Seattle Electric Vehicle Assocation (SEVA) – Promoting electric vehicles through education, demonstration & advocacy since 1980

Washington State has a number of incentives for electric vehicles thanks to forward-thinking legislators and the work of many SEVA members such as Jeff Finn who is pictured here charging his LEAF in front of the Capitol.
SEVA member and intrepid EV Road-tripper Lee Colleton snapped this photo while charging at Stevens Pass ski area after a long day of mountainous freeway driving in his electric Mitsubishi Miev.
Brutus Electric Motorcyles
Electric vehicles can go anywhere gas vehicles can go as demonstrated by SEVA members Grace Reamer and Kevin Boze who once forded a small river in their Coda electric sedan.
Washington State is a great place for taking an electric vehicle road-trip. The Department of Transportation has been strategically placing many DC Quick Charge stations along the states major highways.
The Nissan LEAF looks good in the Seattle Autumn!
Seattle Electric Vehicle Association at Woodinville's 21 Acres Farm Festival, 2017
SEVA Member Jennifer Northern, at the helm, is an avid proponent of electric scooters!
Steve Lough was SEVA's first President up until 2013. He continues, as President Emeritus, to promote, demonstrate, advocate for, and educate people about electric vehicles which he has done for nearly 30 years.
Past SEVA President Stephen Johnsen (2014-2018) is shown here with a rare GM EV1 which he helped a small team from Western Washington University revive in 2007.
SEVA member Deb Seymour enjoys the long-range capacity of her white 2014 Tesla Model S. This photo was taken of her with her WA license-plated car in Salt Lake City, UT!
Does your solar installer show up in an electric vehicle? Puget Sound Solar founders & SEVA members Pamela Burton & Jeremy Smithson do!
If you want to convert a vehicle to electric, there are many knowledgeable conversion experts in SEVA. Washington State is also home to electric vehicle components manufacturers such as Manzanita Micro and suppliers such as EV Parts.
Bothell High School's student-built "Shock & Awe". SEVA member Pat McCune is their teacher.
For many years SEVA members have taught electric vehicle technology courses at South Seattle Community College including a course where a gas car is converted to electric in just 6 days!
Washington State leads the nation in per-capita electric vehicle sales!
Practically any vehicle can be electric and SEVA members own and drive many different electric models.
The immediate and extremely high torque produced by an electric motor allows electric vehicles to accelerate VERY quickly and to produce impressive numbers when tested on a dynamometer.
The Seattle Electric Vehicle Association actively participates in many car shows throughout the year.
Many SEVA members are also members of the National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) and they race their electric vehicles during race season at nearby Pacific Raceways.
Many SEVA members, like Roger Swearingen, have more than one electric vehicle in their households. Roger is pictured here with two OEM electric vehicles; a Fiat 500E, and a Ford Ranger electric pickup truck.
Seattle Electric Vehicle Association welcomes electric bicycles as well!
There are many good reasons to go electric and most EV owners love the rapid acceleration! At Pacific Raceways local Tesla owners run sub13 second times in the quarter mile at well over 100 mph!
Late SEVA member Dave Cloud probably converted more vehicles than anyone in Washington and held many records for all sorts of EV achievements. He is pictured here with his streamlined Geo Metro conversion which went over 200 miles on a single charge using lead-acid batteries!

Welcome!

The Seattle Electric Vehicle Association (SEVA) is an all-volunteer group of Seattle-area folks who are passionate about all things having to do with electric cars. Our members run the gamut from brand new Tesla owners to folks who have been converting old gasoline cars since the 1980’s.

We participate in car shows, educational events and political events having to do with electric vehicle legislation. But we mostly get together to have some plain, old fun at our free monthly meetings and by simply driving around on our zero-emission wheels.

SEVA also serves as a gateway to the latest press and information on and about electric vehicles. Jump on in to see what’s happening in the world of electric cars!

Car Shows and “EVents”: November-December 2018

ONGOING:Tesla Owners Club of the PNW (TOCPNW) has an events calendar up: https://tocpnw.org/events/
Some events are private, but some are open to the public, and in fact some are meant as outreach. Not all are local..

SEVA member Lee Colleton's Mitsubishi MIEV at Stephen's Pass
SEVA member Deb Seymour's Tesla Model S at the Aberdeen, WA Supercharger in the dark of January 2017
Nissan Leaf In Snow
Tesla Charging at Aerovironment Charger at Mt. Hood Ski Bowl
EVs charging in Norway.
Past SEVA President Stephen Johnsen takes his LEAF up Chinook Pass, WA

Winter Driving Tips for EVs

It’s that time of year again, when we start getting those panicky calls for help:

“What happened to my electric car — I’m sure in the middle of summer my range was much greater than this! My batteries must be dying*already* or my motor, or something!”

So, let’s go over again all the reasons — some controllable — why electric cars “lose range” in the fall and “lose range”:

1) Tire pressure. Tires represent about 5X more of an electric cars “energy budget” than a gas car — […read more…]

SEVA in the News:

On August 7, 2018, SEVA Members joined Governor Jay Inslee and local dignitaries to open the first DC Fast Charger that was funded with monies from the EV Registration fees paid by Washington State drivers. This money was leveraged 4:1 with private sector investment, and provides both needed additional capacity and some redundancy to bolster the small number of existing DC Fast chargers around Tacoma.
On March 28, 2018, SEVA President Emeritus Steve Lough was interviewed by King 5 about Washington State’s Pay-By-Mile Pilot Program and how that might negatively or positivELY affect the electric vehicles owners.
On June 18, 2017, The Seattle Times AUTO Section featured a lengthy article called “Batteries Included! Seattle Electric Vehicle Assocation Leads the Charge” (by Tom Voelk)about SEVA’s 37-year history promoting electric vehicles in the Puget Sound Region. Thank you, Tom, and Seattle Times! Click here to read article.

FEDERAL ELECTRIC VEHICLE TAX INCENTIVES For 2019

For TESLA only:

Federal Tax Credit	For Vehicles Delivered
$7500	On or before December 31, 2018
$3750	January 1-June 30, 2019
$1,875	June 30, 2019-December 31, 2019

For ALL OTHER electric vehicle brands:

Federal Tax Credit	For Vehicles Delivered
$7500	Until automakers of each separate, respective brand hit the 200,000 unit sales mark. See link below for more info.

Go to https://www.energy.gov/eere/electricvehicles/electric-vehicles-tax-credits-and-other-incentives for more info.

Washington STATE Alternative fuel vehicle sales tax exemption ENDED May 31, 2018

The Department of Revenue has notified the Washington State Auto Dealers Association that the alternative fuel vehicle sales tax exemption will end on May 31. To have received this tax exemption, your vehicle must have been delivered on or before May 31, 2018.

If you are received your vehicle after May 31, 2018, you will be required to pay all applicable sales taxes.

https://dor.wa.gov/find-taxes-rates/tax-incentives/incentive-programs#1133.

Scroll down to Clean Alternative Fuel and Plug-In Hybrids, and then click on Qualifying Vehicle Count.

Img of EVs at Pacific Racewa

EV News Headlines

Open Card Surgery: How To Hack A Tesla Model 3 Key Card (1/22/2019)- Zack Nelson searches for a better form factor for the Model 3's RFID chip. There are currently several ways to enter your Tesla Model 3. The most common way is via bluetooth on your smartphone. However, Tesla provides two alternative options as well. Every Model 3 comes with a black key ...read more
California considers an EV mileage fee to support road infrastructure (1/22/2019)- Traditionally, funding to maintain road and highway infrastructure comes from a gasoline tax, which means drivers of ICE vehicles contribute to the fund in proportion to how much they drive. However, the rise of EVs could cause receipts from gas taxes to dwindle. California, the state with the highest level of ...read more
GM to collaborate with EVgo, ChargePoint and Greenlots (1/22/2019)- General Motors will partner with EVgo, ChargePoint and Greenlots, three of the US's largest charging networks, to give its customers access to over 31,000 charging ports. GM plans to aggregate dynamic data from each of the networks to offer owners of the Chevrolet Bolt EV a more seamless charging experience. GM ...read more
Rare Tesla Model 3 Longhorn Edition Makes Debut (1/22/2019)- Hook 'em horns? There was a time in America (ok, mostly in Texas) when owners of large Cadillacs might adorn the immense hoods of their cars with a set of horns. No, not train horns. Cow horns. And not any old cow, either. Only the impressive rack of a particular type ...read more
The Biggest Challenge Facing Electric Cars Is Still Affordability (1/22/2019)- Falling EV battery prices resulted in longer range. Not lower purchase prices. When Elon Musk announced job cuts at Tesla last week, he gave a clear reason for the belt-tightening. “We face an extremely difficult challenge: making our cars, batteries, and solar products cost-competitive with fossil fuels,” he wrote to his ...read more