National Plug In Day - Sunday, October 16th

[xtremeflyer]

I didn't get to the OC event until late, so I didn't get to see many people.. In fact I hoped out of the car and pretty much right back in as they were lining up for the parade. It definitely looked like the meet up was fun. I felt that the parade route was poorly designed.

As someone that lives in this city, using the back parking lot of the Library and having the parade on back streets and ending at a place where there was no parking just didn't make sense. I understand that the permit probably didn't allow the parade to officially go through the circle, but there are other streets/opportunities that would have better served the visuals of a parade. We should have worked with the Orange Farmers Market/Chapman to end or start the parade at their lot. It's a nice open area and people are used to seeing sustainable living there.

Anyway, It was a beautiful day, I think it was a great thing, just need to get the parade as well organized as Santa Monica next time.

It'll be interesting to see if the City actually puts in the chargepoints at a decent timeline. It seems like they are putting them in to serve the public works employee more than to serve enticing people to come in to the City and stay and visit, but we'll see, hopefully it is just a start.

 

[z0ner]

It's been awhile since I've been to another group meet and felt the OC plug-in event was as important as any.

While I don't envy the planning and preparation that goes on I agree with xtremeflyer, the parade route was poorly planned and if a few residents saw us tying up their streets, that was it for the exposure. Bruxie can't handle 5 cars let alone 50 so most of us broke up and went our separate ways.

It was good to see Boomer23 (and meet your wife) and 91040 again. Missed xtremeflyer (was looking for you too). Was great to finally met JPVLeaf and her husband (turns out we just live a few blocks away from each other) and Hill. Saw garygid and mwalsh but didn't get a chance to flag them down.

All in all I'm glad I went, and was a part of the 1,000,000 plus oil-free miles in attendance.

 

[Boomer23]

Enjoyed our time as well at the Orange County event yesterday.

Thanks Boomer and Richard for great photos.

Hi JP, sorry I missed seeing you. From your pics, it looks like you were on the west side of the building and we were mostly on the east side, but you got a glimpse of Mrs. Boomer and me in one of your shots, so it was my bad for missing you.

Great to see everyone and we really enjoyed the event. I'll second (or third??) xtremeflyer's and z0ner's comments on the parade, but all in all, kudos to Linda and the team who put the event together. Hopefully next year, they'll need an even bigger start and end point to accommodate all of the newer EVs that will join the party!

Also, we thought that a tie-in with UCI or one of the other universities would be great. Their engineering and ecology programs would fit in perfectly with the event, and we really want to get the younger people involved.

 

[LBCev]

We had a great time at the Santa Monica event. The LEAF was by far and away the most well represented of the two "mainstream" plug-ins on the market; likely 85% of the vehicles participating. As has been mentioned, the "Batt.mobile" was definitely the star of the world's quietest parade. It was followed closely - IMHO - by the stunning Fisker Karma from LA Car Guy. Whatever the make or model, all of the vehicles present represented a step in the right direction. It was amazing to see so many of my fellow EV and plug-in drivers in one place and I intend to make it an annual tradition. That said, next year I'm going to ditch the streamers and window paint and go for something more ...heroic? :ugeek:

 

[marccbr]

I had a fun time at the San Diego gathering but we didn't get to have a parade due to insurance reason. Very good street tacos though!!!!

 

[tbleakne]

Did anyone see any TV coverage in LA? I scanned through almost two hours of KCAL 9 News and NADA!

KABC was there, but it doesn't look like they used anything.

I thought we were promised Sam Rubin from KTLA. I saw nothing on National PBS or LA Times today, Monday. Did the OC event make SoCal PBS? Did we make any mainstream print media? Very disappointing. I did find this in NY Times:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/17/in-san-francisco-a-gathering-of-the-e-v-converted/

 

[SharonaLA]

From the Santa Monica Patch.com:

http://santamonica.patch.com/articles/electric-vehicles-parade-down-main-st-see-pics#photo-8134360" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[LEAFfan]

Someone drove their Smart for Two EV to one of our two locations for our event. This is a VERY rare EV right now. They have only released 250 of them for lease only, and this driver was able to obtain the very first one! They let me drive it and it's very smooth with good torque like the LEAF, regen is 10% with braking only, but the steering was much tighter and had more feel. Also, a driver brought their Tesla Roadster and in the parking lot (no other cars) we hit 50+mph in just three seconds! It reminded me of a thrill ride at Disneyland!

 

[mark13]

Leafan Im glad you had fun there ..I really wanted to join you there but just to many family issues to help out with..

I hope we have a Leaf meet or even better a EV meet in Phx again soon..

Ohh were there enough chargers in downtown Phx to keep all the EV people happy ?

 

[hodad66]

six Volts and Orlando's resident Leaf..... fun for all!

 

[LEAFfan]

Ohh were there enough chargers in downtown Phx to keep all the EV people happy?

I would have been surprised if you had made it with your family issues you had to deal with.
I went to the one in Monti's parking lot instead of the Phoenix one, but I was told there was supposed to be some portable charging stations there. There were two at Monti's and both were used almost the whole 6 hours of the event by different cars.

 

[JPVLeaf]

Hi JP, sorry I missed seeing you. From your pics, it looks like you were on the west side of the building and we were mostly on the east side, but you got a glimpse of Mrs. Boomer and me in one of your shots, so it was my bad for missing you.

I actually saw you a couple of times while going down to other end, but each time you were surrounded by a crowd in front of your Leaf, in deep conversation with fellow EV'ers. Looked like you were having a great Leaf-time, as always. Say Hello to Mrs. Boomer.

Also, we thought that a tie-in with UCI or one of the other universities would be great. Their engineering and ecology programs would fit in perfectly with the event, and we really want to get the younger people involved.

Great idea on the tie-ins. Ditto also on other comments by xtremeflyer and z0ner regarding the parade route, which seemed to be bit of an afterthought. Having planned a few group driving runs before, it helps to avoid too many left hand turns. Otherwise, it doesn't take too long for the group to get disjointed (without traffic control). And, the 'parade' can fall apart for all but those at the front of the line. Also, I noticed one signage that was viewable from the main street (Chapman). Passersby may not have known there was a gathering of EVs out back. Yet, having said that, it appeared everyone had a great time gathering and talking EVs.

 

[TNleaf]

Here are some pictures from Nashville's National Plug In Day celebration at Schneider Electric.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/68842613@N03/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not nearly as many as some of the California meet-ups, but not bad as one of the last cities to organize a meetup! 22 LEAFs and a Volt.

 

[PaulScott]

This is from Gina Coplan-Newfield of the Sierra Club. Gina was the overall organizer who eventually held court over 29 cities. Check out the news links. There were a lot.

As you may have heard, Sunday was National Plug In Day, and we held Plug In Day events in a whopping 29 cities nationwide to call attention to the many exciting benefits of electric vehicles. And then a few of us had the opportunity on Monday to meet with White House officials in the West Wing after driving to the White House in a Nissan Leaf, delivering more than 52,000 signatures on a Sierra Club EV petition, and taking part in a White House Twitter Town Hall about the intersection between EVs and the new proposed fuel economy standards.

I invite you to:

1) Read our blog article that shines a spotlight on some of the terrific local Plug In Day events (including the giant EV parade in LA):
http://sierraclub.typepad.com/compass/2011/10/electric-car-national-plug-in-day.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
and
2) Take a look at our media round-up from the effort (there was a LOT of coverage; kudos to my communications colleagues at Sierra Club, Plug In America, and the local partner groups -see below my signature links to the articles).

We at the Sierra Club were so pleased to work with Plug In America, Electric Auto Association, and local partner groups to organize the events, and we were thrilled that thousands of individuals, organizations, and companies took part.

Looking forward to next steps,
Gina

--

Gina Coplon-Newfield
Senior Campaign Representatives for Electric Vehicles
Sierra Club
[email protected]
mobile: 617-571-4523


Media Round-Up: National Plug In Day

National Newspapers/News Sites

National Plug In Day Highlights Benefits and Popularity of Electric Vehicles
The Huffington Post
No author. 10/16/2011

Get your EVs running: First National Plug In Day is Oct. 16
L.A. Times Blogs, L.A. Times.com (online version of L.A. Times)
By Susan Carpenter. 10/10/2011

Kiss an electric car: It’s National Plug In Day
USA TODAY
By Chris Woodyard. 10/16/2011

Coulomb Technologies Celebrates 1st National Plug-In Day; Offers FREE ChargePoint Network ChargePass Cards All Weekend
MarketWatch (member of Wall Street Journal Digital Network)
Press Release from Coulomb Technologies. 10/16/2011
Also posted by: TheAutoChannel.com

Speeding Up the Electric Vehicle Revolution
GOOD Magazine
By Sarah Laskow. 10/14/2011

Local Newspapers/News Sites

National Plug-In Day comes to St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville, Fla., and Featured a Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf
First Coast News (local news for Georgia and Florida)
By William Bortzfield. 10/17/2011

Denver day for plug-in cars brings out new, surprises with old
Denverpost.com (online version of The Denver Post)
By Weston Gentry. 10/17/2011

Electric vehicles on display at first National Plug In Day
Santa Cruz Sentinel.
By Cathy Kelly. 10/16/2011

Austin drivers celebrate National Plug-In Day
KVUE News (local Austin news)
By Jade Mingus. 10/16/2011

Electric Vehicles Parade Down Main St.
Santa Monica Patch (local news site: santamonica.patch.com)
By Kurt Orzeck. 10/16/2011

Electric Car Event In Kingspot, TN
WCYB (local Kingsport news)
No author. 10/16/2011

Celebrate National Plug In Day Sunday
Santa Monica Daily Press
By Kelly Zhou. 10/15/2011

Electric car enthusiasts participate in National Plug-In Day
TriCities.com (for area of Kingsport, Tennessee)
No author. 10/14/2011

Springfield, MO Joins National Plug-In Day Saturday
OzarksFirst.com (local Missouri news)
No author. 10/14/2011

The Town Of Monteagle Gets Plugged In
The Chattanoogan (local Chattanooga news)
No author. 10/13/2011

Electric Vehicles Coming to Mercer Island for National Plug In Day
Redmond Patch (Mercer Island)
No author. 10/6/2011

TUCSON PLUGS IN 2011 / October 16 / Electric car event is part of nationwide celebration
Tuscon Citizen
By Hot Off The Press (Release). 10/4/2011

Blogs
In San Francisco, a Gathering of the E.V. Converted
The New York Times, Blogs Section. Wheels
By Jim Witkin. 10/17/2011

Plug In Day Celebrates Electric Vehicles
DomesticFuel.com
By Cindy Zimmerman. 10/17/2011

US: Nissan supports first National Plug In Day
AutomotiveWorld.com
10/17/2011

America Celebrates National Plug In Day
EnergyBoom.com
By Jace Shoemaker-Galloway. 10/17/2011

National Plug-in Day sees largest ever EV parade
The Green Car Website (UK alternative vehicle blog)
No author. 10/17/2011

National “Plug in Day” then “Revenge of the Electric Car”
Clean Technica.com
By Breath on the Wind. 10/15/2011

Nissan Brings Leaf Owners Together For Plug-in Day
MediaPost.com
No Author. 10/14/2011

National Plug-In Day Event in Santa Monica this Sunday
Blogging Los Angeles
By Matt Mason. 10/13/2011

EV fans set Oct. 16 as National Plug In Day
Autoweek.com
By Angie Fisher. 10/12/2011

Celebrate Your EV This Sunday at the First Ever National Plug-In Day for Electric Vehicles!
Inhabitat.com
By Laura K. Cowan. 10/11/2011

National Plug-In Day Events Roundup
Chevrolet Voltage (Chevy blog)
By Doug Wernert. 10/11/2011

October 16 is National Plug In Day
DomesticFuel.com
By Cindy Zimmerman. 10/11/2011

National Plug In Day to be Celebration of EVs, Plug-in Hybrids
DailyTech.com
By Shane McGlaun. 10/10/2011

Tucson Prepares for National Plug-In Day on October 16
PluginCars.com
By Benjamin Nead. 10/7/2011

National Plug-In Car Day: Promoting Electric Cars, Educating Future Buyers
GreenCarReports.com
By George Parrott. 10/7/2011

Web Sites
Ford showcases the industry’s most complete line of clean vehicles in Austin
Examiner.com
By James Nelson. 10/17/2011

NYC Plug-in Day - Pier 54
City Guide NY (events listings for NY)
No author. 10/16/2011

It’s National Plug In Day – Celebrate the benefits of plug-in electric vehicles
Examiner.com
By Jace Shoemaker-Galloway. 10/16/2011

Nissan Supports National Plug In Day; Theatrical Premier of 'Revenge of the Electric Car'
Nissannews.com
Posted by Nissan. 10/14/2011
Also posted by: PR Newswire

Built By Michigan Campaign Celebrates Plug-In Day Sunday, Oct. 16
Ecology Center (ecocenter.org)
No author. 10/14/2011

Electric Vehicle Taxonomy, National Plug In Day
Greentechmedia.com
By Eric Wesoff. 10/13/2011

Plug in your electric car in Boulder, Colorado
GoElectricDrive.com
By Benoit Colin. 6/29/2011

Twitter

Kiss an electric car: It’s National Plug In Day http://usat.ly/oTOufo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
USA TODAY money (Financial section of USA Today)
@USATODAYmoney. 10/16/2011

National Plug-In Day is being held nationwide this Sunday - show your support & join the festivities in a city near you http://on.fb.me/o0hfPV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Nissan LEAF
@NissanLEAF. 10/14/2011

#electric#car#ev Nissan Supports National Plug In Day; Theatrical Premier of 'Revenge of the Electric Car' - Yahoo F... ow.ly/1f8xwf
Green Car Magazine
@GreenCarMag. 10/14/2011

Local electric vehicle enthusiasts to gather at national Plug-in Dayevent in Kingsport http://goo.gl/fb/xyolz" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Times-News Online
@timesnewsonline. 10/14/2011

@NissanNews is supporting #NationalPlugInDay w/ the @NissanLEAF! tinyurl.com/3sd3233
Simply Rides (online automotive lifestyle magazine)
@SimplyRides. 10/14/2011

Saturday is National Plug In Day! Celebrate at the Electric Tailgate Party at Pier 54 in NYC and learn more... http://fb.me/11jYhWrCJ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
NJSierraClub
@NJSierraClub. 10/14/2011

Electric car enthusiasts participate in National Plug-In Day -http://bit.ly/r1hEUY
Malaysian Prius
@priusmy. 10/14/2011

#NationalPlugInDay is on Oct 16! EV tailgates, lectures & more electric car fun! Is it coming to your town? Find out:goelectricdrive.com/NewsEvents/Lat…
GoElectricDrive (goelectricdrive.com)
@GoElectricDrive. 10/12/2011

Get your EVs running: First National Plug In Day is Oct. 16 http://lat.ms/pEjRo1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
L.A. Times Environment
@LATenvironment. 10/10/2011

One week from today is National Plug-In Car Day. http://hgm.me/ov6AQq" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Green Car Reports
@GreenCarReports. 10/9/2011

Are You Participating In National Plug In Day on Oct 16th?: I'm curious how many people are participating in Plu...http://bit.ly/oUsb6S" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
GM-Volt (official tweets from GM)
@gmvolt. 10/8/2011

Facebook

Tesla Motors: Post about “Revenge of the Electric Car”. 271 likes.
http://www.facebook.com/teslamotors?sk=wall" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
10/17/2011

Fisker Automotive: Several posts about NPID and the Santa Monica parade.
http://www.facebook.com/fiskerauto" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
10/16/2011

Nissan: Post about National Plug In Day. 201 likes.
http://www.facebook.com/Nissan?sk=wall" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
10/13/2011.

 

[tbleakne]

Here are my best pictures from the Santa Monica Plug-in Day last Sunday, Oct 16. Check out the Bio-diesel Hummer Hybrid, the swank Fisker, the electric cycles with 50? miles range, the electric Cola-cola van, and the Evolution electric shuttle. One fellow's electric conversion was built around a EV1 inverter module he had purchased from a museum that had received an EV1.

At this event my Leaf received its first Quick Charge, using Nissan's truck-mounted, diesel-powered charger. We each got 10 minutes, which took me from 52% SOC to 71% SOC. The charge rate varied from 20kW to 30kW. The air from the charger's cooling exhaust duct was warm, but not real hot, indicating good electrical efficiency, probably better than 90%.

http://tomnature.smugmug.com/Cars/Santa-Monica-Plug-In-Day/19647900_7vZh4L

Thanks to the organizers - they did a great job, with many volunteers and police support. I was disappointed that the green gourmet food truck never showed.

 

[highcountryrider]

Great pics, thanks.

Somehow a diesel-powered charger for an EV seems counter productive.
I hope it was bio-diesel.

 

[mark13]

This is really seeing all the E-Cars showing up for national plug in day ..Im really enjoying looking at all the pics no matter what state it is in ..Im already thinking of next year when we will have twice the E-cars on the road and hopefully a very large number of lvl 3 chargers to help us extend our driving pleasures..