SEVA Meeting Minutes – December 2023

Seattle Electric Vehicle Association

Dec 12, 2023 meeting minutes
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The December membership meeting and holiday party was on Dec. 12, 2023 at the social hall of The Vine Baptist Church in Ballard – Sunset Hill. The evening began with a potluck dinner. At 7:44 p.m., President Jay Donnaway called the meeting to order.

MEETING LOCATION – Following the loss of the use of the Church of the Nazarene in Wallingford, which has hosted SEVA meetings for at least 15 years, Jay recounted the search for a new meeting space. Kent Bakke has offered the use of the Bowman Building in Ballard. Many other sites are being evaluated. Steve Maginnis said that the conference center at Fisherman’s Terminal is available. Convenient access, adequate parking, a big enough meeting room with chairs, and an affordable price are all factors the board is considering in the selection process. The next SEVA meeting will be on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, with the location TBA.

POLICY – Vice President Grace Reamer gave a legislative update on bills that have been prefiled for the January legislative session in Olympia. HB1868 is titled “reducing emissions from outdoor power equipment,” which would create a sales tax exemption for electric lawnmowers and other equipment. SB5812 would develop best practices for fighting EV fires.
Also in January, the state’s Electric Vehicle Coordinating Council will present its Transportation Electrification Strategy to the Legislature. The report blames passenger vehicles for 58 percent of the state’s greenhouse emissions from transportation. The report discusses prioritizing a number of equity issues, for example, the price of charging for those without access to charging at home, and subsidies to locate public EVSEs in underserved areas. Washington currently has 940 DCFC stations and about 3,500 public level 2 EVSEs. Barriers to EV acquisition, quoted in surveys and focus groups, include cost, range, and fear that the technology will become obsolete. The Council’s recommendations include establishing an education and resource center, promoting ride-and-drive events, repealing the utility rate-impact cap (given that EVs are now 20 percent of new sales), promoting time-of-use electric rates, developing consumer protections for charging, expanding curbside charging, developing EVSE reliability standards, requiring EVSE maintenance contracts, supporting EVSE expansion on state routes, supporting the right-to-charge for renters, supporting point-of-sale EV rebates, extending and expanding the sales-tax exemption for EVs, promoting ICE conversions, and allowing direct-to-consumer sales. Jay said that the latter was the most contentious issue. Dealers were disproportionately present and vocal at Council meetings, defending their interests against direct-to-consumer sales.

FUN FACT – Over the last 25 years, per capita vehicle miles travelled have declined more in Washington than any other state.

ANNUAL MEETING AND BOARD ELECTION – SEVA board elections will be conducted at the SEVA Annual Meeting in February. Rob Mathewson will stand for election as vice president. The secretary position will be open and it needs candidates. Former Scribe Kevin Boze said that the job is easy, useful and fulfilling.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
* President Emeritus Steve Lough has had his 80th birthday and he said he thinks SEVA is wonderful.
* Kent Bakke said that the EV Museum plan in Kingman, AZ needs supporters; the museum is dedicated to the past, present and future of EVs. Visit hevf.org for details.
* Students from Aviation High School’s solar electric car program were introduced.

The meeting concluded at 8:26 p.m., and the holiday party resumed.

Minutes drafted by Secretary Billy Kreuter and posted by Grace.

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Zoom Meeting Recording(s):
: Did Not Stream Meeting