EVA/DC Meeting at Silver Spring Library Wednesday January 18
Our January meeting will be on Wed Jan 18 from 7 - 9 PM at the Silver Spring, MD public library at 8901 Colesville Road, just inside the Beltway and only 4 blocks north of the Silver Spring METRO.
Draft Agenda:
1. The DC Auto Show is in late January at the Convention Center and we want to be there. Eric Cardwell, ace VP of our club, is heading up this operation. Lots of good ideas are purcolating already.
2. EV license plates and membership categories. Bryan Murtha will update us.
3. New EVs coming to market. Tesla Model S, Model X? iMiev. Ford
Focus EV, Toyota PHEV
4. Who bought/leased a new EV? Any issues?
5. Charging stations. New ones, where? Issues?
6. Reveng of the Electric Car. Movie premier in Baltimore. How did it go?
7. Charging at work with 110 volt outlets. Cheap. Bob Bruninga update.
8. California ZEV and Federal MPG standards. How does this affect EVs?
9. And more!
Charlie Garlow, your Prez and a host of fantastic volunteers.
Dave Goldstein charges up his Volt at Bethesda's new charging station
Dave Goldstein of Gaithersburg, who is the president emeritus of the Electric Vehicle Association of Greater Washington, D.C., plugs his electric car into a charging station next to SunTrust Bank on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda. Federal Realty has begun installing car-charging stations near its properties nationwide. See the full story.
EVA/DC Members in Maryland can get special electrified Maryland plates!!
EVA/DC is working with the MVA to get special plates for Maryland EVA/DC members. The plates should be available in early 2012. If you have an EV (that includes you Volt and Leaf owners) and live in Maryland join EVA/DC today!
350Green Celebrates Installation of 80 Public Chargers at the Pentagon Mall December 2, 2011
350Green launched a public EV charging network in the Washington, DC and Baltimore metro areas at a ceremony held at The Fashion Centre of Pentagon City park. Several EVA/DC EV owners brought their Leafs, Volts and Smart EVs to demonstrate the new charging stations. The event was attended by local and US Goverment officials who made speeches to commemorate the new stations. Video by Lanny Hartman
Revenge of the Electric Car - Washington DC Preview November 25, 2011
Great video showing EVA/DC members showing their EVs before the movie and the discussion afterwards
In Memory of Bob Beaumont
The electric vehicle movement lost a pioneer October 24 with the passing of Bob Beaumont who was 79. Bob is credited with his creation of the CitiCar and later, the Tropica, which he created in the early 90s. At one time his electric car company, Seabring-Vanguard was the 4th largest auto company in the US.
At Bob's memorial service in Columbia, Maryland, former EVA/DC President, Dave Goldstein recanted the story of Bob and his meeting with Detroit executives who were trying to have his CommutaCar, the predecesor to the CitiCar, banned in Michigan as being "unsafe." When Bob got up and whacked his CommutaCar several times with a baseball bat, with no apparent damage, and then asked the execs if he could try that with their cars! - to which they recoiled with horror. The execs dropped their criticism and Bob continued to sell CommutCars, producing about 2,200, more than any US manufacturer until recent times. To this day, there have been no fatalities or serious injuries from owners driving Bob's CommutaCar or CitiCar.
Bob was the inspiration for many EVers and his EV spirit continues to live on.
Bob Beaumont photo (above) from page 370 of "The Lost Cord" by Barbara Taylor, a great book on the history of the electric car and Bob Beaumont's anecdotal experience building the CitiCar and the Tropica.
National Plug-In Day a success!
What a great time we had this weekend at the National Plug In Day on the Capitol Mall at 3rd and Pennsylvania Ave NW. It was an unprecedented nationwide observance drawing global attention to the environmental, economic and other benefits of plug-in electric vehicles through simultaneous events staged in at least twenty major cities nationwide.
EVA/DC brought along great cars, and e-bikes/e-scooters, and great people joined the great weather. Does it get any better than this? Three Volts, one LEAF, one Smart, one Solar Prius, one RAV4EV, one Tesla, one BMW Z3 EV, one Chevy S-10, two Vectrixes [Vectri?], two A2B e-bikes. Phil's three wheel leaning trike, other leaning e-trikes, what else did I forget? Oh, and the honky tonk band, the Capitol Hillbillies on piano, harmonica and guitar.
Thanks to Joe Lado for taking the lead on planning the event.
Power of DC AutoCross featured on Motorweek
2011 Power of DC SCCA AutoCross and
NEDRA Drag Racing June 11 and 12
Dave Bollinger racing his Tesla at the Power of DC at the Valley Mall in Hagerston (photo by Kevin Gilbert, Herald-Mail)
July 18, 2011 - EVA/DC held its 11th Annual Power of DC AutoCross and Drag Race June 11 and 12 in Hagerstown, Maryland.
The event was open to EVs and Hybrids. The SCCA AutoCross course was at the Valley Mall and the NEDRA sanctioned drag racing was at Mason Dixon Dragway. Information is available on the Power of DC website at www.powerofdc.com.
Click the Power of DC Flyer to download a version of the flyer.
For more information on the event and sponsorship information for the 2012 event contact Chip Gribben at pr@nedra.com or 301-490-0657.
EVA/DC at the 2011 Washington DC Auto Show
EVA/DC's EV display at the 2011 DC Auto Show
January 29, 2011 - EVA/DC was at the Washington DC Auto Show this year with a irridescent green-blue Tesla Roadster, Electric RAV-4 EV, Electric Fiero, brand new 2011 Smart Electric and a Plug-In Solar Prius. The show runs through February 6. The vehicles were driven to the show under their own power during the January 26 snowstorm that hit DC, except for the new electric Smart car that was shipped from the factory to the show. We didn't want it to get the new paint job dirty.
Mark Mercer and his electric Fiero and Rob Neighbour's RAV-4 EV
January 12, 2011 - Follow Charlie Garlow as he travels across
the US in his solar-electric powered Extreme Bug-E. Charlie will be
traveling with his dog puppy Rex, and will stop along the way to show
the virtues of solar power and driving electric. In tow, will be a 1kw
solar trailer to extend the vehicle's range. Charlie will be keeping
track of his travels in his Blog which you can access from his website
at www.funruninthesun.org.
The Journey will kick off in late May from the Capital Mall in Washington
DC and finish up in California. Donations are also being accepted to
help with this event.
EVA/DC President Dave Goldstein Responds to Fox criticism of EVs
April 1, 2009 - EVA/DC President, Dave Goldstein responds to
a negative news story by Fox News commentators Brian Sullivan and Dagen
McDowell about the Volt and EVs in general and was invited on the show
the next day. See
Dave's interview.
Spirit of DC
EVADC's
own Jerry Asher is driving his PHEV Prius conversion to all 50 states
to promote Plug-In Electric Vehicle technology to the masses. His conversion
was done by our very own Mike Harvey. Follow his exciting journey chronicled
on the Spirit of DC website.
Find out when he's in a town near you.
Swiss Solar Taxi makes a stop in DC
September 1, 2008 - EVA/DC hosted the Washington, D.C. arrival
of the Solar Taxi, the first electric car to travel around the Earth
on Solar Power. Conceived and led by Louis Palmer, a Swiss school teacher,
and powered by high-temperature Zebra (NaNiCl) batteries, the Solar
Taxi has traveled 30,000 miles to promote an international dialogue
on the importance of Renewable Energy for the health of our planet.
Find out more at the Solar Taxi website.
Photos courtesy of Lisa Wright and the Swiss Embassy.
Work Progresses on Solar EV
EVA/DC
has embarked on a journey to restore MIT's original Solar EV named the
"Aztec". The car has a long history having raced in several
NESEA Tour de Sols.
The Aztec mission began three years ago when EVA/DC members Joe Reyes,
John Clinton and Jerry Asher traveled to Boston to pick up the Aztec and
bring it to Joe's garage in Maryland. The two-passenger, three-wheeled
vehicle is a 120-volt carbon-fiber car complete with a solar array, custom
made magnesium wheels and a Solectria drive train.
We recently had the vehicle titled as a car in Maryland and we are getting
it ready to pass inspection. The car is being road tested and we race it and
enter it in local parades and events.
For $35.00 a year, join one of the most active chapters of the Electric
Auto Association. Pay conveniently with PayPal or visit our Members
page and pay by check.
Download our PDF EVA/DC tri-fold flyer with registration form.
Debunking the Myth of EVs and Smokestacks
Download this paper in PDF which debunks
the myth that EVs are elsewhere emission vehicles.
EVs For Sale
We have several EVs available for sale. Visit the For Sale page for details.
Mark Mercer and his electric Fiero and Rob Neighbour's RAV-4 EV
Mindy Kimball and her new 2011 Smart Electric
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