Fellow Clean Car Supporter,

Dan Davids & David Berdish, Ford's Manager
of Sustainable Business Development

Last month I reflected on how busy October would be. Looking back, I marvel at the growing attendance at plug-in electric vehicle events and the unprecedented surge of interest: the first-ever Business of Plugging In, convened in Detroit, sold out. Cascadia's sixth annual Beyond Oil conference in Redmond, WA, drew a record crowd. Off the beaten path but right on track, Plug In America's involvement in the AASHTO conference, described below, was a hit. We need to keep up this pace to continue to make a difference. Please join us as a paid member to help make this happen.

-Dan Davids

In This Issue

• AASHTO in the Know
• Toyota and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Bumper Sticker Winners Picked
• EV Driver Writers Wanted
• Two Cents Per Mile

AASHTO in the Know

What does AASHTO know? First, it helps to know what AASHTO is: the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, which works to preserve the nation's transportation infrastructure, is a nonprofit advocacy organization representing every state's department of transportation.

What AASHTO now knows is the thrill of driving the fastest clean-car on the road and the bountiful benefits of zero emission vehicles, thanks to Plug In America's EV coordination and attendance at the organization's recent annual conference in Palm Desert, California -- with a radiant-red Tesla, thanks to PIA board member Linda Nicholes.

Linda Nicholes shows Randell Iwasaki
the Tesla ropes while Paul Scott, next
to the charger, enjoys the view

On day three of the conference, Linda maneuvered her Roadster into its display spot beneath SolarCity's solar carport just as Randell Iwasaki, director of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), delivered opening remarks to those assembled for the event's Innovative Mobility Showcase. Despite the Tesla's stealthiness, the crowd turned like a school of fish to behold the monument to mobile advancement.

"That's the first one I'm going to try out," Iwasaki said, ogling the car. And, give it a whirl he did.

"He was thrilled," Linda said. "I told him how the car can go from zero to sixty in 3.9 seconds and gave him a demo. And let me tell you, he had one of those "EV grins" on his face. He said he thought Caltrans needed some Teslas for its fleet."

Other EVs displayed at the outdoor showcase, which Plug In America coordinated at Caltrans' invitation, included a BMW MINI E, a Zero Motorcyles Zero S street bike, a Boulder Electric Vehicle delivery truck, a ZENN and a plug-in Prius converted by A123. Clipper Creek showed off its charging station. Linda, along with fellow Plug In America board members Zan Dubin Scott and Paul Scott, seized the opportunity to explain the EV advantage, from the ability to drive on sunshine to low maintenance costs, and reinforce the round-the-corner significance of EVs in our showrooms.

But nothing convinces like the chance to just drive it.

After taking a MINI on the road, conference attendee Neil D. Schuster, President and CEO of the American Assn. of Motor Vehicle Administrators, sported one of those ear-to-ear grins.

Boulder Electric Vehicle truck on display
at the annual AASHTO conference

"That was the most fun I've ever had driving a car," Schuster said.

Several hundred transportation executives attended AASHTO's conference, where seminars addressed climate change, freight issues, high-speed rail and a range of other topics. "The Mobility Showcase, where new safety and traffic technologies were also presented, offered an opportunity for the rest of the nation to challenge itself to deploy and embrace the technology that's being introduced in California," Iwasaki said.

We'll drive to that.

Toyota and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

...You Plugged In

Plug In America board member Marc Geller

More than 1,600 Plug In America supporters responded immediately to our call to tell Toyota to quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Media ran with our campaign, too. Visit our home page to read some of the coverage, which likewise hit the Twittersphere with a flurry. For the latest on the campaign, go to MoveOn.org.

Bumper Sticker Winners Picked

(say that three times fast)

Plug In America would like to congratulate the top three vote-getters in our bumper sticker contest!

Our supporters liked these best:

• Electric Cars - OPEC Free (Kip Meeboer)
• My Electric Car Pollutes Less than Your Honor Student (Stephen Weitz)
• End the Addiction - Drive Electric! (Jon Hellam)

Honorable mention goes to long-time supporter and EV driver Darrell Dickey, of EVNut.com, for

• Let's Play: Find the Tailpipe

Thanks again to all who participated. Over the next 18 months, as new EVs enter the marketplace, Plug In America will publish a variety of bumper stickers. We will use them as tools to educate consumers about the passion and conviction that our EV enthusiasts share.

In case you didn't know, paid Plug In America members automatically receive our bumper stickers. If you want more than one, you need only ask.

Thank you for your continued support!

Are you Plugged in to the Sun?

Do you drive a MINI E, Tesla Roadster or a custom conversion EV powered by residential solar or your local utility's green energy program? If the answer is yes, Plug In America wants to hear from you!

We can't promise exactly when your story will make the big time, but Plug In America would like to feature you on our website. Tell us all about your ride, what "sparked" your motivation to plug into renewable domestic power as well as your sustainably cutting-edge driving experience.

Perhaps you are the proud driver of a RAV4 EV -- in which case we celebrate your long-term commitment to electric transportation, and we congratulate you on being fortunate enough to drive a dependable -- yet ravishing -- RAV. However, Plug In America is actually on the hunt for drivers of production electric cars that have hit the highway in the last year.

You must be willing to talk to media about your personal transportation story. Send photos! Go to http://www.evnut.com/ for some great examples.

Please send your submissions to linda@pluginamerica.org.

Two Cents Per Mile

"Ever doubt that EVs could be economical, sturdy, dependable and durable? A clean car hero, the RAV4 EV, continues to demonstrate exactly why electric-car naysayers got it all wrong."

Read all about it in "Two Cents Per Mile," an inspiring new book by Nevres Cefo. Read our review and purchase a copy today.