Revenge of the Electric Car

A couple weeks ago, I read about the Rocky Mountain Institute’s gathering of EV interests in Portland for “Smart Garage.” The list of invitees was pretty impressive with representation from, “auto manufacturers like Nissan and GM, utilities such as PG&E and Duke Energy, IBM, P&G, Wal-Mart and Google, among many others”.

Amory Lovins

When Amory Lovins gets involved, things happen fast. Three years ago, my entreaties to RMI to help out with the EV movement were met with slightly better than indifference since they were hell-bent to make the Hypercar work with a fuel cell power plant. They may still harbor love for the concept, but the realities of the marketplace have proven that technology a non-starter.

I can’t imagine a better ally for the EV movement than a full court press by Lovins and RMI. There isn’t a better mind anywhere when it comes to energy policy. The fact that they have assembled key industry leaders along with some of the best minds in the EV movement to study how to actually implement a grid charged transportation system means we’ll make some sorely needed progress in setting infrastructure standards and building it out.

But the key problem remains the lack of cars in the showroom. It’s frustrating to know how possible it all is, yet not have the ability to accelerate delivery. Sigh.

This pretty much says it all:

“The key Smart Garage technologies — batteries, PHEVs, charge stations, communications technologies — are ready. Success depends on aligning a diverse array of companies on the vision, and ultimately engaging customers on the dramatic benefits it can have in their daily lives.”

The final piece of that statement, “and ultimately engaging customers on the dramatic benefits it can have in their daily lives.” is where I feel Plug In America should be involved. No one else represents the voice of EV users like we do. No one else can engage customers as to the reality of driving electrically like PIA. Of all the participants involved, this was the one area that was lacking. Maybe we can fix that.

Regardless, I’m excited as hell this process has begun. Stay tuned for regular reports as things progress.

Here is the announcement I read from the Rocky Mountain Institute:

Imagine driving a car that can be plugged in and connect to the grid while you shop for groceries, while it sits in your office parking lot, or even in your own driveway!

RMI’s Mobility and Vehicle Efficiency Team (MOVE) is working to bring together electrified vehicles, energy-positive buildings, and a smarter, cleaner electricity grid. According to Michael Brylawski, VP of MOVE, these are essential new developments that will generate jobs and wealth, while decreasing our dependence on oil and greenhouse gas emissions.

RMI’s Smart Garage Summit was held on October 8-10, 2008 and united experts across several industries for three days in Portland, OR in order to identify both barriers and breakthroughs needed to develop a fleet of electric vehicles in the US, and do so in a manner that reaps environmental benefits and opens up new business opportunities. The Smart Garage concept has become RMI’s means to describe the integration of the grid and the electric vehicle. Attendees included leaders from the utility and auto industries, innovators of clean energy solutions, IT systems providers, consumer products, metering, advanced battery technology and even retailers. Among the companies represented were names you may hear everyday: auto manufacturers like Nissan and GM, utilities such as PG&E and Duke Energy, IBM, P&G, Wal-Mart and Google, among many others.

Important Developments

The collaboration and discussion at the Smart Garage Summit allowed industry leaders to identify essential elements that are needed to move forward. It is promising to see that consumer demand, industry preparedness and government leadership are coming together, setting the stage for a great leap forward in the next five years. According to Laura Schewel, MOVE team consultant and manager of the project, “what proved most surprising was the concept of the Smart Garage is a lot closer to realization than we previously thought. We found there were many misconceptions, including that technology to make all this possible was not available — when in fact the opposite is true.”

We are all excited to see Smart Garage move forward at an amazing pace, but we can’t do it without your help! (Please click here to make a secure, online donation to the Smart Garage Initiative.) RMI looks forward to keeping you updated as the MOVE team continues to pursue their follow up initiatives and this concept gains momentum with the media. You can take a look at some of the coverage that the Smart Garage Summit has received here.

Sincerely,

Rocky Mountain Institute