What a year it has been – from the Electric car event in 2005 to the Alt
Car Expo in 2006, serious progress and more to come.
Happy Holidays to all and a fabulous 2007 coming at us.
Best Russell Sydney
310-450-7419
In this Sustainable Transportation Club Newsletter:
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Community based action
Report on the ALT CAR EXPO
With thanks and appreciation to all who helped
Can you help with the results – 200 new names need to be entered
Outreach and Education
Plug In America doing battle with Motor City Press
Detroit Free Press issues Toyota biased column
Jump in to keep awareness building
Getting your Sustainable Ride
Two Weeks for Test Rides on 400 MPG Electric Motor Scooters
You can start riding clean and energy efficient NOW!
Electric Bicycles and Segways were happening at the show
What ever else you do – two wheels are tops on sustainability
Converting your bicycle to Electric
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You can find the subject you want by looking for the separator bars
with the row of XXXXX’s in this document.
Please send any relevant information for inclusion in this
newsletter.
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Community based action
Report on the ALT CAR EXPO
With thanks and appreciation to all of you who helped
This event rocked and may just have taken our work from being a grass
routes activist effort and turned it into the start of a movement. The LA
times reported that 10,000 people attended the event.
Major thanks and congratulations to both Christine Dzilvelis and Rick
Sikes for the great job that they did. They had lots of tough calls to make
and did a great job of sorting things out. Some of our people would like a
few things to go differently and we can work on getting better next time.
Christine really wants to know how to improve things so please send
suggestions and feedback (just hit reply and we will forward your ideas).
The Rally on Friday was a huge success. We had press from all over the
world and from all types of media. The rally was headed by a bicycle
rally with 25-30 bicycles including 3-4 electric assist rides and a bicycle
taxi. The types and variety of bikes was great with trailers, extended
frames, recumbent ones and some with fairings.
Nine electric motor scooters followed the bicycles and the riders went nuts
with their horns tooting the whole way. Then came over a mile long
stretch of every conceivable alternative vehicle. This included
Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) of all descriptions, three wheeled
electric and gas vehicles, hybrids – plug in, hydrogen, and solar, bio
diesel, electric cars including a racing car, and on and on. It was truly
awesome and so big it was hard to get a good photograph of them all.
It was great to have the two wheelers lead the way. They really let the
people we passed know that something was going on. The scooter horns
got peoples attention and the combination of scooters and bicycles let
people see something special was going on. That got their attention so
they could see the line of cars following were something very special.
It was also great to have the bicycles there because that was brought about
by the efforts of our Club. The Club not only requested that from the
organizers but we worked together to help make it happen. The LA
County Bicycle Coalition, CICLE, Critical Mass and Cycle Santa Monica
all jumped in and got the word out about the bicycle part of the rally and
every one came together to make it work in a great show of solidarity.
That effort also helped the success of the overall event as the mail that
went out to each group’s lists probably reached two to three thousand
people. That is how to help build the buzz and that is how groups getting
connected can really make a difference. Great job everyone.
The Expo itself was also a wonderful opportunity for the members of the
Sustainable Transport Club to work shoulder to shoulder once again. We
had all the groups who participated in the Earthday Sustainable Transport
Village there as well as various new groups including CICLE, and the Green Ambassadors.
At least two of the City Council members showed up with Kevin
McKeown stopping by the booth as well as Mayor Richard Bloom. Kevin
has been part of the organizing effort from the conception of the Club and
Richard has been on board for some time. Both of them have been strong
supporters of the Expo from the Council level in addition to having
support from most if not all of the other Council members.
The Expo had other notables in attendance. Former CIA Director James
Woolsey was on hand as part of his ongoing support for the work (he has
good connections to Plug In America). Lee Iaccoca created a stir on
Saturday. Our green celebs also made a good showing with Alexander
Paul and Ed Begley drawing good media attention as always.
The whole event went smoothly for the Club thanks largely to the help and
support of our volunteers. The load in and load out was accomplished
with the help of John Breza, Kelly Olsen, Randy Scherer and Michael
Cycle Santa Monica. The working of the booth was done with the great
participation of Aggi Reader, David Dutra, John Breza, and JP Klien. Our
thanks go out to each of you.
This group accomplished a tremendous amount. In addition to preaching
the green transport gospel, we signed up at least 200 new people for the
Club and found over twenty people who want to test ride the electric
scooters and bicycles. There is something about talking to Aggi Reader
that makes people want to sign mailing lists. She is the best.
One of the good things was that we had the chance to make contact with
the Segway people in the area. They have a special vehicle that is as
Green as any at the show and it is good to have several of the active
people on our list. These vehicles need to be better understood including
how to best integrate them into the transport mix in our communities.
The event was truly awesome with so many great people. The great turn
out of vendors and attendees also meant that we got good media attention.
There have been reports of articles in all sorts of newspaper including the
LA Times and the TV news picked us up locally in addition to making it
to other parts of the state. We had reports come in from Santa Rosa about
it being on the news there – where else have you heard about it being
mentioned?
There were also film crews doing work for documentaries and the like.
This means that the results will continue to come forward over the next
year and beyond.
We are becoming part of what is starting to look like a movement. You are
helping to make that happen as part of this Club, by supporting these
events and by using sustainable transportation. The Club and all the
people tied to it have helped lay the foundation for this Expo through our
participation in the Sustainable Transport Village at Earthday, through the
Electric Car Movie, through the Santa Monica Festival, through activities
like the electric car event at Clover park and through things like the Don’t
Crush effort.
Keep showing up and doing what you can – its working folks! And we
have a lot more yet to do.
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Community based action
Can you help with the results – 200 new names need to be entered
We had such a huge response at the Expo that it would be great to have
some help with putting people on our database. We need two or three
trust worthy people to help get this done.
This is simply a matter of putting contact info into a spreadsheet. You
would get a blank template to fill the info into as well as a copy of the sign
ups. All we ask is that you do it within a couple of weeks and keep the
information confidential so it is used only for the purposes intended. It is
very important that we stay in integrity on that level.
You can choose how many you do and your help would be appreciated.
We have already done the first 500 for the club so a little help would be
appreciated.
Call 310-450-7419 or email electric@rsydney.com
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Outreach and Education
Plug In America doing battle with Motor City Press
Detroit Free Press issues Toyota biased column
Jump in to keep awareness building
Here is a link to the article:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061220/BUSINESS01/612200410/1002/BUSINESS
Here is Plug In America’s Response
Plug In America, a non-profit organization advocating for plug-in
vehicles, takes great exception to Mark Phelanâ's one-sided column on
EV's. While Mr. Phelan interviewed members of Plug In America (PIA)
for his column, none of the information we gave him was included in his
column. He essentially gave Toyota a free ride with no rebuttal.
Mike Kane had authored a white paper contrasting Toyota's marketing
campaign for the RAV4 EV with the Prius. That paper was forwarded to
Mr. Phelan and he was told that it provided a strong counter to Toyota's
claim that both vehicles received similar marketing help. Mr. Phelan stated
in a phone call this morning that he did not have time to read it before
publishing his column. He further stated that he did not have time to
incorporate our verbal response in his column. In a phone interview last
week, Paul Scott of PIA provided Mr. Phelan with anecdotal evidence of
his efforts to buy the Toyota EV in 2002. This evidence is backed up by
dozens of other prospective buyers of the RAV4 EV that could easily be
verified, yet none of this evidence was presented to counter Toyota’s Ernest Bastian.
Phelan states that GM delivered about 800 EV1s while Toyota delivered
342 RAV4 EVs without mentioning that those numbers represented 100%
of the vehicles made available for retail lease or purchase. Scott was very
specific in countering this common media contention as it is constantly
brought up in articles favorable to GM and Toyota as evidence that, even
though they tried, GM and Toyota couldn’t sell any more than this
paltry number of vehicles. When a carmaker sells or leases 100% of the
vehicles offered, and there are waiting lists of thousands of people who are
clamoring for more, it is disingenuous to the extreme to claim this
program as a failure. Upon further examination, we believe Mr. Phelan
would find that the total number of EVs offered by GM and Toyota are not
based on what the market would bear, but are notably similar to the
minimum number of cars required to be made available by the CARB mandate.
Phelan states that Toyota did everything it could to attract buyers to the
RAV4-EV. This is patently false! If Phelan had taken the time to read Mr.
Kane’s paper, he would know that there was a significant difference in
how Toyota marketed the Prius from how it marketed the EV. In fact,
Toyota regularly promotes the Prius by denigrating the RAV4 EV with the
marketing tagline, "you don't have to plug it in". Those who did hear of
the RAV4 EV and tried to get one found that only a few dealers even
carried them, and several of those weren't enthusiastic about it, trying to
convert customers to other Toyota products. None of this suggests dealers
who were given a sweetheart deal so they could make twice as much
selling a RAV4-EV as a Prius. Most importantly, it should never have
been an either/or scenario; there is indeed a market for both.
He further states "Toyota subsidized the price, so customers paid $279 a
month". This, too, is patently false. The list price of the RAV4-EV was
$42,500 vs. $21,000 for the Prius. Three-year leases were generally well
over $570 per month.
Phelan also says that "Toyota delivered 342 RAV4-EVs in 2002-03",
suggesting that the vehicle was available for two years. In fact, it was
only available for 8 months, from February to October of 2002. The only
reason that Toyota delivered vehicles in 2003 is that they received more
orders than they were capable of fulfilling and buyers at the end of the
program had to wait several months to take delivery of their vehicles.
Phelan also says buyers avoided the electric car like it was a downed
power line. Clever turn of phrase that, but it happens to be completely
false. Hardly anyone knew of the existence of these vehicles, and for those
who did hear of them, the process of actually buying one was filled with
obstacles most buyers would never put up with, and sales staff who openly
attempted to turn buyers away from the EV and toward the Prius. This
happened all over California and there are many who will testify to this.
Finally, Bastian is quoted as saying "Customers are not willing to
compromise on things they need. They need cruising range. They don't
want to worry about running out of fuel, and they don't want to wait five
hours to recharge. The movie didn't give any consideration to that fact." In
fact, the film itself showed consumers expressing exactly these concerns,
though Mr. Phelan conversely doesn't consider that today's batteries
provide up to 300 miles of range, and that even the 100-150 miles
available then is several times the average commute in the US. EVs have
never been represented by their proponents as the cars for everyone-
neither is the Hummer, and that's not the point. The case for a product,
EVs included, is not about the people who don't want the product, it's
about the people that do. The only relevant question is whether there are
enough of those people to make a business case. But even that question
only matters if the company in question truly wants to be in that business.
Toyota has already answered that question with respect to the RAV4 EV
program; all that matters now is where they go from here- will they rest on
their Prius laurels, or respond to consumers' collective demand for better
vehicles that run on cleaner, cheaper, domestic energy and minimize
dependence on petroleum? Given that the industry takes its cues from
NAIAS in Detroit, we're mere weeks from an answer.
Plug In America respectfully asks that the Detroit Free Press correct the
many inaccuracies in the Phelan column at the earliest opportunity.
Sincerely,
Paul Scott
Mike Kane
Plug In America
What can you do to help press for more EV’s
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Getting your Sustainable Ride
Two Weeks for Test Rides on 400 MPG Electric Motor Scooters
You can start riding clean and energy efficient NOW!
The Alt Car Expo last weekend has created an opportunity for you to
connect with the next generation of scooters courtesy of the Sustainable
Transport Club and Skeuter.
We will be having test rides over the first two weeks of the New Year and
it would be great to get you in on that. We have a range of bikes to ride
from entry level to the hottest 40 mph electric scooters on the market right
now. These include the E-Runner and the Skeuter models as well as an
electric bicycle from the Santa Barbara Electric Bicycle Co.
That means you have a chance to check out all of these to see which
would be the best ride for you to start using.
Rather than give group test rides we would like to schedule with one or
two people at a time so you can really get your answers handled and get a
clear understanding of these bikes. We will schedule morning hours from
9 to 12 Monday thru Friday and any time Saturday or Sunday here in
Santa Monica. We will arrange evening hours as needed.
We can make contact by phone or you can respond to this email to get
things rolling.
Your interest in clean air and stopping foreign oil usage only really counts
when you start living your concerns – what better way than a zero
emission scooter that gets the equivalent of 400 miles per gallon!
Call 310-450-7419
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Getting your Sustainable Ride
Electric Bicycles and Segways were happening at the show
What ever else you do – two wheels are tops on sustainability
These rides rock! Electric bikes were happening at the show and the
Segway folks showed up in force. If you are still burning fuel to go to the
local store or your neighborhood coffee shop then consider getting a clean
green two-wheeler.
Cold start and short runs means the worst fuel mileage and the worst
pollution of your whole driving experience. Yes BIODIESELERS this
means you too. You can use the electric two wheelers to run your errands
and clean up this part right now.
The electric bicycles at the show were right up there on the technology
scale and some were right down there in price. You can get a good
electric bike for right around $500 and even less at the Expo.
The IZIP people were there with lots of great rides. They had basic
models with lead acid batteries and 6 speeds as well as hag tech ones with
all the goodies and lithium batteries running brush less motors. www.izipusa.com
The Santa Barbara Electric Bicycle was in the Clubs booth and looked
sweet and competitive as a solid starter bike. They have been with the
Club for over a year now and you can get test rides in Santa Monica for
the next two weeks. Just hit reply to this email to set that up. www.sbebc.com
The thing about these electric assist bikes is that anyone can use these
effectively even if you are a little out of shape. The electric assist means
that the bike has you covered when you get winded or when you hit a hill.
The bikes are big and sturdy enough to carry the average American. The
heavy-duty frame, tires, motor, and battery add extra weight but the bike
has the power to pull all this. You just put in a little exercise to get going
quickly, get up the hills and extend the range on a charge.
It is a great way for you and the kids to get some exercise and get around
town easily. Running local errands can be done easily as most of the bikes
will carry a couple of bags of groceries. You can even get your dry
cleaning. Securing the hangers to the top of a backpack lets you do this.
The plastic starts to fly at about 20 mph but the clothes stay put up to 30
mph which you are not going to make on most bikes.
If you do not want to peddle at all, then you could consider one of the 20
mph scooters that our local distributor has from www.skueter.com. You
can get these from the bike store on Lincoln near Rose – Veloworx. They
are just over $1k.
All these rides can actually help you get things done more quickly. They
cut through congestion and you can find parking fast. You can usually
park closer to your destination so you save time walking at every stop.
The electric bikes also solve some of the problems of commuting on a
bike. The rides mean you do not work up a sweat and you do not use up all
your energy. No need to change clothes and you can start your day
energized from your ride.
Let cut out that cold start driving that puts nasty things in the air!
Christmas is coming – will you be giving green technology?
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Getting your Sustainable Ride
Converting your bicycle to Electric
We had a lot of people at the Expo asking about kits to convert their
bicycles to electric assist. That is something that people on this list have a
lot more info about than I do. Who has experience and knowledge of this
that we can pass along to the other people in the Club?
What websites do you know about that can help with this?
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A Happy Sustainable Transport New Year – wow what we have done together in 2005