/20100509-plugin.html
complete with links to additional information on the vehicles. Here
are our updates, alphabetically:

* AUDI: A1 Sportback or e-tron concept vehicles may be introduced
first in Europe.
* BMW: Vision PHEV concept of 2009 now headed for production in 2013.
* BYD: F3DM may be introduced in US in 2011.
* CHRYSLER: Following its integration with Fiat, proceeding with its
Department of Energy-sponsored demonstration project with 140 Ram
pickup truck PHEVs.
* CITROEN: Revolte (concept).
* DAIMLER: Mercedes Benz Blue Zero and S500 (concepts).
* FISKER: Karma now scheduled for 2011.
* FORD: Escape SUV now set for 2012; C-MAX compact multi-activity
vehicle in Europe by 2013.
* GM: Chevy Volt MPV5 (crossover concept).
* HYUNDAI: Blue Will concept car aimed at 2012.
* JAGUAR LAND ROVER: Range_e four-wheel drive diesel in 2013-2015 and
a possible XJ PHEV (Tata owns JLR).
* KIA: The Ray concept is part of its EcoDynamics project.
* MITSUBISHI: The PX-MiEV aims for production in 2013,
electrically-driven rear wheels giving four-wheel drive capability.
* PEUGEOT: plug-in diesel hybrid in 2012.
* PORSCHE: The 918Spyder (concept) adds a 16-mile all-electric range
to a powerful sports car.
* PROTON: Malaysian manufacturer shows multiple series PHEV concepts,
with its subsidiary, Lotus.
* SUZUKI: Swift concept now going to Japanese dealers for testing in fall 2010.
* TOYOTA: Prius Plug-in around 2012.
* VOLKSWAGEN: The Golf Blue-E-Motion moved from concept to a 2013
date for sale in the U.S; TwinDrive (concept).
* VOLVO: plans diesel series PHEVs in 2012.


IF YOU'RE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, COME TO THIS WEEKEND'S MAKER FAIRE.
Heaven for do-it-yourselfers, benign hackers, and open-source
acolytes, May 22-23 in San Mateo, CA http://www.makerfaire.com/ . The
entire Maker Faire event is unique, indescribable and inspiring. You
and your family will have no trouble spending a few hours or a whole
day or two! For the fifth time, CalCars presents live hybrid
conversions (since 2006 in California, plus 2007 in Houston). This
year, Berkeley's 3ProngPower.com again runs the show: see
http://makerfaire.com/pub/e/3457 . If you're a plug-in advocate, you
can help educate the interested throngs, and see other plug-in
projects at the Faire.

PLUG-IN CONFERENCES: Sign up to exhibit at or attend the main North
American events on plug-in vehicles:

* PLUG IN 2010 July 26-29 in San Jose, CA, the third annual industry
conference and expo, organized by The Electric Power Research
Institute and Silicon Valley Leadership Group: See the preliminary
agenda and register at http://www.plugin2010.com

* EV 2010 VE September 13-16 in Vancouver, British Columbia,
organized by Electric Mobility Canada/Mobilite electrique Canada. See
the preliminary agenda and register at
http://www.emc-mec.ca/ev2010ve/en/program.html .

PROVOCATIVE, HARD-HITTING BOOK ON CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY: "Straight
Up: America's Fiercest Climate Blogger Takes on the Status Quo Media,
Politicians, and Clean Energy Solutions" is by Joseph Romm, physicist
and former US Department of Energy official. His <Climate Progress
www.climateprogress.org> is often described as the most influential
blog on climate change policy. There he frequently cites
transportation electrification, and this book includes almost 20
pages on what he calls a "core solution." Order it via
http://www.calcars.org/books.html .

PHEVS IN AIRPLANES? YES! Most people assume it's impractical with
today's technology. It turns out, as was the case with cars a few
years ago, "today's technologies are good enough to get started."
Some far-sighted people are getting ready to design prototypes.
CalCars' Ron Gremban is adding his engineering/flying/battery
experience. (By the way, if you're going to the Advanced Automotive
Battery Conference Orlando, Florida, May 17-21, you can find him
there via the CalCars contacts page). A column by aviation
entrepreneur George Bye calls on the Federal Aviation Agency and
others to start getting ready now for the next evolution of planes.
That's at Beyond The Edge
http://www.beyondtheedge.org/aerospace/putting-hybrid-engines-in-planes
. This new organization also features CalCars' perspective on ICE
conversions: http://www.beyondtheedge.org/automotive/the-4-cent-mile/.

DAN NEIL, OUR FAVORITE AUTOMOTIVE COLUMNIST, was at the LA Times
2003-2009. He wrote "Running on Empty," a cover magazine story about
our Prius conversions in 2005
http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/85.html  and
http://www.calcars.org/runningonempty-latimes.pdf ,  spoke about
plug-in cars at several events, famously called on GM management to
resign, and won a Pulitzer Prize. He recently moved his Rumble Seat
column to the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal, where his
first reviews, ranging from a high-end Rolls Royce, to a small Ford,
with stops at Jaguar and Porsche, are lively masterpieces of
entertaining journalism, chock-full of funnys, gonzo-style, and
serious insights. Later this year, we think he'll have a blast when
he gets behind the new plug-ins! Find his columns at
http://online.wsj.com/public/page/news-autos-automotive.html .

CALCARS HOME PAGE UPDATE: We've modified the three paragraphs on our
opening page to reflect our new focus on "The Big Fix" (while we
continue to work on ensuring successful PHEV commercialization).
These eight sentences are our "elevator pitch." Please forward it to
anyone who wants to know about PHEVs and why they should spread the
word or donate to CalCars at http://www.calcars.org/sponsor.html :
"Plug-In Hybrids Use Cleaner, Cheaper, Domestic Energy: CalCars is a
non-profit startup of entrepreneurs, engineers, environmentalists and
consumers. Since 2002, we've promoted plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) with
large batteries. Local miles are powered partly or fully by
electricity from standard plugs, and liquid fuel provides infinite
range. PHEVs tackle energy security, jobs and global warming -- all
at once. We built the world's first plug-in Prius using today's
technologies and infrastructure. We helped spark a successful
campaign to bring PHEVs to market and gain incentives. In 2009, we
declared victory as mass production of PHEVs starts with the Chevy
Volt. Now we promote safe, affordable, warrantied conversions of
large gas-guzzlers to PHEVs and EVs. A new global industry can
convert millions of vehicles long before we see large numbers of new plug-ins."

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

We're in the middle of a series of races among carmakers to bring
plug-in cars to market. At the same time, the expert inventors,
engineers and teachers needed by this rapidly growing plug-in vehicle
industry are in short supply. One of those giants, Ali Emadi, has
just been hired away from of the Illinois Institute of Technology by
McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario (near Toronto). Emadi will
oversee the vast expansion of a program whose importance to the
university and to a nation 22% of whose exports are
automotive-related was underscored when the announcement came from
two top Canadian Ministers.  Dr. Emadi will establish a new
prestigious Canada Excellence Research Chair (the only one of 19
announced nationally, each funded with CA$10M, to focus on automotive
technology). He will also direct a CA$100M research institute. Read
more below, including our speculation about the University's interest
in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies Inc., the startup company
Emadi founded to convert large gas-guzzlers to plug-in hybrids.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

While we're sorry to see Emadi leave Illinois, we're both pleased and
intrigued that McMaster seems to like the idea of its new hire having
built a promising company while at IIT! At
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/New-Government-of-Canada-Investment-Attr\
acts-Top-Minds-to-Canadian-Universities-1261713.htm,
President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Peter George went out of his way to
note that "Dr. Emadi's experience in spinning off start-up companies
from the university environment will be an invaluable resource to the
community."

Emadi founded http://www.hevt.com , which in 2007 converted a Ford
F-150 pickup truck into a 30-mile range PHEV as a proof-of-concept to
"fix" pickups trucks, vans and buses. The company projects that
conversions in high volume could sell for under $15,000, which if
paired with federal tax credits commensurate with the vehicles'
petroleum reduction and CO2 benefits, has an attractive business
model. The startup has not yet gone beyond seed-level funding and
continues to explore strategic partnerships. And it is not yet clear
if HEVT will transplant to Canada along with Emadi (when he leaves in
summer 2011), remain in Chicago, or relocate elsewhere in the Midwest
Auto Belt or California.

Those unfamiliar with Ali Emadi will appreciate his importance from
the official announcement below. We also note that he has often been
described as "The Andy Frank of Power Electronics." That's a
comparison to the professor generally acknowledged as the father of
the modern PHEV, who in the past two decades tirelessly proselytized
for PHEVs, retrofit multiple vehicles to PHEV at the University of
California at Davis, and himself co-founded
http://www.efficientdrivetrains.com  to commercialize his
intellectual property for both new vehicles and  internal combustion
retrofits. See a photo of Emadi and Frank with their prototypes, and
fans Andy Grove and Felix Kramer, at
http://www.calcars.org/photos.html .  (Full disclosure: CalCars
Founder Felix Kramer is an advisor to both HEVT and EDI, as discussed
at http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/976.html .)

A  BACKGROUNDER FROM McMASTER reads in part:

RESEARCH SUMMARY: The harmful effects that vehicle emissions have on
both human health and the environment are leading to major shifts in
the global automotive industry. Engineers around the world are
competing to build the new, innovative models that will be the next
generation of cost-effective, energy-efficient cars.

At the forefront of this competition are plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Responding to the needs of a growing population of energy-conscious
consumers, plug-in hybrid vehicles are expected to become one of the
main forms of transportation in Canada and across the globe by 2030.

One of the keys to engineering the next generation of hybrid electric
cars will be improving their powertrain, which transmits propulsion
power. Canada Excellence Research Chair in Hybrid Powertrain Dr. Ali
Emadi is at the leading edge of new developments in transportation
electrification, including advanced electrified powertrains; the
vehicle-to-grid interface of plug-in vehicles with Smart Grid
technology; powertrain components; hybrid battery/super-capacitor
energy storage systems; and adaptive vehicle control and power
management systems.

Emadi's research provides solutions for industry and environmental
policy-makers alike: it meets the current demands of the automotive
sector and will further the growth of Canada's economy, while
maintaining a strong position for the future of Canada's green
technology industry.

A rising star in his field, Emadi's work has already had exceptional
impact. His experience and knowledge aligns well with the existing
engineering expertise at McMaster University, where hybrid automobile
research and development is already heavily supported.

BIOGRAPHY: Emadi is internationally recognized for his in-depth
research on hybrid electric vehicle powertrains and electric drives.
He holds a PhD in electrical engineering, with a specialization in
power electronics and motor drives, from Texas A&M University in
College Station, Texas. He received a bachelor's and master's degree
in electrical engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.

An extremely active researcher, Emadi has made significant
contributions toward the development of hybrid powertrains, power
converters, hybrid energy storage systems and powertrain adaptive
controls. He has authored over 250 publications and conference
papers, as well as several books, including co-authoring Vehicular
Electric Power Systems: Land, Sea, Air, and Space Vehicles; and
Modern Electric, Hybrid Electric, and Fuel Cell Vehicles:
Fundamentals, Theory, and Design .


THE MAY 17, 2010 PRESS RELEASE from
http://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/news/feature.html and
http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/story.cfm?id=6732
Top U.S. Auto Hybrid Researcher Moving to McMaster / Ali Emadi named
Canada Excellence Research Chair in Hybrid Powertrain

Hybrid vehicle development in Canada has received a huge jolt of propulsion.

Professor Ali Emadi, a leading U.S. developer of electric powertrain
technology, has been appointed Canada Excellence Research Chair in
Hybrid Powertrain and will relocate to McMaster University.  The
appointment will see the construction of a new 15,000 square-foot
hybrid vehicle research facility at McMaster Innovation Park.

The appointment was announced today by federal Minister of Industry
Tony Clement and federal Minister of State for Science and Technology
Gary Goodyear.  It is one of 19 new Canada Excellence Research Chair
(CERC) appointments at 13 universities.  Each appointment receives up
to $10 million in federal funding over seven years.

"Canada has just been elevated another notch as a global leader in
developing hybrid vehicle technology," said Peter George, president
and vice-chancellor, McMaster University.  "The appointment
reinforces McMaster's leadership in automotive research and places us
at the forefront of hybrid vehicle research in this country."

"The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of supporting
leading-edge research and world-class researchers," said The
Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry. "The CERC program
confirms Canada's standing as a global centre of excellence in
research and higher learning. This program supports our government's
commitment to ensuring Canada's future economic growth by investing
in innovation and research capacity in priority areas."

Prof. Emadi is currently the Harris Perlstein Endowed Chair Professor
of Engineering and director of the Electric Power and Power
Electronics Centre at the Illinois Institute of Technology in
Chicago.  He is also the founder and president of Hybrid Electric
Vehicle Technologies, Inc., a spin-off company of the Institute.

"The government's commitment to research through the CERC program and
McMaster's vision for leadership in sustainable automotive research
were too strong to resist," said Prof. Emadi.  "I am looking forward
to joining the strong network of automotive researchers in Canada and
helping to advance the development of hybrid vehicles."

Prof. Emadi's hybrid vehicle research facility will be part of a new
50,000 square-foot automotive resource centre being planned for
McMaster Innovation Park.  The Centre is to be located within the
current Careport building and bring together private and public
sector organizations to develop new technologies such as hybrid
engines, batteries and lightweight materials.

"Dr. Emadi's appointment adds to the critical mass of expertise being
assembled at McMaster for developing the next generation of
lightweight, energy-efficient vehicles," said Mo Elbestawi, vice
president research and international affairs.  "He will help attract
more like-minded researchers and entrepreneurs, and his experience in
spinning off start-up companies will be invaluable to the community."

Prof. Emadi's research encompasses the development of advanced
electric drive vehicles,  power electronics and motor drives,
vehicle-to-grid interface of plug-in vehicles with Smart Grid, hybrid
battery/super-capacitor energy storage systems, and adaptive vehicle
control and power management systems.

"One of Dr. Emadi's strengths is systems integration," said David
Wilkinson, dean of the Faculty of Engineering.  "He has the insight
and the knowledge of advanced technologies to shift hybrid vehicle
research and development to another level in Canada.  He can move
research closer to implementation."

Prof. Emadi is co-author of what is considered the world's leading
introductory textbook on hybrid vehicles: Modern Electric, Hybrid
Electric and Fuel Cell Vehicles: Fundamentals, Theory and Design. The
second edition was published in September 2009.

As part of his appointment, Prof. Emadi will also become director of
the McMaster Institute for Automotive Research and Technology, known
as MacAUTO, the coordinating body for automotive research and
education at the university.  It encompasses some 75 researchers in
engineering, science, business and other faculties involved in
initiatives valued at over $100 million in programs and infrastructure.

"His appointment is part of a strategy to introduce new programs and
train engineers in the area of power engineering and electronics,
control systems, Smart Grid, and related technologies," said
Wilkinson.  "McMaster will have the greatest concentration of
powertrain research anywhere in the country."

The CERC program was announced in Budget 2008 as part of the federal
government's Science and Technology Strategy to help build expertise
in strategic areas. Research conducted by the chairholders will focus
on the areas of environmental sciences and technologies, natural
resources and energy, health and related life sciences and
technologies, and information and communications technologies. The
CERC program is administered jointly by Canada's three research
granting agencies: the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and
the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.  www.cerc.gc.ca


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

We usually focus on news about plug-in hybrids, while of course
celebrating all advances for electrifying transportation, but this is
very big news . The recently closed Fremont, CA factory was
established as the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. joint venture
between GM-Toyota. Its re-opening to build
Tesla's  second-generation, seven-passenger all-electric sean is a
development to celebrate. Its implications extend to the future
directions of Toyota and to the position of California as a cleantech leader.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

Toyota's partnership with start-up Tesla can help pull Toyota rapidly
forward and give it the opportunity to regain some lost momentum.
Until now its only steps beyond conventional hybrids have to test a
few hundred 13-mile range Plug In Priuses and indicate its intentions
some day to sell PHEVs and EVs. And it will help Tesla (which had
previously received a $50M investment from Daimler, 40% of which was
then sold to an Abu Dhabi investment group), bring to market more
rapidly upscale, highly reliable, quality products.

We salute UC Berkeley Prof. Harley Shaiken and State Treasurer Bill
Lokyer for their Blue Ribbon Commission that made the case for
converting the NUMMI factory to build HEVs and PHEVs -- see the White
Paper at http://www.irle.berkeley.edu/press/20100310_nummi.html .
Still to be determined are how many of the skilled (and unionized)
NUMMI employees will be rehired, and how quickly. And having visited
the giant NUMMI plant and met with UAW members and officers
http://www.calcars.org/photos-people.html#JC , we would love in the
future to be involved in efforts to use part of the facility to
retrofit older Toyota vehicles into PHEVs and EVs.

The LA Times has an in-depth story at
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-auto-20100521,0,4035370.story ,
reviewing activity in California from Coda, Fisker and other
startups, positioning "California as a center of independent electric
automobile research, design and production, an industry that some
economists say could become an important driver of economic and
development and jobs in the state."

This development can also serve as a powerful rebuttal to the
efforts, spearheaded by two Texas oil companies Valero and Tesoro, to
halt California's Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32), even before it
goes into effect next year. They claim it's bad for jobs -- and here
we have a high-profile example of "Green Jobs in the Clean Economy."
The oil companies expect to spend over $50 million to derail the
California program and thereby slow any progress for national
legislation on climate change or clean energy. So it's not just a
local California issue.We encourage you to learn more and get
involved. The coalition of defenders of AB32 have established
http://www.stopdirtyenergyprop.com as the starting point for the
campaign to defeat the oil companies' proposition.

THE GOVERNOR'S COMMENTS: Here's an excerpt from his press release
http://gov.ca.gov/press-release/15219 :

Gov. Schwarzenegger Joins Tesla and Toyota Officials to Announce
Historic Toyota-Tesla Partnership and Tesla's Acquisition of NUMMI Facility
Toyota to Invest $50 Million in Tesla and Partner to Manufacture
Electric Vehicles, Create Over 1,000 Green Jobs

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined President and Chief
Executive Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation Akio Toyoda, Co-Founder
and Chief Executive Officer of Tesla Motors Elon Musk and Lieutenant
Governor Abel Maldonado to announce an historic new partnership
between the automotive companies that will benefit California's
economy and environment. Toyota announced it will invest $50 million
in Tesla Motors and will partner with Tesla to manufacture electric
vehicles (EVs). Additionally, Tesla announced that it will acquire
the NUMMI plant in Fremont and begin production of its Model S EV in
2012. Today's action could create more than 1,000 green jobs in California.

"What we are witnessing today is an historic example of California's
transition to a cleaner, greener and more prosperous future. We
challenged auto companies to innovate, and both Tesla and Toyota
stepped up in a big way, not only creating vehicles that reduce
emissions and appeal to consumers but also boosting economic growth,"
said Governor Schwarzenegger. "Tesla, just a start-up company a few
years ago, will soon employ Californians in green jobs on a large
scale at the former NUMMI plant. In fact, Tesla's founding and
expansion in California is a direct result of our nation-leading
policies that support demand for green products and the companies and
people who produce them. I am thrilled with today's announcement and
can't wait to see what this partnership brings next."

THE JOINT TESLA/TOYOTA ANNOUNCEMENT is at
http://www.teslamotors.com/media/press_room.php?id=2509 and
http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/tesla-motors-and-toyota-motor-159048.aspx

Tesla Motors and Toyota Motor Corporation Intend to Work Jointly on
EV Development, TMC to Invest in Tesla

TESLA MOTORS, INC. (Tesla) and TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) today
announced that they intend to cooperate on the development of
electric vehicles, parts, and production system and engineering support.

The two companies intend to form a specialist team to further those
efforts. TMC has agreed to purchase $50 million of Tesla's common
stock issued in a private placement to close immediately subsequent
to the closing of Tesla's currently planned initial public offering.

"I've felt an infinite possibility about Tesla's technology and its
dedication to monozukuri (Toyota's approach to manufacturing)," said
TMC President Akio Toyoda. "Through this partnership, by working
together with a venture business such as Tesla, Toyota would like to
learn from the challenging spirit, quick decision-making, and
flexibility that Tesla has. Decades ago, Toyota was also born as a
venture business. By partnering with Tesla, my hope is that all
Toyota employees will recall that 'venture business spirit,' and take
on the challenges of the future."

"Toyota is a company founded on innovation, quality, and commitment
to sustainable mobility. It is an honor and a powerful endorsement of
our technology that Toyota would choose to invest in and partner with
Tesla," said Tesla CEO and cofounder Elon Musk. "We look forward to
learning and benefiting from Toyota's legendary engineering,
manufacturing, and production expertise."

TMC has, since its foundation in 1937, operated under the philosophy
of "contributing to the society through the manufacture of
automobiles," and made cars that satisfy its many customers around
the world. TMC introduced the first-generation Prius hybrid vehicle
in 1997, and produced approximately 2.5 million hybrids in the twelve
years since. Late last year, TMC started lease of Prius Plug-in
Hybrids, which can be charged using an external power source such as
a household electric outlet. The company also plans to introduce EVs
into the market by 2012.

Tesla's goal is to produce increasingly affordable electric cars to
mainstream buyers -- relentlessly driving down the cost of EVs. Palo
Alto, CA-based Tesla has delivered more than 1000 Roadsters to
customers in North America, Europe and Asia. Tesla designs and
manufactures EVs and EV powertrain components. It is currently the
only automaker in the U.S. that builds and sells highway-capable EVs
in serial production. The Tesla Roadster accelerates faster than most
sports cars yet produces no emissions. Tesla service rangers make
house calls to service Roadsters.

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

Tuesday night, President Obama will speak to the nation about the
Gulf catastrophe. In a pre-response to that speech, having
successfully advocated for plug-in hybrids like the forthcoming Chevy
Volt, we propose that the President follow that speech up with a
"realistic and conservative" roadmap to halve our oil use in 10
years. We outline a second speech by the President, starting with, "I
am not willing to be the latest in a succession of Presidents telling
you we're going to end our addiction to oil. Finally, it's time to
begin. Oil is holding us all hostage, economically and physically. If
terrorists had poisoned 40% of our wetlands and 25% of our fisheries,
we wouldn't ask, 'How much will it cost to fight back?' The good
news? At last we have ways to get far within a few years, not over
decades! And it will cost much less than you think." See this posting
at Climate Progress,
http://climateprogress.org/2010/06/13/drive-star-obama-speech-bp-spill-cut-oil-u\
se-in-half-by-2020/
, where you can comment on it. We urge other media and websites to
repost the full text or link to that URL and to
http:/www.calcars.org/ice-conversions.html .

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

We know we eventually need to kick our addiction to costly, dangerous
fossil fuels. "Realists" say that's impossible for decades. We've
believed them, fantasizing we'd avoid calamities, ignoring science
that says we don't have decades. Clearly, that hasn't worked. Now are
we still stuck maintaining our addiction with clean needles, or, best
case, settling for methadone? What would detox and rehab look like?

We have a realistic transitional scenario that avoids an agonizing
withdrawal. We need persuasive and inspiring leadership for it to
happen. In the key area of transportation, we submit our Drive Star
proposal. For $100 million in one year, we'll demonstrate how to
rapidly reduce use of oil in transportation with safe, warrantied
retrofits of tens of millions gas-guzzlers. That will enable us in
just ten years for $100 billion, much of which the federal government
will get back, to cut U.S. oil use in half, by seven million barrels a day.

Tuesday night President Obama will address our nation. He'll start
with the oil catastrophe. He'll describe the heroic efforts to blunt
its deadly blows to citizens' communities and jobs, to businesses,
wildlife, and the Gulf. He'll express our hopes we can stop the
gusher. He'll talk about identifying the causes and compensating the victims.

When he proposes steps to improve oil industry safety, we hope he
won't say, "Let's make sure this never happens again." No one can
make that promise. That's why we need a second speech with a new strategy.

We've now in the crisis CalCars knew, when we began in 2002, would
some day arrive. (We expected it would come from higher prices or a
supply disruption -- we've all been surprised.) We're looking around,
asking, "How quickly can we start getting off oil?" We're happy we're
well on our way with plug-in cars. We now have a sprinkling of
promising companies working to get funded to convert gas-guzzlers.
That said, we aim to put this solution on the map -- only this time
in weeks, not in the eight years it took to win on plug-in hybrids.
For details on what we've called "The Big Fix" beyond the following,
see http://www.calcars.org/ice-conversions.html -- and we'll continue
adding back-up info at CalCars-News and elsewhere.

The missing piece we dream President Obama will follow up with is an
emergency-response roadmap to a world where increasingly scarce and
costly oil is used only when needed. We've written what we hope he'll
say in a second speech, adding the details he'll give when he's
joined by business and technical experts at a briefing on Drive Star.
Here's our rough draft, which we're releasing as we refine the
concept -- we moved up our plans when we learned about the Tuesday
address. We ask our readers to help spread the word to
thought-leaders and strategists everywhere. We ask organizations to
move this realistic, conservative, and cost-effective approach to the
top of their talking points and priorities.

How President Obama Can Announce Drive Star to Cut Oil Use in Half by 2020

Today we are under attack. Admiral Thad Allen describes a Gulf under
siege. Oil is holding us all hostage, economically and physically. We
are defending our land and sea, our jobs and communities, against a
relentless enemy that's already hit four states hard -- so far. We
don't know what's to come -- or if, how, or when we can win. If
terrorists had poisoned 40% of our wetlands and 25% of our fisheries,
we wouldn't ask, "How much will it cost to fight back?" We'd put tens
of thousands of soldiers at risk and spend any amount to take out that enemy.

I am not willing to be the latest in a succession of Presidents
telling you we're going to end our addiction to oil. Finally, it's
time to begin. The good news? At last we have ways to get far within
a few years, not over decades! And it will cost much less than you
think. More about that in a moment.

We can't continue ever-riskier experiments to get oil from remote
locations. Even on land, getting oil from tar sands depletes water
and other resources and doubles oil's carbon footprint. And oil only
seems cheap. Its impacts are increasingly unaffordable. And it's
going to get more expensive at the pump and at every step once it's
extracted from the ground. In the U.S., and around the world, giant
transport ships, aging pipelines and sprawling refineries will
continue to fail -- and remain in the cross-hairs of terrorists -- as
long as they operate.

The only way to guarantee our victory -- the most realistic solution
-- is to reduce national and world demand for petroleum. That's
surely a conservative strategy in the fullest sense of the word:
protecting everything we value from change we can't control. So
tonight I'm announcing "Drive Star." At last we will begin our
recovery from fossil fuel addiction.

It's a 21st-century equivalent of what we did in 1942. When our
country was attacked at Pearl Harbor, no one believed we could build
30,000 planes and tanks in just one year. Well, America's auto
industry delivered over 100,000. And no one asked what it would cost.
We just had to do it. That helped us become the world's greatest
industrial power. If we can again succeed like that, in a decade,
we'll look back and know that we got a great deal: safer, healthier,
better lives, an economy no longer held hostage to
petro-dictatorships and blindered, monopolistic companies, and a
significant response to climate change.

Since our cars and trucks use almost two-thirds of the oil we buy,
the quickest way to cut oil use is to free transportation from its
grip. Over time, we can conserve by reducing the miles we drive. But
it will take decades to shift most freight from trucks to trains,
design walkable communities, shorten our commutes, and build better
mass transit and high-speed rail networks.

Meanwhile, we all still need to drive all the time. It helps that the
auto industry will be building more efficient new vehicles. And the
first plug-in cars mass-produced in the USA in a century will go on
sale this fall. That means we'll be powering some miles with
increasingly renewable electricity that isn't made from imported oil.
But even these new plug-ins will show up too slowly to have a big
impact on our oil consumption for two decades.

That's too long to wait to improve energy security, protect our
economy, and address climate change. Fortunately, if we just open our
eyes, the practical answer is right in front of us. It's under the
hoods of the 250 million vehicles we drive today. Using existing
technology, we can convert many of them into plug-in hybrids and
electric vehicles.

We've already decided we're going to fix already-built houses,
offices and factories that waste energy. We're about to enact the
"Home Star" and "Building Star" programs -- putting people to work on
"Cash for Caulkers" retrofits that will make buildings more
comfortable and cut owners' fuel costs.

Since vehicles are also part of what we've built, with bipartisan
support, we will enact a similar program: "Drive Star." "Cash for
Conversions" will start by fixing many of our 100 million trucks,
vans, and buses. They now gulp down one third of the oil we use.
About half of those big gas-guzzlers stay on the road a surprisingly
long time: 15 to 35 years. That's as long as many buildings, so
they're also worth a makeover. And these retrofits will also pay off,
for their owners, their communities, and our nation. We already
upgrade our computers. We can upgrade vehicles too.

Pioneering companies now have designs to turn gasoline- and
diesel-powered vehicles into all-electrics or plug-in hybrids,
depending on how they're built and the range their drivers need,. The
U.S. can lead in a new, profitable, global business opportunity.
Retrofit technologies are already good enough to install in large
vehicles. As batteries get cheaper and smaller, and motors get light
enough to fit inside wheels, we'll be able to upgrade smaller cars.
We won't need new power plants, since we have enough off-peak
electricity to recharge as many retrofits as we can build. And
magically, as more electricity comes from lower-carbon fuel sources,
our cars will get cleaner as they get older!

While we're fixing vehicles, we can also equip them with low-cost
real-time MPG indicators that show us how to save money and still get
to places quickly. We can add carbon filters to diesel trucks to get
rid of black carbon -- soot, which is another global health and
climate problem. Our effort will inspire other startups to accelerate
development of liquid fuels from algae and agricultural waste
products. These zero-carbon biofuels plus lower-carbon natural gas
will fuel plug-in hybrids when they drive beyond their electric
commuting range. And to reach our goal of cutting oil use 50%, we'll
also need one other step: end the use of 15% of our oil for heating.

   When they're mass-produced, conversions will cost under
$10-$15,000. That's a lot for anyone with an old car to pay up front.
Retrofitters can partner with energy service companies to finance
those costs, backed by federal loan guarantees. Payback will come
because an electric mile is up to five times cheaper than a petroleum
mile. So these retrofits will cost less to drive right away,
benefitting public, military, and private fleets, and individual drivers.

We'll add targeted incentives to jump-start this successor to the
$4,500 "Cash for Clunkers" program. Right now, buyers of new plug-in
cars get up to $7,500 in tax credits. For the first five million
vehicles, we'll match that for retrofit gas-guzzlers that displace an
equivalent amount of oil and are in shape to last 10 more years. As
high-volume production brings down their price, we can taper down the
incentive over a second five million.

$100 billion on retrofit loan guarantees and incentives is a lot of
money. Before we go all in, we'll start with a $100 million program
that entrepreneurs call "proof of concept." But let's realize:
defending our nation is never cheap. We've spent ten times that
hundred billion on wars since 9/11. A plan to convert vehicles has to
look beyond the immediate payback to take into account the real costs
and damages we'll avert.

Every day, we just hand over a billion dollars to foreign oil
suppliers. Drive Star will turn out to be a bargain. For less than we
pay for three months of foreign oil, we will catalyze quick retrofits
of over 50 million vehicles.

After our one-year test, in summer 2011, we'll be ready to create a
powerful new U.S. conversion industry. In communities everywhere,
tens of thousands of Americans will have important, well-paid jobs
fixing vehicles in commercial garages -- and in boarded-up auto
plants. Meanwhile, carmakers and dealers that sell high-efficiency
and plug-in cars will, for the first time, get a new revenue stream
from upgrading vehicles they've already sold.

Drive Star will prove that converting vehicles is profitable. A few
startups already make that case, and we expect big news from some of
them later this year. We'll enlist more companies to join this new
age of automotive innovation.

We Americans love to race. Since Charles Lindbergh won a $25,000
prize for his first transatlantic flight, we've seen again and again
how competition sparks innovation. We've just sponsored a $4 billion
"Race to the Top "for our schools. And ongoing public and private
contests in space and science show that creative inventors, engineers
and entrepreneurs can take giant leaps.

"Drive Star" starts with a modest but ambitious $100 million
challenge: Design a way to convert a popular vehicle. Make it
affordable, safe, drivable, eligible for certification and warranty,
and installable in high volumes. We'll pre-fund your prototypes.
We're in a hurry, so deliver your test vehicles in six months. Our
judges will come from the Departments of Energy and Transportation,
the Environmental Protection Agency, groups like the Society of
Automotive Engineers, the X Prize Foundation, Cleantech Open, the
Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association, and carmakers and
suppliers. We'll recruit mentors to validate your business plans,
identify suppliers, and connect partners.

Early next year, we'll convene a kickoff summit in Michigan for
conversion companies, car and component makers, lenders, fleet
owners, and drivers to begin a national rollout of the best solutions.

Drive Star is our opportunity to lead the world in a new direction,
as U.S. companies export and license our solutions and work with
suppliers, manufacturers and installers to fix vehicles everywhere.
Because oil is a global fuel, our solution must spread
internationally or we'll just transfer the fossil fuel risks to the
air, water and economies at locations from which they will still
threaten everything that lives on our planet.

Every generation is called to step forward. One of our biggest
challenges is to clean up our oil mess -- and we can meet that
challenge. We have cleaner, cheaper, safer ways to drive everywhere.
With Drive Star, we have the motivation, the technology, and the
resources to cut our oil use in half in ten years . Yes, we can take
the first step!

See this posting at Climate Progress,
http://climateprogress.org/2010/06/13/drive-star-obama-speech-bp-spill-cut-oil-u\
se-in-half-by-2020/
where you can comment on it. We urge other media and websites to
repost the full text or link to that URL and to
http:/www.calcars.org/ice-conversions.html .

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

Here are some of resources we think can inform
and energize those who support this campaign.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting
will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there
you can add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)
Backup material for posting:

VIDEOS WE'VE FOUND THOUGHT-PROVOKING OR MEANINGFUL:

RACHEL MADDOW'S "GET ME REWRITE:" Maddow's studio
and on-the-scene reporting from the Gulf since
April has been consistently illuminating. She
actually thinks as she observes, interviews, and
reports! On Wednesday, June 16 she gave  her
vision of the speech the President could have
delivered -- along similar lines to ours but
without our Drive Star proposal. Watch it at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWawFfUCMtY
(10:30) or read the transcript (it's 2/3 of the
way through the show) at
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37760186/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/

JOHN STEWART: AN ENERGY-INDPEENDENT FUTURE: The
Daily Show's Stewart entertainingly and sadly
chronicled on June 16 the story of all the
Presidents who have said we need to get off oil.
You won't regret the eight minutes to watch it at
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-june-16-2010/an-energy-independent-future
(7:54)

"THE GIRL WHO SILENCED THE WORLD FOR FIVE
MINUTES:" In 1989, nine-year-old Severn
Cullis-Suzuki and several others founded The
Environmental Children's Organization. In 1992,
this 12-year-old's speech stunned the Rio Earth
Summit. Her message still matters -- speaking
about her world, she said,  "If you don't know
how to fix it, please stop breaking it." Watch
the moving speech at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQmz6Rbpnu0 .
(Suzuki, now 31 and an ethnobotanist, remains an environmental activist.)

"SOMEWHERE OVER THE GOLD COAST:" The
Environmental Defense Fund's mashup of a song
from Glee and the oil disaster at
http://blogs.edf.org/edfish/2010/06/17/glee-bpoildisaster/ (2:43) made us cry.

REINVENTING FIRE from the Rocky Mountain
Institute http://www.rmi.org/rmi/reinventingfire
(6:37) presents the broad opportunity to get off
fossil fuels. Video includes a CalCars plug-in hybrid.

INFORMATION ON FOSSIL FUELS

DRIVE STAR: Read many thoughtful comments among
the 41 responses to our posting at Climate
Progress at
http://climateprogress.org/2010/06/13/drive-star-obama-speech-bp-spill-cut-oil-u\
se-in-half-by-2020/#comment-280502
including the final one by Ron Gremban, CalCars
Technology Lead, with whom we should have shared
the original byline. And the 37 comments at
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2010/06/drivestar-20100614.html#comments

OUR USE OF FOSSIL FUELS: Two
analyses.
http://climateprogress.org/2010/05/30/peak-oil-addiction-solutions/
shows that 65% of the oil we use goes to
transportation (including air). (The use of oil
to make plastic actually could be seen as a
sequestration
strategy!)  http://www.rmi.org/rmi/Transportation beeaks it out in detail.

PHYSICS OF OIL SPILLS: MSNBC's "Oil on the water"
explains and shows examples of the eight
"weathering processes" that occur as oil remains
in water: spreading, evaporation, dispersion,
dissolution, emulsification, oxidation,
sedimentation, and biodegredation at
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37517080/ns/disaster_in_the_gulf

WORLD"S LARGESTCOMPANIES: To get a sense of the
size of oil and gas companies, by profitability,
in 2009, they were the six top corporations in
the world
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/18/global-09_The-Global-2000_Prof.html
. By sales, they weare six within the top 10
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/18/global-09_The-Global-2000_Sales.html
. And by market capitalization (value), they
weare seven of the first 20
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/18/global-09_The-Global-2000_MktVal.html
. But wait -- these lists are primarily
"international oil companies" (IOCs). They
include only one or two "national oil companies"
(NOCs) owned by governments, which account for
52% of production and 88% of reserves. See the
list at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_oil_company
. Why is it so hard to find a unified ranking?

FUELS FROM HELL: Some of peoples' difficulty in
recognizing the importance of  getting off fossil
fuels may come from how we name and describe
them. Oil doesn't sound unfriendly, nor does
"natural" gas or "clean coal." In response to the
catastrophe, some observers have pointed out they
will never see a beach or ocean poisoned by
renewable energy. So this is a good time to
reprint part of our September 2008 review,
'Thomas Friedman's New Bestseller 'Hot, Flat &
Crowded' Touts Plug-Ins"
http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/996.html :
'ONE PERSONAL NOTE: I'm also gratified that
Friedman elaborates on a concept from my wife, on
page 32, "To put it another way, the Industrial
Revolution gave a whole new prominence to what
Rochelle Lefkowitz, President of Pro-Media
Communications and an energy buff, calls 'fuels
from hell' -- coal, oil, and natural gas. All
these fuels from hell come from underground, are
exhaustible, and emit CO2 and other pollutants
when they are burned for transportation, heating
and industrial use. These fuels are in contrast
to what Lefkowitz calls 'fuels from heaven' --
wind, hydroelectric, tidal, biomass, and solar
power. These all come from above ground, are
endlessly renewable, and produce no harmful
emissions." (Geothermal doesn't exactly fit into
the scheme. The original categorization came from
a smart Swiss engineer, Ulf Bosselll, whom I met
in Iceland: http://www.efcf.com/­reports/­E23.pdf .)'

ARTICLES AND OTHER MEDIA:

BILL McKIBBEN: See the author and 350.org
co-founder call, "Mr. President, lead now on
fossil fuels" at
http://climateprogress.org/2010/06/08/mckibben-bp-spill-climate-bill/ and
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mckibben-global-warming-201\
00606,0,393201.story

Father's Day articles include an exchange between
ninth-grader Daniel Judt and his father Tony,
"Generations in the Balance"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/opinion/20judt.html
and Joe Romm's perspective
http://climateprogress.org/2010/06/20/fathers-day-essay/ .

PETROLCIDE T-SHIRT: Order the t-shirt with the
aggressive and thought-provoking image seen at
our guest posting
http://climateprogress.org/2010/06/13/drive-star-obama-speech-bp-spill-cut-oil-u\
se-in-half-by-2020/
at http://www.demockratees.com/petrolcide.html

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: widely appreciated cartoons
on the oil spill and climate change by Tom Toles:
http://climateprogress.org/2010/06/18/best-toles-cartoon-ever/
More Toles at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/tomtoles/

THE WHOLE ENCHILADA: $600 TRILLION That's the
value Richard Posner,
judge/professor/libertarian/author in 2004 in
"Catastrophe: Risk and response" assigned to the
human race. The concept is useful in talking to
those who doubt the threats of climate change --
if they agree there's a 10% chance they're wrong,
they may appreciate the wisdom of action as an
insurance policy for the globe. (Search for "$600
trillion extinction posner" to find links.)

GAS-GUZZLER CONVERSIONS

US EPA PROPOSES NEW RULES FOR CONVERSIONS: This
appears to be a positive development. See website
at
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/fuels/altfuels/altfuels.htm
and the writeups at
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2010/05/epa-conv-20100507.html
and
http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2010/05/epa-proposes-to-streamline-vehi\
cle-conversion-efforts-to-cng-and-other-alt-fuels.html
-- this program is currently being driven by
natural gas converters, who are proposing to
spend $50-$100,000 to convert large vehicles. But
the rules will apply to EV and PHEV conversions.
We encourage all companies considering entering
into this industry to submit their perspectives
before the July 23 deadline, and send copies of any testimony to us.

BLOGS CONSIDER CONVERSIONS: We commend cleantech
blogger Joel Makower for considering the issues
at
http://makower.typepad.com/joel_makower/2010/04/when-it-comes-to-cars-ice-is-sti\
ll-hot.html
. And Michael Hoexter situates conversions inside
a broad strategy at http://greenthoughts.us/2010/05/16/oil-independence/

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

We've received very positive responses to our
June 13 "President's 2nd Message: We Can Cut Oil
Use in Half by 2020," where we predicted what the
President might say on June 15 and proposed how
he could follow that up. That posting was
published at Climate Progress and reprinted at
GreenCarCongress.com, EV World.com and
PlugInCars.com. As part of our efforts to
distribute it to print media and broadcast media,
we've now produced the much shorter version found
below. We're also distributing this broadly in
advance of our quick visit to Washington, DC next
Mon-Tues, June 28-29, as we continue to enlist
allies. If you haven't done so already, please
forward this to your networks. (The shorter
version necessarily omits some of the detail from
the first, so you can also point people to the
longer version at http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/1101.html .) Thank you!

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting
will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there
you can add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

President Obama's Followup Speech: Drive Star Can Cut Oil Use in Half by 2020

Today I announce Drive Star. It's a plan to cut
our oil use in half by 2020. If we can match the
efforts of our citizens and our industries after
Pearl Harbor, in a decade, we'll have gotten a
great deal: many new jobs, and safer, healthier, and better lives.

As long as we remain addicted to oil, we remain
at risk for another oil catastrophe, on land or
on sea. In the U.S. and around the world, no
matter how careful we all are, deep- and
shallow-water wells, giant tankers, aging
pipelines and sprawling refineries may fail --
and remain in the cross-hairs of terrorists -- as
long as they operate. The only way to guarantee
our nation's safety -- the most realistic
solution -- is to reduce national and global
demand for petroleum. That's conservative:
protecting everything we value from change we can't control.

Since our cars and trucks use almost two-thirds
of the oil we buy, the quickest way to do that is
to free transportation from its grip.
Fortunately, the answer is under the hoods of the
250 million vehicles we drive today. Using
existing technology, we can convert many into
plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles.

We've about to enact "Home Star" and "Building
Star" – and put people to work on "Cash for
Caulkers" retrofits to make buildings more
comfortable and cut owners' fuel costs. With
bipartisan support, we can add "Drive Star."

Our 100 million trucks, vans, and buses now gulp
down one third of the oil we use. About half stay
on the road a surprisingly long time: 15 to 35
years. That's long enough to merit a makeover.
Retrofitting these gas guzzlers will pay off, for
their owners, their communities, and our nation.
We already upgrade our computers. We can upgrade our vehicles, too.

The U.S. can lead a new, profitable, global
business. Pioneering companies can already turn
gas- and diesel-powered vehicles into
all-electrics or plug-in hybrids, depending on
how they're built and the range their drivers
need. As batteries get cheaper and smaller, and
motors get light enough to fit inside wheels,
we'll be able to upgrade smaller cars. We won't
need new power plants; we have enough off-peak
electricity to recharge as many retrofits as we
can build. As more electricity comes from
lower-carbon fuel sources, our cars will
magically get cleaner as they get older!

   Mass conversions will cost under $10-$15,000.
That's still a lot for old car owners to pay up
front. But retrofitters can partner with energy
service companies to finance these costs, backed
by federal loan guarantees. Since an electric
mile is up to five times cheaper than a petroleum
mile, retrofits will cost less to drive right
away, benefitting public, military, and private
fleets, and individual drivers.

We'll add targeted incentives to jump-start "Cash
for Conversions", a successor to our popular
$4,500 "Cash for Clunkers". Now, new plug-in car
buyers get up to $7,500 in tax credits. We'll
match that to retrofit the first five million
gas-guzzlers that displace an equivalent amount
of oil and can last 10 or more years. As
high-volume production lowers the price, we can
taper down the incentive over a second five million.

Every day, we hand over a billion dollars to
foreign oil suppliers. With Drive Star, by loan
guarantees and grants of less than we pay now for
three months of foreign oil, we'll catalyze quick
retrofits of over 50 million vehicles. When we do
the math, let's remember that defending our
nation is never cheap. If terrorists had poisoned
40% of our wetlands and 25% of our fisheries, we
wouldn't ask, "How much will it cost to fight
back?" We'd dispatch tens of thousands of soldiers and spend whatever it took.

By summer 2011, we'll be ready to create a
powerful new U.S. conversion industry. Tens of
thousands of Americans will have important, good
jobs fixing vehicles in commercial garages and
boarded-up auto plants. For the first time,
carmakers and dealers will get a new revenue
stream from upgrading vehicles they've already sold.

We Americans love to race. Since Charles
Lindbergh won $25,000 for his first transatlantic
flight, we've seen again and again how competition sparks innovation.

Let's start "Drive Star" with a $100 million
challenge: Design a way to retrofit a popular
vehicle. Make it affordable, safe, eligible for
warranty and high volume installation. Deliver
test vehicles in six months. Judges will come
from the Departments of Energy and
Transportation, the EPA, and groups like the
Society of Automotive Engineers, the X Prize
Foundation, Cleantech Open and the Specialty
Equipment Manufacturers Association.

Early next year, we'll convene a kickoff summit
in Michigan for conversion companies, car and
component makers, lenders, fleet owners, and
drivers to start a national rollout of conversion locations.

Drive Star is America's chance to lead the world
in a new direction. U.S. companies will export
and license our solutions and work with
suppliers, manufacturers and installers to fix
vehicles everywhere. Because oil is a global fuel
and its accidents affect us all, our solution must be, too.

Every generation is called on to rise to a
challenge. Ours is beating our addiction to oil.
With Drive Star, we have the motive, the means,
and the resources to cut our oil use in half in ten years! Together, we can.

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

At this momentous time, when news about plug-ins
is everywhere, when the U.S. and governments
worldwide are working to accelerate vehicle
electrification, and when the first mass-produced
PHEVs and EVs will be arriving in just a few
months, it's time for Plug-In 2010. Join us July
26-29 in San Jose, California, at this premier
event, organized by the Electric Power Research
Institute and Silicon Valley Leadership Group,
sponsored by domestic and international
automakers, utilities and others. There's still
time to sign up to attend (including sessions
with CalCars' Felix Kramer and Ron Gremban),
exhibit or attend the exposition; and come to
Public NIght July 27. The week before, on July
22, also in San Jose, Felix Kramer will encourage
entrepreneurs at the first Cleantech Open
conference to start businesses in the new
industry that will result (sooner or later) when
the "Big Fix"/Drivestar strategy for gas-guzzler
conversions takes off. Details follow on both events.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting
will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there
you can add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

PLUG-IN 2010 July 26-29 at the San Jose
Convention Center brings together for a third
time key players in the rapidly-expanding plug-in
vehicle industry. See the latest details and sign
up at http://www.plugin2010.com . Here's info on
the public night, followed by the pre-conference
workshops, plenaries and panels.

PUBLIC NIGHT: For those who can't attend the
entire conference, for $10 you can come to
Plug-In 2010 Public Night: July 27, 5:30-9:30PM.
Preview the very latest vehicles and other
plug-in technology innovations, then take part in
an entertaining and educational panel about your
role in shaping a plugged-in future. Tickets at
the door. Vehicles scheduled for display on the
exhibition floor (subject to change) include the
Chevrolet Volt, 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid,
Mitsubishi i MiEV, Nissan LEAF, 2010 Prius
Plug-In, smart fortwo electric drive, a
range-extended electric chassis, a plug-in hybrid
passenger car, and more. The all-star panel discussion features:

* Mark Duvall, Director, Electric Transportation,
Electric Power Research Institute, moderator
* Martin Eberhard, Co-Founder, Tesla Motors
* Bill Nye, "The Science Guy:"
* Jessie Deeter, Producer, "Who Killed the
Electric Car?" & "Revenge of the Electric Car"
* Chelsea Sexton, Founder, The Lightning Rod
Foundation & former General Motors EV1 Specialist

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS: Monday July 26, 2-6PM,
sessions on "Battery Costs and Markets" and on
"Plug-In Readiness for Communities." See details
at
http://www.plugin2010.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid\
=50

CONFERENCE: Plenaries and workshops are from 8AM
Tuesday, July 27 to noon Thursday, July 29. See
the plenary schedule at
http://www.plugin2010.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid\
=49
. See the breakout sessions at
http://www.plugin2010.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44&Itemid\
=45
or the PDF at
http://www.plugin2010.com/images/stories/agenda/breakout-sessions.pdf
. If you're attending, don't miss Ron Gremban's
presentation on retrofit strategies at the
Wednesday 3:30PM panel on "Designing PEVs:
Vehicle technology, costs, etc. for today and
tomorrow." That session also features Tom
Bradley, Colorado State University, and Jim
Winkelman, Efficient Drivetrains.  And at the
Tuesday 1:45PM breakout session on "Policies that
Impact Electric Vehicles: How new fleet and fuel
policies can work and their possible impacts on
EV and PHEV deployment," Felix Kramer will both
moderate and address ways to promote high-volume
validated conversions of gas-guzzlers. That panel
will feature Ron Minsk, Electrification
Coalition; Elise Keddie, California Air Resources Board; and Geoff Ryder, SAP.

This year, registrants also have tools to plan
meetings and other networking events. We hope
you'll sign up at http://www.plugin2010.com .

CLEANTECH OPEN NATIONAL CONFERENCE This is the
inaugural conference of this organization that
sparks, mentors, and recognizes entrepreneurs and
inventions in renewable and sustainable
technologies. See the list of Semifinalists in
this year's competition at
http://cleantechopen.com/app.cgi/entry_list/2010/2
CTO has now expanded to five regions in the U.S.
and is planning to go global.  The event is all
day Thursday, July 22, at the Doubletree Hotel in
San Jose, CA. Sign up and get details at http://cleantechopenconference.com .

Felix Kramer will speak about gas-guzzler
conversions at the 10:30-11:50AM panel, "The Road
Ahead: Legacy versus Efficiency," moderated by
"superlawyer" and Cleantech Open co-founder MARC
Gottschalk, and also featuring Michael Jackson,
TIAX; Paul McGrath, RideSpring; Edward West,
Mission Motors, and Joshua Goldman, Proterra, Inc.

Other panels at the event include Smart Power,
Renewable Energy, Green Buildings, and Energy
Efficiency. Focusing on spurring jobs in
cleantech, the day-long event explores:

* How can we accelerate the cleantech revolution?
* Which technologies hold the most promise—short-term and long-term?
* What does it take to spur cleantech entrepreneurship?
* How can we integrate cleantech into our economic policy?
* What are the best models to integrate public and private sectors?

Both events are listed with links at http://www.calcars.org/events.html .


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

In this second of three posts today, we highlight several more conversion
companies in addition to those at our website; we note some media coverage of
our "Big Fix" strategy, and we point to an organization and an analyses that
help make the case for our approach.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can add CalCars-News to
your RSS feed.)

We'll be adding these to our list at http://www.calcars.org/ice-conversions.html
by the weekend:
* AMP (ADVANCED MECHANICAL PRODUCTS) A Cincinnati, Ohio company converting GM
vehicles (Solstice, Sky, Equinox) to EV. http://www.AMPelectricvehicles.com
* LIBERTY ELECTRIC CARS A new British company in business selling conversions of
Range Rovers to all-electric vehicles with a 200-mile range.
http://www.liberty-ecars.com/
* ReVOLO: Two companies in India, Bharat Forge Limited
http://www.bharatforge.com and KPIT Cummins Infosystems Limited
http://www.kpitcummins.com have developed a low-cost add-on solution.
Announcement at http://blogs.strategyanalytics.com/auto/?p=114  and descriptions
at
http://green.autoblog.com/2010/06/15/retrofit-your-vehicle-with-hybrid-power-in-\
less-than-six-hours and http://www.carblogindia.com/revolo-hybrid-car-kit/
* WRIGHTSPEED has a game plan to go from sportscars to trucks
http://www.wrightspeed.com . Ian Wright, part of the founding team at Tesla,
built a proof-of-concept race car to demonstrate what could be possible in heavy
vehicles. He's talked about this for some time, but now he explains his planned
sequence leading to conversion kits for truck fleets that could save fleet
owners 3,000-5,000 gallons/year per truck with a three-year return on
investment.
http://earth2tech.com/2010/07/18/a-tesla-pioneer-paves-a-path-for-high-performan\
ce-hybrids/

BRITISH CAR SITE GUNG-HO FOR GAS-GUZZLER CONVERSIONS: The editor of The Green
Car Website asks, "Are car conversions the key in battle against oil use?" Faye
Sunderland picks up on many of our key points at
http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/2010/07/20/are-car-conversion\
s-the-key-in-battle-against-oil-use-the-green-piece/

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: Mark Clayton's report on President Obama's visit to a
Missouri factory for Smith Electric's new delivery trucks quotes us saying "No
question about it, the commercial fleet market is a giant untapped opportunity
for electrified vehicles. We think the future will be retrofitting existing
trucks with electric-drive technology."
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0708/Obama-touts-electric-delivery-tru\
ck-but-still-a-long-haul-to-market/

COALITION FOR GREEN CAPITAL PROPOSES CLEAN ENERGY BANK: Led by former FCC
Chairman Reed Hundt, this relatively new advocacy group urges investments to
enable energy service companies to offer retrofits to buildings. See Hundt's
April 14 testimony at http://www.coalitionforgreencapital.com/in-the-news.html .
We've proposed to the group that it expand its financing focus to include
vehicles as part of the "built environment" that needs to be fixed.

THE CHALLENGE OF REPLACING OFFSHORE OIL: A thoughtful comment shows the scale of
the problem -- the size and intractability of our dependence on oil -- at
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-nelder/195-californias-or-74-tex_b_596546.ht\
ml
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --
       Felix Kramer  fkramer@...
      Founder  California Cars Initiative
             http://www.calcars.org
       http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --

We have loads of new developments: so we're splitting it into three separate
posts. This one is limited to automakers: the Volt's warranty, Pres. Obama sees
the Volt; Honda will sell a PHEV, as will PSA Peugeot Citroen and Hyundai Heavy.
This post will be followed by one on conversions,  and a final one about policy
and government.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can add CalCars-News to
your RSS feed.)

CHEVY VOLT'S 100,000 MILE/8 YEAR WARRANTY: Chevrolet announced a very aggressive
and broad protection for its new vehicle, including 100,000 miles/8-year
transferrable for the 161 components in the entire battery and electric drive
system plus:
* 100,000 mile/5-year transferable Engine Limited Warranty (for Range Extender)
* 100,000 mile/5-year 24/7 Roadside Assistance Program
* 100,000 mile/5-year 24/7 Courtesy Transportation Program
* 36,000 mile/ 3-year no deductible Bumper-to-Bumper transferable warranty
* 100,000 mile/6-year corrosion protection
This goes well beyond most new vehicles; the list doesn't include extended
OnStar coverage. See GM's press release at
http://media.gm.com/content/product/public/us/en/volt/home.detail.html/content/P\
ages/news/us/en/2010/July/0714_volt_battery and the transcript of a webchat by
Chevy Volt Marketing director Tony DiSalle and Global EV Executive Doug Parks
http://chevroletvoltage.com/index.php/Volt/even-more-peace-of-mind-from-your-che\
vrolet-volt.html . Media reports say this will increase pressure on Nissan for
its warranty.

PRESIDENT OBAMA CHECKS OUT THE VOLT: At a visit to the LG Chem battery plant in
Michigan, see Pres. Obama walk around, sit in, and recommend the Volt in 23
seconds at
http://chevroletvoltage.com/index.php?option=com_seyret&task=videodirectlink&Ite\
mid=3&id=201 See news and more photos at
http://gm-volt.com/2010/07/16/obama-attends-lg-chem-battery-plant-groundbreaking\
-and-gets-first-seat-time-in-the-chevy-volt/

CHEVY VOLT NOT ELIGIBLE FOR CALIFORNIA CREDIT: GM decided not to seek
certification by the California Air Resources Board of the 2011 model year Volt
as an AT-PZEV (the category for vehicles like the Prius, which have special
emissions standards and a 10-year/150,000 mile battery warranty. GM has said it
will seek eligibility for 2013 models. This means the first generation will not
be eligible for credits available to about 1,000 of the first California buyers
of plug-in vehicles ($5,000 for EVs, $3,000 for PHEVs -- see
https://energycenter.org/index.php/incentive-programs/clean-vehicle-rebate-proje\
ct ). For a broad discussion of the plug-in vehicle warranties see
http://earth2tech.com/2010/07/16/electric-vehicle-101-know-your-warranty/ . We
may get some clarification from the Board; meanwhile, for discussions of the
Volt and CARB, see
http://gm-volt.com/2010/07/17/volt-doesnt-meet-carb-designation-californians-los\
e-5000-tax-incentive/ 
http://gm-volt.com/2010/07/19/chevrolet-volt-battery-warranty-details-and-clarif\
ications/ and
http://www.plugincars.com/why-chevy-volt-does-not-qualify-california-5000-rebate\
-49725.html.

CHEVY VOLT MARKETING: See
http://gm-volt.com/2010/07/13/chevrolet-volt-advertising-has-begun/ for copies
of the Volt's print ad and its 30-second "local market teaser." GM will sell
10,000 Volts by the end of 2011 Volts and 30,000 during the 2012 calendar year.
Within 18 months of first sales, the Volt will be available in 50 states.
http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/news/news_detail.brand_gm.html/content/P\
ages/news/us/en/2010/July/0701_volt_recap . GM's marketing director Tony DiSalle
urges prospective buyers to sign up at a local dealer
http://gm-volt.com/2010/06/29/chevrolet-dealers-begin-volt-training-as-gm-determ\
ines-how-to-manage-customer-expectations/ . (GM's decision not to have a central
sales operation for early Volt sales, which would enable them to strategically
offer some of the first vehicles to those who will energetically promote and
demonstrate the vehicle, has been controversial among plug-in advocates.) See
the two-page Chevy description of its salesperson training program for the Volt
http://gm-volt.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2011-Chevy-Volt-Preliminary-Salesp\
erson-Guide.pdf

VOLT AND MEDIA: Consumer Reports reviews a Volt prototype at
http://green.autoblog.com/2010/06/27/2011-chevrolet-volt-visits-consumer-reports\
-w-video/ and
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2010/06/video-2011-chevrolet-volt-highligh\
ts-from-consumer-reports-track.html . TIME Magazine's article "Can the Chevy
Volt Recharge General Motors?" reads like a summary of the arguments PHEV
advocates made for years: that in addition to energy security and climate
change, the vehicle could help save the company. See an abridged version at
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2003789,00.html. See an
interview, "8 ways cities can encourage electric vehicles" on "readiness" themes
with GM's Britta Gross at
http://www.smartplanet.com/business/blog/smart-takes/gms-britta-gross-8-ways-cit\
ies-can-encourage-electric-vehicles/8047/

HONDA FINALLY SAYS YES TO PHEVs: the chief remaining holdout among automakers
announced it will sell a PHEV (as well as an EV). At
http://www.hondanews.com/categories/804/releases/5527  it committed to an
evaluation vehicle this year and a "PHEV system for mid-size to larger vehicles"
in 2012. CEO President & CEO Takanobu Ito described the company's new
imperative: "Honda will have no future unless we achieve a significant reduction
of CO2 emissions." 
http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2010/07/honda-announces-plans-to-offer-\
bev-and-new-plug-in-hybrid-in-us-in-2012.html  See analyses at
http://earth2tech.com/2010/07/20/honda-plug-ins-in-the-pipeline-for-2012/ and

VOLKWAGEN has announced it intends to be the leading manufacturer of plug-in
vehicles by 2013. CEO Martin Winterkorn's just visited the company's Silicon
Valley Lab, which is moving to large space as it more than doubles in size
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_15554021. Others analyze VW's projections
to show the company will still focus mainly on gasoline and diesel technologies,
with hybrids and plug-ins amounting to 3% of sales in 2018.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/volkswagen-warms-a-bit-more-to-elect\
rics/ For VW's approach on batteries, led by Tesla founder Martin Eberhard, see
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/07/vw-300k-evs-annually-2018/

PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN has also launched a plan to develop PHEVs
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2010/07/psaeib-20100716.html

HYUNDAI HEAVY & RASER JOINT PROJECTS: The Korean company's partnership with the
Utah company that converted a Hummer H3 to a series PHEV have agreed to deliver
additional trucks to Pacific Gas & Electric.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2010/06/rasere-hhi-20100629.html
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --
       Felix Kramer  fkramer@...
      Founder  California Cars Initiative
             http://www.calcars.org
       http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --

In this third posting on a single day, we report on the latest news:
major advances in Congress for the Electrification Coalition's
proposals; automakers and utilities ask the White House for a strong
focus and more coordination; nations coordinate their electrification
strategies; the Department of Energy summarizes the results of
stimulus financing programs; China announces large plug-in subsidies;
the controversy over "stealthy" plug-in cars; some tributes to
climate change pioneer Stephen Schneider; California's cleantech
industry starts to defend itself; and Joseph Romm's recent talk in
San Francisco.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR ELECTRIFICATION LEGISLATION: Demonstrating how
plug-in vehicles continue to gain support from multiple
consstituencies, the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee
voted 19-4  for the Promoting Electric Vehicles Act of 2010. Voting
in favor of the $6B measure were Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM),
Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Robert
Bennett (R-UT), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Richard Burr (R-NC), Maria
Cantwell (D-WA), Bob Corker (R-TN), Byron L. Dorgan (D-ND), Tim
Johnson (D-SD), Mary L. Landrieu (D-LA), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR),
Robert Menendez (D-NJ), James E. Risch (R-ID), Bernard Sanders
(I-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Mark Udall
(D-CO), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). Insiders expect this package to be a
contender for inclusion in any energy or climate legislation "deal"
in Congress in the next few weeks.

The legislation was based on the EV Deployment Act developed by the
Electrification Coalition. See EC President Robbie Diamond's
statement  at
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ec-applauds-energy-committee-for-biparti\
san-passage-of-electrification-legislation-98928404.html
. As reported by John O'Dell, the Senate bill was modified to expand
the number of eligible "deployment communities" after three years.
http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2010/07/key-ev-development-measures-win\
-senate-panel-backing.html
.

See an in-depth analysis at
http://www.plugincars.com/electric-vehicle-legislation-gets-interesting-dc-many-\
bills-many-options-no-certainty-49749.html
. And see analyses by Deron Lovaas, Federal Transportation Policy
Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, summarizing
current Senate initiatives, including the EC plan at
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/dlovaas/countering_the_oil_curse_senat.html
. Lovaas endorses another bill, the Oil Independence for a Stronger
America Act, which includes much of the EC plan, all of which has the
goal of reducing oil use by 40% by 2030. (That's a worthy goal, but
not one that will get us the reductions we need in the next 10 years.
CalCars has been "evangelizing" Big Fix and Drive Star, to cut oil in
half in ten years by converting gas-guzzlers in addition to new
plug-in vehicle production, to people at NRDC as well as in Congress
and to the advocates at the Electrification Coalition.)

BUSINESS GROUPS CALL FOR NATIONAL ELECTRIC FUEL TASK FORCE: The
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the Association of
International Automobile Manufacturers, the Electric Drive
Transportation Association and the Edison Electric Institute have
asked the White House to step up the pace of vehicle electrification
with an interagency working group plus a task force that "would
include federal and state regulators, standards organizations,
utilities, environmental groups, consumer groups and electric drive
industry stakeholders." See press release and letter at
http://green.autoblog.com/2010/07/20/business-groups-ask-president-obama-to-set-\
up-electric-vehicle-t/
. This news also made it into Politico's "Morning Energy" report
http://www.politico.com/morningenergy/0710/morningenergy41.html --
you can get this very useful roundup delivered by email daily.

US ENERGY DEPT SUMMARIZES RESULTS OF ITS TRANSPORTATION
ELECTRIFICATION PROGRAMS: The eight-page report on Recovery
Act-funded projects at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/files/documents/Battery-and-Electric-Vehicle-Report-FI\
NAL.pdf
includes charts and graphs projecting rapid declines in battery
costs, increases in lifetimes, and lower weight for batteries for
both PHEVs and EVs. See summary at
http://evworld.com/article.cfm?storyid=1892  and analysis at
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0715/Why-Obama-is-putting-so-much-stock-in-bat\
tery-technology
.

GLOBAL ELECTRIC VEHICLE INITIATIVE ANNOUNCED AT WASHINGTON, DC
MEETING: Government ministers from China, France, Germany, Japan,
South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United
States announced a program to get 20 million plug-in vehicles on the
road by 2020. (Much as we are pleased, and this nine-country
initiative doesn't include many other national efforts, if we have
two billion vehicles by then, that admirable target will be 1% of the
total fleet.) See
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2010/07/electric-vehicle-initiative-launched-at-\
clean-energy-ministerial-in-washington-dc.html
including a link to the announcement, which includes Smart Grid and
other related programs.

CHINESE SUBSIDIES FOR PHEVS: In May, the central government announced
a maximum subsidy of 50,000 yuan ($7,386) for PHEVs, and in July,
Shenzhen's city government added another 30,000 to that amount (more
in both cases for EVs). http://www.dgtoday.com.cn/newsc.asp?id=6992

UNUSUAL SUSPECTS TALKING ABOUT PLUG-IN CARS: Also at Politico, you
may be surprised at the comments from an especially diverse group of
people
http://www.politico.com/arena/archive/electric-cars-key-to-energy-independence.h\
tml

NOISE IN PLUG-IN CARS: A great selling point for plug-in vehicles is
that they almost silent compared to combustion-engine vehicles (both
make tire noise, of course). The first ad for the Chevy Volt is quiet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-m0J-SFavM , as was the June ad from
Electrification Coalition
http://www.electrificationcoalition.org/news.php .)
Pedestrian/bicyclist safety concerns have led to a federal study
completed in September 2009:
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811204.PDF and to proposed
legislation
http://energycommerce.house.gov/documents/20100526/HR5381.Amendment.Stearns.pdf
. Chelsea Sexton discusses the issue, including commenting on the
study and legislation (followed by many comments), in "We're losing
sight of reason in the debate over adding sounds to electric
vehicles."
http://green.autoblog.com/2010/06/23/chelsea-sexton-were-losing-sight-of-reason-\
in-the-debate-over/
. We agree with her approach of deferring any regulatory requirements
until we have more data and experience (that's what the European
Union is doing), and would favor a driver-controlled system
especially when driving forward. To hear possible sounds, see a 2:18
video for the Volt at
http://chevroletvoltage.com/index.php/Volt/stop-look-listen.html and
36 seconds for the LEAF at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihoXaHqpbpg&feature=related

OVERVIEW ON INFRASTRUCTURE & CHARGING: A thoughtful exploration in
Public Utilities Fortnightly http://www.evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=23641

REMEMBERING STEPHEN SCHNEIDER: We note with great sadness the death
of climatologist Stephen Schneider of Stanford University. His work
over four decades ranged from original scientific research to
combating the global disinformation campaign on global warming. You
can see his sense of humor in the photo of him two years ago with a
plug-in hybrid at http://www.calcars.org/photos-people.html#SS3 . We
invite you to take a few minutes to commemorate this giant and watch
and learn from him:
* A few days before his death he presented a first-of-its kind study
that affirms the broad scientific agreement on climate change by
scientists and compares their expertise to those of unconvinced
researchers. See an extended transcript and a 9:18 minute video at
http://climateprogress.org/2010/07/19/stephen-schneider-obituary/ .
* From the young scientist, in what's captioned "one of the earliest,
strongest, and most consistent voices on Climate Change -- Stephen
Schneider sounded a strikingly prescient alarm in 1979."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB2ugPM0cRM (1:54)
* His 2009 wise, stirring, hard-hitting, narrative with slides about
how to think about climate tipping points and risk asks, "do you love
your children more than your grandchildren?" at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDSWpJeQ6Ns (4:38)

See Schneider's home page for his biography, books and blog
http://stephenschneider.stanford.edu/index.html. Obituaries and memorials:
* Ben Santer at Lawrence Livermore Labs
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/07/a-eulogy-to-stephen-schnei\
der/

* T. lRees Shapiro at Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/19/AR2010071905108.\
html
* Andrew Revkin at NY Times
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/19/the-passing-of-a-climate-warrior/
* Douglas Martin at NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/20/science/earth/20schneider.html?_r=1

DEFENDING CALIFORNIA'S GLOBAL WARMING SOLUTIONS ACT: Facing what
could be a $50 million oil-industry-funded attack, national advocates
for climate change policies are rallying to defeat an initiative to
stop AB32 from going into effect next year. They recognize that if
this derailment effort succeeds in California, the prospects for
national legislation will be seriously damaged. See the supporters
list at http://www.stopdirtyenergyprop.com/our-coalition.php and many
links from that site. Also see The California Bright Spot
http://wwwCaBrightSpot.com . It's sponsored by the California
Business Alliance for a Green Economy as an information hub to
highlight good news about the latest investments in clean energy
companies and the growth of the green economy.

HEAR CLIMATE PROGRESS'S JOSEPH ROMM: We've never heard him more
focused and insightful than he was at the Commonwealth Club's
ClimateOne event earlier this week. With excellent questions by Greg
Dalton and the audience, Romm says climate change is "the
transcendental issue of our tim; it will overwhelm all other issues
by the end of the 2020s." He discusses advocates "catastrophic
failure of messaging," and sees a need to "transform politics" so
there's a "political cost to destroying the climate." (He also
praises PHEVs as a key "enabling technology.") the 66-minute event,
"After BP: Climate Progress?" will be viewable in a few months, but
is already available as a podcast at iTunes, and will soon be
available at http://www.commonwealthclub.org/archive/ . Right now at
that site, you can download author Eric Pooley's talk on "America's
Climate War," commended by Romm for writing a book about "the media
story of the century" --  "the single most effective disinformation
campaign in history, which will be vilified for centuries."

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

We were encouraged last week by the bipartisan 19-4 vote in the Senate Energy &
Natural Resources Committee for S.3495, The Promoting Electric Vehicles Act of
2010, an evolution of the Electric Vehicle Deployment Act legislation developed
by http://www.electrificationcoalition.org . But as of now its provisions have
been KO'd (knocked out) of the developing "small energy package" that is
replacing any broad action on climate change. Advocates are mobilizing to
encourage messages to the Senate Leadership, especially Majority Leader Harry
Reid, not to drop these provisions. Making this leadership strategy more
questionable is the inclusion of a major push for natural gas for
transportation, which we talk about below, followed with pointers for what you
can do.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can add CalCars-News to
your RSS feed.)

SENATOR REID'S CHALLENGE: The Majority Leader's actions effectively leave it up
to those who support PHEVs and EVs to see if the broader EV community can muster
political support to add the plug-in vehicle tax credits and other provisions to
add to the natural gas vehicle tax credits that made their way into the draft
bill.  These include:

* Support for S.3495 to promote broad deployment of plug-in vehicles;
* National tax incentives for vehicles and infrastructure, including
reinstatement of credits for medium and heavy-duty vehicles (included in S.2854,
the Kohl-Hatch bill amending the IRS code);
* Making tax credits available to tax-exempt entities such as organizations and
municipalities.

As we post this, the leadership's bill has not yet been made public. There's
still time to have your voices heard.

As advocates of "cleaner, cheaper, domestic electricity," we've been focusing on
oil as the main alternative. But if natural gas as a primary solution for an
energy transportation policy, we won't have gotten very far. Below we explain
some of that. We follow that with the statement by the Electrification Coalition
and how you can contact Senator Reid.

THE REAL STORY ABOUT NATURAL GAS: The most important thing to understand about
NG is that it is A NON-RENEWABLE FOSSIL FUEL. Nowadays, the campaign to promote
NG is increasingly misleading. Uninformed people hear that the fuel is called
"natural." They see TV ads and buses on city streets powered by "America's Clean
Energy." It sounds like a benign fuel with substantial domestic supplies. In
Washington, the natural gas companies are spending money, while the electricity
industry sleeps. Every policy junkie in Washington who read's Politico's Morning
Energy report gets two ads from America's Natural Gas Alliance.

In the days when the main concern was "air pollution," NG was an obvious
improvement. The chart at an industry website,
http://www.naturalgas.org/environment/naturalgas.asp shows NG is 12x better than
gasoline on particulates, and almost 400x better than coal. It's 5x better than
gasoline or coal on nitrogen oxides (smog precursor).

GREENHOUSE GASES: But these days we're most worried about CO2. There the
benefits are far smaller. NG is only 20-30% lower than gasoline! At the same
NaturalGas.org page, citing the U.S. Energy Information Agency, NG has 71.3% as
much CO2 as oil. At another U.S. Government energy source, the benefit is even
lower: NG at the pipeline has 74.8% the carbon content of motor gasoline.
(Source: http://cta.ornl.gov/data/tedb29/Spreadsheets/TableB_16.xls from the
Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Transportation
Energy Data Book.These numbers don't include the GHGs used to bring the fuel
from the well to the wheels (pipelines and trucks vs. pipelines and
compression/liquifaction.) And the State of California's Low Carbon Fuel
Standard analyses uses numbers closer to 20%.

For large vehicles, if we had no other option, we would chose natural gas over
gasoline. But we see as the best long-term strategy to electrify as many
gasoline/diesel miles as possible then use the cleanest liquid fuel possible for
the range extension, evolving that as soon as possible to renewable low-carbon
biofuels. The best use of  NG would be in large power plants to displace coal
rather than in inefficient internal combustion engines.

AS A "FUEL FROM HELL," NATURAL GAS COMES FROM DRILLING. With all the promotion
of NG, we're only now beginning to hear about the dark downside of hydraulic
fracturing or "fracking"-- using millions of gallons of water mixed with
undisclosed chemicals and sand to release natural gas. This is the subject of an
acclaimed new documentary, Gasland, still airing on HBO. And last week saw signs
of the growing controversy as communities across dozens of states located  on
top of the cast Marcellus Shale Formation, an  "unconventional natural gas
reserve" across 10 states face gold-rush style leasing pressures and are
reporting to the Environmental Protection Agency groundwater contamination and
other consequences.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/24/business/energy-environment/24gas.html

This provides the context in which oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens spent $50
million pushing his Pickens Plan. (Pickens also likes wind energy, another of
his businesses, and has spoken well of plug-in vehicles, but they're sidelines.)
Washington observers are crediting his efforts with making natural gas the
winner and plug-in vehicles the loser in the Senate.


CORPORATIONS ADOPTING NATURAL GAS: While we've been working to gain credibility
and support for the companies that are converting vehicles to electricity, we're
seeing announcements for often more expensive conversions to natural gas.
Verizon has bought 501 Ford E-250 cargo vans to convert to run on compressed
natural gas.
http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2010/06/aiming-to-lower-its-co2-footpri\
nt-verizon-buys-501-ford-vans-to-convert-to-cng.html . That report says Ford has
shipped 3,000 vans "equipped for natural gas conversions" in the past seven
months. And Chrysler, following Fiat's lead, is now looking at natural gas as an
alternative to electrification
http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2010/06/chrysler-eyeing-natural-gas-as-\
interim-green-stragegy.html

THE ELECTRIFICATION COALITION'S RESPONSE TO THE LEADERSHIP'S ACTIONS

http://www.electrificationcoalition.org/news-ec-energy-bill.php
An Energy Bill That Does Not Include Electrification With Not Improve Energy
Security

WASHINGTON – July 22, 2010 Robbie Diamond, president of the Electrification
Coalition, released the following statement today in response to news reports
outlining the energy bill expected to reach the Senate floor next week:

"The Senate is making a dramatic mistake if the energy bill that is debated next
week does not include the bipartisan electrification provisions that only
yesterday were overwhelmingly voted out of committee. After the last three
months of watching oil spill into the Gulf, it would be stunning if the energy
bill does not include electrification, which represents the only way to
fundamentally affect our oil consumption. Republicans and Democrats alike
support electrification, and they should have the opportunity to vote on it. An
oil bill that does not include electrification cannot truly be said to improve
our energy security."

On May 27, Republicans and Democrats in both the House and the Senate introduced
legislation designed to advance the wide-scale deployment of electric vehicles
and to develop the infrastructure needed to support them. The Senate bill,
entitled the "Electric Vehicle Deployment Act of 2010" was introduced by
Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).
The House legislation, entitled the "Electric Drive Vehicle Deployment Act of
2010," was cosponsored by House Select Committee on Energy Independence and
Global Warming Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA), Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL), Rep. Anna
Eshoo (D-CA), and Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA). A version of the legislation was
approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on an overwhelming
bipartisan 19-4 vote on July 21.

The legislation echoes recommendations put forward by the Electrification
Coalition, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit group of business leaders committed to
promoting policies and actions that facilitate the deployment of electric
vehicles on a mass scale in order to combat the economic, environmental, and
national security dangers caused by our nation's dependence on petroleum. The
EC's Electrification Roadmap, released in November 2009, proposed a set of
policies in which geographic areas would compete to be selected as
electrification deployment communities: specific areas in which targeted,
temporary financial incentives are employed so that all of the elements of an
electrified transportation system are deployed simultaneously.

You can send a short message along the lines of "include S.3495, The Promoting
Electric Vehicles Act of 2010 in the energy package so we can get off fossil
fuels sooner" by email to Senator Reid at
http://reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

You can also use voice your support through the Electrification Coalition's
website to contact your elected officials
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6867/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3579


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

We've seen wall-to-wall coverage of the Chevy Volt's arrival, along with many
welcome matchups about Chevy Volt vs. Nissan LEAF. What a pleasure to have a
choice! Soon we'll at last see what consumers want! GM announced Volt pricing at
Plug-in 2010: $41,000 price ($33,500 after tax credit), plus a very enticing
alternative of a $350/month lease ($3,500 up front, 12,000 mile/year allowance,
option to purchase at the end of three years). For a media roundup with pointers
to many stories see
http://climateprogress.org/2010/08/03/chevy-volt-media-limbaugh-cost . This
includes a not-to-be-missed cartoon and a reposting of a pricing analysis by
rising star plug-in consultant and newly-minted Ph.D. Shannon Arvizu ("Miss
Electric"). Below you'll find links for the President's Volt drive, GM's
responses to reports of price-gouging, news about GM's investment in Bright
Automotive, and finally Ron Gremban's four thoughtful comments about the Volt
and the LEAF.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can add CalCars-News to
your RSS feed.)

PRESIDENTIAL DRIVE: Those who were disappointed that the President Obama didn't
take the Volt out for a spin last month will be happy to know that on Friday, he
came to the venerable Detroit-Hamtramck plant where Volts are built. Though he
didn't get to take a spin around the cones, he did creep forward about 10 feet
under the watchful eyes of GM executives, the Secret Service and the Press. In
his eight-minute speech
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100730/AUTO01/7300409/Obama-drives-Volt--praise\
s-U.S.-auto-industry , he says to the autoworkers, "You are proving the
naysayers wrong." Watch the drive at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/07/30/VI2010073004584.ht\
ml (1 minute); after drive he said, "pretty smooth." Media didn't credit plant
manager Teri Quigley for sitting with him and showing him what buttons to push.

PRICE-GOUGING BY DEALERS? We're seeing signs that some short-sighted Chevy
dealers plan to take advantage of the shortage of vehicles, and thereby risk
their customers' goodwill and their franchises' reputations with watchful social
media. In the wake of reports that some dealers by up to $10-20,000 over sticker
price
http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2010/08/think-41000-steep-for-a-chevy-v\
olt-one-dealer-wants-20000-premium.html , GM has made clear that while it has no
absolute control over its dealers' policies, it would discourage the practice.
At Plug-In 2010, GM's Britta Gross, Director, Global Energy Systems and
Infrastructure Commercialization, in response to a question about dealer
mark-ups said,
"We wrote some cautionary letters to them to remind them that we're all in this
together, but we don't own dealers, they're independent business operators. I've
heard some stories here and Tony DiSalle was here all week. He's head of
marketing and he's already gotten a couple of stories. We'll  do what we
can....we're going to try  talk and pass the word that that's not what we were
hoping for." She thereby reinforced comments by GM spokesperson Phill Colley,
who told gm-volt.com that the company would "pay close attention" and "strongly
discourage" this behavior
http://gm-volt.com/2010/06/25/gm-does-not-expect-dealer-price-gouging-on-early-c\
hevy-volts/ . YOu can PRINT THIS OUT and take it to any dealer who tries to pull
a fast one....

GM INVESTS IN BRIGHT IDEA: A few days after the conference, we were gratified to
hear that the new $100M GM Ventures firm, headed by former GM Vice President of
Global Product Planning Jon Lauckner, as its first equity position has invested
$5M in Bright Automotive, along with technology sharing plans. Read about the
deal at http://brightautomotive.com/files/Bright_GM_Investment_Release.pdf . We
hadn't heard much from Bright recently as it continued to wait for a response
from Washington on its loan application to support building the Bright IDEA, an
optimized lightweight commercial van that incorporates many of the pioneering
ideas of the Rocky Mountain Institute from which it, like Hypercar, spun off.
Bright also has a promising aftermarket conversion arm which is also completing
a project for the U.S. military to convert a gas-guzzler to a PHEV, and a
similar project for the U.S. Postal Service.

WE LOVE VOLT AND LEAF: We pay most attention to PHEVs because that's CalCars'
focus and because we think PHEVs will dominate plug-in car sales for many years.
But since our goal is to displace as much petroleum with electricity ASAP, if
we're wrong and EVs arrive sooner than we think, we'll win even bigger! Our two
full-timers, Founder Felix Kramer and Technology Lead Ron Gremban, are now both
on official lists for both cars. (ADVERTISEMENT: We'll soon be selling Ron's
silver historic world's first Prius PHEV conversion and Felix's white Prius
PHEV, famously driven/viewed by dozens of Senators and Representatives in 2006,
and other luminaries including Orlando Bloom, Stewart Brand, Lester Brown, Bill
Clinton, Al Gore, Andy Grove, Daryl Hannah, Dean Kamen, Burt Rutan, Maria
Shriver, and George Shultz -- see links from http://www.calcars.org/photos.html
. Both are 2004 -- contact us if you want to buy one or can help us organize an
auction!)

CALCARS ANALYSES ON VOLT VS. LEAF: We're not very interested in predicting what
car-buyers will want: we'll find out soon enough. At Plug-In 2010, we heard some
wise observers speculate that "what's logical may be wrong." EVs may not be most
popular in cities: PHEVs could predominate when daily charging isn't as easy,
and people want to be able to go away on weekends. EVs could predominate in
suburbs where more people own more than one car, and the second one will work
fine with a 100-mile range. Here are Ron's four thoughts about the vehicles:

1. LEAF PRICING AND SMALL CARS: Even if the LEAF turns out to be not optimal for
all conditions, it's a game changer because Nissan's huge commitment to high
volume production (200k-500k/year) of Battery Electric Vehicles will make the
up-front price of BEVs competitive with that of gasoline vehicles, especially
after the $7,500 federal tax credits. The ultra-low cost of fuel and maintenance
will become a welcome gift that will over time amaze owners. Via word-of-mouth
and publicity, it could excite other car buyers. Of course, range and refueling
time will still be limitations compared to gasoline-fueling. But not as second
cars. And based on
http://www.bts.gov/publications/highlights_of_the_2001_national_household_travel\
_survey/html/table_a02.html , the average household has 1.9 cars. And there are
115 million U.S. households. Nissan is working on deployment of half-hour fast
chargers to make occasional longer-distance travel practical, starting in
limited geographical regions. Increasingly popular carshare programs can also
make BEVs more practical by providing an inexpensive, convenient option for rare
short hauls for a large vehicle, and we hope people will choose conventional
rentals for infrequent longer trips or when they need a different vehicle. This
could lead to more people buying small cars in general.

2. LEAF BATTERIES: Nissan has also indicated it plans (helped by its production
volume) to double EV range in a few years. (The same fast chargers will also
then charge larger packs during a meal stop.) As gasoline prices rise with a
rise in global demand, LEAF owners will be sitting pretty. If we face a supply
disruption, used plug-ins could well command premium prices. Despite Nissan's
eight-year 100,000 mile warranty, the LEAF's air-cooled battery thermal
management design could at some point limit its effectiveness and/or longevity
in especially hot and cold climates. We could someday see third parties sell
thermal management add-ons, just as aftermarket fans were once popular to "fix"
the original Volkswagen Beetle's ineffective cabin heater.

3. VOLT PRICING AND RANGE: The Volt should be compared more to the
similar-sized-and-not-much-cheaper BMW 3-series than to economy cars.  It will
enable many people who really want to get off gasoline to do so most of the
time. The up-front cost premium for doing so will be worthwhile to many
customers who want the advantages of electric propulsion -- including the
ability to keep driving during 1970s-like fuel disruptions and/or rationing --
but are unable or unwilling to live with BEV limitations. This will be THE PHEV
for purists. Many people don't realize that a Volt with a 20-mile range would
not sell for significantly less, as a smaller battery still capable of providing
the power required under all conditions would cost nearly as much. These power
requirements are one reason the Volt has a 16 kWh pack while using only 8 kWh to
provide the 40-mile all-electric range. It also ensures battery longevity and
keeps battery aging from reducing electric range.

4. VOLT VS. PLUS-IN PRIUS: We believe that in volume production Toyota should be
able to price its Plug-In Prius, expected to be available in 2012, at a modest
premium over the standard Prius -- perhaps $3,000. The increment comes from the
plug-in's higher capacity battery and its charger. This vehicle could provide
many of the advantages of electric driving at the lowest cost, without range
limitations. To meet emissions requirements, a "blended-mode" PHEV like this
will in the U.S. and perhaps elsewhere have to start the engine for every trip,
and run it periodically to keep its catalytic converter hot, so no trip will be
gasoline-free. The result will be 20-25 miles of electrically-assisted and
electric-only driving. This makes the 14-mile electric-only range reasonable
(though I'd prefer 20 miles). Owners will likely cut their average gasoline
consumption by 50%compared to a non-plug-in Prius -- more if their daily drives
are short or they can plug in again at work. However, many plug-in Prius owners,
like owners of today's Prius conversions, may eventually love the feeling and
the economic benefits of all-electric driving so much that they will find
themselves trying very hard  to avoid that dreaded engine assist, and look for a
series PHEV (EREV) or a BEV for their next car.
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --
       Felix Kramer  fkramer@...
      Founder  California Cars Initiative
             http://www.calcars.org
       http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --

This third annual conference http://www.plugin2010.com drew hundreds of people
more than last year; we didn't recognize many of them (a good sign);
presentations were chock-full of current information.  The show floor was full
of vehicles (so welcome). We noted especially that http://www.altellc.com  (the
Michigan company founded by former Tesla engineers, soon to announce more news)
impressed many people, including high-ups in the auto industry, with its chassis
showing its conversion of an F-150 pick-up truck to a series plug-in hybrid. You
can see many reports on the conference at http://www.greencarcongress.com,
http://www.autobloggreen.com , http://www.misselectric.com/?p=1242 etc. Below we
include info about seeing the presentations, followed by a link to Ron Grembans
presentation and the transcript of two short talks by Felix Kramer, both making
the case for gas-guzzler conversions.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can add CalCars-News to
your RSS feed.)

Impressively, the conference organizers have managed to get all the
presentations online in less than a week. But conference policy limits access to
those who registered for the event. (In a few weeks, they will announce their
plans to make the presentations available for purchase.) Some presenters may
make their talks public in other locations (see Ron's below), or an attendee
might let you have a peek.

RON GREMBAN'S PRESENTATION AT PLUG-IN 2010: Ron Gremban gave a technical talk on
Energy Efficiency Ratios, battery costs and rules, and conversion analyses. You
can download the 12 slide PDF of "Cost Projections and a Rule of Thumb for both
New Plug-in Vehicles and Conversions" at
http://www.calcars.org/calcars-plug-in-cost-analysis-july2010.pdf

FELIX KRAMER'S EIGHT-MINUTE TALK AT PLUG-IN 2010. In addition to moderating the
panel on plug-in policy, Felix also spoke there about the rationale, evolution
and prospects for CalCars' "Big Fix" campaign. Here's an edited version of that
talk:

I'm the founder of the California Cars Initiative, calcars.org. Back in 2004,
CalCars did the first conversion of a Prius. The brains behind that effort was
Ron Gremban, my technical partner, who's in the front row there. We started
wearing T-shirts that said "I get 100+ MPG". That got a big response -- we
started talking about the benefits of electricity as [being] "cheaper, cleaner,
domestic", electricity compared to gasoline.

And after eight years, we declared victory last fall, because plug-in hybrids
will come to market. We understand that there's still a lot of work to do to
wrap that up, but we went on to CalCars 2.0, and that's what I want to talk
about.

Basically, what we're focusing about 75% of our time on now is on conversions of
large gas-guzzler vehicles. It's something many of you in the room probably
haven't really heard about or thought about. It's really equivalent to what we
were talking about in 2002-2005 or so, where everybody dismissed the idea of the
plug-in hybrid -- it's not practical, nobody'll want it, no technical solution,
no business model.. But I think gas-guzzler conversions is going to change in
the next couple of years, and actually even sooner.

The reason to do it is market-penetration issues. There will be an insignificant
impact in terms of petroleum reduction from the new plug-in hybrids and electric
vehicles for more than 15 years --even if they come in at a rate 10 times faster
than hybrids came into the market. Because we have 250 million vehicles in the
United States and 900 million in the world. The second reason is because there's
a lot of embedded energy in vehicles. About 15% of the total energy used by a
vehicle in its life comes from the energy used to build it.

It's still a struggle. A year or two or three ago, I started trying another
t-shirt. It's a black t-shirt, with a picture of a gas pump aimed at a person's
head, blowing a person's brains out. People were pretty shocked at it --  it was
just too far out to really wear that t-shirt.

But that changed back on April 20th, with the gulf catastrophe. Now people look
at that shirt and they say, "You're really right." so the message we're talking
about is that -- and this is really our first theme -- we can start getting off
oil very quickly if we really want to. We don't simply have to ask just for
safer drilling, which is like "clean needles" for an oil dependency. We don't
simply have to ask for methodone, which is natural gas, which is only 20% lower
CO2 than gasoline. We can actually get half off oil in ten years, if we want to,
if we convert existing vehicles.

So, we drafted the second speech we wanted President Obama to give after the oil
crisis -- talking about how we could get there. Talking about a "Drive Star"
concept, similar to the Home Star program to retrofit buildings, where we
actually get these technical solutions for vehicles on the road, show what's
possible and develop those business cases.

You can see that speech on our website
http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/1103.html , and basically, the message we
were giving was that we now understand in this country that we need to fix our
built environment. We define our built environment as homes, offices, and
buildings. We've got Cash for Caulkers, we've got the Home Star program in the
new energy bill. People don't understand that vehicles are part of the built
environment. That they don't last for five or seven years, that they stay on the
road for decades -- especially the biggest vehicles. And those are the vehicles
that use the most gas.

We were very happy about that conversion we did -- we made a 50-mpg vehicle into
a 100-mpg vehicle. Which means we save one gallon per hundred miles. But if you
take a 10-mpg vehicle and make it a 20, you save five gallons per hundred miles.
You understand that if you do gallons per mile rather than miles per gallon when
you do the math on these.

Basically, the whole message is about large vehicles which stay on the road in
the United States and overseas for decades because they're well-built and
they're built to last. A UPS truck stays on the road for 300,000 miles with two
drivetrain changes during that time. A pick-up truck, an SUV, a van -- Andy
Grove spoke about this here two years ago, and talked about fixing "PSVs".

So if we succeed in getting this message out, the plug-in market automatically
will become much larger, much sooner. Batters, motors, wheel motors, control
systems, smart integration -- all of that can happen much more quickly. And so,
for some of you in this audience, there are enormous entrepreneurial
opportunities, for serial entrepreneurs, to organize this industry. To find new
designs, new manufacturing opportunities, components, vehicle integration,
energy service companies, financing models, partnerships with the OEMs... I was
talking with an OEM today, who knows that fixing a vehicle that they have
already sold doesn't bring in the revenue of a new vehicle -- but if somebody's
going to do it, that they ought to be in that business as well, or involved in
that business in some way, as should the dealers, so they get a revenue stream
from that.

There are also other indirect business opportunities here. A lot of green "pimp
my ride" customizations can be done to every vehicle in the country, starting
with a realtime mpg indicator on every vehicle in the country. For every diesel
vehicle, the low-hanging fruit is carbon filters, because soot is a largely
unrecognized contributor to global warming. It lands on ice and turns it from a
reflective to an absorptive surface. Soot from stoves in the third world and
from diesel vehicles everywhere is an enormous low-hanging opportunity we can
fix.

But there's a hurdle, just like in 2002-2006: proving the business and technical
feasibility; gaining official validation, because we're not talking about
do-it-yourself conversions, we're talking about high-volume, validated, tested,
safe vehicles; and launching vehicles.

Luckily, within six months, I am very happy to say -- I wish it were now, but I
am still very happy to say that within six months, several companies that are
getting started now or are advanced or in stealth are actually going to take the
world by storm and show this is possible. One of those companies is in the
exhibit hall -- ALTe http://www.altellc.com . They have an F-150 conversion
that's right there on the floor, and I really encourage you to take a look at
that vehicle.

So, I hope that next year we'll be talking about the low-hanging fruit of
opportunities for converting vehicles, internationally, for hundreds of millions
of those 900 million vehicles. Depending on the drive cycle of the vehicle, and
the design, into EVs, PHEVs -- whichever makes sense from the technical and
business case.

And if you want to hear about the technical side of this, Ron Gremban will be
giving a presentation tomorrow in the "Designing PEV" session, where you can
talk about that as well. Thank you for your attention  and we'll go right into
your questions.


OUR SHORT PITCH AT PLUG-IN 2010 "PUBLIC NIGHT:" At this jammed event featuring
plug-in advocate Chelsea Sexton, Bill Nye "The Science Guy," and Jessie Deeter,
producer of Who Killed The Electric Car, we had the opportunity to make a
four-minute comment halfway through the two-hour event. We responded to concerns
that it was premature to declare victory on PHEVs, which could lead to some
people walking away from ongoing efforts, by talking about the meaning of
declaring victory and then moving on to more challenges. Here's a cleaned-up
version (thanks to our webmaster Michael Bender for both transcriptions):

I'M FELIX KRAMER from CalCars [applause], and I'd like to suggest ... the reason
you're applauding is because we've won. That's what I want to say. It's really
important for people to celebrate victories on campaigns. We still have lots to
do, but we won! And the people in this room, the people in these organizations,
the people who made the film -- they worked really hard. I worked eight years on
it. Andy Frank at UC-Davis worked 40 years for this day and we are at the point
when there will be production plug-in hybrid-electric and electric vehicles on
the road, and we should feel really good about that and celebrate it.

And I think part of celebrating is saying the word victory -- and it doesn't
mean anybody's walking away. It means there are other campaigns. And we get more
credibility and we get more energy from declaring victory. So we declared
victory in October on commercialization of plug-in hybrids. We need SUCCESSFUL
commercialization, which means we need to keep at it, because there's a lot to
do now. But we also need to feel good... Margaret Mead said, you know, "Never
doubt that a small group of people can change the world." You know, people put
that at the end of their email, because it's really true. Nobody thought we
could do it and we did it! [applause] And it's really important to feel
satisfied about that.

Ok, we won -- let's just talk about what we need to do next. I have a real
particular thing that we need to do next. Everybody on the panel agreed and
people in the auto industry know -- we're going to probably, maybe have 5, 10,
15% of new vehicles be plug-in hybrids or electric vehicles in 10 or 15 years.
But Bill Nye knows that we have 10 years to start really changing the emissions
profile of the world. And anyone in energy security knows we have no time at all
to start getting off oil.

So we have a president who said, when he made his speech, we're addicted to oil.
So we need a cleaner needle: we need safe drilling. And then some other people
say we need methadone: we need natural gas, which is only 20% lower CO2 than
oil. What we're saying is, if we're really serious about this and we really
understand it's the end of business as usual, why can't we actually ask, "In ten
years, how can we actually get half off oil?"

And there is a way to do it. And what it involves is understanding what our
built environment is. We understand we need to fix our built environment --
houses, offices, factories. They last a long time and we need to fix 'em. But
nobody includes cars! There are 250 million cars in the United States and 900
million in the world, and there's a company over in the exhibit hall [ALte] and
there are some others who are going to prove to the world in the next three to
six months that there's a business case and a technical case for fixing tens of
millions of vehicles -- especially the big heavy ones that use the most oil.
Make them safe, driveable, warranteed... everything, and if we pay for it, we
can actually get half off oil in the next ten years by converting existing
gas-guzzler vehicles.

BILL NYE: I'm all for it, Felix... bring it on!

FELIX: That's what I want to say, so there's a big job ahead, and you know we
invite everybody to start paying attention to that campaign, as well as to
insuring successful commercialization -- and watching out, because a lot of
people who have not been taking electric vehicles seriously are now starting to
realize that they've got a challenge. I hope, in my lifetime, that the oil
industry will be drilling for geothermal power, and I hope that petroleum will
be used for petrochemicals -- thereby sequestering oil in plastic.  And that's a
good solution.

BILL: Right on, Felix! Right on! FELIX: Thank you.
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --
       Felix Kramer  fkramer@...
      Founder  California Cars Initiative
             http://www.calcars.org
       http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --

After we started CalCars, we saw how every
journalist's "aha" moment about the feasibility
and benefits of plug-in hybrids helped build
credibility for PHEVs. Media reports provide some
independent validation that's can be critical to
gaining acceptance for new ideas and solutions.
Now as entrepreneurs emerge and become available
to media, experienced journalists in the
automotive, technology, and cleantech media are
recognizing and chronicling the progress being
made by new companies. Here are  three examples
plus info on conversion prototypes that will be
on view in Michigan and California in September.
And we wrap up with a new study confirming the
icing on the cake of diesel gas-guzzler
conversions: reducing soot ("black carbon") that
is a significant cause of climate change.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting
will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there
you can add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

GIGAOM NETWORK: "ALTe: Former Tesla Team Eyes Old
Company Cars" by Josie Garthwaite
http://earth2tech.com/2010/08/16/alte-former-tesla-team-eyes-old-company-cars/
interviews ALTe's Sales & Marketing VP Brian
Polowniak  about the company's technology and production plans.

Garthwaite reports, "A fleet operator who’s ready
to scrap or sell a vehicle that's, say four years
old and has just gone out of warranty, has a
couple of options. One would be to buy a new,
conventional model for $25,000-$30,000.
Alternatively, they could pay $26,500 for the
baseline ALTe conversion, which will take 13
man-hours, come with a warranty on the powertrain
for at least five years or 50,000 miles, and
could extend the life of the vehicle for about
seven years, according to Polowniak."

The story points out that "ALTe, however, is just
one competitor in an increasingly crowded field
of startups hoping to supply powertrain tech as
major automakers get into the plug-in game and
fleet operators face new mandates to green their
fleets." It describes ALTe's position among
possible competitors Eaton, Raser, Wrightspeed,
REV and Azure, and reports that the company is in
late stages of an application for a $100M loan
the Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology
Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program. The company
has so far raised $9M in private funds and has an
$8.4M Michigan economic development tax credit.

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW: "Converting Gas-Guzzlers into
Hybrids: Companies hope to turn aging trucks,
vans, and taxis into more efficient hybrids," by
Kevin Bullis, describes the plans by three
companies: XL Hybrids of Boston; MA ALTe of
Auburn Hills, MI; and Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Technologies (HEVT) of Chicago, IL.

Describing the technologies, Bullis reports,
"Alt-E, based in Auburn Hills, MI, plans to gut
conventional vehicles, replacing the engine with
a combination of electric motor, battery packs,
electronic controls, and a gasoline generator….
The other two companies plan more modest
conversions--tacking an electric motor, battery,
and controls onto the existing engine and
transmission via the drive shaft that emerges
from the engine to drive the wheels or the rear
differential, which translates the motion of the
drive shaft to the rear axle…. The companies have
all developed proprietary control systems to
connect their equipment with the vehicles'
existing computers and coordinate between the
gasoline engines and electric motors. Prices
range from $26,500 for Alt-E's F150 conversion
(about the cost of new, low end F150) to under
$10,000 for XL Hybrids' conversion of delivery vans or taxis.

While noting that all three companies have raised
some initial funds, Bullis says, "All the
companies are at an early stage of development
and have so far only converted one or two
vehicles."All the companies are at an early stage
of development and have so far only converted a
one or two vehicles." Notably, Bullis elicited
favorable quotes from two leading automotive analysts:

* Fleets are "a solid market to go after," says
Eric Fedewa, vice president of global powertrain
forecasts for analyst firm IHS Automotive, in
part because fleet managers are willing to pay
extra up front to save on per mile expenses, the
figure that ultimately matters most to them.
Savings on maintenance is particularly important,
he says, since the time a vehicle is off the road
can cost a company potential revenue.

* If the conversion companies are successful, it
could spur investments from major automakers in
developing their own hybrid and plug-in hybrid
fleets vehicles, says Oliver Hazimeh, a director
at the consulting firm PRTM . "If they see some
fleets converting, I think automakers will take
notice," he says. [Note: PRTM and Hazimeh
provided technical analysis for the
Electrification Coalition's policy reports and recommendations.]

PLUGINCARS.COM: "Are Fleet Conversions the Best
Bet for EV Startups?" by Zach McDonald
http://www.plugincars.com/are-fleet-conversions-best-bet-ev-startups-56471.html
reports that the arrival of new plug-in vehicles
doesn't mean the end of conversion companies. He
reported on August 17, "The Japanese Postal
Service announced today that it will purchase
roughly 1,000 converted Fuji Heavy minivehicles
from a startup called Zerosports. The company
will outfit the vehicles with an electric
powertrain powered by lithium ion batteries,
yielding a 60-mile range with about an 8-hour
charge time. The postal service replaces about
3,000 vehicles per year and has pledged to make
one third of future replacement vehicles electric."

McDonald briefly describes ALTe's development of
prototype conversions of a Ford Crown Victoria
and a Ford F-150 pickup truck, and concludes,
"Getting the economics to work for fleet
conversions might be the safer bet for EV
start-ups than the difficult route taken by
companies like Tesla, Fisker and Coda--aiming to
build personal electric passenger vehicles from the ground up."

This story elicited a welcome comment from
plug-in advocate Chelsea Sexton, "As with PHEV
conversions, the key to fleet conversions needs
to be quality and credibility. Especially where
public funding is in play, I'd expect these
conversions to meet all NHSTA safety regs
(including crash testing) and be emissions
certified. As with the Prius, focusing on one
model at a time can enable this, but doesn't
guarantee it, so it will be up to each individual
conversion company to prove itself."

ALTE'S PHEV PROTOTYPE F-150 TRUCK WILL BE ON VIEW
AT CALIFORNIA AND MICHIGAN EVENTS:
* Climate Policy and West Coast Transportation
Conference, September 16-17 in Palo Alto,
California https://www.regonline.com/ClimatePolicyConference
* CALSTART's Hybrid Truck Users Forum, Sept. 28,
2010 in Dearborn Michigan
http://www.calstart.org/events/calstart-events/09-09-01/HTUF_National_Conference\
_2010.aspx?Events=EventItem

"FIXING" DIESEL VEHICLES REDUCES BLACK
CARBON,  LOW-HANGING FRUIT FOR CLIMATE CHANGE:
Confirming our view that reducing soot from old
diesel trucks (as part of what can be done when
these vehicles are partly or entirely
electrified) represent the low-hanging fruit for
climate change, we refer readers to: "Study Finds
Controlling Soot May Be Fastest Method to Reduce
Arctic Ice Loss and Global Warming;
Second-Leading Cause of Global Warming After CO2
   http://www.greencarcongress.com/2010/07/jacobson-20100729.html
Controlling soot from fossil fuels and solid
biofuels may be a faster method of reducing
Arctic ice loss and global warming than other
options, including controlling CH4 or CO2,
although all controls are needed, according to a
new study by Dr. Mark Z. Jacobson at Stanford University.

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

It's hard to find anyone who disagrees that the world is addicted to
fossil fuels. And people are recognizing that we can start getting
off oil by electrifying as large a portion of petroleum-fueled
transportation as soon as  possible. While this "Energy Security"
motivation is well-accepted, and the "green economy/green jobs"
benefits are gaining ground, we believe rapidly responding to climate
change is the most urgent reason. This New York Times Op-Ed pulls no
punches in voicing thoughts flowing from pessimism about global
action to reduce greenhouse gases: "We'll almost certainly need some
kind of devastating climate shock to get effective climate policy."
In his "Plan Z," Thomas Homer-Dixon, professor of global systems at
the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Canada,
http://www.homerdixon.com doesn't include CalCars' proposal for "The
Big Fix" and Drive Star http://www.calcars.org/ice-conversions.html .
We expect he hasn't heard of them. But as you read the full text of
his sobering article, connect the dots to his question, "How fast
could carbon emissions from automobiles and energy production be
ramped down, and what would be the economic, political and social
consequences of different rates of reduction?" We recommend this
must-read article to EVERYONE; please forward it!

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

The New York Times, August 22, 2010, Opinon: "Disaster at the Top of
the World," by Thomas Homer-Dixon
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/opinion/23homer-dixon.html

(Aboard the Louis S. St-Laurent) Standing on the deck of this
floating laboratory for Arctic science, which is part of Canada's
Coast Guard fleet and one of the world's most powerful icebreakers, I
can see vivid evidence of climate change. Channels through the
Canadian Arctic archipelago that were choked with ice at this time of
year two decades ago are now expanses of open water or vast
patchworks of tiny islands of melting ice.

In 1994, the "Louie," as the crew calls the ship, and a United States
Coast Guard icebreaker, the Polar Sea, smashed their way to the North
Pole through thousands of miles of pack ice six- to nine-feet thick.
"The sea conditions in the Arctic Ocean were rarely an issue for us
in those days, because the thick continuous ice kept waves from
forming," Marc Rothwell, the Louie's captain, told me. "Now, there's
so much open water that we have to account for heavy swells that
undulate through the sea ice. It's almost like a dream: the swells
move in slow motion, like nothing I've seen elsewhere."

The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, and
this summer its sea ice is melting at a near-record pace. The sun is
heating the newly open water, so it will take longer to refreeze this
winter, and the resulting thinner ice will melt more easily next summer.

At the same time, warm Pacific Ocean water is pulsing through the
Bering Strait into the Arctic basin, helping melt a large area of sea
ice between Alaska and eastern Siberia. Scientists are just beginning
to learn how this exposed water has changed the movement of heat
energy and major air currents across the Arctic basin, in turn
producing winds that push remaining sea ice down the coasts of
Greenland into the Atlantic.

Globally, 2010 is on track to be the warmest year on record. In
regions around the world, indications abound that earth's climate is
quickly changing, like the devastating mudslides in China and weeks
of searing heat in Russia. But in the world's capitals, movement on
climate policy has nearly stopped.

Democrats in the Senate decided last month that they wouldn't push
for approval of a climate bill. In Canada, Australia, Japan and
countries across Europe, the global economic crisis and other
near-term concerns have pushed climate issues to the back burner. For
China and India, economic growth and energy security are more vital priorities.

Climate policy is gridlocked, and there's virtually no chance of a
breakthrough. Many factors have conspired to produce this situation.
Human beings are notoriously poor at responding to problems that
develop incrementally. And most of us aren't eager to change our
lifestyles by sharply reducing our energy consumption.

But social scientists have identified another major reason: Climate
change has become an ideologically polarizing issue. It taps into
deep personal identities and causes what Dan Kahan of Yale calls
"protective cognition" -- we judge things in part on whether we see
ourselves as rugged individualists mastering nature or as members of
interconnected societies who live in harmony with the environment.
Powerful special interests like the coal and oil industries have
learned how to halt movement on climate policy by exploiting the fear
people feel when their identities are threatened.

Given this reality, we'll almost certainly need some kind of
devastating climate shock to get effective climate policy. That's the
key lesson of the recent financial crisis: when powerful special
interests have convinced much of the public that what they're doing
isn't dangerous, only a disaster that discredits those interests will
provide an opportunity for comprehensive policy change like the
Dodd-Frank financial regulations.

It is possible that the changes I'm seeing from the ship deck are the
beginning of the climate shock that will awaken us to the danger we
face. Scientists aren't sure what will happen when a significant
portion of the Arctic Ocean changes from white, sunlight-reflecting
ice to dark, sunlight-absorbing open water. But most aren't sanguine.

These experts are especially concerned that new patterns of air
movement in the Arctic could disrupt the Northern Hemisphere's jet
streams -- which are apparently weakening and moving northward. This
could alter storm tracks, rainfall patterns and food production far
to the south.

The limited slack in the world's food system, particularly its grain
production, can amplify the effects of disruptions. Remember that two
years ago, when higher oil prices encouraged farmers to shift
enormous tracts of cropland from grain to biofuel production, grain
prices quickly doubled or tripled. Violence erupted in dozens of
countries. Should climate change cause crop failures in major
food-producing regions of Europe, North America and East Asia, the
consequences would likely be far more severe.

Policy makers need to accept that societies won't make drastic
changes to address climate change until such a crisis hits. But that
doesn't mean there's nothing for them to do in the meantime. When a
crisis does occur, the societies with response plans on the shelf
will be far better off than those that are blindsided. The task for
national and regional leaders, then, is to develop a set of
contingency plans for possible climate shocks -- what we might call,
collectively, Plan Z.

Some work of this kind is under way at intelligence agencies and
research institutions in the United States and Europe. Harvard's
Kennedy School of Government has produced one of the best studies,
"Responding to Threat of Climate Change Mega-Catastrophes." [CALCARS
NOTE: fascinating discussions of how "rational choice/cost-benefit
analysis" approaches don't apply, and basic summaries of
abatement/geoengineering/adaptation,
at  alternativeshttp://www.hks.harvard.edu/fs/rzeckhau/CCCats.pdf --
25 pages.] But for the most part these initiatives are preliminary
and uncoordinated.

We need a much more deliberate Plan Z, with detailed scenarios of
plausible climate shocks; close analyses of options for emergency
response by governments, corporations and nongovernmental groups; and
clear specifics about what resources -- financial, technological and
organizational -- we will need to cope with different types of crises.

In the most likely scenarios, climate change would cause some kind of
regional or continental disruption, like a major crop failure; this
disruption would cascade through the world's tightly connected
economic and political systems to produce a global effect. Severe
floods dislocating millions of people in a key poor country -- as
we're seeing right now in Pakistan -- could allow radicals to seize
power and tip a geopolitically vital region into war. Or drought
could cause an economically critical region like the North China
plain to exhaust its water reserves, forcing people to leave en masse
and precipitating a crisis that reverberates through the world economy.

A climate shock in North America is easy to imagine. Say a prolonged
drought causes major cities in the American Southeast or Southwest to
run out of water; both regions have large urban populations pushing
against upper limits of water supply. The news clips of cars
streaming out of Atlanta or Phoenix might finally push our leaders to
do something serious about climate change.

If so, a Plan Z for this particular scenario would help us make the
most of the opportunity. It would provide guidelines for regional and
local leaders on how to respond to the crisis. We would decide in
advance where supplies of water would be found and who would get
priority allocations; local law enforcement and emergency responders
would already have worked out lines of authority with federal
agencies and the military.

Then there are the broader steps to mitigate climate change in
general. Here, Plan Z would address many critical questions: How fast
could carbon emissions from automobiles and energy production be
ramped down, and what would be the economic, political and social
consequences of different rates of reduction? Where would we find the
vast amounts of money needed to overhaul existing energy systems? How
quickly could different economic sectors and social groups adapt to
different kinds of climate impacts? And if geoengineering to alter
earth's climate -- for example, injecting sulfates into the high
atmosphere -- is to be an option, who would make the decision and
undertake the operation?

Looking over the endless, empty horizon of the Arctic, I find it hard
to imagine this spot being of any importance to global affairs. But
it is just one of many places now considered marginal that could be
the starting point for a climate shock that plays a central role in
the evolution of human civilization. We need to be ready.


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

We've had an entertaining visit to memory lane at 
http://www.calcars.org/events.html . Looking back at the list of 169 "Past
Events" helps us appreciate how far we've come, beginning with policy programs,
conversion demonstrations, new alliances, the rise of cleantech, and the
eventual embrace of plug-in cars by government and the auto industry. Recently,
the interest in seeing our hybrid conversions has waned. It will be superceded
at the end of the year by showcase events with the new plug-in cars so many
advocates will be happily driving.  We'll also see more demonstrations of
conversions of pickup trucks and other large gas-guzzlers, helping to deliver
the message that those solutions are coming too! Here are the events we'll be at
or tracking from September-October.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can add CalCars-News to
your RSS feed.)

As we look ahead to the fall, we thought back on the (other-than-plug-in) events
of the past months -- well summarized in Politico's Morning Energy brief
http://www.politico.com/morningenergy: "CRUEL SUMMER - The [Obama
administration's Supreme Court brief siding with electric utilities on coal
plant emissions] comes at the end of a summer environmentalists would like to
forget. To review: the BP oil spill dumped 4.9 million barrels of oil in the
Gulf of Mexico. The cap-and-trade bill fell apart. The Gulf spill bill still may
not happen. The GOP and climate skeptics appear set to make electoral inroads.
NOAA says 2010 has set the warmest year-to-date global temps on record. And
there are major fires in Russia and floods in Pakistan."

All this means we have our work cut out for us as we try, at least in the
transportation sector, to change the game so we can dial back on fossil fuels.
Here's where we'll be. Adding to the summaries (also found at our events page,
URL above), below we've included some comments on their significance, followed
by a few CalCars-related items.

EV 2010 VE CONFERENCE AND TRADE SHOW
http://www.emc-mec.ca/ev2010ve/en/program.html September 13-16 (Vancouver, BC,
Canada): At Canada's premier electric mobility event, organized by Electric
Mobility Canada ­ Mobilite electrique Canada, CalCars' Ron Gremban will present
on the business and technical aspects of conversions of internal combustion
engine gas-guzzlers to full or partial electric power. See website for
preliminary agenda; registration now open.

NOTE: CalCars has not had the resources to engage globally on vehicle
electrification; other than two productive trips to conferences in Iceland and
Belgium, we've stayed in North America. Canada at the moment continues to
surpass the U.S. in some ways on plug-in vehicle incentives and broad policies,
and we continue to work to cross-fertilize the discussions.

CLIMATE POLICY AND WEST COAST TRANSPORTATION
http://www.emc-mec.ca/ev2010ve/en/program.html September 16-17 (Stanford/Palo
Alto, CA): A conference focused on challenges and opportunities from Federal and
West Coast state policies to transform transportation (cars/trucks/ports) and
create a green West Coast Corridor. For government officials, industry
executives, and advocates. See the Agenda for the impressive list of presenters;
see vehicles including the Chevy Volt and an ALTe converted truck. Felix Kramer
will speak on "Next Steps in Moving Beyond Oil in Cars and Light Trucks."

NOTE: Here's how conference organizer Steve Marshall describes the event: West
Coast Corridor Coalition members are the state departments of transportation,
metropolitan planning organizations, ports, other transportation officials and
professionals from the four West Coast states.  Last February, the three West
Coast governors and the premier of British Columbia signed the Pacific Coast
Collaborative, which focused on how to make the West Coast more emissions-free.
One of the purposes of the conference is to pull together an action plan to
implement that agreement with the input from automakers, utility regulators,
utilities, environmental groups and the West Coast Corridor Collaborative
members.

SOLFEST XIV http://www.emc-mec.ca/ev2010ve/en/program.html SEPTEMBER 25-26
(Ukiah, CA): Ron Gremban will speak and show his Prius PHEV conversion at the
annual event of the Solar Living Institute, which draws about 10,000 attendees
annually and this year features Keynoters Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Arianna
Huffington.

NOTE: The benefits of plug-in vehicles soar when they are powered by renewable
fuel; many home-owning plug-in drivers find themselves installing rooftop solar
panels just before or after they get their vehicles -- it's a logical and
increasingly affordable no-brainer.

ENERGY MARKET CONSEQUENCES OF AN EMERGING U.S. CARBON MANAGEMENT POLICY
http://www.emc-mec.ca/ev2010ve/en/program.html September 27-28 (Houston, TX):
The Baker Institute Energy Forum, directed by well-known energy policy expert
Amy Myers Jaffee, presents a by-invitation international conference on issues
and trends in U.S. energy and climate policy. Felix Kramer will be one of five
keynote speakers,along with Diezani Alison-Madueke, Minister of Petroleum
Resources, Nigeria; James Mulva, Chairman and CEO, ConocoPhillips; Edward Morse,
Managing Director, Head of Global Commodities Research, Credit Suisse; and
Robert Stavins, Director, Harvard University Environmental Economics Program. A
major new study will be announced at the conference.

NOTE: We're pleased to have been invited to oil country to deliver to a
high-level audience our scenarios for how oil can be increasingly replaced with
electricity and renewable, sustainable, low-carbon biofuels. We hope to glimpse
the Houston Ship Canal -- the 50-mile long waterway lined with over 300
facilities and refineries, and our greatest domestic point of vulnerability for
accidents or attacks that could interrupt almost half of the nation's oil and
petrochemicals
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-3549034/Attack-here-along-the-fifty.html
.

HTUF (HYBRID TRUCK USERS FORUM) NATIONAL CONFERENCE
http://www.calstart.org/events/calstart-events/09-09-01/HTUF_National_Conference\
_2010.aspx?Events=EventItem September 28-30 (Dearborn, MI): At this annual event
by CALSTART, conversion companies including Michigan-based ALTe will exhibit and
present.

NOTE: HTUF http://www.calstart.org/projects/hybrid-truck-users-forum.aspx has
been focusing on heavy-duty vehicles for a decade. We won't be attending, but
here's the place to meet the entire industry and see the latest solutions.

BUSINESS OF PLUGGING In http://www.bpiconference.com October 12-14 (Detroit,
MI): The Center for Automotive Research's second annual conference: see the
Agenda and Speakers.

NOTE: We attended the first event last year, and found it to be one of the most
well-focused events we'd seen. Though we won't be back, this year the agenda
shows how far electrification has penetrated into the mainstream of the auto
industry.

LONGTIME PLUG-IN ALLY MOVES ON: A key player at Friends of the Earth, one of our
longest and best allies in promoting PHEVs, is changing jobs. We note with pride
and regret the departure of Danielle Fugere, attorney and advocate, and
co-strategist. Danielle is FOE's West Coast Regional Program Director has also
been in charge of its climate change litigation.)  Danielle managed litigation
at Bluewater Network (before it merged with FOE in 2005), building on the work
of Russell Long and Elisa Lynch who helped to develop AB1493 (the Pavley Bill),
the first legislation regulating automotive greenhouse gas emissions. We worked
together to try to get Ford to take the lead in PHEVs and to lay the groundwork
for legislation and departmental initiatives promoting PHEVs in Sacramento.
Thanks to Danielle and Sara Schedler, since 2006, FOE has hosted the regular
call for PHEV advocates. You can hear Danielle speak at the September 16
conference at Stanford (above). We wish her luck as Executive Director of the
Environmental Law Foundation http://www.envirolow.org in Oakland.

GRAPHICS HELP NEEDED: If you can help turn presentations into large-format
posters for Ron's Vancouver conference, please contact us (Bay Area best but
remote OK too).
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --
       Felix Kramer  fkramer@...
      Founder  California Cars Initiative
             http://www.calcars.org
       http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --

In advertisements, fuel economy numbers are the ones that count. In auto
showrooms, the window stickers explain these numbers. These stickers are
absolutely critical to plug-in cars' prospects in the marketplace, and have been
a long time coming. We've had five years of excitement about the100+MPG cars we
could someday drive --now they're about to arrive! So the US Environmental
Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation want to get this right.
To help you, we provide links to the proposed stickers and to some of the first
media stories, followed by our broad explanation and our initial specific
technical analysis. We hope those who want to help contribute to the "successful
commercialization of plug-in vehicles ASAP" will take Washington up on its
invitation to comment in the next 60 days.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can add CalCars-News to
your RSS feed.)

OUR OVERALL REACTION,: The EPA and the DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration have done an outstanding job. We're glad they've found a way to
show MPG-equivalents. And they've created some effective graphics and ratings to
explain the cost savings and environmental benefits of miles driven in plug-in
vehicles. However, they've made it hard for the public to see what's important
in the proposals and to contribute their views. (See specifics below.)

LET'S HEAR FROM YOU: You can add your comments about our report at
http://www.plugincars.com , where a version of this posting will appear as a
guest column on Tuesday, August 31. And you can transmit your views to the EPA
for these regulations, to apply to all cars starting with model year 2012, via
the box at the bottom of the page at http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/label.htm
(no provision there for attachments).

MEDIA STORIES: If like many people you get the picture best from news stories,
here are some of the first:

* NY TIMES:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/30/e-p-a-develops-grading-system-for-new\
-car-stickers/ reports on the motivations for the new analyses and reports
initial pushback from the U.S. auto industry, especially on the idea of issues
A-D ratings for different vehicles.
* GM-VOLT.COM:
http://gm-volt.com/2010/08/30/epa-proposes-new-phev-and-ev-fuel-economy-labels-w\
ants-your-comments/ includes a description, links, and many comments.
* HYBRIDCARS.COM (sister site to plugincars.com)
http://www.hybridcars.com/fuel-economy/government-proposes-report-cards-fuel-eco\
nomy-window-stickers-28508.html explains the proposals and provides multiple
label images.
* GREEN CAR ADVISOR
http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2010/08/feds-propose-new-fuel-economy-l\
abels-for-cars-and-trucks-seek-public-input.html provides annotated explanations
of the stickers and discusses how different vehicles would be rated in the
sure-to-be-controversial rankings.
* AUTOBLOG GREEN
http://green.autoblog.com/2010/08/30/epa-finally-issues-proposed-fuel-economy-la\
bels-for-plug-in-vehi/ compares the two stickers.
* WIRED.COM
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/08/feds-propose-letter-grades-for-vehicle-effi\
ciency/ focuses largely on the letter rankings and their implications.

THE BASIC DOCUMENTS: Your starting point is the documents about the ruling at
http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/label.htm . Here's where understanding the
proposals immediately gets complicated. The site links to two main documents:

* A 7-page brochure designed for the public:
http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/label/420f10049.pdf , which includes two label
options for the five standard vehicle types: gasoline & diesel (this includes
conventional hybrids), electric, plug-in hybrid, flexible-fuel, and compressed
natural gas. A small footnote on the cover page saying that the government is
"also seeking comment on a third label design" sounds like an afterthought.
* Hard to find on the same page is "See All Labels," a second 19-page plain
document  with only images and no explanations, titled "Proposed Fuel Economy
Labels in EPA and DOT Notice of Proposed Rulemaking"
http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/label/label-designs.pdf . Yes, this document
includes that third (relatively inconsequential, most similar to today's) label
design, but more importantly, it ALSO includes both "blended" and "extended
range electric vehicle" (EREV) variants on the PHEV vehicle type.

This second document shows that people who view only the main summary document 
will have an incomplete picture of what's being proposed. While the explanations
emphasize that the numbers used are illustrative, not referring to any
particular car, the ones they picked are illuminate what's missing. Page 4 of
the short brochure shows proposed Option 1 & 2 labels for a PHEV (also described
as a "dual fuel vehicle: gasoline-electricity") with a 50-mile blended
gas/electric operating resulting in a 65MPG equivalent for those first 50 miles,
then 38 MPG with a depleted battery. That same Option 2 graphic is on page 12 of
the second document, at a page labeled "PHEV (predominantly blended type)
(Figure III-12)". But one page before, on page 11, is a page labeled "PHEV,
extended range electric (series) type (Figure III-11)" -- a vehicle type that's
not found in the shorter document. That vehicle has a 98MPG equivalent for its
first 30-miles, then 38MPG. Page 7 shows an Option 1 graphic for a PHEV with an
11-mile EV range.

This all means that the short presentation omits from the main document -- and
doesn't present completely in the long one -- the EREVs/series hybrids that will
come to market first: the Chevy Volt, followed soon by the Fisker Karma. And it
doesn't even present well the Toyota Prius blended PHEV that will follow.
Presumably the EPA/DOT were attempting to simplify the issue -- but too much was
lost.

CALCARS' DETAILED COMMENTS: These are largely the work of our Technology Lead,
Ron Gremban. In the interest of encouraging broad discussion during a week when
it's hard to reach people, we are providing preliminary starting points quickly
and hope they will provoke additional responses.

We are focusing on the 19-page document at
http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/label/label-designs.pdf (which, as described
above, includes separate EREV and blended-PHEV labels for both Label Option 1
and Label Option 2, and adds a Label Option 3 as well), rather than to only the
more limited options shown in the 7-page brochure .

The EPA and DOT have done an outstanding job. These labels are great, and
reflect serious thought and environmental consideration! And inclduing codes
scannable by smartphones, they will empower consumers to find out much more.

The top half (down to the section on 5-year extra fuel cost or savings compared
to an average vehicle) of Label Option 1, for all vehicles, is superb, and
provides maximum incentive for buyers to buy green. We hope these ratings and
fuel savings are included in the final label design. They produce the ratings
that carmakers with many low-ranked vehicles won't want in new car windows in
showrooms! Those savings over years (and the demonstrated long-term higher cost
of low-ranking vehicles) will provide the best reasons for customers to buy
vehicles with high fuel economy and those using clean and cheap electricity.

Although the numbers are placeholders, we suggest a higher price than $2.80 per
gallon for gasoline -- both U.S. and international oil agencies now expect the
price of oil (unlike electricity and natural gas) to increase significantly over
the next five years. And we see a strong argument for using a 36.4 kWh per
gallon high heat value of gasoline rather than the 33.7 kWh low value. (The
extra energy is what's required to vaporize the water vapor in the exhaust,
which might conceivably be condensed and recovered in an extra-efficient
gasoline vehicle.) But these are minor quibbles with an otherwise-outstanding
set of labels.

We see Label Option 2, for all vehicles, as superior to both Label Option 3 and
the bottom of Label Option 1 in laying out the details of vehicle performance.
We strongly recommend combining the top of Label Option 1 with all of Label
Option 2.

The following points are about Label 2's exceptional features and a few
recommendations for minor improvements.

Starting with the gas/diesel vehicle (Figure III-9), the gas pump icon, next to
the MPG figure and the associated annual fuel cost, all offer obvious visual
contrast to the plugs used for EVs and PHEVs. The plots of overall MPG, CO2, and
other pollutants on bar graphs read well, too; and are similar to what consumers
have seen for years on appliances. Displaying only tailpipe emissions may be the
only way to reflect that 'well-to-tank' pollutants vary dramatically between
locations and over time, with sources of electricity becoming increasingly
clean, while more gasoline is starting to come from such high-CO2 sources as tar
sands.

A minor point: throughout, for emissions, we would urge the use grams per
kilometer instead of grams per mile. Most consumers will not relate to the
absolute number anyway, and what is shown already takes a half step with grams
instead of fractional ounces. Why not fully embrace the scientific metric units
used by carmakers and governments everywhere else in the world?

We're delighted to see the gallons per 100 miles figure included. This is a much
more important figure than the dumbed-down miles per gallon measure we've grown
up with. Seeing it alongside MPG on vehicles will improve consumers'
understanding of how fuel economy relates to vehicle size. In fact, taking it
one step further, gallons used driving the typical 15,000 miles per year would
be even better. Then the huge-seeming 50 MPG difference between 50 and 100 MPG
would show up as saving just 150 gallons in a year, while the much
smaller-seeming change when  a 10MPG vehicle gets 20MG would save 750 gallons --
five times as much.

The EREV (Figure III-11) label ably explains a complex concept, The line below
the two MPG boxes, showing a car driving first "All Electric," then "Extended
Range (gas)" is inspired. It clearly shows how the vehicle is powered, with
arrows from the electric and extended range miles to the two MPG boxes with
electric and gasoline icons, and the 240-Volt charge time shown next to a
battery. The "nameplate capacity" of the battery (the basis for federal
incentives), is also of value and could be included inside a larger battery
icon. Crucially, the boxes show both the "cost per year if always run in All
Electric," which an EREV driver rarely exceeding the daily charge range would
approach. And it includes the worst-case "cost per year if always run in Gas
Only" mode. This latter number would apply only for an unusual  driver who
decided not to bother spending 15 seconds plugging and unplugging when an outlet
was available.

The label for blended-mode PHEVs (Figure III-12) is likewise clear. We would
suggest using a color between the electric green and the gasoline yellow to make
the blending more obvious compared to the EREV and pure EVs. And perhaps find a
way to include kWh per 100 miles along with gallons per 100 miles for the
blended mode, so consumers have a way of knowing how much electricity is being
used.

This discussion will continue. We hope many interested parties will weigh in
publicly and to the federal government. Comment about this posting at
http://www.plugincars.com and view the documents and send your views to the EPA
at http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/label.htm .
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --
       Felix Kramer  fkramer@...
      Founder  California Cars Initiative
             http://www.calcars.org
       http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --

The Volt and the LEAF are coming this fall! Other plug-ins will
follow soon. Will their first owners like them? How will the stories
from satisfied and "happy but wanting more" owners" be heard. Will
they be lost in the noise or among sensationalist and incomplete
anecdotes? What impression will future customers get of the launch,
from social networks or so many media sources? There's one
still-missing ingredient that could significantly improve the chances
of success for this new generation of plug-in vehicles. We at CalCars
have identified it and tried to spark it -- but this is a rock we
haven't been able to push up the hill. We've just spent five
intensive weeks in conversations and email exchanges trying to gain
support for a "LEADING WEB-BASED COMMUNITY WHERE CURRENT AND
POTENTIAL PLUG-IN VEHICLE DRIVERS CAN POST AND SHARE INFORMATION AND
EXPERIENCES." We've gotten encouragement from automakers and others
since the opportunity came up at Plug-In 2010. But the key players
needed to make this happen have either not been able to act quickly.
  From our perspective, even knowing how full their plates are, we
think it's short-sighted not to make this a top priority. Having done
all we can privately, we're releasing our proposal to the 7,118
subscribers of CalCars-News, to those who receive it by RSS feeds,
and to the media that pick up our stories. YOU CAN HELP ACCELERATE
DECISION-MAKING AND SPONSORSHIP. We hope that those among you with
contacts among the large companies and institutions vital to moving
moving this forward -- especially their PR and corporate strategy
executives -- will both forward and advocate for this proposal.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

We start with a THREE-PARAGRAPH SUMMARY, followed by the proposal
we've circulated, including background on how this idea evolved and
details of how it might work. We hope you'll appreciate the scope and
ambition of what we're proposing. We hope you'll agree that its
benefits are so great and that it is so time-sensitive that you will
work to help make it happen! (We've updated and clarified the
proposal from the one privately circulated, deleted names of possible
partners that have not publicly come forward, and for readability
online via email, we've removed much of the  original document's formatting.)

WHAT WE PROPOSE: A consortium create the leading web-based community
where current and potential plug-in vehicle (PEV) drivers can post
and share information and experiences. We envision a "semi-official"
site, independent but cooperatively sponsored by major corporate,
non-governmental, and public organizations, all of whom can be active
partners to help accelerate understanding and enthusiasm -- and sell
many PEVs batteries, motors, circuits, and charging stations.

WHAT'S NEEDED: To launch before the first production vehicles arrive,
we need to start now -- which we can do if we get a commitment for a
total of $125,000 from institutional sponsors from OEMs, utilities,
charging companies and trade associations. We hope they will
recognize the value of this opportunity. CalCars can manage the
project but we don't have to; we're happy to be advisors if any other
entity wants to lead the effort.

WHAT WE DON'T PROPOSE: We see no value in creating yet one more among
the many worthy sites that already exist. Adding a few different
features but not gaining broad buy-in won't help. It's critical that
any effort be supported by the automotive and other companies that
are members of the Electric Drive Transportation Association And
EDTA's emerging National Plug-In Vehicle Initiative
http://www.electricdrive.org/index.php?ht=d/sp/i/13529/pid/13529
logically could be the umbrella under which such a consumer-focused
community could develop. We're not suggesting we ignore the existing
websites: this could be built in partnership with a company that
understands the value of partnerships, that a "small piece of a big
pie" is better than complete control of its own territory, that's
open to evolution, mergers, and outside investors. And we
re-emphasize that CalCars will be happy if the community comes into
existence even if we're not centrally involved.

BACKGROUND & INTRO FOR AN IDEA WE'VE BEEN PROMOTING FOR ALMOST FOUR YEARS

We might not be nearly as far along in commercializing plug-in cars
were it not for: 1. the advocacy efforts of drivers of the previous
generation of EVs; 2. the open-source initiatives for Prius
conversions; and 3. the excitement created by hearing from drivers of
those vehicles. All these helped spark the broad campaign promoting
PHEVs and EVs. All were amplified by online communities that foster
communication and action. Now that we're about to get new cars, their
impact will continue to be shaped by social media. The auto industry
and its allies can be part of that not only on their own but with partners.

It was clear to Felix Kramer, both as a member and participant in
online discussion groups about PEVs since 2002, through his
experiences as CalCars founder, and as the world's first consumer
owner of a PHEV, that the successful commercialization of PEVs could
benefit from the online world far more than what would automatically
grow out of existing communities and new websites. He also drew upon
his experience in the 1980s as a co-founder of user groups for
computer users and desktop publishers, and in the birth of the Web in
the mid-90s followed by the dot.com heyday, to bring forward the idea
of driver communities.

Back in early 2007, in conversations with some stakeholders, CalCars
began exploring the idea of a national all-vehicle plug-in drivers
user group. We circulated a short proposal, which led to the expanded
update of that effort we're promoting in 2010.

That year, CalCars engaged in discussions with one large automotive
website. It agreed to partner on the initiative and commit some staff
and development time. We then attempted to secure funds from it and
others. (In retrospect, our effort may have been premature -- we were
so far from mass-production.) When we were unable to raise the money,
we put the proposal on the back burner -- until 2010.

We shelved the project with considerable regret, knowing how
important it was. Periodically we had discussions with possible
funders (including joint proposals to USDOE for stimulus funding in
April 2009) -- but have not yet located anyone willing to take a leading role.

At the closing session of the July Plug-In 2010 conference, Felix's
proposal to create a broadly-sponsored "semi-official" drivers' group
was greeted with a strong round of applause, followed by
encouragement from panelists and audience members that he (and
CalCars) take the lead in developing the project. Felix made clear he
would welcome the opportunity to help and advise a collaborative
effort -- and that it needed to be broad to succeed. That said,
CalCars is willing to be a prime mover if others join with
significant time and resources. With adequate levels of support for
staff time, CalCars could lead the effort, along with another social
media/publishing partner.

We emphasized we didn't need to run the show or get the credit; we
welcomed anyone who steps up to make this happen. Since then, we've
had discussions with several energetic possible specialists in
building national campaigns using social media; partnering with one
can help us get this project running quickly. One in particular is
quite interested [discussed in private emails].

The biggest hurdle remains to gain sponsors and funding in this
challenging environment. IF THIS MONTH, FIVE COMPANIES/ORGANIZATIONS
WILL STEP FORWARD AND EACH SEED THIS EFFORT WITH $25,000 and agree to
help find additional sponsors, we can then get working very rapidly
on design/launch/partnerships as well as enlisting additional
sponsors from the constituencies listed below. We think this
investment will pay off enormously for all those whose businesses
require a rapid acceleration of demand for PEVs, and for a society
that needs to start getting off fossil fuels ASAP.

We would hate to miss a unique window of opportunity! We originally
said if we didn't get a strong response by Aug. 16, we would
circulate this proposal very broadly in the hope that someone else
can make it happen quickly. We then held off until mid-September to do so.

We welcome your reactions as soon as possible.

IT'S ALMOST NOW-OR-NEVER IF WE'RE GOING TO START THIS IMPORTANT &
VALUABLE PROJECT!

The first mass-production PEVs in many years are arriving soon;
people are getting test drives and will soon have their own cars.
This is the best-ever opportunity to bring to large audiences
compelling messages and experiences about the benefits of PEVs.

Media coverage about choices, features, and benefits is building
rapidly; until December the focus will be the first vehicles. We can
make it easy for the next wave to be happy human interest stories.

Many people have questions and everyone's looking for answers and
experts. Once people pick social networks -- even free ones -- moving
involves switching costs and loyalty issues. It will of course be
better than nothing if this community arrives a year from now -- or
if one of today's sites emerges as most successful -- but we'll still
be missing many important features and benefits listed below, and
we'll have lost precious opportunities in the first months to shape
the new plug-in electric world.

WHAT DO TODAY'S ONLINE DRIVER DISCUSSIONS LOOK LIKE?

Feeding off the breaking news and the enthusiasm for PEVs, we're
seeing a proliferation of many worthy, well-intentioned and
well-executed efforts. Yet we wonder if any will be able to scale and
evolve to achieve the goals we aim for, and to emerge as the
authoritative site.

These range from single-vehicle-focused sites started by individual
enthusiasts as stand-alones or at Yahoo Groups and Google Groups, to
green or plug-in areas at existing automotive sites, as well as
sections sponsored by green car news and advocacy sites, and entirely
new sites devoted only to plug-in vehicles.

Some sites now or later intend to gain revenue from advertising or
from lead-generation. In general, the for-profit,  non-profit, and
volunteer-created sites lack staff or have not allocated resources to
monitor postings for highly off-topic, "troll," or otherwise
destructive postings, though some invite users to "rate" quality of
postings or "report" violators of community standards or terms of
service. We don't know of any whose distribution/promotion strategies
include spotlighting and announce newsworthy discussions. Many are
hard to navigate, fail to show up in web searches, and have "buried" archives.

The "migration path" is not yet clear for existing EV and
PHEV-conversion owners as they continue to drive their old vehicles
and are among the first buyers of new mass-production vehicles. The
enthusiasm, dedication, and storehouse of practical experience of
this unique group of idealistic early adopters can help jump-start the effort.

SOME CHARACTERISTICS WE LOOK FOR IN A PLUG-IN OWNERS AND DRIVERS COMMUNITY:

* A one-stop community for people motivated by any or all goals of:
saving money, ensuring energy security, cutting climate pollution,
owning the latest gadget, or driving the most fun cars.
* A "watering hole," where longtime and recent drivers share their
experiences, observations and tips.
* An outward-facing, welcoming site for wannabes and newbies -- those
in any way considering buying a PEV -- offering basic information and
the opportunity to follow the latest discussions about PEVs.
* A pipeline to connect them with enthusiastic PEV owners to answer
more questions and experience electric driving.
* A transparent, open-source style effort focused on reducing
barriers to information exchange, requiring no registration to post
to maximize free discussions.
* A mechanism for millions of people to register as "handraisers" for
vehicle types and models that may initially be in short supply.
* A window on plugged-in life, previewing a world where everyday
transportation is electrified and powered by renewable energy.

WEBSITE/TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS:

* Ideally, piggybacking onto an existing high-traffic website, to
reduce overhead and startup costs and to ensure that it reaches
audiences beyond those who are already plug-in savvy.
* At the same time, reachable directly at PlugInDrivers.com with
direct access by vehicle type to related vehicle-specific URLs.
(CalCars owns and will happily make available this and other relevant URLs.)
* Lightly moderated by Hosts ("curators") who monitor postings and
flag/highlight important/insightful discussions both on the site and
to other audiences, journalists, and social media outlets.
* Easy posting by registered owners/drivers, with all postings
public; unregistered visitors asking questions/making comments to be
moderated; site facilitating private communications among registered users.
* Easily and deeply searchable and customizable for both first-time
and frequent users.
* Including microblogging capabilities (Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr) and
smartphone integration.

CONTENT AND SITE DESIGN:

* Range of vehicles: BEVs, PHEVs, EREVs, 2/3/4-wheelers, light,
medium, and heavy-duty vehicles.
* Topics including driver behavior and experience, charging
considerations, effect of different feedback designs, cost and MPG
issues, all-electric and blended variants, expectations and
limitations. Plus comments and future wish-lists of features,
performance, usability and marketing for PEVs.
* Anecdotal data and postings including human interest, driver blogs,
slice-of-life print and video stories (data-mines for media coverage
and academic interviews/studies).
* Profile/photo/MPG results eventually including a data reporting
system developed by academic/technology partners.
* Quantified data from both driver input and automatic
instrumentation -- if resources are available or technical partners
want to showcase their tools, data can be aggregated and analyzed to
best communicate the performance and benefits of technologies and vehicles.
* Developed or hosted print and video collateral created by partners
answering such basic questions as: are EVs cleaner; won't the grid be
overloaded; are batteries safe/long-lasting/recyclable?
* Tools to estimate fuel savings and TCO (total cost of ownership),
given individual driving profiles, for vehicle types and models
(perhaps partnering with existing calculators like those at USEPA and
ProjectGetReady).
* Wiki-style vehicle FAQs, driving tips, opinion/experience surveys,
real-time chats (syndicated with partners); co-sponsor and promote
local real-world community and national events.
* "Find a PEV Driver in My Community" and "Get an EV Ride" matching
services linked from multiple partners' portals.
* Syndicated content and possible eventual print version of some
content with media/industry partners.
* Pointers to external resources at partnering and other sites.
* Some topics left to others who may be better equipped to handle
them, including: dealer-level experiences, conversion technologies,
emerging technologies, and other fuel/energy sources.

BENEFITS TO THE PEV INDUSTRY (OEMS, SUPPLY CHAIN, SERVICE PROVIDERS):

* Inspire potential car buyers to become plug-in customers.
* Freely give immediate market intelligence and feedback from a
comprehensive site and large population on what's working and what
needs to be fixed -- both for individual companies and
locally/nationally (e.g. charging infrastructure).
* Gain goodwill from current and prospective customers: continue the
transformative "buyer-push" model that has helped advance PEVs by
giving members confidence their voices will be heard to help shape
future automotive directions.
* Provide case studies, human interest stories, topic threads to give
corporate PR departments leads to connect with interview subjects and
help media to track evolving stories.
* Point effectively to rapid third-party and owner/driver responses
to inaccurate media stories.

BENEFITS OF A "SEMI-OFFICIAL" SPONSORED SITE:

* A single collaborative space where many key players participate
will help commercialization efforts gain strength and momentum.
* A trusted source by its breadth and openness will reassure many
audiences who search online and encounter multiple sites.
* A "go-to" place for success stories and for rapid responses to
inaccurate, misleading or confusing media reports, to negative news
about vehicles and technologies, and to "incidents."
* Anecdotal and scientific data for research and analysis by
academics, fleets, government, industry.
* An ability to coordinate with other sites internationally and
perhaps eventually expand globally.

CAUTIONS FOR A "SEMI-OFFICIAL" SPONSORED SITE:

* If not done well (and inclusively), can be seen as competing with
independent efforts or companies (including those that are "left out"
if others join an partner).
* Will need to reassure all audiences of its editorial independence
from sponsors and funders.

BENEFITS TO SOCIAL MEDIA PARTNER/PUBLISHER/DISTRIBUTOR:

* Put publisher on the cutting edge as the leading venue for
discussion of the world's cleanest mass-production vehicles and a
showcase for the auto industry of the future.
* Drive traffic to company's other online and print divisions.

STRUCTURE FOR INDEPENDENCE AND RAPID RESPONSE:

* Rolling launch to establish position and evolve/improve as the
vehicles begin to arrive.
* Ownership of site to be determined; multiple business models
possible beyond sponsorships; fundraising also by partners and sponsors.
* Registration free for introductory period, eventual low one-time or
annual membership fee.
* A team with full editorial authority:
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief/Managing Editor/Columnists/Technical &
Research Advisors/Content Coordinators, Hosts & Moderators, Marketing
& PR, Technology, Usability.
* An advisory/consultative board with representatives from
Industry/policy/media.
* Some team members part-time; some may divide time with publisher's
existing operation.
* Startup costs through year-end approximately $250,000; estimated
annual operating budget $250-500,000 for management, editorial, technology.

POSSIBLE SPONSORS, CO-SPONSORS, ADVISORS, FUNDERS (THE FIRST FOUR ARE
THE PRIMARY GROUP; OTHERS  ARE ALPHABETICAL):
* Auto industry (OEMs, component makers, service providers)
* Charging infrastructure (suppliers and operators)
* Electric Drive Transportation Association and its National Plug-In
Vehicle Initiative
* Plug-In Organizations: CalCars/Electric Auto Association/Plug-in America
* Air Quality Management Districts
* Auto associations
* Community-focused: Silicon Valley Leadership Group, ProjectGet Ready
* Companies: Google, SAP, GE, other technology enablers
* Government Agencies (federal/state/municipal depts. of energy,
environment, transportation)
* Non-Governmental Organizations: Friends of the Earth, GreenAmerica,
Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists
* US National Labs
* University research and policy centers
* Utilities; individual companies and EPRI; EEI; APPA, NARUC, NRECA.

With your support, we can create a unique and powerful institution to
expand today's creative partnerships between industry, organizations,
and customers.

WE URGE ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF SUCH A PLUG-IN DRIVERS & OWNERS
COMMUNITY TO COMMUNICATE YOUR VIEWS TO EDTA'S NATIONAL PLUG-IN
VEHICLE INITIATIVE
http://www.electricdrive.org/index.php?ht=d/sp/i/13529/pid/13529 , TO
THE PR AND STRATEGY EXECUTIVES AT GM, NISSAN AND OTHER AUTOMAKERS, TO
SUPPLIER COMPANIES, AND TO  YOUR LOCAL UTILITY. URGE THEM TO SPONSOR
AND FUND SUCH AN EFFORT. SEND COPIES OF WHAT YOU WRITE TO
INFO@... . (SIMPLY EMAILING TO CALCARS CONTACT NAMES OR
SUGGESTIONS FOR WHAT YOU'D HOPE CALCARS WOULD DO WILL NOT BE NEARLY
AS EFFECTIVE AS GETTING OTHER ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED!)

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

Back in 2004, in the tradition of the Orteig Prize won by Charles
Lindbergh, the X Prize Foundation created the Ansari X Prize for
Space Flight. It moved on to the contest that became known as the $10
Million Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize. We and many others
were involved early on, and have watched since. Tomorrow the winners
will be announced  in Washington DC, culminating a 15-month
competition that started with 111 teams and is now down to 7. See the
details below. We were invited to write on the Auto Prize website
about the significance of the prize. You can read that first below.
And tomorrow or soon thereafter, you can go to
http://autoblog.xprize.org/ where you'll be able to comment on our
perspective and those of others invited to post.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

WATCH THE ANNOUNCEMENT CEREMONY streamed live, at 10:30AM EST/7:30AM
PST, and get information about the event at
http://www.progressiveautoxprize.org/live . And watch a one-hour
special, "X PRIZE Cars: Accelerating the Future", on the National
Geographic Channel on Thursday, September 16 at 9:00 PM ET/PT.

THE ORIGINS OF THE PROGRESSIVE AUTO X PRIZE -- AND ITS IMPACT

This is a guest posting by Felix Kramer, Founder of the California
Cars Initiative (CalCars.org)

Five years ago, when the Automotive X Prize was just an idea, gas
prices were seesawing, and people were fed up with paying a billion
dollars a day for foreign oil.  We're still addicted to oil -- but
thanks in large part to the X Prize, we can see a way out.

Back then, the famed Hypercar spinoff from Rocky Mountain Institute
had previewed a future of lightweight, aerodynamic, safe autos. And
everyone who'd looked at ways to reduce greenhouse gases knew the
answer had to include getting our vehicles off fossil fuels. It was
time for cars to take a quantum leap.

Meanwhile, promising cars like the GM EV1 and Toyota RAV4 EV were
history. But the death of the electric car turned out to be just the
end of one chapter. In 2004, CalCars.org showed how to convert
hybrids to plug in, plastering five-foot wide signs proclaiming
"100+MPG" on the sides of our Prius retrofits. And Tesla raised money
to build a sexy sportscar that would beat almost anything on the
road. We could see a future of optimized vehicles running on cleaner,
cheaper, domestic electricity.

The Automotive X Prize launched in 2006-07 with ambitions to inspire
the public and spark innovation to change the auto industry. Getting
the competition right wasn't easy for its dedicated, creative staff:

* When "100 MPG" came up against vehicles powered by different fuels,
experts developed "MPGe" for apples-to-apples comparisons of
electricity with petroleum and renewable biofuels.
* Faced with public expectations for glitzy track races, planners who
knew drivers most need a fuel-miser for 25-mile-a-day commutes worked
out new tests. They enlisted the U.S. Department of Energy's National
Labs to validate the performance of innovative solutions.
* With hopes that some great idea would emerge from a quirky corner,
they split the Prize into mainstream and alternative paths.
* Recognizing that improving the efficiency of millions of cars
already on the road could make a huge impact, they opened the
competition up to retrofits and conversions.
* And, knowing that imaginative, unique solutions also had to find
their ways to millions of drivers, they made competitors show their
designs could be safe, affordably mass-produced, and sold for a profit.

As we reach the end of this historic competition, we all wonder who
will win. But it's never been more true that "the journey is the
reward." Competitors that didn't make it all the way have gained
significant visibility, investments, and partnerships. Some may
become successful manufacturers. Others will see their teams,
intellectual property, and visions acquired by larger companies. Many
will celebrate their victories.

Of course, the Prize's impact extends far beyond the competition. X
Prize raising the MPG bar certainly encouraged Congress to increase
fuel efficiency standards. As we debate what new car stickers should
say about efficiency and emissions, a new coalition is urging a goal
of 60 MPG by 2025. The DOE has funded development of an advanced U.S.
battery industry and lent carmakers billions to retool for green
automotive jobs. States and companies have added their incentive
programs to the federal $7,500 tax credits for new plug-in cars.
Engineering students have been inspired to find jobs in a reviving
auto industry. High schoolers have seen how cars can be cool and clean.

And automakers? They've been watching closely and making
industry-changing decisions. In 2006, I became the world's first
consumer-owner of a plug-in hybrid. Now, before the end of this X
Prize year, my family hopes to replace that PHEV conversion with a
Chevy Volt that we can drive everywhere. And we'll trade our reliable
Toyota Camry Hybrid for a Nissan LEAF's daily drives with no
gasoline. The cars are coming: the U.S. is on track for a million
mass-produced plug-in cars by 2015!

What's next? How about a follow-on prize? As the high-MPG cars
arrive, it's clear it will take decades before they'll make up a
large enough fraction of our country's 250 million vehicles to have
much impact on fossil fuel use. Visionaries like Andy Grove are
urging us to retrofit tens of millions of pickup trucks, SUVs, vans,
and buses. Like the Home Star building retrofits we're now
accelerating, national gas- guzzler conversions could create green
jobs in communities everywhere. So CalCars hopes for a Drive Star
competition -- from X Prize, DOE, or another sponsor -- to spark "The
Big Fix," creating a global industry to upgrade many of the world's
900 million vehicles.

X Prize began with the Ansari X Prize for space flight. As the X
Prize Foundation broadens, with prizes in genomics, lunar
exploration, and ocean oil cleanup, it's never been clearer that
humanity and our planet face immense challenges. We used to say "the
sky's the limit." Now that we recognize we need to save that one sky
ASAP, we look to future competitions for inspiration, ideas, and a
global rescue.

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

Here's a summary of plug-in events between now and mid-October,
followed by a description of four innovative global campaigns. We'll
get back to you with a report on our presentation next Monday in
Houston, entitled "Blue Skies, Plug-In Vehicles, and Petroleum's
Future" -- see http://www.calcars.org/events.html for details on
that. Then, for the first two weeks of October, Felix Kramer will be
in Barcelona (mostly on vacation, but checking email), while Ron
Gremban and other CalCars fans and associates start getting seriously
specific about where to plug in our Chevy Volts and Nissan LEAFs.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

NATIONAL EVENTS

HYBRID TRUCK USERS FORUM (HTUF): At this annual event by CALSTART, on
September 28-30 in Dearborn, Michigan, we'll see much discussion of
new technologies for large vehicles, and ways to retrofit them.
Gas-guzzler conversion company ALTe will present at a panel, and its
red Ford F-150 pickup that's been converted to a series plug-in
hybrid will be at the Ride-And-Drive. http://www.htuf.org

BUSINESS OF PLUGGING IN: October 12-14 in Detroit, Michigan, the
Center for automotive Research's second annual conference has a long
roster of industry executives. http://www.bpiconference.com

THREE CALIFORNIA EVENTS

SILICON VALLEY EV RALLY: This Saturday, September 25 in Palo Alto is
the annual event by the Electric Auto Association of Silicon Valley.
http://www.eaasv.org/rally.html

ALTCAREXPO: Friday and Saturday, October 1-2 in Santa Monica, go to
the fifth annual Alternative Energy & Transportation Expo. This year
it features test drives of the Chevy Volt and the kickoff of the
Nissan LEAF national Drive Electric Tour. It's program, heavily
weighted toward still-hopeful proponents of hydrogen fuel cells, also
includes a Focus on Fleet Conference (though alas, nothing on
conversions). http://www.AltCarExpo.com

GREEN DRIVE EXPO: Saturday, October 9 is the Bay Area's first
consumer showcase for plug-ins and other green vehicles, organized by
the creators of the amazing HybridFest in Wisconsin, working with
PlugInCars.com. It runs 9-5 with exhibits, test drives and speakers.
The last panel, on Green Car Conversions, includes Ron Gremban from
CalCars. It's all at Craneway Pavilion (in a former factory where
Ford once built Model Ts and Model As), in the Marina District of
Richmond. Use the coupon code CALCARS for free admission (normally
$10/adult). http://www.GreenDriveExpo.com

RELATED CAMPAIGNS AND EVENTS

As legislation in the U.S. for renewable energy and greenhouse gas
reductions remains stalled, and people worldwide are saying, "we have
to do something to head off catastrophe," we're seeing a new wave of
organizations and events. Here are a few:

* "10:10 Global -- Cutting Carbon 10% At A Time:" An ambitious
project to "unite every sector of society behind one simple idea:
cutting our carbon by 10% a year starting now." 10:10 Global
currently has active hubs in over 40 countries and signups in 128,
all committed to engaging the public about climate change and
providing solutions to start cutting carbon emissions today.
http://www.1010global.org

* "350.org:" Named for the 350 parts per million of CO2 that is the
safe limit for humanity. It was founded by a team recruited by
leading green journalist/activist Bill McKibben, the author most
recently of "Eaarth," showing how the world's already-changing
climate is endangering species and places. 350 is partnering with
10:10 for a "Global Work Party Day" on date that comes only every
hundred years: 10/10/10. Today the website lists 3427 events in 165
countries (all but 25 worldwide), all celebrating climate solutions.
Like last year's October International Day of Climate Action,
described by CNN as "the most widespread day of political action in
our planet's history," participants everywhere will create local
events, then  upload their photos and videos for supporters and the
media. http://www.350.org (

* "Four Years. Go:" So far, 942 allied organizations, and individuals
in 128 countries have been "creating a global rallying cry to inspire
an awareness of the urgency to shift humanity's trajectory by 2014,
before our destructive trends make that shift impossible. Empowering
individuals and organizations to set and reach goals that will cause
a positive global tipping point by 2014, setting humanity on a new
path toward a socially just, environmentally sustainable, and
spiritually fulfilling future." http://www.fouryearsgo.org/

* "HelloElectric:" A new website promoting plug-in vehicles. Its
first campaign seeks signatures 25,000 signatures on a goodbye card
to deliver to outgoing BP CEO Tony Hayward, offering him a free
electric car if he agrees to move "beyond petroleum" and become a
plug-in car advocate. The campaign is by Purpose.com, an organization
that brings together experts and advocates to create movements to
solve pressing global issues. http://www.HelloElectric.org


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

AMP, one of the emerging companies in the gas-guzzler conversion
industry, made an intriguing announcement about an undefined
relationship with a major carmaker, prompting reports by two longtime
automotive journalists. And we have news of a birthday milestone!

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ANDY FRANK: This year he'll get quite a birthday
present. Often described as "the father of the modern plug-in
hybrid," Andy has spent more than half his life imagining, designing,
prototyping, and educating about PHEVs. He's travelled the world,
usually on his own dollar, promoting the concept to automakers,
suppliers, and governments. His continuously variable transmission
technology has attracted much attention, and some of his dozens of
patents have been described as fundamental. It's been said that "Andy
has been working on plug-ins so long, he's solved problems others
don't even know exist." For decades, he's been on the Mechanical and
Aeronautical Engineering faculty at the University of California at
Davis. http://mae.ucdavis.edu/faculty/frank/frank.html His
award-winning "Team Fate" retrofit projects under the FutureCar,
FutureTruck and Challenge X programs showed the potential of PHEVs.
His program's graduates play important roles in the auto and utility
industries. A few years ago he co-founded and became chief
technologist at Efficient Drivetrains Inc. to advance these
technologies. http://www.efficientdrivetrains.com [Felix has been
pleased to be an advisor to that company.]

Many who've known Andy have long hoped that PHEVs would come to
market before he retires. He shows no sign of doing  that, and he
looks, talks, and acts, much younger than 77. So our hopes are met
and he gets his wish. Now Andy's on the list to get one of the first
PHEVs off the production line -- he's looking forward this fall to
driving his own Chevy Volt! (He does have to pay for it himself.)

SUV CONVERSIONS IN BIG CARMAKER'S FUTURE? AMP Holdings, an Ohio
company with many industry veterans, some from the original GM EV-1
team, has signed an agreement with an undisclosed major carmaker to
electrify one if its SUVs. This is a good precedent for automakers to
eventually partner with companies to convert some of the vehicles
they've already sold, or to resell new vehicles converted to electric
drive. (That's what Solectria Corp. did with some success in the
1990s.) AMP's CEO Steve Burns nails the most important issue: "Time
is not a luxury, it's a race to the finish now -- AMP possesses the
scalability and nimbleness to get an OEM to mass production with an
already existing model literally within months" in the company's
press release.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/amp-to-develop-electric-prototype-for-major-oem\
-2010-09-13?reflink=MW_news_stmp


MEDIA ABOUT AMP: Veteran automotive journalist Paul Eisenstein gave a
very positive review to the company's conversion of a Chevy Equinox
into a 0-60 in seven seconds, 150-mile range EV (at a high cost of
$47,000.)
http://www.cheboygannews.com/news/business/x718564085/Paul-A-Eisenstein-Eco-frie\
ndly-Amp-Electric-Equinox-powerful-but-pricey

QUICK REACTION FROM GM: Jim Motavalli also got a chance to drive the
Equinox.
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/the-business-of-converting-existing-c\
ars-into-e-v-s/
He also got to think about one of the more interesting questions,
prompting an exchange between the company's CEO and GM:

Amp could presumably produce cheaper conversions of the Equinox if it
started with so-called "glider" versions of the car minus their
gasoline drivetrains. But though the company is seeking such a
relationship with General Motors, Amp doesn't have one now. "G.M.
doesn't know if we are friend or foe," Mr. Burns said. "They're
trying to figure it out." Rob Peterson, a G.M. spokesman, said,
"We're pro-E.V., and it's a good thing that there others out there
moving the electric vehicle market forward."

ONE OF THE BEST ROUNDUPS ON CONVERSIONS came from John O'Dell, Senior
Editor at Edmunds: "PHEV Conversions Slow to Catch On in U.S., But
Could Be Big Elsewhere; Low Cost 'Revolo' Hybridization Kit Could
Boost India's Presence in Gas-Electric Arena. Read it all at
http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2010/09/phev-conversions-slow-to-catch-\
on-in-us-but-could-be-big-elsewhere.html
or see our excerpts below:

The idea of converting existing gas- and diesel-burners to plug-in
hybrids with electric-drive systems that augment their internal
combustion powerplants and boost their fuel economy through the roof
is a compelling one.

Selling new hybrids and electric vehicles helps slow our use of oil
and reduce air pollution and CO2 emissions from transportation, but
it will take decades to sell enough to meaningfully dilute the impact
of the nearly 1 billion internal combustion vehicles on the world's
roads today. But convert many of those existing vehicles to electric
drive and the impact could be tremendous and immediate. That's been
the message that plug-in advocates such as CalCars founder Felix
Kramer and University of California engineering professor Andy Frank
have been preaching for years.

It looks like at least a few people have been listening - at home and
abroad. In India, where air quality can use all the help it can get -
and where consumers can use all the relief from high fuel prices that
the auto industry can pass on to them - a pair of major Indian
corporations have teamed up to develop an aftermarket hybridization
kit that could someday make its way to the U.S. It may well be that
countries such as India and China, acting from a sense of urgency
that wealthier, more developed nations such as the U.S. just don't
yet feel, will wind up leading the 21st Century transportation parade.

At home, one of the conversion leaders seems to be a Michigan
company, ALTe, that has been showing a prototype converted Ford F150
pickup (above and left) in which the standard gas engine has been
replaced with a modular system consisting of a smaller internal
combustion engine and an electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack.
Several others, including XL Hybrids of Boston and Chicago-based
Hybrid Electric Vehicles Technologies, offer conversion systems that
use the vehicles' existing engines and transmissions and add the
necessary batteries and electric drive components. CalCars maintains
a list of U.S. plug-in hybrid conversion providers
http://www.calcars.org/ice-conversions.html , although Kramer points
out that most are start-ups that work on special orders but can't yet
sell you a completed vehicle out of inventory. "There's no place
yet," he said, "where you can go and buy a validated, warrantied plug-in car."

Barriers range from the high cost of components to the relative
paucity of tax credits to help purchasers of conversions. ALTe, which
charges about $25,000 for its F-150 conversion, can only qualify for
a $2,500 federal tax credit while the new factory-built Chevrolet
Volt PHEV and Nissan Leaf battery-electric vehicle each will qualify
for a $7,500 credit. That's not smart, says Kramer, who agues that
encouraging conversion of most of the nation's millions and millions
of big pickups, delivery trucks and SUVs to plug-in systems would
save a lot more oil - and cut a lot more CO2 - than selling tens of
thousands of new PHEVs and EVs. Yet the maximum federal credit for a
conversion is $4,000 and most- like the ALTe system - qualify for
much less. The federal formula is a credit of 10 percent of the
conversion cost up to a maximum of $4,000 - for a $40,000 conversion.

But things are moving along, albeit slowly. At Alte, company
marketing director Brian Polowniak told us recently that he expects
to have several announcements to make by late summer, including word
on the disposition of his company's application for a $100-million
loan guarantee from the federal government's advanced technology
vehicle manufacturing program that will help ALTe build a factory to
begin turning out a stream of plug-in conversions. Also in the works:
a distribution deal with a major auto dealership chain.

And in India, the new aftermarket hybridization kit, called the
Revolo system (right, taken from "revolution"), is slated to go on
sale by the end of the year. Its developers claim it can increase the
typical Indian-market passenger car's fuel economy by 40 percent
while reducing CO2 output by more than 30 percent. Once the business
model is proven in India, Pandit told us, the companies expect to go
global with the system. Company executives have hinted that a Revolo
plug-in hybrid conversion kit for a small car in Europe or the U.S.
could cost as little at $5,000 using lead-acid batteries, he said.

The joint venture is conducting market research to "develop a demand
estimate," said Pandit , who believes that the low initial price and
low operating cost of converted vehicles will help make the Revolo
conversion kit a hit with both private and fleet b=vehicle owners in
India. It's that kind of low-cost, easy-to-install kit that will be
needed to make plug-in hybrid conversions accessible to most people
in the U.S., said Kramer - who also believes that it will take the
development of smaller and more powerful batteries and inexpensive
in-wheel electric motors to truly make U.S. passenger car conversions
work, as there is little room on most cars to day to add an electric
motor and a battery pack.

He sees, and he's not alone, the commercial-vehicle segments as the
immediate markets for conversions. Not only are trucks, vans and SUVs
larger and better able to accommodate the extra equipment a hybrid
system require, "it just makes more economic sense to start with big
vehicles and migrate down," Kramer said.
   Commercial fleets look at total cost of ownership over many years
and many miles, so a higher initial purchase cost isn't that much of
a concern if the vehicle saves money on maintenance and fuel." And if
the U.S. doesn't get on the ball - private business and government
alike - Kramer worries, pointing to efforts such as Revolo, then
fleet operators may be purchasing their conversion systems, or
converted vehicles, from overseas suppliers in the electric-drive
industry's repeat of the Asian takeover of the small-car business in the U.S.

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

Last week, Felix spoke in Houston at the Rice
University Baker Institute's conference "Energy
Market Consequences of an Emerging U.S. Carbon
Management Policy". We think you'll enjoy reading
the "Op-Ed" that we prepared as a companion to
that speech, which has also reprinted (so far) at
Climate Progress. And below that you'll find
links to a report on the event and to presentations and papers from the Forum.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting
will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there
you can add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

OUR OP-ED: BLUE-SKYING PETROLEUM’S FUTURE

[Here's how it was introduced at Joseph Romm's
Climate Progress blog
http://climateprogress.org/2010/10/02/blue-skying-petroleums-future/#more-34256
where you can add your comments.]

Felix Kramer, founder of the California Cars
Initiative, was a keynoter at a recent Houston
energy conference sponsored by Rice University's
Baker Institute and ConocoPhillips. Here is the
message he wanted to send to the petroleum industry.

Would your family want to live within breathing
distance of the Houston Ship Channel? Or near one
of the world's top targets for terrorists? Can
you imagine that choke point someday as a recreational destination?

As Yogi Berra said, "If you don't know where
you're going, you might not get there." Can you
picture a world where fossil fuels are the last
resort, not the first? If anyone can think big,
it's Texans. What if Houston's corporate HQs and
its giant port found their way to a new winning streak?

After eight years in which CalCars.org and our
partners put plug-in hybrids on the map -- and
soon into dealer showrooms near you -- I'm
looking up for the Next Big Thing. As a serial
entrepreneur, as I blue-sky, I'm thinking
optimistically about the actual blue sky we look
up at -- the one that brings out the best in every shade of green we see.

I'm as conservative as they come about our sky.
How about you? Just as scientists know that the
sky is blue because light scatters when it hits
oxygen and nitrogen, they also recognize just how
poisoned air can threaten our way of life --
perhaps even human existence itself. That's why
so many government and business leaders convened
September 27 to talk about "Energy Market
Consequences of an Emerging U.S. Carbon Management Policy."

That's why I've made it my business to take on a
daunting goal. I work to reduce greenhouse gases
80% by 2050. Some countries and industries -- and
lots of smart money -- are embracing this
challenge. But more still look the other way.
That's short-sighted. Besides the impacts of
climate change, these days we have so many
reasons to redefine business as usual. Do you
really like spending over a billion dollars a day
on imported oil? We get our oil and natural gas
from deep and remote underground sources. But as
we've seen from our beloved Gulf Coast to the
Marcellus Shale Formation, can we ever fully
protect against all the risks? And do we have the
vast amounts of water and other resources to
divert to extract those fuels? How much fun will
it be to fall far behind Asia and Europe as they
reinvent economic growth around efficiency,
cleantech, and renewable energy -- while we're
stuck like fossils in a second-rate backwater?

Every day I work hard to move us towards a
low-carbon world, just 40 years out. The
low-hanging fruit -- ending our addiction to oil
for transportation -- could be our generation's
triumph. Right after Pearl Harbor, Americans
stopped making cars and trucks and built planes
and tanks faster than anyone thought possible.
Now it's our turn to retool and recharge.

My family will be among the first to reload and
refuel, replacing our two cars with a Chevy Volt
and a Nissan Leaf . I'm delighted we'll have a
million plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles on
U.S. roads within five years. But even if they
penetrate the market at lightning speed -- 10
times faster than hybrids sold in the last decade
-- in 15 years, plug-ins will still be less than
one fifth of America's 250 million vehicles.
That's because gas-guzzlers stay on the road much
longer than you think. So why don't we upgrade them to plug in?

A "Big Fix" to do just that could create many
local jobs and make and save lots of money. With
Intel co-founder Andy Grove and others, I'm
promoting the idea of converting most of our
large gas guzzlers to run partly or entirely on
electricity. We're already retrofitting homes,
offices and factories. We can extend the lives of
our pickups, SUVS, vans, and buses. And by
replacing gallons with kilowatts, we'll spend
only a quarter as much per mile to drive them.

Federal and state governments are already paying
tens of thousands of dollars per vehicle to
companies that convert trucks to run on natural
gas. Unfortunately, that doesn't get us off
fossil fuels. Natural gas cuts CO2 by a measly
30%. But every vehicle we retrofit to run on
electricity will get cleaner as it gets older,
because its power will come from increasingly
low-carbon sources -- including all that West Texas wind.

In 2011, new companies will surprise us with
technical solutions and business models for a
giant, new U.S.-led global industry. They'll show
how to convert almost anything except long-haul
trucks. In a few years, as batteries get cheaper,
and we can put lightweight motors right inside
wheels, many of today's small cars can also
become affordable, safe, all-electrics or plug-in
hybrids. And they might use battery separators invented by Exxon Mobil.

I'm a big fan when the oil industry zeroes in on
the smartest, best uses for its products. I love
it when hydrocarbons are locked up in plastic for
consumer products, synthetic fibers and building
materials. I hope oil technologies and rigs are
soon used globally for lots more geothermal
drilling . I cheer when Chevron invests in a
startup that sells aviation biofuel from algae to
the U.S. Navy. That's 21st century leadership,
inspiring the entire industry to go beyond petroleum.

I'd like to see the industry sponsor a successor
to the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize
focused on retrofit solutions. I invite a
born-again oil industry to accelerate its rebirth
by forging a bipartisan consensus to put a price
on carbon emissions. And I'd welcome any oil
companies announcements that they are not joining
Valero, Tessoro and the Koch brothers in funding
efforts to kill California's pioneering legislation on global warming.

The industry can jump on many huge business and
job creation opportunity. Take agriculture.
Rather than continuing to pump up hundreds of
ocean dead zones with runoff, and watch as others
capture their customers, oil companies can invest
in better solutions. The industry can look at
biochar–an emerging no-side-effects
geoengineering and soil enrichment technology. It
can invest in smarter substitutes for
petroleum-derived pesticides. That's scalable
since low-carbon farming techniques yield larger
harvests than today's global average. The icing
on the cake? Biochar and organic farming could
capture half the world's greenhouse gases!

In 2050, I'd like to see my grandchildren run
around a Houston Ship Channel full of yacht
marinas and dune buggy trails. I'd watch them
gulp fresh air as they take up my new favorite
sport, stand-up paddle boarding, on its clean,
still waters. And I'd love to hear what crazy new
challenge they dream up as they gaze at the big Texas sky.

OUR PRESENTATION ( 1.5MB PDF) is at
http://www.calcars.org/calcars-bakerinstitute-sept2010.pdf
. The 16 "slides" include several updated pages,
including  an update of our "vehicle tracking
page" plus several focusing on our "Big Fix"
gas-guzzler conversions campaign, including new information on ALTe's business,

PLUG-IN CARS REPORT is a good summary of the
event and its significance. It highlights the
Baker Institute's endorsement of an aggressive
transition to electric vehicles as "the single
most effective way to reduce U.S. oil demand and
foreign imports as a key component of a carbon
reduction
strategy."
http://www.plugincars.com/broad-non-partisan-analysis-concludes-electric-vehicle\
s-are-best-solution-81929.html

At a time when Congress is considering spending
lots of money to convert gasoline and diesel
vehicles to run on natural gas, the Institute's
report includes the welcome key recognition that
putting natural gas into power plants to fuel
electric motors at about 80% net efficiency is a
far more effective strategy than using natural
gas to directly vehicles with internal combustion
engines at about 20% net efficiency

The Baker Insitute's page for the event,
including PDFs of presentations (ours will be
there within a day), and soon a pointer to the archived webcast is at
http://bakerinstitute.org/events/energy-market-consequences-of-an-emerging-u.s.-\
carbon-management-policy
. The reports prepared by the Institute are
at
http://bakerinstitute.org/programs/energy-forum/publications/energy-studies/ener\
gy-market-consequences-of-an-emerging-u.s.-carbon-management-policy
.



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

This Saturday is Plug In America's Fifth Anniversary Party in Los
Angeles. CalCars.org' Founder Felix Kramer, Technology Lead Ron
Gremban, and Webmaster Michael Bender can't be there for personal
reasons, but we urge anyone who can to attend. It's the last shindig
for advocates before many thousands of Americans will be plugging in.
So show up to THANK the dedicated volunteers, to SUPPORT the
organization and to find out how to JOIN in working on the
all-important next steps. In his blog invitation, Paul Scott, PIA
co-founder, has given us an entertaining look at PIA's history
http://evsandenergy.blogspot.com/2010/10/from-protest-to-plug-ins-plug-in.html
. That inspired us to chime in below with a congratulatory message to
the event plus some thoughts about how we reached this moment -- and
what it means for PIA, CalCars, and all of our readers.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

FIRST, THE SATURDAY EVENT: The fundraiser is at the beautiful
eco-home http://www.marrakeshhouse.com in Culver City of Chris Paine,
maker of "Who Killed the Electric Car?" and its Spring 2011
successor, "Revenge of the Electric Car." Of course you'll see (and
get shuttle rides in) plug-in cars, and you'll also be the first to
see PIA's new "gas vs. electric" PSAs, inspired by the "I'm a Mac/I'm
a PC" ads -- which we hear will take the online world by storm! At
the signup page http://www.pluginamerica.org/2010 you'll see why the
event is called " "From Protests to Plug-Ins" -- it includes carmakers' logos!

OUR MESSAGE TO THE EVENT:
"CalCars.org joins Plug In America in celebrating all the people and
the creative strategies that have brought us to this moment. It's
been a long road -- and for many of us, it's what we're most proud of
having done in our lives. PIA has been about the end of business as
usual -- focusing on solutions critical for our security, economy,
environment, and quality of life. PIA has refused to take no for an
answer, has never pulled its punches, and has responded to every
slow-down warning by stepping harder on the accelerator."

"Last October, CalCars declared victory when we were finally certain
mass-produced plug-in hybrids were in sight. Some saw that as
premature -- but we thought it was important to celebrate. And now we
join with those at the party, saluting all those who joined together
to spark the transformation of a giant global industry."

"Next week PIA, CalCars, and the broad coalition around us will
return to ensuring that THIS commercialization is successful. Now we
get to replace theoretical pitches about benefits with the reality of
mass-produced cars. We get to help customers figure out what models
will work for them, and what to expect at showrooms. We get to
encourage plug-in buyers to become evangelists. And we get to both
applaud and criticize version 1.0 products so automakers can improve
and refine them. It's going to be a great ride!"

WHO'S BEEN WHO IN THE PLUG-IN CAMPAIGN? Paul Scott's posting
describes how PIA emerged from the Don't Crush campaigns to save
driveable EVs. We're often asked how the different organizations fit
in and work together. We thought we'd take this opportunity to
explain that and its implications for the future.

The original advocacy organization promoting all types of plug-in
vehicles (EVs, parallel PHEVs , series PHEVs/EREVs, with any number
of wheels) is the Electric Auto Association
http://www.electricauto.org, founded in 1967. PIA
http://www.pluginamerica.org , founded in 2005, is an affiliated
organization of the EAA. Both are growing membership organizations:
EAA has members in dozens of chapters in the US and internationally;
PIA has thousands of contributors and tens of thousands of subscribers.

In the past five years, many others jumped into what former CIA
Director Jim Woolsey with a straight face called a "coalition of tree
huggers, do-gooders, sodbusters, cheap hawks, and evangelicals -- and
Willie Nelson." From the national organizations listed at
http://www.calcars.org/partners.html , we salute those that allocated
significant staff resources and focused most on the opportunity,
including, alphabetically, Friends of the Earth, Google.org, Natural
Resources Defense Council, Plug-In Partners, Rainforest Alliance,
Rocky Mountain Institute, Saving America's Future Energy, and Set America Free.

CALCARS.ORG, founded in 2002, is unlike these groups. We're an
informal network of entrepreneurs, engineers, environmentalists, and
consumers. Though not a membership organization, we've asked
supporters to sponsor our organization with donations. (ADVT: Still
needed -- at http://www.calcars.org/sponsor.html .) We've ranged from
2-5 full-timers, most of the time unpaid, supplemented by dozens of
advisers and over 7,000 subscribers. You can see our early history
and ambitions in our report for 2005-07
http://www.calcars.org/2007.html , in 1,121 postings at our News
Archive http:/www.calcars.org/news-archive.html , and in PIA
co-founder Sherry Boschert's book, "Plug-In Hybrids: The Cars that
will Recharge America" http://www.calcars.org/books.html .

Most importantly, though also affiliated with EAA, we've always
focused mainly on plug-in hybrids. We're proud of our catalytic role
in putting PHEVs on the map, helping to move them from Andy Frank's
UC Davis Hybrid Center, first to the open source PRIUS+ conversions
of 2004-05 with attention-getting 100+MPG signs, and then helping
aftermarket companies provide the emerging coalition with real PHEVs
to prove their feasibility and benefits. Our informal virtual
structure has allowed us to move very quickly. On the downside, we
regret we couldn't build or spark a more formal organization to
promote PHEVs globally, clarify misconceptions and misinformation,
and ensure that government regulations and programs helped PHEVs develop.

IS THERE A COMPETITION BETWEEN EVS AND PHEVS? We've often been asked,
"Will EVs or PHEVs win?" Until recently, our answer has been: EITHER
sets us on a new path to displace fossil fuel with cleaner, cheaper,
domestic energy from electricity. We think for multiple reasons we'll
see many PHEVs in the mix. But if we're wrong, since EVs use no
petroleum, we'll win even more!

Last year, CalCars added a second response with our "Big Fix"
Campaign to convert existing gas-guzzlers to run partly or entirely
on electricity. Nnow, CalCars equally promotes both EV and PHEV
retrofits -- the choice depends on technical, drive cycle and
business criteria.

Our early hybrid conversions were strategic and largely symbolic,
intended mainly to build awareness and support. Six years later, we
propose validated, safe retrofits joining new plug-in cars in high
volumes, to accelerate transportation electrification, expand supply
chains and reduce component costs, and create green local jobs.

Unlike last time, the Big Fix will take off, not mainly through
efforts by advocates, but as emerging companies launch a giant new
industry. We invite PIA (signers of the endorsement form at the top
of http://www.calcars.org/ice-conversions.html ), and other
organizations, to join us as cheerleaders. They can help analyze and
quantify the opportunities, support government loans to companies and
incentives to buyers, and ultimately enlist automakers as partners,
so their products can be upgraded and warrantied.

SO WHAT KIND OF PLUG-INS WIN MATTERS LESS THAN HOW MANY: Some
industry analysts and insiders project that the demand for plug-in
cars won't extend beyond early adopters and those attracted by
incentives. We join with PIA and others to prove them wrong. Our
challenge is to wake people up to the true meaning of conservatism:
to value what we are now destroying. A practical and realistic
analysis concludes we can no longer afford internal combustion
vehicles: we can't keep paying and bleeding for oil, we can't drill
in ever-more risky areas, and humans and our atmosphere can't
tolerate the emissions. If the naysayers are right and plug-ins
remain a niche market, they will have only a symbolic impact on our
addiction to fossil fuels. What matters most is that we:

* Do everything we can to help plug-in vehicles succeed in the
marketplace, trumpeting their benefits and necessity.
* Move ASAP to a low-carbon grid where batteries in parked cars help
intermittent renewable energy sources become reliable 24/7.
* Recruit those who are excited about the new cars to support fixing
as many as possible of our legacy vehicles.

Thank you all for everything you've done to bring us to this day!

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

Are you in the doldrums about dimming chances we
as a society can seriously address energy
security and climate change? Maybe you can refuel
from the growing momentum for plug-in cars, and
the impending arrival of production vehicles!
Before next week's LA Auto Show brings more news,
here's your weekend reading: in-depth info &
raves about the Volt, car ads, the first cars in
consumers' garages, PHEV sports cars on the way, and future fleets.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting
will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there
you can add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

We expect that many of our readers are already
following the daily avalanche of news about the
Chevy Volt and the Nissan LEAF at sources like
those we list at
http://www.calcars.org/partners.html#opb -- so
we're highlighting the biggest items for people
who don't tracking every announcement.

GM VIDEO ADS FOR CHEVY VOLT: If you've glimpsed
print ads that say "Chevrolet Volt: It's More Car
than Electric," when you see the 33-second ad
that aired during the World Series, you'll
understand it. GM is invoking a traditional theme
-- the freedom of the open road -- and is
comparing the Volt not to conventional combustion
cars but to all-electric EVs. If you missed the
spot, it's under videos at
http://www.chevroletvoltage.com/ or at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-1bxSsTtrU

GM PRINT ADS FOR VOLT: In the December Automobile
magazine, it's refreshing to see an eight-page
"special advertising section" on the Volt. Some
tag lines remind us of our past tag-lines,
especially "Beyond Hybrids" and "Gas is
optional." (GAS-OPT remains the license plate on
Ron Gremban's world's first converted Prius.)

FIRST VOLTS IN CONSUMERS' HANDS: The 15 members
of GM's Chevy Volt Customer Advisory Board (list
at
http://www.chevroletvoltage.com/index.php/Volt/the-chevrolet-volt-customer-advis\
ory-board.html
) got their cars this week. For three months,
they'll give the company feedback. Participant
Lyle Dennis is hosting a discussion area for
reports  at his GM-Volt website ; we hope many
will participate at
http://gm-volt.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?18-VOLT-Consumer-Advisory-Board-Discus\
sion-Forum
. For one high-profile member's problems getting
the charging system installed right, see links
from
http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?5412-Chelsea-Sexton-Having-Problem-Getti\
ng-Chevrolet-Volt-Charger-Installed
. San Francisco isn't part of the test area, but
Ron and Felix at CalCars have been told their
vehicles are consumer units #24 and 9. We'll see
if how well plans the installation /approval
process for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) go in the coming weeks.

ENTERTAINING EV ADS: Plug In America has unveiled
the first two of seven PSA-style ads inspired by
the "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" series. We especially
like "Cell Phone;" "Ocean Crude" is also amusing.
Well-produced by an ace all-volunteer team from
around Hollywood and Santa Monica. See them at
http://www.pluginamerica.org/drive-electric/ .
PIA has a revamped website including an improved
vehicle tracker and an "accessory" tracker (charging systems).

"VOLT: THE MAGAZINE" Yes, there's actually an
entire magazine about the Volt, and it's worth
getting (free online). Don't be intimidated that
it's from the Society of Automotive Engineers. To
be sure, its 34 pages include tech info for
gearheads. But it also profiles the team,
highlights supplier partners, explains the design
and body, and looks at the challenges of the
market launch. Veteran auto journalist and SAE
Senior Editor Lindsay Brooke has put together a
great package to launch a "one-stop shop" for
vehicle electrification at evsae.com. View the
magazine online at http://tinyurl.com/saeV01tmag
or download a ZIP file of the PDF at
http://pages.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/sae/10EVSD1104/offline/sae_10EVSD1104_pdf.zip.
Comment at
http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?5543-2011-Chevrolet-Volt-Development-Sto\
ry-Free-Online-Magazine
.

SOME TIDBITS & NUGGETS JUMPED OUT AT US (with page #s):
* Since 2007, battery packs have been TESTED for
a million miles and four million hours
(equivalent of 465 years) (21), and the vehicle has 6,000 welds (37).
* GM says the its testing shows the coefficient
of DRAG of the Prius at .30, not the claimed .25,
meaning the Volt at .28 is better (39)
* Why are "FENDER SKIRTS" as unpopular as
proposing a gas tax? Bring back wheel partial
fairings (as on the EV1 and original Honda
Insight) that reduce drag significantly!
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2008/08/calling-raymond/ (39)
* IF THE ENGINE NEVER COMES ON: Engine
Maintenance Mode every 45 days and an annual Fuel
Maintenance Mode will maintain the car. (Where's
the Text Mode to urge those drivers: "Get a pure EV?")
* Full two-page spreads: SPECS (14-15) and TIMELINE (24-25)
* 20 major Vehicle Control Software Calibrations
(we hadn't heard the VESCOM acronym before) plus many interim iterations. (3)
* FUN QUOTES from GM team: John Lauckner, "We
know that sometime in the future we'll move away
from petroleum as the centrality of our whole
propulsion strategy." (10) Tony Posawatz:
"Looking back the team made many, many smart
decisions and maintained a maniacal focus on
developing this vehicle." (23) Andrew Farah:
"Looking ahead we can optimize many of the
technologies as aspects of the car that are
somewhat suboptimized on Volt, due to the program
timing and our focus on getting the battery
absolutely right." (41) Pam Fletcher: "We made a
lot of choices and spent a lot of development to
make it a comfortable, smooth, quiet,
pleasant-driving vehicle as well as making
efficiency a big priority." (51) Britta Gross
[before we start talking about secondary use of
batteries or vehicle-to-grid or vehicle to home]:
"Wait a second, guys! We've got to get the car
right first."  And from David Cole of the Center
of Automotive Research: "Volt is perhaps the auto
industry's most notable technological advancement of the past 50 years." (8)

IF YOU WANT TO READ ONLY ONE REVIEW, revel in Dan
Neil's words in the Wall Street Journal:
"Chevrolet Volt: A Win for the Home Team:"
GM's futuristic extended-range electric vehicle
and the company's most technologically
significant car since the 1912 Cadillac…. A bunch
of Midwestern engineers in bad haircuts and cheap
wristwatches just out-engineered every other car
company on the planet. And they did it in 29
months while the company they worked for was
falling apart around them. That was downright
heroic. Somebody ought to make a movie."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304510704575562363168727230.html

USA TODAY'S MOST CONSUMER-FOCUSED REVIEW by James
Healey "Chevy's easy-driving Volt could be your
only car:" Most of the time, you drive on battery
power only. Some of the time, you burn gas to
keep the juice flowing. No place to plug in to
recharge? No problem. Fill the gas tank and drive
on. How, exactly, is that anything but
genius?
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/reviews/healey/2010-10-21-test-drive-chevrol\
et-volt_N.htm

CNN: JUST A VERY GOOD CAR by Peter Valdes-Dapena
"Chevy Volt can go the distance:" On a long
rainy-day drive from Washington, D.C., to Times
Square, the Chevrolet Volt showed itself to be
more than just a technological oddity….The Volt,
it turns out, is a really good, fully functional
automobile that could just save you a lot of cash
on gasoline, too. … Bottom line, the Volt is a
very good car and oh, it can drive for 40 miles
without using any gasoline.
http://money.cnn.com/2010/11/08/autos/chevy_volt_long_drive/index.htm

CAR & DRIVER CHIMES IN: by Dave Vanderwerp, 2011
Feature Test, "Electric Revival: Not only did it
not kill the electric car, GM's reinvented it:"
This is without a doubt the most important new
car since the advent of hybrids in the late ’90s,
and GM has nailed it. Is this the handing off of
the Prius’s very illustrious torch? The Verdict:
The ideal, near-term EV solution.
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/10q4/2011_chevrolet_volt-feature_test

CARS.COM GETS INTO DETAILS: Expert Review by Joe
Wiesenfelder: After years of anticipation and
inflated expectations, the Chevrolet Volt still
manages to impress, bringing a new type of
motoring in a package that's remarkably refined,
comfortable and livable. For certain buyers, it's
perfect. Who are those buyers? People who want
two things: to drive an appreciable distance on
electric power and to not worry about what
happens if the battery runs out….With time it
could prove to be the model that makes drivers
comfortable enough with the experience of plug-in
motoring that they'll consider a battery-electric
without the safety net of an onboard generator as
their next car. http://www.cars.com/chevrolet/volt/2011/reviews/?revid=56683

DETROIT NEWS AUTO CRITIC Scott Burgess "Volt test
drive quiet, efficient -- and fun:" Who knew a
revolution could feel so normal?
http://www.detnews.com/article/20101011/OPINION03/10110362/Volt-test-drive-quiet\
--efficient-ó-and-fun.

LOS ANGELES TIMES by Susan Carpenter: With its
Volt, Chevy has made an EV for the masses that is
alluring from all angles — inside, outside and
under the hood. The Volt doesn't redeem GM from
its past reclamation and crushing of the EV1, but
it's a bold and impressive step into the
future.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/21/business/la-fi-autos-chevrolet-volt-revi\
ew-20101021

OTHER REVIEWS: See the Wikipedia entry on the car
for much background, including a summary table
showing the results and linking to the
journalists' reports of average all-electric
range (AER) and 35-40MPG fuel economy after the
battery is depleted at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevy_Volt#Test_drives .

GM REPOSITIONS TWO TECHNICAL ISSUES: Recently GM
has shifted from "40-mile all-electric range"
(AER) to "your mileage may vary" from 25-50. And
once its patent filings were in place, GM
revealed that under some conditions, the
combustion engine actually joins the electric
motor in directly powering the wheels. Experts
applauded the refinement (a move away from a pure
series hybrid) for permitting the entire system
to be further optimized. PHEV originator Andy
Frank notes that his company, Efficient
Drivetrains, hopes to demonstrate how
transmission technologies can further reduce the
system's cost and improve efficiency. See GM's
explanation at
http://www.chevroletvoltage.com/index.php/Volt/clearing-up-confusion-about-the-c\
hevrolet-volt.html,
pages 29-34 in the SAE Magazine, and a
non-technical explanation at
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2010/10/reality-check-is-the-2011-chevrole\
t-volt-an-electric-car-or-a-hybrid.html

OPEL AMPERA--EUROPE'S VOLT--NOW FOR SALE: GM is
taking orders for the Opel Ampera. It's priced
far higher than the Volt, in part because of the
European Value Added Tax.
http://green.autoblog.com/2010/11/11/opel-ampera-priced-from-42-900-euros-58-718\
-usd/

WRIGHTSPEED RAISES $5M: Ian Wright is best known
for his X1, which he describes as the "world's
fastest street legal electric car" (0-60 MPH in
2.9 seconds). He built it in Silicon Valley after
leaving Tesla. Less well understood is that the
vehicle previews technology destined not only for
extreme-performance sports cars but also for PHEV
systems in medium-duty trucks. You can understand
the company's Digital DriveSystem technology by
reading http://www.wrightspeed.com/technology .
Now Wrightspeed has raised $5M from private
sources, and after more than five years, the company can move forward!

MARKET PENETRATION RATES: JD Power projects poor
future prospects for plug-in cars. Its study
assumes business-as-usual scenarios for energy
policies, stable oil prices, and slow
improvements in technology. The report sparked
anotherther wave of negative media stories,
includng a much-noted editorial in the Washington
Post. We posted a comment at Edmunds.com pointing
to PlugInCars.com's able critique. (We added,
"One more point: whether the penetration rate for
new plug-ins is 5% or 20% of new cars by 2020,
the resulting reduction in petroleum use will be
no more than a drop in the bucket compared to the
fuel used by cars already on the road, which
makes the case for converting tens of millions of
existing vehicles to run partly or entirely on
electricity, as we at CalCars.org have been
advocating.") See
http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2010/10/formidable-roadblocks-remain-to\
-broad-acceptance-of-electric-drive-vehicles-report-by-jd-power--associates-says\
-growth-prospects-may-be-over-hyped.html .

Then Bloomberg New Energy Finance came up with
better numbers. Looking to 2030 and changing only
assumptions about gas prices, plug-ins' percent
of new vehicle sales could be 14% at $2.08, 22%
at $3.34, and 31% at $5.48. (Less than double in
20 years? What about $10 or $15?) See
http://www.plugincars.com/another-week-another-analysis-plug-cars-account-9-auto\
-sales-2020-102541.html

GE'S GIANT FLEET PURCHASE: General Electric has
committed to buy 25,000 PHEVs and EVs in the next
five years, plugging in half of its fleet. GM
says it will include 1,000 Volts in 2011 and
2-3,000/year after that. And signaling that this
and other fleet purchases could increase Volt
production volume plans, the Wall Street Journal
quotes GM saying the GE purchase 'won't reduce
the number of Volts available to the public."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703848204575608323321329514.html
. On Monday watch for
http://www.electrificationcoalition.org/events.php
roundtable and announcement of its Fleet Electrification Roadmap.

SPORTS CARS ARE SPEEDIER ON ELECTRICITY:
Automakers are realizing they can cash in on the
immediate, continuous torque of electric motors.
Fast, small-volume models won't solve our energy
problems, but they'll help make electric drive a
must-have for mainstream models. Porsche says it
has 2,300 soft orders for its previously
announced 918 Spyder PHEV scheduled for 2013,
costing up to 500,000 Euros ($682,260). BMW just
approved production of its Vision
EfficentDynamics 2+2 (smaller seats) "supercar,"
expected to cost over $140,000.

SPORTS CAR CONCEPTS AT THE PARIS AUTO SHOW:
JAGUAR C-X75 (concept-experimental-75th
anniversary) PHEV sportscar with diesel turbo
generators and a 68-mile range. 0-62mph in 3.4
seconds is something -- how about 0-200 in
17.5?  AUDI E-TRON SPYDER is another diesel PHEV,
0-62 in 4.4 seconds, but speed limited to a mere 155 MPH.

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

The Electrification Coalition has been very successful in organizing
corporate executives, military officers and many others to support
accelerated adoption plug-in cars for the economic and energy
security benefits. Now EC has just released a new "Fleet
Electrification Roadmap." It proposes steps to increase market
penetration in private and public fleet vehicles of "GEVs" (Grid
Electric Vehicles, including EVs and PHEVs). Below we include links
to the report. Plus we are very gratified to see the report's
acknowledgment of the value of large-scale conversions, and news of
Fedex activities on conversions; we include that text from  the report.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

GET THE REPORT: We encourage you to read the entire Fleet
Electrification Roadmap; it's loaded with nuggets of hard-to-find
data and smart analyses. You can read the press release and download
it in several formats (and earlier EC publications),  starting at
http://www.electrificationcoalition.org/

IF YOU LIKE THAT ONE, SEE OUR TAKE ON THE EC'S PREVIOUS REPORTS at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html: April 8 2010:
"Electrification Coalition Report: 1.9 Million Jobs from Plug-In Cars
& Other Benefits," and January 25, 2010: " 2009's Best
Strategy/Analysis: Electrification Coalition's Roadmap," and by all
means, read them too!

COALITION MEMBERS GE, FEDEX JUMPING ON BOARD: Last week, you read
everywhere that General Electric will purchase 25,000 plug-in cars in
the next five years for its own fleet. The company is moving into the
business of selling charging systems as well. Federal Express has
been a strong supporter of plug-ins for years. (The report shows
Fedex with the fourth largest commercial fleet (p.142), not including
tens of thousand of airport vehicles.

Fedex CEO Fred Smith, speaking at the briefing for the release of
this report, talked at length about the company's efforts.  It caught
our attention when he said the company hasestablished a significant
project to explore ways to retrofit many of their vehicles. We hope
more companies will follow their lead, bringing more customers to the
emerging companies in the conversion business (see
http://www.calcars.org/ice-conversions.html ).

EC FLEET ROADMAP LOOKS AT CONVERSIONS. This represents a major
recognition of the importance of the conversion strategy. We do
regret, first, that the action agenda from the report did not include
any measures to develop or incentivize conversions -- it's still up
to the emerging companies cited but not identified to prove their
case! And with the federal government, prompted by the $50M campaign
by T Boone Pickens, increasing support for natural gas conversions of
large vehicles (costing more and producing fewer long-term economic
and emissions benefits), we look forward to the time when safe,
validated, warrantied conversions will receive equivalent incentives.
Here are the report's findings:

For some fleet operators that are able to hold onto vehicles for an
extended period of time, drivetrain conversions may provide a
relatively lower cost option for utilizing PHEV or EV technology. A
conversion simply replaces the existing ICE powertrain with a new EV
or PHEV powertrain; the rest of the vehicle is retained. Therefore,
conversions are likely to be most appropriate for heavily depreciated assets.

PHEV or EV conversions could fit within the operational norm for some
companies today. For example, in certain service applications,
calendar lifespan of a typical vehicle can be in excess of eight to
10 years. In instances where these vehicles also log high
miles--waste removal trucks, for example--fleet operators today
sometimes opt for a drivetrain replacement rather than incurring the
cost of purchasing a new vehicle.

A number of companies today are marketing PHEV or EV drivetrains as
standalone products for both consumer and commercial conversions.
While the consumer market may have potential, the value that many
drivers place on vehicle appearance and age may limit the size of the
overall conversion market. However, in fleet applications that derive
utility from maximizing the operational lifespan of a vehicle, PHEV
and EV powertrain conversions could represent a significant cost
savings. The marginal cost of an electric drivetrain compared to an
ICE drivetrain is likely to be less than the marginal cost of
replacing a complete ICE vehicle with an electric drive vehicle. Yet
the fuel savings-potential of GEV conversion is essentially the same
as a new asset. Fleet operators who opt for conversions will have a
smaller upfront investment to pay back, but will benefit from the
same operational cost savings as operators who purchase their vehicles new.


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

In the same week that GM returned to the stock market with the
largest U.S. Initial Public Offering ever, returning half of the
federal stake, the Chevy Volt continues to gain recognition as a
breakthrough vehicle. Three top industry players have unanimously
crowned the Volt as Vehicle of the Year. Decades after Andy Frank
began designing plug-in hybrids, and eight years after we started
CalCars to promote their commercialization, we're seeing Motor Trend,
Automobile Mag and Green Car Journal all describing the Volt and the
PHEV approach the same way: "Game-Changer."  Plus we bring the news
that the electric drive industry's trade association has stepped up
with GoElectricDrive.com, a national information center for buyers of
all plug-ins. And a pointer to a thoughtful broad analysis of GM's
marketing approach by CleanTech analyst Joel Makower.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

General Motors is proud of its impending success -- and the company
showed it. On the morning of the company's IPO, the readers of the
Wall Street Journal and Tthe New York Times came upon full-page ads
on pages 11 and 13. One in red was headlined, "The future is here and
America is back in the game" -- Motor Trend. At the bottom of the
page, "Introducing the 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year, the all-new
Chevrolet Volt. It's more car than electric. And it's just the
beginning." The other, in green, said, Is it just us, or is there
electricity in the air? "Automobile of the Year" -- Automobile
Magazine. And at the bottom, "Turns out people get pretty excited
when you change the world. The all-new Chevrolet Volt. It's more car
than electric." The stories cited below are all online; print issues
will be out next month. We present the primary sources and the URLs
for the stories; you can find more details easily by searching news online

MOTOR TREND 2011 CAR OF THE YEAR The auto industry's most prestigious
award introduces the Volt  as "A Car of the Future You can Drive
Today." The Volt topped all others on the combination of the award's
six criteria: engineering/design/efficiency/safety/value/performance.
Motor Trend's multi-day 299-mile test cofirmed  126MPG plus
electricity, or 73MPGE. See Editor Angus MacKenzie's three-minute
video and the long report at
http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/1101_2011_motor_trend_car_of_the_year_ch\
evrolet_volt/index.html
(Click Print to see the entire article on one page, and click on
Gallery to see 23 photos.)

Here's the wrap-up: "It is a fully functional, no-compromise compact
automobile that offers auto consumers real benefits in terms of lower
running costs.
The more we think about the Volt, the more convinced we are this
vehicle represents a real breakthrough. The genius of the Volt's
powertrain is that it is actually capable of operating as a pure EV,
a series hybrid, or as a parallel hybrid to deliver the best possible
efficiency, depending on your duty cycle. For want of a better
technical descriptor, this is world's first intelligent hybrid. And
the investment in the technology that drives this car is also an
investment in the long-term future of automaking in America.
Moonshot. Game-changer. A car of the future that you can drive today,
and every day. So what should we call Chevrolet's astonishing Volt?
How about, simply, Motor Trend's 2011 Car of the Year.

GREEN CAR OF THE YEAR 2011: The Chevy Volt received the award from
the Green Car Journal's jury including top leaders of four national
environmental groups, Jay Leno, and Caroll Shelby. Publisher/editor
Ron Cogan told the Detroit Free Press, "This is the game-changer...It
says as no car ever has before that you can have an electric vehicle
without limitations.It doesn't get more important than that."
http://www.freep.com/article/20101118/BUSINESS0101/101118055/ .

The Green Car Journal was established in 1992. Hybrids won in
2006-08; winners in 2009-10 were diesels. Previously, as a
pre-production vehicle, the Volt won the 2009 Green Car Vision
Award.  Press release at
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chevrolet-volt-named-2011-green-car-of-t\
he-year-108977584.html
and story at
http://www.greencar.com/articles/chevrolet-volt-electric-car-2011-green-car-year\
.php

AUTOMOBILE OF THE YEAR 2011: The article in Automobile Magazine
doesn't spare the Volt some criticism, and its spends some thoughtful
time talking about the vehicle's implications for the auto industry.
See the 3-minute video with comments by all the magazine's editors,
and the full report (6 online pages plus 4 sidebar pages)
http://www.automobilemag.com/features/awards/1101_2011_automobile_of_the_year_ch\
evrolet_volt/index.html
. Here's the conclusion:

While the hostility toward "Government Motors" won't dissipate
anytime soon, the Volt's arrival should at least silence those who
insisted that the car couldn't or wouldn't be built. Those who argue
it shouldn't exist have yet to drive it. Despite the Volt's
imperfections, it takes only a single mile behind the wheel to
realize that you are reveling in the experience. Forty, eighty, and
200 miles later, you'll still be marveling at the seamless
technology. It is not fast nor is it fun in the typical sense, yet it
still has all the brainwashing abilities of a Porsche Cayman. The
Volt is unique, but more convincingly, it instills an overwhelming
sense that you're driving something significant. Complex ideas can't
be revolutionary until they're accessible enough for mass
consumption. There are three separate thermal loops to heat and cool
the powertrain components. GM applied for more than 200 patents
during the Volt's development. And the advanced battery pack is
believed to cost somewhere around $10,000. Yet the Volt packages the
game-changing technology in a manner that's nothing short of revolutionary.

Over the past century, the evolution of the automobile has been about
more content for less money, faster lap times, more luxury, or better
fuel efficiency. The Volt's accomplishments aren't even in the same
realm. It won't just change what we drive, but also how we drive.
Owners will plug in at night, heat or cool their cabin before they
leave the garage, and adopt new driving styles to maximize their
electric range. Then, when the battery is depleted, they'll
mindlessly motor on, free of the limitations that accompany
pure-electric vehicles. This is the most sophisticated, most
important vehicle on the road today. The Volt model could very well
be the standard of the future: a smartly sized battery backed by a
frugal range extender, whether that's a diesel, a turbine, or a gas
engine. In fact, several automakers already have plans to develop
similar plug-ins with usable electric driving range and supplemental
fossil-fuel power. For being an automotive pioneer, the Chevrolet
Volt is the 2011 Automobile of the Year.

GOELECTRICDRIVE.COM LAUNCHES: The Electric Drive Transportation
Association, together with Southern California Edison and others, has
launched "Your Information Hub for PLug-In Electric Vehicles" at
http://www.GoElectricDrive.com .  Prospective buyers can calculate
costs and emissions, locate state and local incentives and other
resources, and view vehicles.  See the press announcement at
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/11/prweb4804324.htm . We had hoped
the trade association would include significant interactive
components, but that could come over time, perhaps in partnership
with some of the advocacy organizations and media listed at
http://www.calcars.org/partners.html  -- as we suggested in
http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/1116.html

JOEL MAKOWER ON GM STRATEGY: We've always been impressed at how
CleanTech analyst Joel Makower thinks deeply about the connections
between business, technology, marketing, and the environment.  GM has
just announced it will invest $40M in carbon offsets for the
Chevrolets it builds. While we're delighted with the Volt, we've at
times questioned some of the company's strategies. Here Joel (who has
in the past consulted with GM) discusses that news, and gives his
take. We don't always agree with Joel, but here we think he's on the
right track. We excerpt from his conclusion, and we hope others will
comment at Joel's blog:
http://makower.typepad.com/joel_makower/2010/11/can-general-motors-save-the-plan\
et-.html


Can General Motors truly change the conversation on carbon and
climate? It's an audacious, almost unfathomable notion, particularly
when you think about where GM has come from: suing state carbon
regulators, lobbying against federal action, stonewalling activists,
selling Hummers, and all the rest. I, for one, will be anxious to see
how that works. Certainly, there will be critics on both sides --
environmentalists who blindly charge greenwash, because that's what
they do; and conservatives who will rail against this somehow as a
misuse of taxpayer bailout money -- because that's what they do.

Personally, I wished the company's messaging had taken this head-on.
I would have preferred that GM had said, "America, you invested in
us. Now that we're back, we're returning the favor. We're going to
invest in schools and communities around our 3,100 showrooms. We're
going to put people back to work -- not just making greener cars, but
making greener buildings and greener energy. We're going to invest in
a more sustainable future, in clean air, in energy independence.
We're going to turn the tables on that old adage: 'What's good for GM
is good for America.'"

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

Lots more news on the Chevy Volt: the EPA fuel efficiency sticker confirms the
car's performance; the company meets its November deadline; plans for the first
vehicles; reports from the first drivers; a Southern California Volt event this
weekend. Plus: a British study validating PHEVs; news about the European Ampera;
and another encouraging development for conversion of gas-guzzlers, this time in
Iceland.

Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can add CalCars-News to
your RSS feed.)

EPA RATES CHEVY VOLT AT 93MPGe: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has
issued its ratings on the Volt. The car came in at 93MPe (equivalent) combined
city/highway in all-electric mode. ("Equivalency" attempts to compare vehicle
efficiency by calculating the electric energy equivalent of a gallon of gas.)
The Volt rated a respectable 37 MPG when the battery is depleted and the car
runs as a hybrid. The EPA also confirmed a 35-mile electric only range,
four-hour charging at 240 Volts, 379 total range, and an overall combined MPG
and MPGe number of 60, based on assumed driving patterns. (A week before, the
EPA rated the all-electric Nissan LEAF 106 MPGE city and 92 highway.)

The stickers have been a subject of great controversy -- and negotiation with
carmakers. The results are good enough to demonstrate the plug-in's enormous
advantage over conventional gasoline-only and conventional hybrid vehicles. And
they effectively silence those who've been skeptical of the message from CalCars
and other advocates that PHEVs can get "100+MPG of gasoline plus a penny a mile
of electricity." You can read thoughtful analyses and discussions at the usual
news sites; also see Ron Gremban's technical comments at
http://www.plugincars.com/epa-rates-chevy-volt-93-mpg-or-60-mpg-or-35-mpg-depend\
ing-106498.html#comment-2729 .

GM DELIVERS FIRST CAR IN NOVEMBER: GM announced the Volt on January 7, 2007 as a
concept vehicle. Within a few months, the company said it would be produced by
November 2010. While every other plug-in car-maker has found its schedules
slipping, even with a delay to follow GM's IPO, the company coasted to a
last-day-of-the-month finish line. (Of course, it's actually a starting gate!)
The first car went to the company's Heritage Center exhibit. And now that the
fuel economy sticker can be put on car windows, we're looking forward to
consumer deliveries, perhaps in December.

VOLT #2 UP FOR AUCTION: The second production vehicle is being auctioned at
http://www.bidonthevolt.com ending Tuesday December 14. The proceeds in two
weeks will benefit the Detroit Public Schools Foundation, supporting science,
technology, engineering and math programs. Bidding for this unique vehicle has
already reached $180,000.

GM CONSIDERS EXPANDING PRODUCTION: Currently GM plans to produce 10-15,000 Volts
in 2011 for delivery in seven states, then 45,000 in 2012 nationwide. 240,000
interested buyers have signed up on its website. To start paying off development
costs and build profitability through economies of scale, GM's CEO Dan Akerson
said at the launch ceremony that GM is considering doubling or tripling the
Volt's volumes; Vice Chairman Tom Stephens said increases could begin in 2011.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-30/general-motors-said-to-hire-1-000-elect\
ric-vehicle-engineers-in-michigan.html

GM COMMITS FURTHER TO VEHICLE ELECTRIFICATION: At the Volt launch event, GM
spokesperson Rob Peterson said the company will increase its 2,000 EV engineer
team by another 1,000. Clearly the Volt is the starting point for plug-in models
throughout the company's line.

BRITISH ENGINEERING PANEL ENDORSES PHEVS: A panel of nine leading British auto
industry consultants has concluded that series PHEVs are the most practical
bridge to EVs for a decade or longer. See the 54-page report at
http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/publications/list/reports/Electric_Vehicles.pdf .
An article from the US Society of Auto Engineers at
http://ev.sae.org/article/8612 analyzes the report and quotes at length from
Richard Parry-Jones, former top tech executive at Ford.

NEWS FROM EARLY VOLT DRIVERS: Members of the Volt Consumer Advisory Board are
recounting their experience at two independent websites:
http://gm-volt.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?18-VOLT-Consumer-Advisory-Board-Discus\
sion-Forum and the newer http://gmvoltcab.com . GM-Volt.com publisher Lyle
Dennis describes his first weeks at
http://gm-volt.com/2010/11/29/living-with-the-chevy-volt-the-first-1300-miles/.
And if you're near Los Angeles this Saturday afternoon, you're invited to the
second meet-up of Southern California Volt drivers. Chelsea Sexton explains why
it's especially great that the event will be hosted at the GM Powertrain
Advanced Technology Center in Torrance, and that it will include a get-together
with GM engineers and a tour of the facility. Details at
http://www.gmvoltcab.com/journal/2010/11/23/next-socal-volt-cab-meet-up.html

OBAMA TOUTS EUROPE'S VERSION OF VOLT: While at a NATO meeting in Lisbon, the
President checked out the Opel Ampera, slated for sale in Europe a year from
now. He was making the point that plug-in vehicle technology developed in the
U.S. will be a strong contender for international sales. Largely because of
value-added taxes, the vehicle's list price will be $17,000 higher than the
Volt.
http://www.detnews.com/article/20101120/AUTO01/11200383/Obama-promotes-electric-\
cars-on-Portugal-visit--

ON OUR OTHER FAVORITE TOPIC: PLUG-IN CONVERSIONS: We're encouraged by the latest
from Northern Lights Energy in Iceland, a company with ambitious goals of
converting the nation's entire fleet to plug in. It has a letter of intent to
purchase 1,000 electric SUVs from Amp EVs http://www.ampelectricvehicles.com/ ,
the small public Ohio company that has begun selling all-electric retrofits of
GM Equinox SUVs and Solstice and Sky roadsters. AMP says it has a deal with an
unnamed carmaker to provide vehicles. Details on the Iceland deal at
http://www.bnet.com/blog/electric-cars/amped-up-in-iceland-1000-electric-suvs-on\
-order/2726
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --
       Felix Kramer  fkramer@...
      Founder  California Cars Initiative
             http://www.calcars.org
       http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --

In the midst of very daunting times, this is an
increasingly exciting time in the plug-in world.
Here's news about the events surrounding the
first mass-produced plug-in vehicle going to a
consumer; steps you can take to encourage the
extension of important incentives for plug-ins;
our own Ron Gremban's thoughts on the relative
positions of the Volt/LEAF, and PHEVs/EVs, and a
Wall Street Journal report that makes the
business case for plug-in trucks (very helpful for conversions).

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting
will also be viewable at
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there
you can add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

SF BAY AREA GETS WORLD’S FIRST NISSAN LEAF
DELIVERY:  If you're in Northern California, come
to North Bay Nissan, 1250 Auto Center Drive in
Petaluma this Saturday, November 11 at 11:45 AM,
and join the caravan that will make its way to
San Francisco -- or just be at SF City Hall at
1:30 for a press conference and celebration with
Nissan and Bay Area city officials. Meet Ron
Coury, who aims to be the top LEAF seller. (The
story of how the first owner got a LEAF and why is itself an interesting tale.)

Plug-in fever is rising. This event has been
broadly promoted by EV advocates, Nissan, and
area government agencies. (Ron and Felix both
have LEAFs on order from North Bay, and we'll be
there.) Today's San Jose Mercury News features a
page one story, "Workplace charging stations for
electric vehicles are the latest Silicon Valley
perk" http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_16809939

PLUG-IN ADVOCATES URGE YEAR-END LEGISLATION: As
controversial as the tax proposal is, advocate
have lost no time in encouraging their supporters
to make sure green measures aren't left out. The
first is the expiration of federal credits for
installation of home and business charging
systems. These systems are just now arriving
(Felix's, for a LEAF and a Volt was installed on
Monday), but the credits could away at the end of
the month before many of them are in. Here's Plug In America's pitch:

Last year the US Government approved tax credits
for EV charging infrastructure of 50% up to
$2,000 for individuals and $50,000 for
businesses. Unfortunately this tax credit expires
12/31/2010. Just as plug-in cars are about to get
on the road is absolutely the wrong time to end
this tax credit.  Plug In America is working with
members of Congress to get this tax credit
extended. But now we hear that the infrastructure
tax credit extension may be scaled back or
eliminated from the 2010 tax extenders bill. We
need your help -- please take just a moment to
click through the link below and show Washington
just how serious you are about getting affordable
plug-in infrastructure at our homes and
businesses: http://www.pluginamerica.org/evtaxcredit

BROADER CLEANTECH  INCENTIVES: Here's how the
Center for American Progress is drawing attention
to "two relatively small clean energy tax
provisions that have created tens of thousands of
jobs and will improve U.S. economic
competitiveness while reducing pollution. As of
this writing, the deal does not include extension
of two American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
programs that expire at the end of 2010 and have
helped build a bigger domestic clean tech
industry: the “Treasury Grant Program” (Sec. 1603
of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act)
and the Advanced Energy Manufacturing tax credit
(section 48C of the tax code).
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/12/clean_tech_hole.html .

The Clean Economy Network
(http://www.cleaneconomynetwork.org ) especially
encourages people who have a related business
interest to call 202.224.3121 and ask to be
connected to their Senator; tell them their
views. And send CEN info on any companies that
could be affected. The NY Times has weighed in
with an editorial in support at
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/opinion/09thu3.html
, while affirming their support for an end to
more costly and counterproductive corn ethanol subsidies.

RON GREMBAN COMMENTS ON DISCUSSIONS ABOUT
EVs/PHEVs, LEAF/VOLT:  Useful insights from our
Technology Lead (plus a link to his work on
plug-in planes) at
http://nissan-leaf.net/2010/12/06/first-us-delivery-of-nissan-leaf-scheduled-for\
-dec-11/comment-page-1/#comment-21123


[QUOTING]: In my mind the big problem has not
been the EV1 but the Prius and other parallel
hybrids. They've just been a distraction which
haven't solved anything but have given the car
companies an excuse not to proceed with real EVs. [RON REPLIES]:

I beg to differ. The Prius was not a mere
distraction. In fact, its wild success made the
LEAF, the Volt, and the whole host of emerging
plug-in cars possible. It showed that the
inclusion of a strong electric propulsion system
in a car could provide huge enough advantages as
to outweigh the (much lower than all other auto
manufacturers presumed necessary) added costs to
help the car sell like hotcakes.

Additionally, it provided the mass-produced
platform for the first plug-in conversions
(starting with my car, in 2004), which, with
little more than a larger battery, could be
propelled by not only gasoline but also electric
energy from the grid. It was both this and the
advent of the Tesla Roadster that inspired the
Volt and helped give both GM and Nissan the
courage to move forward with their plug-in vehicle programs.

I am disappointed that both GM and Nissan appear
to see their plug-in offerings as in competition
with each other. Instead, I see them as occupying
different niches that both help legitimize the
whole EV territory. The truth is that affordable,
completely general-purpose BEVs are at least
another product cycle away. In the meantime we
need both PHEVs (including EREVs) and commuter
BEVs to build high-volume cost reductions, public
awareness, infrastructure, market penetration,
and a first down-payment on major oil and GHG reductions.

I am absolutely thrilled with Carlos Ghosn's huge
commitment to BEVs, even larger than the clearly
successful commitment that Toyota made to hybrid
technology over a decade ago. Ghosn's commitment
(along with the federal government"s tax credits)
-- and the LEAF as a worthy embodiment -- is
making practical, affordable BEVs available at
least 5 years sooner than I would have believed possible.

On the other hand, the Volt, which GM has also
made a huge commitment to, though after going
through bankruptcy it doesn't have the funds to
subsidize early production costs, serves a
different segment of the people who might drive a
general-purpose BEV if it were available. And to
paraphrase one of many auto reviewers, "Volt
customers may well learn that range anxiety is
not the big bogeyman they thought it was, and buy a pure EV next time."

My Volt was built early last month, and I can't
wait for it to arrive in the next week or two.
Though I ordered within an hour of receiving the
enabling email, the LEAF I have on order is a
month or two behind it. Each has its exceptional
qualities as well as its limitations. Both are
thrilling, endearing, groundbreaking vehicles
that should finally truly begin the
transformation of the automotive world that I
began promoting with teammates on the Caltech-MIT
"Great Transcontinental Electric Car Race" of 1968.

P.S. I am now also a member of the Green Flight
Project team, designing a production electric
propulsion system for the Cessna 172, the world's
most successful light airplane. See
http://www.byeenergy.com/pages/green-flight-main.html .

WALL STREET JOURNAL ON TRUCK ECONOMICS VALIDATES
CONVERSIONS:  An article, "As Electric Vehicles
Arrive, Firms See Payback in Trucks" by Mike
Ramsay, says "electric vehicles already are
gaining early traction in another realm:
commercial delivery fleet. The article includes case studies, including:

Staples said the annual maintenance cost of a
diesel delivery truck is about $2,700 in most
years, including oil, transmission fluid, filters
and belts. For an electric truck--which has no
transmission and needs no fluids, filters or
belts—the cost is about $250.  One big savings
comes in brakes. Because electric trucks use
"regenerative" braking, which returns some of the
force of stopping to the batteries in the form of
electricity, the brakes don't wear out as fast.
That means the brakes last four or five years,
not one or two, before they need a $1,100 repair.
Electric trucks also don't need the urea
exhaust-cleaning system of diesels, which costs
about $700 a year to maintain. And electric
motors are far less complex than diesel engines,
last much longer and the training required to
work on them is minimal, Mr. Payette said. On top
of this, Staples says it will save each year
roughly $6,500 in fuel costs per electric vehicle
over a diesel model. Each of Staples's electric
delivery trucks will run a daily route of under
70 miles and then come back to be recharged at
night….Add it all up [including fuel savings and
higher initial costs] and Staples expects to save
nearly $60,000 over the 10-year life of an electric truck over a diesel model.

Interestingly, the article also points to a major
issue for fleets, and one that will apply even
more to companies building businesses
retrofitting existing vehicles: "One impediment
to wider adoption of electric trucks: f'w finance
companies offer leases on them. That's because
finance companies are unsure about how to value
the lease 'residual," a truck's worth after a few
years of use. Many large companies, including
Staples, prefer to lease trucks to avoid the
large capital requirements of an outright
purchase."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704584804575644773552573304.html

HERTZ JUMPS IN TO PLUG-IN CARS: Hertz Connect,
the urban and college rental service, is adding
EVs and PHEVs to its fleet.
https://www.hertzev.com/ is beginning in New
York. See a report at
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/hertz-puts-electric-cars-on-the-fast-\
track-starting-in-new-york/.
One of the moving forces behind this effort has
been entrepreneur Jack Hidary, who founded
SmartTransportation.org and helped get NYC to
hybridize its taxi fleet. Hertz has already
established a Global EV Initiative, and is now
joining Zipcar in adding plug-ins to its short-term rental program.

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

This is a celebratory time, when we combine time with family and
friends with thoughts about 2011 and our concerns for so many aspects
of our future. We can acknowledge our successes in beginning to
change the auto industry, and think about what comes next. We hope
you readers of CalCars-News are thinking about what you'll do next
year to continue to address the giant challenges presented by our
global dependence on fossil fuels. And we hope BEFORE YEAR-END you'll
contribute, if you haven't done so already, to CalCars and the many
other organizations working on behalf of your globe and its
inhabitants. More on that below. Plus stay tuned for news in the next
few days about a CalCars event to celebrate the arrival in California
of the Chevy Volt!

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

Below is a list of or worthy organizations. But first we ask you to
help CalCars continue our efforts. Any donation IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS
will have a huge benefit in enabling us to make a big splash for the
delivery of the first production plug-in hybrids to Felix (world's
first consumer owner of a PHEV) and Ron (developer and driver of the
world's first Prius converted PHEV).

If you've never contributed, this is a good time to consider a
donation as a "performance bonus" based on our success since 2002!
We're working on five priority areas:
* Ensuring the successful roll-out of the first PHEVs and EVs.
* Promoting the idea of the importance of gas-guzzler conversions as
the big next step after new plug-ins.
* Connecting individuals and groups who want to work on both these issues.
* Working with thought-leaders, legislators, journalists to advance
these goals and combat misinformation.
* Speaking publicly and showing our vehicles at public and private events.

DONATE at http://www.calcars.org/sponsor.html for tax-deductible
contributions by credit card, Paypal, Google Checkout or check.

MANY OTHERS are promoting broad vehicle electrification and awareness
about the need for imminent action on climate change. We're not
including the large and well-established national organizations. We
apologize in advance if our selected list misses others you like; see
more at http://www.calcars.org/partners . We encourage you to join and support:

* PLUG IN AMERICA http://www.pluginamerica.org advocates broadly for
all kinds of EVs and PHEVs. See PIA's entertaining new video ads
(fourth one just out) at http://www.youtube.com/pluginamerica
* ELECTRIC AUTO ASSOCIATION http://www.electricauto.org/ with many
dozens of local chapters and events.
* PROJECT GET READY http://www.projectgetready.org providing contacts
and toolkits to promote the arrival of plug-in vehicles. Its original
sponsor is Rocky Mountain Institute http://www.rmi.org , whose
"Reinventing Fire" situates plug-in cars centrally in the vision of a
fossil-free world.
* 350.ORG http://www.350.org is a highly energetic grass-roots
organization using creative ways to create a global movement to solve
the climate crisis.
* If you work in CLEANTECH or want to, check out and consider joining
three organizations: ENVIRONMENTAL ENTREPRENEURS
http://www.e2.org  and CLEAN ECONOMY NETWORK
http://www.cleaneconomynetwork.org/ both advocate for a new business
model to power the world and employ people in businesses that nurture
instead of plunder. And CLEANTECH OPEN http://www.cleantechopen.org
is where people with new ideas build companies.

Finally, GM's Auction of the first Volt raised $225K for the Detroit
Public Schools Foundation   http://volt.charitybuzz.com/ . We're
considering auctioning off Felix's historic and still well-running
converted Prius. If you'd like to help, contact us at info@...

Thanks for your continuing interest, support, and help!

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