SEVA Meeting Minutes – November 2019
Minutes of the November 12, 2019 Meeting of the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association
Kevin issued the call to order at 6:59 PM.
Jim, who is a founder of Pacific EV, was present tonight after a long absence from SEVA. Randy came after an absence of a year and a half. Jeff McCord came for the first time in a long time.
Jay announced that he had hoped to have David Farris as a speaker, but David has relocated to Spokane. He has been reporting a cross-country EV road trip.
Initiative 976. Jay says that six weeks before the election, he predicted it would pass to both Coltura and the Eastside Democrats. Immediate impacts include that Tonia Buell of WSDOT is subject to a travel ban and may not start any new projects not already under contract. Many EV-related projects are indefinitely suspended.
Tonia is now vice president of Plug In America. She will be at EVS Whistler next week. She told Jay that over 500 events were held at the two Drive Electric Weeks this year.
Jay says our one legislative priority which is so far identified is to fully join the ZEV mandate.
Dave Barden spoke about his conversion which is now for sale. It’s the original car which launched the Zilla controller. He has upgraded the battery pack to lithium.
Jay called on Grace to talk about curbside charging. But first, Grace announced that she has taken over the raffle from Jeff and Sandy who have permanently moved away. Part of the proceeds of the raffle pay for the donation in lieu of rent requested by the church.
The rules for curbside charging are being loosened by the city of Seattle. New rules as of October 1 will allow Level 1 cords which are enclosed by cord covers to be placed across sidewalks while the car is charging. Cords must be plugged into a circuit billed to the user, and the cord covers must meet requirements concerning their shape and size. These rules are on-line but they have not been publicized.
Jay called upon Grace for a Tesla update. Model 3’s now have 4G connectivity. The Model Y will be on sale next summer; it’s a crossover between the Model 3 and the Model X. It will cost $48k for rear-wheel drive, and more for 4WD. The pickup truck might be in production by 2021. The 18-wheeler also might be in production by 2021. $100 deposits may now be made on new solar tiles. The car delivery process is revised. Now you sign for the vehicle and drive it away without an orientation, although advanced orientations are encouraged. Grace is leading some of those on Sunday mornings. The Sodo service center is moving to Renton. It should be opening in a few weeks. Powerwalls are available in the greater Seattle area. These include gateways for grid isolation when the grid is down.
Jay said that a Saturn conversion has been offered for free to anyone interested.
On a show of hands, four attendees said they’d participated in a Ride-and-Drive this past year.
Tom Forsythe introduced himself as a new attendee. He has two Caterhams, and is seeking help to turn one into a hybrid.
Brian G. reported on California and Oregon’s clean fuel standards. There are two proposals in Washington. The Commerce Department thinks they will pass, but if they don’t, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is collecting comments for proposed rulemaking.
Larry Gales reported on a Public Speakers Bureau. A group he belongs to would like a speaker on the topic of newbies buying their first EV. Write to him at larry.gales@gmail.com.
Jay says that tomorrow, November 13, he and Brian will be at a forum spoonsored by Tacoma Power discussing EV car sharing for low-income drivers.
Brian G. said that there will be a presentation by the Washington Joint EV Working Group, which includes some government agencies and the state’s three investor-owned utilities, on their pilot projects.
Grace says that the Church of the Vine in Ballard will be the location for SEVA Christmas party. This will take the place of the December meeting. The event starts at 7 on Tuesday, December 10. The address is 7750 21st Ave. NW. Alcohol is allowed. It will be a potluck, and volunteers are needed to bring festive lights and a sound system for festive music.
The organizers of the Auburn Veterans Day parade turned down SEVA’s participation because there were too many other participants.
Jeff McCord spoke. He is a documentary filmmaker. He described a documentary he’d like to do about the beginnings of the EV revolution, emphasizing conversions. He’s started a Patreon page to fund it.
The raffle was won by Brian G. The pot for the winner was $31.
Jay declared adjournment at 8:15 PM.
Minutes drafted by interim secretary Billy Kreuter.