EV Club president, Bruce Becker, will present to the Humanists and Free-Thinkers of Fairfield County

This is the text of the press release describing the engagement:

HFFC MOVES TO ONLINE MEETINGS – ELECTRIC CARS, APRIL 13

The program on the Future of Electric Cars has been changed from an in-person presentation to an online video presentation, as the host, the Humanists and Freethinkers of Fairfield County (HFFC) has changed all its meetings to online video.  Members of the public can get the link for free admission by sending an email to hffc@optimum.net with “EV” as the subject line, and with person’s name in the text.

The program will be Monday, April 13, 6:45 enter online, & preliminaries. 7 pm program. The number of participant devices is limited.

The speaker is Bruce Becker, President of the Electric Vehicle Club of CT, LEED architect, and president of Becker + Becker, an architecture and development firm focusing on sustainable projects (with low or net-zero energy use). In his talk, he will discuss EV infrastructure needs and how planning at both state and town levels can accelerate EV adoption. He will also answer questions about sustainable options for construction and development. Come hear the discussion about sustainability on our roads and in our towns.

Numerous Events Canceled

If you have looked at the event calendar, it becomes very apparent that due to public health precautions, all of our EV showcase events, at least through the end of April, have been canceled. We are in touch with local and state officials and will be following the guidelines that are issued.

April and May are normally the two busiest months for showcases outside of the National Drive Electric Week period in September. Hopefully, before then, we’ll all be back online. But at this point, hope is all it is. As of this writing on March 15th, there is still very little testing and, therefore, little hard data about the infection curve of COVID-19.

We offer best wishes to our EV Club colleagues around the country. Until then, bon chance.

Electric Vehicle Test Track at the New York Auto Show

UPDATE: This show has been postponed due to COVID-19 and is now scheduled for August 28 – September 6, with press days Aug. 26, 27.

Con Edison, the New York utility, is sponsoring the Electric Vehicle Test Track, as well as booth space for non-profit EV organizations from the tri-state area. Drive Electric Long Island is spearheading this, along with some of its coalition partners. The EV Club of CT has been invited to participate.

There will be a lot of EVs present and we look forward to the chance to speak with some of these companies about their plans and exchange experiences and ideas with other EVangelist groups.

A ticket to the auto show costs $17 for an adult. Club-members who volunteer for a shift at the booth will get a free ticket to the exhibition.

Tesla Model 3 Police Vehicle Appearance

The Tesla Model 3 police vehicle, as has been reported previously, has drawn an unbelievable amount of attention, whether at the CT Conference of Municipalities, inquiries from around the world, or local interest. It is safe to say that the Westport Police, supported by town leadership, have gotten way more than 75 kWh worth of mileage as a result of their innovative move. We have learned that the Police Model 3 will be making an appearance at the NY Auto Show. Tesla is covering the cost. We’ll publish more detail when available.

The show runs from April 10 through 19th, from 10 AM to 10 PM at the Jacob Javits Center on 11th Avenue in New York City.

Club president Bruce Becker was invited by Tesla to attend the Cybertruck reveal.

The event took place on Nov. 21 at 9:00 PM Pacific Time. The early reviews of the design have been somewhat divided. Elon Musk, himself, described it as “pointy.” It has a distinctively high-tech, angular, military look.

The vehicle is certainly capable. The top trim level will travel over 500 miles on a single charge. Tesla showed videos of the vehicle towing a Ford F-150 and beating a Porsche 911 in a drag race. Musk invited an employee to sledgehammer the vehicle and he was unable to dent the stainless steel exoskeleton. The windows were less successful with their torture test. As Musk said, “Room for improvement.”

Tesla is taking reservations now. A refundable $100 deposit is required. Production of the vehicle is scheduled for 2021. This post is being written two days after the reveal and there is a report in TechCrunch that Tesla has taken 146,000 reservations, which would translate to about $8 billion worth of orders if all are delivered.

These are photos of Becker at the event, held near the Tesla Design Center in Los Angeles.

The EV Club staged a small showcase at a well-attended event called STEAMFest, presented by Sustainne with (and at) Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport. This event covered numerous topics related to energy efficiency, zero-waste, raising organic food, ecology, as well as speakers who gave advice to students about environmentally-related careers (of which there is a wide variety).

The time of year is past, for the most part, for outdoor showcases, but we braved the somewhat cold November weather and had a great response. We find that there is still a pretty low baseline level among the general public about what EVs are about and what incentives may be available. It reminds us that the commitment to doing these will be worth it over time.

The Green Wheels Expo, one of many Drive Electric Week events being held around the country, had its strongest showing ever.

Over 70 EV owners exhibited their vehicles, along with 7 dealers and Tesla who held offered test drives. According to Scott Thompson, one of the Sustainable Fairfield leaders who organized the event said that attendance was higher in Fairfield than in similar events in San Francisco and Boston.

Along with many of the increasing numbers of EVs currently available, the event included an electric schoolbus.

This bus, from National Express Transit, currently in use in White Plains, NY, is a battery only zero emission bus. It has a range of 62 miles, more than enough for its daily run. One of the more unique things about it is that the purchase of the bus was subsidized by Con Edison with the proviso that it can be used as a 2-way battery when not in use ferrying students. In other words, it serves as stationary storage, which can then can be tapped in periods of very high demand. This is a potentially tranformative application and it is something that has been discussed in the EV world for some time. It will also get your warranty voided, as manufacturers err on the side of caution with respect to its impact on battery longevity.

There is always room for a few novelties that, you never know, may be the wave of the future. This is a Honda Insight conventional hybrid with solar panels, which extend its electric range of operation, courtesy of Eugene’s Green Garage in Bridgeport.

There were several public officials on hand. In the photo below are Rep. Jonathan Steinberg and Sen. Tony Hwang.

National Drive Electric Week runs through September 22 with many events scheduled in the coming days. Find one near you with with this link.

An Active Time of Year for EV and Environmental Events

National Drive Electric Week, Climate Action Week, and Greta Thunberg, the young climate activist from Sweden, all make this the time of year to move from the sidelines and participate! These are some of the events in CT. Many club members have already registered to exhibit their vehicles at National Drive Electric Week (NDEW) events and to attend Climate Action rallies.

Green Wheels Expo – September 14, 10 am – 2 pm

This is the NDEW event staged by Sustainable Fairfield. Location: 140 Mill Plain Road lot (across from Rec Center), Fairfield. Registrations are pacing ahead of last year. There should be numerous cars, plus 7 dealers and Tesla will be offering test drives. Also on hand will be an electric school bus, electric bikes, electric lawn equipment, EV food truck, and a solar-powered car! Register your vehicle.

Climate Action Day – September 20

There are events around the state and the nation. Club members will be going to Hartford, New York, Westport, and other locations. EV Club CT is one of 80 organizations sponsoring the event in Hartford.

Hartford – Start time 11:45 am. Location: 210 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT. For more details and resources, visit C3M Facebook page and Event Webpage

Backgrounder on Greta Thunberg and Climate Crisis Mobilization

Westport Event on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Memorial Bridge at 11 am. The link to register

An important near-term priority is to oppose the natural gas plant currently undergoing permitting to be sited in Killingly. It isn’t needed and, if built, will be operating long past the 2040 deadline for the grid to be carbon-free.

Electrify Your Drive NDEW Event in Old Saybrook – September 21, 11 am – 3 pm

There will be owners with their private EVs as well as dealer organized test drives. Also, antique EVs! And a Q&A session in the Pavillion. Location: 155 College Street, Old Saybrook. Register

Energy Fair and Green Expo in Southbury – September 21, 10 am – 2 pm

Location: 775 Main Street at the Gazebo Southbury Green. This is more a general green fair, but it has an EV showcase.

NDEW Madison – September 22, 1 – 4 pm.

Location: Madison Senior Center, 29 Bradley, Road, Madison. Register

Green Wheels Expo

The EV Club of CT will be joining forces with the Sustainable Fairfield Task Force in the Green Wheels Expo, a National Drive Electric Event to be held in Fairfield on Saturday, September 14, 10 am – 2 pm. The location is the lot by the rec center at 140 Mill Plain Road.

This event is open to the public and many of the EVs on the road today will be on display. There will also be electric bikes, lawn mowers, an electric schoolbus and more.

EV owners interested in exhibiting their vehicle and speaking to attendees about the experience of driving electric are welcome to join us. Register your vehicle here

EV Showcase at Fairfield Farmers Market

The EV Club of CT is pleased to showcase 6 electric vehicles at the July 14 Fairfield Farmers Market at the Sherman Green in Fairfield. Please shop the market and visit us at the showcase in the parking lot behind the market from 10 am until 2 pm to check out the cars and discuss all things EV. This event is designed to help consumers make the transition to EVs.

Gas and diesel-powered vehicles are the largest contributors to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and a large proportion of urban air pollution in the US. Switching to electric vehicles makes for a quiet and clean ride with zero tailpipe emissions and a fraction of the maintenance since there are so few moving parts.

The EV Club of CT will be showcasing Tesla models X, S and 3, a Chevy Volt, a Nissan Leaf and a BMWi3 to help guests learn about electric cars on the market, how easy and convenient they are to maintain, how much fun they are to drive, what smart and autonomous features each offers, and how to charge them at home and on the road.

Incentives from the state and federal government can significantly reduce the cost of a new EV (purchase/lease) and many affordable used electric cars are now on the market, including the Certified Pre-Owned BMWi3 being showcased.

EV Club and CFE

The EV Club of CT and the CT Fund for the Environment (CFE) are hosting a meeting on July 15 at the offices of the CFE. The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM. The CFE address is 900 Chapel Street, Upper Mezzanine.

Agenda

Aside from being an opportunity to get to know one another, the agenda includes a recap of this year’s legislative session, planning for Green Wheels during Drive Electric Week, and a proposed event to be held at the Lime Rock racetrack.

Come join us on the 15th!