California Center for Sustainable Energy

CCSE hit the road last week, starting the first leg of the CVRP Workshop Tour across California.  First stops: Santa Barbara and Camarillo.  Amidst the blur of glinting ocean waters and shiny new cars, we actually managed to hold a workshop or two!  In both Santa Barbara and Camarillo, workshops were packed with potential and current plug-in electric vehicle ( PEV) drivers.

The Santa Barbara MTD hosted 80 workshop attendees with lunch provided by Goodland Kitchen, a sustainably-sourced local caterer.  The event started off with opening remarks from Assemblymember Das Williams, a Chevy Volt driver and well-known supporter of a cleaner environment.  Michael Chiacos of the Community Environmental Council followed with an overview of PEV deployment in Santa Barbara, where the first local public charging stations will be located and how the Central Coast is preparing with PEV readiness efforts.  Colin Santulli of CCSE reviewed PEV incentives, including the state rebate—Clean Vehicle Rebate Project— application process, project funding and frequently asked questions.  Southern California Edison’s (SCEs) Chris Vournakis, covered SCEs PEV program, which included a discussion on grid reliability, SCE PEV rate details, and preparing your home for PEV fueling.  The program concluded with Santa Barbara residents telling their own accounts of life as a PEV owner, from the reasons they chose a cleaner commute to their experiences with residential charging equipment installation and utility rates.

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The fun really started when event attendees hit the parking lot.  Test drives were given in two pre-market Toyota Plug-In Prius demonstration vehicles furnished by Toyota and two Nissan LEAFs provided by Santa Barbara Nissan.  Bill Williams, a fleet dealer and CEO of Green Motion Consulting, shared a new Mitsubishi i-MiEV for the crowd to see; Coast Carts provided a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) example; and two event attendees showed off their Teslas.

The next day, 55 PEV-enthusiasts convened in the Pleasant Valley School District Auditorium in Camarillo to learn about all-things electric cars.  Michael Chiacos of the Community Environmental Council, Colin Santulli of CCSE, Chris Vournakis of SCE, and a panel of Ventura County residents provided an overview of PEV topics as well as answers to any questions from the crowd.  In addition to the pre-market Plug-In Prius, there were also NEVs from Coast Carts, two Nissan LEAFs from Team Direct Nissan, and a BMW MINI-E provided by a workshop participant.  The weekend marked an exciting point in the spread of emergent PEV technology, and CCSE looks forward to the rest of the CVRP tour.

Next stops: Santa Monica, Davis, Irvine, Fresno, Riverside, and Pasadena. Interested in attending?  Click on the following link to register for one of these events today!  REGISTER HERE