xcel
03-25-2007, 04:25 AM
Kishimoto orders personal plug-in vehicle, city may order fleet. (http://www.paloaltodailynews.com/article/2007-3-23-03-23-07-pa-plugin)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Felix_Kramers_Calcars_org_-_Prius_II_PHEV.jpgKristina Peterson - PaloAlto Daily News - Mar. 23, 2007
CalCars founder Felix Kramer showed Palo Alto Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto how his plug-in hybrid electric vehicle worked in front of City Hall Thursday morning during a news conference. The mayor announced that she had personally ordered one and that city staff will look into research ordering a fleet for the city.
Imagine a golf cart that could drive from Palo Alto to Sacramento.
That's how Tom Hayse, CEO of ETM Electromatic, described plug-in hybrid electric cars on Thursday morning in front of Palo Alto's City Hall. The event marked the launch of a new partnership between the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and Plug-in Bay Area, a grass-roots movement designed to generate demand for the environmentally friendly vehicles that have not yet been mass-produced.
Palo Alto Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto made a personal soft order for a plug-in hybrid for her own family and said city staff would research ordering a fleet of the eco-friendly cars for the city.
"I will encourage staff to look into this," Kishimoto said as employees from the city's utilities department peered into the battery pack of a plug-in hybrid on display.
Unlike standard hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in cars have a larger battery pack, plug in overnight to charge and have gas mileage of more than 100 miles per gallon.
The vehicles "improve air quality and reduce oil consumption," said Kishimoto. She noted that plug-ins charge at night "when more electricity is available" and run "completely green" during the day.
Felix Kramer, founder of Cal Cars, which has converted five hybrids into plug-in vehicles, said he once drove 1,034 miles on less than 10 gallons of gas.
"We're doing this because we want Toyota to do it," Kramer said.
Jodie Van Horn, coordinator for Plug-in Bay Area, said the goal of the program is to demonstrate to large auto manufacturers that both the technology and demand for plug-in hybrids already exists. The national Plug-in campaign has already gathered more than 7,000 orders for plug-in vehicles.
Van Horn said the group plans to dangle its database of orders "like a carrot in front of automakers."
So far, she said General Motors, Toyota and Nissan have only made plug-in prototypes, but set no production dates. "Whoever comes out first will have a long list of customers," she said.
Hayse added an order for 10 more plug-ins on Thursday.
"The first one's mine!" he said, noting that "electric cars are really fun to drive."
"It drives just like a Prius, except at low speeds, it's completely silent," Kramer said.
Hayse said four months ago, he created a $5,000 incentive at his company for anyone buying a hybrid car.
"There are already three new hybrids in the parking lot," he said.
Now, as the "executive champion" of plug-ins at Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Hayse is working to tempt some of the regional group's 210 companies to join him.
"We need to reach out to our members and engage them in this national campaign," said Laura Stuchinsky, the leadership group's director of transportation and land use.
In the Bay Area, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda and Marin counties have joined the plug-in campaign to promote the vehicles.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Felix_Kramers_Calcars_org_-_Prius_II_PHEV.jpgKristina Peterson - PaloAlto Daily News - Mar. 23, 2007
CalCars founder Felix Kramer showed Palo Alto Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto how his plug-in hybrid electric vehicle worked in front of City Hall Thursday morning during a news conference. The mayor announced that she had personally ordered one and that city staff will look into research ordering a fleet for the city.
Imagine a golf cart that could drive from Palo Alto to Sacramento.
That's how Tom Hayse, CEO of ETM Electromatic, described plug-in hybrid electric cars on Thursday morning in front of Palo Alto's City Hall. The event marked the launch of a new partnership between the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and Plug-in Bay Area, a grass-roots movement designed to generate demand for the environmentally friendly vehicles that have not yet been mass-produced.
Palo Alto Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto made a personal soft order for a plug-in hybrid for her own family and said city staff would research ordering a fleet of the eco-friendly cars for the city.
"I will encourage staff to look into this," Kishimoto said as employees from the city's utilities department peered into the battery pack of a plug-in hybrid on display.
Unlike standard hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in cars have a larger battery pack, plug in overnight to charge and have gas mileage of more than 100 miles per gallon.
The vehicles "improve air quality and reduce oil consumption," said Kishimoto. She noted that plug-ins charge at night "when more electricity is available" and run "completely green" during the day.
Felix Kramer, founder of Cal Cars, which has converted five hybrids into plug-in vehicles, said he once drove 1,034 miles on less than 10 gallons of gas.
"We're doing this because we want Toyota to do it," Kramer said.
Jodie Van Horn, coordinator for Plug-in Bay Area, said the goal of the program is to demonstrate to large auto manufacturers that both the technology and demand for plug-in hybrids already exists. The national Plug-in campaign has already gathered more than 7,000 orders for plug-in vehicles.
Van Horn said the group plans to dangle its database of orders "like a carrot in front of automakers."
So far, she said General Motors, Toyota and Nissan have only made plug-in prototypes, but set no production dates. "Whoever comes out first will have a long list of customers," she said.
Hayse added an order for 10 more plug-ins on Thursday.
"The first one's mine!" he said, noting that "electric cars are really fun to drive."
"It drives just like a Prius, except at low speeds, it's completely silent," Kramer said.
Hayse said four months ago, he created a $5,000 incentive at his company for anyone buying a hybrid car.
"There are already three new hybrids in the parking lot," he said.
Now, as the "executive champion" of plug-ins at Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Hayse is working to tempt some of the regional group's 210 companies to join him.
"We need to reach out to our members and engage them in this national campaign," said Laura Stuchinsky, the leadership group's director of transportation and land use.
In the Bay Area, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda and Marin counties have joined the plug-in campaign to promote the vehicles.