UCLA, UC Davis host world conference on electric vehicles and cities prior to EVS26
02 May 2012
The UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and the UC Davis Plug-In Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Research Center will host the World Electric Vehicle Cities and Ecosystems Conference on 5 May, just prior to EVS 26. The conference will explore best practices and innovative solutions for the deployment of plug-in electric vehicles in cities throughout the world.
The one-day conference brings together more than 300 government leaders, business executives and nonprofit directors from a variety of countries, including Australia, China, England, France, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and the United States.
The event will include panels on designing parking and roads for EVs; financing and maintaining charging stations; using EVs in public transportation; and EV goals for nonprofits, foundations and governments, among others topics, and will feature the release of the EV City Casebook, which provides a look at the global EV movement by detailing policies and programs in 16 cities around the globe.
In addition, the Global Electric Vehicle Insight Exchange, an international knowledge-sharing consortium that tracks worldwide EV-deployment progress, will be announced, as will the World EV Cities and Ecosystems web portal, which serves as a central hub for collaborative EV-deployment and research efforts and disseminates best EV-deployment practices to global stakeholders.
No one wants to build a cheap electric automobile that larger numbers of people can afford, and there are too many companies competing for the limited market of expensive electric vehicles. TH!NK went under because there was not sufficient support after years of planning and money wasted to build a US construction facility.
Too many batteries are competing for the limited expensive automobile battery market when cheap lead absorbed-glass-mat batteries of modern make could supply electricity for most automotive trips and a 3kW range extender could always get a vehicle home or to a charging station at ordinary street speeds when rarely needed. Bladen jets might even make a tiny 15kW one sometime soon.
No electric vehicles without range extenders just to eliminate range worries. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 03 May 2012 at 12:41 AM
I think the low cost Twizy will prove very popular in Europe.
Posted by: Herm | 03 May 2012 at 08:21 AM
Massive world wide vehicle electrification is a three step endeavor:
1. 50+ mpg HEVs (affordable Prius III etc many in operation since 1997)
2. 100+ mpge PHEVs (more costly Volt and Prius PHEVs in operation since 2011/2012 etc)
3. 200 + mpge BEVs (Costly short range starting in 2010 and very costly long range Tesla S etc by 2014 and beyond)
All three technologies will co-exist for 10+ more years or until such times as batteries performance increase by 3X to 5X and their price come down to $150/Kwh or less (sometime between 2020 and 2030?)
Meanwhile, the Prius III is one of the best buy.
Posted by: HarveyD | 03 May 2012 at 03:27 PM