At Irvine City Hall on Saturday March 10th, over 65 people came out to learn about electric vehicles and partake in the ride-and-drives and ample sunshine.  Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang opened up the event to express Irvine’s support of clean vehicle technology.  He was followed by Colin Santulli from the California Center for Sustainable Energy, Beth Neaman of Southern California Edison, and Meredith Reynolds and Brian King of the City of Irvine’s Environmental Programs. The presentations gave an overview of what plug-in electric vehicles are, what incentives exist for interested consumers, and what Irvine is doing to prepare for electric vehicle adoption.  Local Irvine residents closed the workshop portion of the event with the drivers panel discussion, sharing their experiences as electric vehicle owners and motivations to make the switch to a cleaner fueled vehicle.  As one workshop attendee with her young son told the drivers panel, “I just want to thank your group for being the leaders and buying these vehicles.  Seriously, my little guy is going to have a nicer future because of you.”

It has been a whirlwind of activity here at CCSE, especially with the additions of the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid and the Chevy Volt Low Emissions Package to the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.  Apart from the arrival of these plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, there are also two new Zero Emissions Vehicles ( ZEVs) to welcome to the CVRP eligible vehicle list: the 2012 Ford Focus Electric Vehicle (EV) and the 2012 CODA Electric Sedan.

A distinct new feature in both the CODA and the Ford Focus Electric is the 6.6kW on-board charger, which makes it possible to charge in 3-4 hours when using a Level 2 charging station at 240V.  This addition essentially adds 30 miles of driving range per hour of charging, making it a valuable feature for EV owners on the go.

Last Saturday, CCSE’s Transportation Team made the trek to Davis, spreading the word of plug-in electric vehicles to Northern California.  The workshop speakers panel included Jim Antone from the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, Will Barrett from ClipperCreek, Colin Santulli of the California Center for Sustainable Energy, and Ulric Kwan of Pacific Gas & Electric.

The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project team continued on their California workshop tour last weekend, this time stopping in Santa Monica.  The beautiful Santa Monica library hosted the Plug-In Electric Vehicles: Innovation, Incentives, and Infrastructure workshop and with over 60 attendees, it was a great success.

It’s been an exciting week here at CCSE, and we’re happy to announce two new vehicles that are now eligible for rebates under the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.

2012 Chevy Volt Low Emissions Package

The Air Resources Board announced today that the 2012 Low Emissions Package Volt will be eligible for a $1,500 rebate through the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.  This new vehicle, expected to be available in CA dealerships any day now, has a 35 mile all-electric range and an EPA-estimated total driving range of 379 miles.  The Volt’s 16- kWh lithium ion battery is bolstered by a gas powered engine/generator to extend the driving range 344 miles on a full tank.  Only the 2012 Low Emissions Package is eligible for the rebate; the standard ’12 Volt is not eligible.  The Low Emissions Package Volt is identified with an E, F, G, or H in the fifth character of the VIN.

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.