Leafs in Utah

[EdmondLeaf]

same here very nice credit for CNG cars and 0 for EV

Since Darren is coming from the Valley maybe we could meet at the Sweet Tomatoes in Sandy on Febrary 18th at noon. That would help split the distance somewhat. We also could do something else or just get together for coffee. Kelly

When you lucky owners on the Wasatch Front get together for your next Leaf Storm, perhaps you would consider discussing a united effort to tell our Utah legislators to give EVs the same $2,500 tax incentive they bestow upon CNG vehicles...? I have contacted legislators, the governor, the DMV, the SL mayor's office, consumer groups like the Clean Cities Coalition, and written several letters-to-the-editor about this inequity:

In the Ogden Standard Examinar:

• Natural gas isn't the only clean fuel for cars
• Natural gas processing uses coal-fired plants

In the Salt Lake Tribune:

• Energy equity
• Snubbing electric cars

It might (?) help if the powers-that-be in this state were to realize that mine is not the "sole voice in the wilderness."

Happy Leafing to you!

[Darren]

KSL wants to interview Leaf owners, so I set up Monday afternoon 1 PM at the EV charge station in Liberty Park.

Darren if you can make it that would be great. I already talked to Michael and Kelly on the phone and they will be there also. I figure the more EV's we can have there the better.

KJD

I can't believe I missed this in the thread. I would have definitely tried to have been there. I am glad to see that NOW they want to talk to LEAF owners. Six months ago they ran an article on electric cars and only focused on the Volt. I immediately sent them an email asking if they wanted info on the LEAF and never got a response.

Has the article with you interviews already aired?

[KJD]

KSL wants to interview Leaf owners, so I set up Monday afternoon 1 PM at the EV charge station in Liberty Park.

Darren if you can make it that would be great. I already talked to Michael and Kelly on the phone and they will be there also. I figure the more EV's we can have there the better.

KJD

I can't believe I missed this in the thread. I would have definitely tried to have been there. I am glad to see that NOW they want to talk to LEAF owners. Six months ago they ran an article on electric cars and only focused on the Volt. I immediately sent them an email asking if they wanted info on the LEAF and never got a response.

Has the article with you interviews already aired?

The reporter who I talked to cancelled at the last minute, so no interview and no article has been done.

I think that we should start contacting local reporters again and let them know that EV's are here and now and for real.

Clean air articles have been in the press today.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/5 ... r.html.csp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7053 ... ative.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These reporters often ignore emails because they get so many. Try doing an email and a phone call on the same day. I hope you have better luck with these people than I do.

KJD

[Darren]

Glad I didn't come up for the interview.

Thanks for the links to the articles.

I agree that we need to push this more in UT.

Here is the article KSL did last August to which I responded.
http://ksl.deseretdigital.com/jobs/list ... d=16751946" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[garygid]

Soup Plantation and Sweet Tomatoes
at noon on Saturday 18 Feb for Lunch?
Sounds like a Good place, with extra parking nearby if needed.

For a better "display", perhaps line the LEAFs up, parked butt-in, in the last row of parking (furthest North of the building, but it is still close)?

10060 <something> State Street?
(give full address and zip for entry into Nav systems)

Famlies and all EV-interested, kind souls welcome.

Good work Utah LEAFers,
May your Gatherings be Fruitful!

[Yanquetino]

Just curious. Which one of you Leafers on the Wasatch Front loaned your car to the Guv' for his U-CAIR initiative speech?

Governor announces clean air initiative

[Darren]

I think that is the LEAF from the dealer that they bought out of CA. I want to say it is Tim Dahle.

If the governor is pushing clean air maybe that will change incentives for electric cars.

[Yanquetino]

If the governor is pushing clean air maybe that will change incentives for electric cars.

I do see that Utah has finally added the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi "i" (MiEV) to its list of vehicles eligible for its Clean Fuel Vehicle Tax Credit --probably in response to the links that I, myself, had to provide them to the EPA's fuel economy pages for those vehicles.

Unfortunately, that list only qualifies for a measly $605 credit, instead of the $2,500 credit awarded for CNG vehicles.

In the comments for the above article, I admonished the Guv' to rectify that inequity and give EVs the same incentive as CNG vehicles. Shall I hold my breath? Not gonna happen. Our state government is in bed with Questar Gas, thanks to their special interest lobbyists. Which is the very reason that Utah is at the tail end of Nissan's rollout.

[KJD]

If we really want to solve the clean air problem we need more EV's right away.

I agree that EV's should get the same or better tax breaks as CNG, but I think it would be really difficult to get that law changed.

The biggest problem I see for EV's right now is the lack of public charge stations. Everyone that I talk to about EV's the first question they have is how far can it go and where and how do you recharge it.

Think about how gas stations are everywhere and then compare that to how many J1772 stations we have for EV's. The 75 mile range would not be such a big issue if we had a way to buy electricity as easy as how we buy gasoline.

I would like to hear your ideas on how we get more public charge stations in Utah ?

KJD

[Yanquetino]

I would like to hear your ideas on how we get more public charge stations in Utah ?

KJD

I dunno... but it seems like a chicken-and-egg dilemma. I mean, when gasoline vehicles first appeared, there were not a lot of gas stations either. And nobody wanted to start installing gas pumps until there were sufficient gasoline vehicles to make it worth the effort and expense. Similarly, even in EV-rich California they are still behind with the public charging infrastructure.

I do suspect, nonetheless, that the ultimate solution will lie more with private businesses than government. Yes, a bit of seed money from government will start the ball rolling, but when Wal-Mart, shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants, motels, parking garages, even gas stations, etc., begin to realize that they could attract customers by also providing EVSEs... the infrastructure will quickly expand to "compete" in the marketplace. Then more people will purchase EVs, which will create more demand for public charging, which will cause more businesses to also install EVSEs, and the numbers of both chickens and eggs... will spiral upward.

For now...? We few early adopters can show others the advantages of EVs, and continue to encourage both government and private business to look to the future. In the interim... well, even Nissan's data to date show that 95% of charging takes place at home. The other 5%? Probably at work, and maybe once in a while at a friend's house using the L1 cord. The public infrastructure will come eventually, but the stats suggest that it is not as crucial as believed. I might be wrong, but nothing convinces potential customers more than actually seeing, touching, and driving an EV.