Seattle Electric Vehicle Assocation (SEVA)

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!

SEVA’s COVID 19 RESPONSE

General:

On March 25, 2020, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee issued a “Shelter In Place” order due to the novel corona virus, COVID-19.  To find more info about the Covid-19 outbreak in the State of Washington, SEVA recommends you visit the following links:

1. The main source of timely and accurate outbreak information for King County and the City of Seattle
   is kingcounty.gov/covid
2. The State of Washington has also created a web site for outbreak information
   coronavirus.wa.gov
3.  There is still an urgent, ongoing need at our hospitals for personal protective equipment such as new and unused N95, P100 and surgical masks, gloves, disposable gowns, eye-wear, and     more. If you have any of these items, you can help save lives by donating them. For more information please visit: suppliessaveliveswa.org

COVID-19 and SEVA Meetings

For the safety and well-being of our members and their families, Seattle Electric Vehicle Association began practicing social distancing on March 10 by cancelling our monthly group meeting that was supposed to have been held that evening.  Now that the Governor has issued “Shelter In Place” orders, we will only re-start our monthly meetings when it is safe to do so.

Join the SEVA Listserv to Keep In Touch

Meanwhile, our members are keeping in touch via our email listserv. To join the listserv, do the following:

• Subscribe to the list by sending an email message to: SEVA_list+subscribe@googlegroups.com.
• To Unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
  to SEVA_list+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

Electric Car Cleanliness During COVID-19

Think about how many surfaces in your car get touched on an average trip.

There are the door handles, inside and out, control knobs and buttons, the touchscreen, even your directional and wiper controls are touched virtually every time you drive your vehicle. There is also  the trunk handle and possibly the side mirrors.

Many folks are asking about how to safely disinfect their electric cars, inside and out, without damaging inside touch screens, sensitive electronics, upholstery, etc.T here are also concerns about the cleanliness of public charging stations. SEVA recommends that you follow these simple guidelines:

Your Car’s Interior

• Experts recommend that drivers focus on disinfecting vehicle hot spots in their vehicles. Your steering wheel, door handles inside and out, your car’s shifter, all window and control buttons, wiper and turn signals, door armrests, any grab handles and seat adjusters.
• Rubbing alcohol solutions that contain at least 70 per cent alcohol should be effective at killing corona virus. This means nearly every interior surface of your car can be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol-based cleaners you already use around the house (Centers for Disease Control)
• Stay away from using bleach or hydrogen peroxide inside your car as those products could easily do damage to your car’s upholstery. (Consumer Reports)
• If your car has a touch screen, don’t use anything that has ammonia as an ingredient, since it can strip off anti-glare and anti-fingerprint coatings on the screen
• The surfaces inside your car are usually going to be more delicate than something like the counter-top in your kitchen, so take care in how you apply the cleaning products.
• Wipe down leather gently with a microfiber cloth as rubbing too vigorously could start to remove the color from the dye in the leather” L
• When wiping down fabric upholstery, avoid using too much water, it could end up creating a musty smell or encouraging mold to grow in the cushions.

Your Car’s Exterior

• The most important thing here is to remember to wipe down the things you touch the most: the door handles. Don’t forget the trunk door handle!
• IF you have side-mirrors that you manually adjust, include those.
• Since many of us are stuck at home, use this time to give the exterior of your car a good, general washing, using appropriate soap made for car washes.

Electric Car Charging Stations (Public and Home)

• Remember that the plug handles have been touched by dozens of people throughout the day
• Always use a surgical glove, a disposable rag or a paper towel to grasp the charging gun when plugging and unplugging
• Make sure not to touch your face and WASH YOUR HANDS as soon as you get to your destination, or use hand sanitizer.