A Message from Plug In America President Dan Davids

With each passing month I continue to be amazed at how active Plug In America is in moving our nation toward electrified mobility. On any given day, our staff, interns, and boardmembers might be testifying in a legislative committee, planning charge station logistics with a government agency, speaking at an industry conference, putting the final touches on a new website feature, and test driving the latest version of one of the cars in our collective future. In short, we have never been busier. Our monthly newsletter can only touch on some of the high points. This month, we are thrilled to announce our new online blog, accessible right from the pluginamerica.org homepage. And if you're in the Bay Area, we have an event coming up in January that you won't want to miss. There's more to come, but I'm sworn to secrecy until next time. Thank you for your encouraging feedback and enthusiastic support for Plug In America.

We're blogging!

Plug In America drives change, indeed, we're literally in the driver's seat of plug-in electric vehicles. As a result, we often get EV news well before it reaches the public, and often are the first to inspect and test-drive new EVs as they head towards the market.

We wish you could come along, so now we're sharing it all with you on our new blog, In the Driver's Seat. Our 11 board members, plus managing director Jeanne Trombly, have begun to post some of the exciting information that crosses our paths each day. You can read about our face-to-face meetings with automakers, politicians and others as they happen. We'll deliver reviews and photos of new vehicles. Hear more about the blog in the latest Plug In America podcast, as producer Kate Baker interviews board member and blogger Sherry Boschert. Come along with us In the Driver's Seat.

We'd love to hear from you, too, and invite you to comment on the blog site. Plus, you can subscribe to get new blog posts delivered directly to your e-mail inbox so you'll know instantly when there's something new. Tell your friends and spread the word -- we'll see you In the Driver's Seat.

In Memorium

It is with great sorrow that Plug In America shares with you the passing of EV advocate, supporter and friend, Renee Heart, on October 21, 2009. She had a massive and fatal asthma attack. Renee was the beloved twin sister of Colette Divine, one of our most active members and a key figure in "Who Killed the Electric Car?"

We last had the great gift of seeing Renee on January 17 this year at our  "Inaugural Parade West: Plug In, America!" Renee helped make it a great event by driving Colette's RAV4 EV in the parade. She was also interviewed by media and generally helped spread the EV gospel with her characteristic joy, beauty and heart.

A memorial service for Renee will be held at the Agape International Spiritual Center www.agapelive.com/ on April 17, 2010. Please contact Colette Divine - colettedivine@gmail.com for more information and if you would like to attend.

LEAF North American Tour

By Plug In America member Eric Swenson

If you squint into your rearview mirror, you might see Thor, Norse God of Thunder, hurling lightning bolts that scream a Tesla Roadster down the road. Look behind Nissan's LEAF and you'll see Fulgora, Roman Goddess of Lightning, nurturing the car along. Two mythical beings exercising their power in very different ways.

It was indeed an Olympic moment in the advancement of plug-in cars when, on November 13th, a major carmaker displayed a pure EV and its CEO, Carlos Ghosn, said all the right things to kick off the Nissan LEAF's North American promotional tour. Nissan's stated goal of delivering 20,000 EVs in the next two years certainly sounds ambitious. The pre-production example I drove handled exactly as one would expect for a car with a price point of $25,000 to $33,000: poised and civilized.

When the tour comes to your town or nearby, I encourage you to make time to view the LEAF, which looks better in person than its press photos might indicate. The LEAF is not a conversion engineered by removing an existing design's engine, gas tank and exhaust system to wedge in some batteries and an electric motor. The all-new platform from Nissan uses lithium-ion batteries from NEC mounted beneath the passenger compartment.

Nissan plans to include remote-control capabilities via a handheld device that can operate the LEAF's air conditioner or heater before you even get in. The remote also displays charge status and lets you make a reservation at a public charging station. The onboard GPS will include a "reachable area" map that includes charge station locations.

The launch day in Los Angeles ended with a party where the LEAF was displayed under spotlights. I thought about the plug-ins closest to delivery, including the Volt, Coda and iMIEV. For a while it seemed to me as though only mythical gods were putting energy into EVs. But now, with the LEAF enjoying financial backing from the federal government, mere mortals are one step closer to driving with lightning.

A Special Holiday Appeal

The new year - 2010 - promises to be one of our most exciting yet, as the countdown begins. In less than 12 months, plug-ins from major automakers will hit the road. We urgently need your support during this pivotal time. Our community of early adopters will show plenty of pent-up market demand. However, it is Plug In America's mandate to educate and enlighten the broader market and we will seek to keep the market growing well past the first roll-outs.

Please show your support by going to our web site and becoming a member for as little as $25, or making a larger donation. If you'd like to give a friend or and family member a gift membership to Plug In America, simply join, send us an email at info@pluginamerica.org, and we'll send that loved one an acknowledgment. Many employers have a matching donation program (just ask your HR department), so everyone's support has twice the impact.

Plug In America wishes you and yours a wonderful holiday season!

Save the date!

You're invited to join Plug In America leaders for delightful drinks, delicious hors d'oeuvres, and some exciting surprises at a benefit party on Thursday, January 28 in San Francisco. If you can't come, you still can be part of a raffle drawing at the party, all of which will benefit Plug In America's work to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles. You need not be present to win, either.

Register now for the party, where we'll celebrate LEEDing the Charge: Electric Vehicles and Efficient Buildings at the newly renovated LEED-quality offices of San Francisco-based Gelfand Partner Architects, which specializes in sustainable architecture. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.)

We'll be announcing several exciting new Plug In America projects at the party. By registering, you'll be eligible for wonderful raffle prizes such as a three-day stay at the Element Hotel in Las Vegas, one of the first hotels in the country to offer an electric vehicle charging station. Gelfand Partners Architects will show off the latest in green architectural products and design. And because the firm specializes in sustainable school buildings, we'll be joined by a special guest -- one of the nation's first plug-in hybrid school buses from IC Corporation, on loan for the party from the Napa Valley School District.

So, get on the bus -- and join us in San Francisco on January 28!