SEVA Meeting Minutes – September 2017
SEVA Meeting Minutes: September 12, 2017
Called to order. Officers introduced. 38 persons in attendance.
EV OF THE MONTH
Dave Cloud has converted a motorcycle to electric. He wasn’t available to come to the meeting, but Dave Barden shared some information with the membership. Mr. Cloud originally converted this bike, but with only half its present complement of batteries.
He was tasked with re-creating the bike to being literally cross-country … something that could go from Seattle to North Dakota with a week’s worth of driving. The motorcycle can do about 140 miles per charge at 40MPH and 90 miles per charge at 55 MPH which just goes to show how much aerodynamic drag affects vehicles.
NEWS & EVENTS
NDEW in Denny Park, which also featured Nissan’s unveiling of its new 2018 Leaf; one of the first – if not THE first – public showings of the car!
EV TRAVEL DURING THE SOLAR ECLIPSE
Several of our members went down to Oregon in their EVs to witness the recent total solar eclipse. Billy took a Chevy Bolt, Lee took his Nissan LEAF and mentioned that in Madras the lone CHAdeMO fast charger was completely surrounded by EVs at all times! President Johnsen talked with a Tesla owner who had driven up from Sacramento and who said he spent hours waiting at some of the Superchargers in a line of more than 21 cars in one case! In the city of Biggs Oregon it looked like the 1970s oil embargo as there were huge lines at the pumps and the stations were limiting purchases to $35 per vehicle! A BMW i3 with REX was spotted and the Oregon fuel attendant looked puzzled after filling it saying, “So, that’s it?!”
NATIONAL DRIVE ELECTRIC WEEK
For NDEW, we had our first-ever show in Bellevue. Many EVs of all sizes were in attendance including a Proterra bus from Metro, and it was a great opportunity to show them to passersby in the busy downtown Bellevue park. The mayor showed up and said some words and mentioned that Bellevue was commited to installing even more charging stations.
XXX CAR SHOW
This Sunday (9/17/17) is the big NDEW show in Issaquah! Sign up, show up, and have fun. That’s an order.
SQUASH FESTIVAL
At 21 Acres in Woodinville, Sep 23. Arrive by 9am, it will go until 4, followed by the adults-only after party.
NEW PEOPLE!!
Rolando and Julia have a bike that has been converted to electric. They are here because they want to learn about EV conversions.
IRMA, CLIMATE CHANGE, and the POPE
In the midst of these tragic circumstances comes a lesson: listen to your scientists. Climate change is a reality. In a show of humanitarian generosity Tesla temporarily increased the battery capacity of its vehicles in Florida to ease evacuation efforts.
GOOGLE GROUP
You can sign up for our SEVA List by going to our website. No cost. No obligation. www.seattleeva.org
MEMBERSHIP TIME
It is time for most SEVA members to renew their memberships. which can also be done at the SEVA website
LARGE ANTIQUE EVS IN EASTERN WA
Dr Ken Johnsen gave a presentation to the membership about the Yakima Valley Transportation Company, with much history and photographs about its origins. The system is still in use today and has been put on the National Register of Historic Places.
Some of the large electric locomotives have been operating every year since 1907. There is also a free-to-use NEMA 14-50 in the museum parking lot for EVs and it is open to the public who can take rides on the trolleys for $6 to $10. http://yakimavalleytrolleys.org/
WELCOME TONIA BUELL!
Tonya addressed the membership about National Drive Electric Week, and encouraged everyone to come out to the XXX Root Beer Car Show in Issaquah.
She also explained what the DOT is doing with that extra money from the $150 EV fee. There will be many more EV chargers coming to the blanket our state and not just on the I-5 Corridor, but across Eastern WA as well!
LARRY TALKS EFFICIENCY
Larry Gales presented a lot of facts and figures, updating his earlier claims from a previous meeting about energy efficiency. Gone are the days when Washington State can be legitimately considered a “poor” solar energy choice!
Adjourned 9:12pm