State of Hawaii Selects AeroVironment to Deploy up to 320 Public Electric Vehicle Charging Docks in Support of Clean ...

Think About! - Electric Vehicles - Solution or Diversion?

HONOLULU March 18, 2011; Lt. Governor Brian Schatz today announced that AeroVironment has been selected to help lead the way to a cleaner transportation future through an $820,000 contract from the Hawaii EV Ready Grants Program. The contract will fund the deployment of up to 320 AeroVironment 240-volt electric vehicle (EV) charging docks throughout the islands. Once deployment is completed, Hawaii will have one of the nation's first statewide public charging networks supporting electric vehicle drivers.

AeroVironment (AV), the official home charging-dock provider for the Nissan LEAFR and co-developer of the first modern-day electric vehicle, the GM Impact, will partner with Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) to design and build public and semi-private charging stations at convenient locations for electric vehicle owners, including high-rise buildings, resorts and rental car facilities.

AeroVironment's charging docks, including the two-port or four-port EVSE-RS+ and EVSE-CS (commercial) dock, will be strategically located throughout Oahu, Hawaii Island, Maui, and Kauai to offer drivers a practical, safe and reliable EV charging experience. AeroVironment has installed more than 1,000 charging docks in more than 300 communities across 18 states since November 2010.

The State of Hawaii is offering a rebate of up to $500 for installing charging docks through its Hawaii EV Ready Rebate Program. Customers who purchase an EV are also eligible for a state rebate of up to $4,500. In combination with the Hawaii EV Ready Grant Program and other development efforts, the rebates aim to establish the state as a leader in the clean transportation movement.

"We look forward to working with AeroVironment to help reduce the use of oil for transportation," said Robbie Alm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president. "Wide use of electric vehicles will not only help reduce our fossil fuel dependence, it will make it easier to increase our use of renewable energy sources such as wind power and others, all contributing to our energy, economic and environmental security."

Alm added, "AeroVironment shares this vision and is an outstanding example of a supplier with a comprehensive solution for the EV market, a history in Hawaii, experience working with leading auto manufacturers and consistent high quality customer support."

The Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI), University of Hawaii at Manoa will work with AeroVironment and Hawaiian Electric to collect data from chargers to analyze the impact of EVs and associated infrastructure on the power distribution grid.

"AeroVironment's team focuses on the entire user experience from the start by providing the right tools and a full range of practical, groundbreaking solutions," said Richard Rocheleau, director of the HNEI. "As a result, we'll have the unique ability to collect and analyze usage patterns that will help us project the increased demand on Hawaii's utilities as EV adoption accelerates."

AeroVironment has been working on clean transportation programs in Hawaii for more than a decade, beginning with deployment of fast charging stations for passenger EVs in the early 2000s. AeroVironment also established world altitude records with its solar-electric, unmanned aircraft systems at the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands on Kauai.

"AeroVironment and the state of Hawaii are pioneers in the EV movement and have a long partnership focused on introducing clean transportation solutions," said Mike Bissonette, senior vice president of Efficient Energy Systems for AeroVironment. "Together, we're deploying practical solutions for a game-changing electric transportation ecosystem that will dramatically alter the vehicle refueling paradigm for drivers in Hawaii, the United States and the world."

About AeroVironment, Inc.

AV is a technology solutions provider that designs, develops, produces and supports an advanced portfolio of electric transportation solutions and electric-powered Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). AV's comprehensive EV charging solutions include EV home charging, public charging, fast charging, data collection, grid-integrated communications and complete installation, training and support services for consumers, automakers, utilities, government agencies and businesses. AV's industrial fast charging systems support thousands of electric materials handling vehicles in mission-critical supply chains for Fortune 500 enterprises. AV's power cycling and test systems provide EV developers and EV battery manufacturers with market-leading simulation and cycling capabilities. Agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense and allied military services use the company's battery-powered, hand-launched unmanned aircraft systems to provide situational awareness to tactical operating units through real-time, airborne reconnaissance, surveillance and communication. More information is available at www.avinc.com.

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Electric Vehicle Package Working Through Md. General Assembly

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By David Saleh Rauf
Capital News Service

ANNAPOLIS - In a small office tucked away in the Chesapeake Innovation Center, SemaConnect engineers hand assemble prototypes of electric vehicle charging stations.

The future of the roughly three-year-old Maryland startup is tied directly to an anticipated boom in the electric vehicle market. And to some degree, the company's success relies on what happens about five miles away from its headquarters -- at the State House.

"For Maryland to look at this issue and set the right incentives and policies is critical," said Mahi Reddy, SemaConnect's CEO.

As the first generation of electric cars produced by major automakers trickles into the market, Maryland lawmakers are considering a trio of proposals intended to spur sales and lay the foundation for the high-tech autos.

Electric vehicles aren't expected to zoom around in mass for years, analysts say. But the planning starts now because Maryland and the District are projected to be among the top areas for electric vehicle adoption.

"I think a lot of people in this area are progressive minded and willing to take the steps to move forward with this type of technology," said Ivan Haggins, one of the first Marylanders to invest in an electric vehicle made by General Motors.

Haggins slapped his name on a waiting list in July for GM's plug-in electric hybrid vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt. He drove the car off a dealer lot in Silver Spring on Christmas Eve, making him one of the so-called early adopters of the technology.

"The thought of an electric car is not just that I want to have the first one," he said. "But it's one of those things we need to move into the future on, and I wanted to make sure I'm a part of that."

The electric vehicle package is part of Gov. Martin O'Malley's legislative agenda, which is ripe with renewable energy proposals. So far, the electric vehicle bills are part of a small cluster of the governor's legislative priorities that have advanced to the full House or Senate.

The Senate on Friday approved a measure to create a policy and planning body to guide statewide decisions on infrastructure for electric vehicles. The House did the same with a similar bill last week.

Last month, the Senate voted unanimously to pass a proposal that requires the Public Service Commission to start a pilot program to create incentives for consumers to plug in their vehicles at night when the energy grid has excess capacity.

The third, and possibly most critical component, is a tax credit of up to 20 percent for electric charging stations. Supporters have called this part of the legislative package, which would award up to $1.5 million in tax credits over three years, "the backbone of a robust electric vehicle infrastructure."

The tax credit bills are still in House and Senate committees.

Government is playing a growing role in helping nudge forward the electric vehicle market.

President Obama pumped billions in stimulus dollars into rebate programs for first-generation electric vehicle owners. That includes a tax credit up to $7,500 toward the purchase of an electric auto.

O'Malley and the General Assembly sweetened the pot last year when Maryland approved a $2,000 tax credit of its own and granted drivers of the futuristic autos use of HOV commuter lanes regardless of their passenger count.

"This is going to be the wave of the future," said Sen. Rob Garagiola, a Montgomery Democrat and a co-sponsor of the electric-vehicle package. "We need to be agile and move quickly to position ourselves so we can develop the roadmap for the future of electric vehicles."

GM lobbyists, along with representatives from other big companies with a stake in the future of electric autos, have been making the rounds for weeks at committee hearings, pressing lawmakers to pass the package.

In those hearings, GM hasn't been shy to remind lawmakers about the company's recent commitments to the state. Those include a nearly $250 million investment to build electric motors at a manufacturing plant in Baltimore County, and the decision to tap Maryland along with the District as early roll-out markets for the Volt.

The Volt, which can run for about 40 miles on a full charge before a gas engine kicks in, is the first of the autos produced by major manufacturers to arrive in Maryland. Nissan's all-electric Leaf will hit dealer showrooms across the state this spring. Ford's initial electric offering is slated to become available in the District later this year.

About 2,000 electric autos will commute on Maryland roads by the end of 2012, according to a report from the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Center for Automotive Research. By 2015, more than 11,600 electric vehicles are projected to be registered in the state, ranking Maryland among the top 15 states for electric auto registrations.

That same year, the number of plug-ins and electric autos on roads across the country is expected to reach more than 469,000, according to the report.

Ultimately, consumer demand will be influenced by incentives offered by state and local governments, ranging from grants, rebates, tax credits and fee exemptions.

In December, Haggins, the Volt driver, became one of 13 Marylanders to receive the $2,000 state tax credit approved by the legislature last year. He missed out on the $7,500 federal rebate because he's leasing his Volt.

"I think our government is doing a fair amount but could do more," said Haggins, who would like to see more electric vehicle incentives for businesses.

Haggins also received a federal rebate for the 240-volt charging station attached to a wall in his garage. The device cuts the time it takes to charge his Volt from eight hours to four.

"I would have thought a little longer about the charging station in the garage without the tax incentive," said Haggins, who is slated to receive up to a 30 percent tax credit on the $500 he spent on the charging station.

The cars, rebates and the legislative package debated at the State House are all signs of the first wave of vehicle electrification in Maryland. Lawmakers are hopeful electric vehicles will play a part in reinvigorating the state's post-recession economy.
O'Malley's administration estimates that GM's decision to build electric motors in Maryland will attract 800 direct and spinoff jobs by 2018.

At SemaConnect, the Annapolis-based startup that specializes in building commercial charging stations, the company is readying for expansion as production of electric vehicles ramps up.

The six-man firm is busy building 55 charging stations as part of a roughly $367,000 state contract, the company's first major deal. The charging stations are expected to be up and running by this summer at 15 locations across Maryland, including select metro stations, municipal buildings and the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

By the end of June, SemaConnect's Reddy estimates about100 public charging stations will populate the state. In the future, they'll be commonly installed in apartment buildings, parking lots, hotels and shopping centers, he said.

Each charging station, Reddy said, will have a ripple effect for employment -- from the engineers and programmers that design the stations to laborers who dig trenches for installation.

"Across the spectrum, from one end of the blue collar to the other end of the white collar, you got job creation," Reddy said.

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PlugShare Uses Crowd Sourcing to Provide Electric Vehicle Charging

PlugShare is a new, free app for the iPhone and iPad that provides a remedy for those suffering from "range anxiety," the fear that an electric vehicle will run out of juice.

Produced by Xatori, a Palo Alto startup, PlugShare calls itself a "community-powered vehicle charging network." The app shows a map of all the public charging stations and taps into the device's GPS to locate the nearest one and provide directions. It also lets users share their personal charging stations, by inputting their address.

"We want to build and support a community that's creating a paradigm shift to a massively cleaner type of transportation," Xatori co-founder and CEO told TechCrunch. "The reality is that most people will charge their electric vehicles at home and not exceed the range of their vehicle very often. This [app] provides a kind of backup plan, and lets you feel comfortable. If you did miscalculate, you'd be ok."

When drivers download PlugShare, they're asked to fill out a brief profile that includes their address and contact information so that others can find their charging station and contact you to charge by appointment. It's not required to share this information, but if a user opts to add their station to PlugShare, it will appear on the map, with different icons to indicate high-speed charging station and at-home plugs. Users can opt-out at any time.

PlugShare can be downloaded for free from the App Store or on the PlugShare Web site. Xatori said it's also developing an Android version to be released in the future.

It's not just for electric car owners, either. Anyone who is willing to share their plug is invited to download the app and add their charging station.

At CES, Ford unveiled the Ford Focus Electric, the company's first-ever all-electric passenger car.

For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.

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Hawaii to build electric car charging stations

Posted: Saturday, March 19th, 2011 7:49 AM HST Hawaii to build electric car charging stations HONOLULU (AP) ? About 250 electric vehicle charging stations are being built across Hawaii to provide a power boost to the short-range vehicles.

Private companies and government agencies announced Friday they'll use $2.6 million in federal stimulus money to build the stations, which are a few feet high and plug into electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf or the Chevy Volt.

The grant recipients pitched in $2 million in matching funds to receive the money.

While there are only about 18 commercial electric cars on Hawaii's roads so far, those numbers are expected to jump into the hundreds over the next few months.

Building the charging stations creates an incentive for Hawaii residents to buy electric cars and feel comfortable they won't get stranded if their vehicles run out of fuel.

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MTEMC drives away with first Leaf

MURFREESBORO ? Rutherford County now has its first fully-electric vehicle ? and, not surprisingly, the electric company has the keys.

Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation became the first proud new owner of a Nissan Leaf, a fully electric zero-emissions vehicle that runs on battery power, during a delivery ceremony at Nissan of Murfreesboro on Memorial Boulevard Friday.

"We are really excited about this," said Pam Humphrey, the dealership's executive manager. "This means a lot to our livelihood and to our families and our friends."

Humphrey told a group of about three dozen residents and others gathered for the event how proud she was to be a part of Nissan, a company that is leading the way in electric vehicle technology.

Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess said he was thankful that Nissan has chosen Rutherford County as a home, referring to the Smyrna manufacturing plant that will begin production of the Leaf in 2012.

"They have been great employers and great assets to this county," he said. "They are taking a proactive leadership role in helping us become less reliant on fossil fuels. This means so much for this county and the state of Tennessee and the future of this great country."

Various staff members of Nissan of Murfreesboro showed off key design features of the Leaf before handing over the keys to the vehicle to Chris Jones, vice president of engineering for MTEMC.

Jones said Middle Tennessee Electric staff considered the receipt of the Leaf a "great honor."

"We have a long-standing relationship with Nissan through the manufacturing plant in Smyrna and the corporate headquarters in Williamson County and they are members of Middle Tennessee Electric," he said. "This is a great honor and is special for us. We are proud to be the first in Rutherford County to have this vehicle."

Nissan handed over the first set of keys to a Leaf to a Nashville couple, Jeff and Ashley Heeren, in December.

A shipment of more than 600 Nissan Leaf electric cars left Japan for the United States on March 10, just before last week's devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the tsunami.

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The company had to suspend further production to assess damage to four of its plants. Other Japanese manufacturers such as Honda and Toyota were in similar situations.

Japan is the world's second-largest auto producer.

All of Nissan's American plants, including the Smyrna plant, are operating and will continue normal production until further notice. Nearly 70 percent of Nissan vehicles sold in the U.S. are made in North America.

Nissan Americas has pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross in relief support in Japan.

Production of the Leaf will begin at the Smyrna plant in 2012. Construction is currently under way on a $1 billion lithium-ion battery plant for the Leaf. Up to 1,300 new jobs are planned in Smyrna with the new automotive line.

Efforts are also under way statewide to build quick-charging stations that will allow Leaf and other electric vehicle owners the ability to recharge their vehicles. The Murfreesboro dealership and Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce building on Medical Center Parkway already have charging stations, while Publix and Cracker Barrel locations are among others that are planning to include charging stations in the future.

The Leaf has a range of about 100 miles before needing a recharge.

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Electric vehicle app to curb 'range anxiety'

Duncan Graham-Rowe, contributor

(Image: Andy Lauwers/Rex Features)

Driving an electric vehicle (EV) can be an unnerving experience, especially when you suddenly realise that the range on the battery indicator is the maximum, not the minimum, and that you just might not make it to the next recharging point.

But now such "range anxiety" can be avoided, or at least alleviated, by a new iPhone app. By letting EV drivers share their recharging stations and displaying them on an onscreen map, PlugShare creates a community-driven network of charging points that are free to use.

According to Xatori in Palo Alto, California, which developed the app, most people will probably continue to charge their cars at home, and rarely exceed the range of their vehicle. But on occasion, such as when they veer off their usual routes, range anxiety can creep in.

One reason for this is that the range given by EVs usually represents ideal driving conditions. That means that it can fail to take into account additional battery drain caused by using the radio, headlights or air conditioning, or even just the electric windows. And sometimes, such as on a highway, it's not just inconvenient but downright dangerous to drive at an optimum speed of 55 kilometres per hour.

Given the relative scarcity of public charging points, which PlugShare also displays, the new app reduces the chances of getting caught short. One thing it can't do, however, is tell you whether anyone is in to let you use the socket.

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Electric vehicle movie set for Tribeca premiere

A new documentary focusing on the growth of electric vehicles is to premiere on Earth Day at the Tribeca Film Festival, the film's producers confirmed March 14.

Chris Paine's Revenge of the Electric Car is to be the New York festival's Spotlight feature documentary, premiering on April 22, one of the most auspicious days of the year in the green calendar.

The film's high-profile premiere reflects how far the filmmakers -- and electric cars -- have come since Paine's first electric vehicle film in 2006, which focused on the destruction of electric vehicles in the 1990s.

Revenge of the Electric Car goes behind the scenes at three major companies racing to bring EVs to market (Tesla, Nissan and General Motors) to tell the story of how electric cars came to mainstream release in 2011, which Paine describes as "year one of the electric car."

It also focuses on the personal journey of Tesla boss Elon Musk, GM executive Bob Lutz and Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn, all of whom have staked considerable personal credibility on the success of electric vehicles.

"For us to be playing at Tribeca in New York on Earth Day is a great sign that the electric car revolution is more than just a great story, it's our future with less imported oil," said Paine.

After the premiere, the film will have a handful of other screenings at Tribeca before showing in cities where it has proved the most popular -- the producers have set up a website where fans can request that it be shown where they live.

See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkRIu5a6Sb0

http://www.revengeoftheelectriccar.com/

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