[Peace-presence] Sustainable Transportation Meeting Thursday

Tue Apr 10 21:11:02 MST 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: 4/11/2007

CONTACT: Bob Tregilus, 775 826-4514,
lakeport104 at yahoo.com

WHAT: A public presentation on electric vehicles (EVs)
and recent advances in sustainable transportation
technologies will be followed by a business meeting to
establish an EV club and advocacy group in northern
Nevada. Free and open to the public. 

WHEN: Thursday, April 12, 2007, 6:00 - 7:30 pm.
(Program begins at 6:00 pm sharp!)

WHERE: Northwest Reno Library, 2325 Robb Drive, Reno,
NV 89523.
(Click the following URL for an online map:
<http://tinyurl.com/2y4x3a>)

LOCAL GROUP PLUGS INTO HIGH GAS PRICES TO PROMOTE
ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN NEVADA

RENO, NV -- Battery Electric Vehicles (EVs) are very
much alive in northern Nevada and elsewhere. Recent
advancements in battery technology have addressed many
of the former limitations of EVs. Speeds of over 70
mph and ranges of 100 to 150 miles on a charge are
common in the latest electric vehicles.

"I drive my electric truck to and from work five days
a week," said Chuck Swackhammer of Verdi. "That's an
eighteen mile one way commute, and for $3.00 in
electricity - the price of a gallon of gas - I can get
to work and back all week."

Bob Tregilus of Reno rides to work, school, and runs
various errands on a 1976 Kawasaki KZ400 that he
converted to electric last year. "In a typical day I
put nearly thirty miles on my bike and sometimes I go
weeks without starting my car," he said.

Swackhammer and Tregilus are forming an EV club and
advocacy group which will be holding its inaugural
meeting this Thursday at the Northwest Reno Library.

“We hope the group will not only sponsor regular club
events such as "show and shines" but more importantly
address issues related to supporting infrastructure
for electric vehicles and other sustainable
transportation options in the Truckee Meadows,”
Tregilus said.

"The Truckee Meadows Regional Plan as well as Reno's
Transit Orientated Development (TOD) proposals contain
no infrastructure provisions for advanced mobility
technologies such as EVs. We plan to be out there
lobbing our local and state officials about these and
other issues related to sustainable transportation."

"Another concern the group will focus on is public
education," Swackhammer added. "Americans have been
addicted to the pump for over a hundred years and like
cigarettes it's going to be a tough habit to kick, but
better to start now than later."

“Once computers and cell phones were too expensive for
the average consumer but now they are commonplace and
affordable,” said Tregilus. “Likewise, the latest
technology in electric vehicles – ones that will go
150 miles on a charge - is expensive, but there are
affordable options available now and we will be
discussing those alternatives at Thursday's meeting.” 

MORE INFORMATION: http://www.pluginamerica.com/ &
http://www.greencarcongress.com/

###

---

Some save at the pump by plugging in
Frank X. Mullen (FMULLEN at RGJ.COM)
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
April 4, 2007

A few drivers in the Truckee Meadows don't cringe when
they pass a sign offering $3 a gallon gasoline.

"For $3, I can go about 170 miles," said Chuck
Swackhammer of Verdi. "The economy of electric
vehicles is unbelievable. As gas prices continue to go
up, these EVs are going to get a lot more popular.

"... I drive my (Chinese-made) ZapCar electric pickup
18 miles to Sparks and back every day. I plug it in
overnight at home, go to work and plug it in there and
then make the 500-foot climb back home. The range is
about 25 miles to a charge, but most people commute a
shorter distance. It's the perfect second car."

Swackhammer is among several Northern Nevada electric
vehicle drivers starting a local EV club. They invite
anyone who owns or has an interest in electric
vehicles to attend.

"The club is a way for people to learn about electric
vehicles and network with others who have the same
interest," said Bob Tregilus of Reno, who last year
built an electric motorcycle on a standard 400cc
Kawasaki frame and rides it to work and classes at the
University of Nevada, Reno.

"I geared it for a top speed of 50 miles an hour, and
it accelerates as well as an internal combustion
engine," he said. "I've got over 2,000 miles on it,
and charging the bike is like operating two 100-watt
light bulbs for six hours. That's pennies a day."

William Brinsmead, a UNR physics professor, built an
electric car and an electric motorcycle when he was in
the military in Thailand. He now has four electric
vehicles, including a 7,000-pound van. In 2003, he was
the first driver in Washoe County to register an
electric car at the Nevada Department of Motor
Vehicles.

Officials say 777 electric vehicles are registered in
Nevada, including low-power golf cart-type cars that
can only be driven on roads where speeds don't exceed
35 mph. Brinsmead said there ought to be more
highway-ready electric vehicles such as the bus owned
by the UNR physics department.

"When I saw the documentary 'Who Killed the Electric
Car?' it made me mad," he said. "The car industry was
making electric cars in the late 1990s and then gave
up. A lot of perfectly good EVs were scrapped just to
keep them out of the public's hands."

The documentary, released last year, tells the story
of how General Motors and other auto makers
manufactured electric cars starting in 1996, but in
2002 pulled the plug on the project -- and shredded
all the cars that had been leased to consumers -- due
to "insufficient demand."

Many manufactures now offer hybrid cars powered by
gasoline and part-time electric power, but those cars
don't plug in to outlets. Lately, hydrogen-powered
cars also have received a lot of media attention as an
alternative to petroleum-fueled vehicles.

"Hydrogen isn't the future, electric is the way to
go," Brinsmead said. "Hydrogen takes more energy to
make, compress, store and deliver than currently
available batteries. Hydrogen still has to be
delivered to fueling points, just like gas. It's the
profit motive that's dictating political support for
hydrogen."

Tregilus said he'd like to help change that.

"A lot of people are buying hybrid cars these days
that switch between electric and internal combustion
engines, but hybrids still have a tailpipe," he said.
"Plug-in hybrids are a step in the right direction.

"Battery technology and the range before recharging
are getting better fast, but there's still an attitude
problem in his this country about electric vehicles.
People are hung up on the short range, but most people
spend most of their time doing short trips. As
batteries get better, the range gets longer."

The Panasonic batteries used in the Toyota RAV-4 had a
90- to 100-mile range and some users report RAV-4s
that have exceeded 150,000 miles with the same
batteries.

But enthusiasts said because EVs use neither gas nor
oil, the petroleum industry can be expected to resist
a transition to the cleaner, cheaper vehicles.

"It's up to the consumer to demand them," Tregilus
said. "And it's up to us to spread the word."

He and other EV advocates' ultimate dream: free
mileage.

"Cover your roof with solar sells, plug in the car at
night and say goodbye to gas stations," Brinsmead
said. "When gas prices go up to $4 and $5 a gallon,
people are going to be screaming for electric
vehicles. You may as well learn about them now."

____________________________________________________________________________________
Don't pick lemons.
See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html 