SEVA Meeting Minutes – January 2024
Seattle Electric Vehicle Association
Jan 9, 2024 meeting minutes
___
The Jan. 9, 2024 membership meeting of the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association took place at the Van Gogh Auditorium on the campus of Digipen in Redmond. Thank you to SEVA member and Digipen contractor Ryan Fulchur for arranging this space, which was badly needed on account of the sudden closing of our long-time meeting space in Wallingford.
The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. by President Jay Donnaway.
NEW AND RETURNING ATTENDEES – Chad Schwitters was able to come for the first time in quite a while because the Redmond location was convenient. Hugh Glass came from Utah with his pusher trailer. Paul is an eternal wannabe.
HEVF UPDATE – The Historic Electric Vehicle Museum in Kingman was burglarized. High-schoolers stole ignition keys and the last Coda ever made. Jeff Finn and Phil Skoog reported on the museum’s fundraising campaign. Members joining now will get a grandfathered $25 annual rate and virtual access to the museum’s digital materials.
CHARGING UPDATES – Jay said that both Blink and Chargepoint have declared their older units “non-serviceable” when cables are vandalized, even though Jay can repair the damage himself in 45 minutes. Jay finally got Chargepoint to discuss this with him, with no promises. Jay said that the Washington Department of Commerce is finally issuing funding from carbon credits. This will be for electrification programs. Some funding comes from the registration surcharges for EVs, which are now $225. HB 2189 has been introduced to eliminate the $75 electrification surcharge that non-plugin hybrids now pay.
POLICY:
Olympia Report – Vice President Grace Reamer phoned in with the legislative update. HB 1868 will restrict ICE lawn equipment. HB 2051 will establish a five-year program to reduce emissions of small off-road engines, and exempt off-road electric engines from sales tax. HB 2189, as noted above, repeals the $75 registration surcharge paid by hybrids which aren’t plugins. SB 5812 has bipartisan sponsorship and support; it seeks to establish best practices for responding to electric-car fires. SB 5872 will require a human safety operator in any autonomous vehicle operated on the highway. SB 5909 will reimburse tow-truck operators for the towing, transport, and storage of electric vehicles, and provide grants to protect facilities from risks associated with storing them. Although it’s not clear if this is meant as an anti-EV measure, Grace thinks it’s not a high priority. However, SB 5945, which will prohibit direct retail sales or leases of vehicles and limit manufacturers’ ability to get dealers to install fast chargers, really does sound like an anti-EV bill. And SB 5951, which would repeal the state’s authorization to allow charging by the public at locations where it’s providing the power, doesn’t sound like it will help EVs, either.
State Strategy – Jay said that the EV Council’s Transportation Electrification Strategy has been issued. One gets the impression that its authors were paid by the word.
ANNUAL MEETING – Jay announced that the SEVA board elections will be held at the annual membership meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 13, location to be determined. Rob Mathewson will be a candidate for Vice President, and Eric Eskilson will be a candidate for Secretary. Nominations still are open for the two board positions by sending e-mail to president@seattleeva.org.
ANNOUNCEMENTS, for the good of the order:
* Ryan Fulcher’s Ford Lightning has been in the shop since October with warranty issues.
* Jay recounted his misadventures renting a Tesla from Hertz.
* Former President Steve Johnsen said that Ford told his team to use a GT instead of a Mach E. So the Mach E is now in the shop, taking up room, and it’s for sale for $1,600.
* Rich Rudman is closing Manzanita Micro; anyone needing parts or service for Rich’s products should contact him now.
* Jay noted two passings, Doug Weathers and Jabran Solbeih. Jabran’s widow hopes to sell Jabran’s project trucks to a conversion enthusiast.
* Mark Yormark said that Arcimoto has filed for bankruptcy.
* Triple XXX in Issaquah has closed, but Phil S. said that there will be a new location.
* Treasurer Charlie Tsai said that the bank account is healthy but the balance has started to draw down.
* Grace clarified that Tesla doesn’t require a financing commitment far in advance of delivery.
* Ryan F. has ordered his Cybertruck and described its series of options, named after the titles in the Isaac Asimov classic trilogy “Foundation.”
* Hugh Glass described his setup with the pusher trailer.
Jay adjourned the meeting at 8:33 p.m.
Minutes drafted by Secretary Billy Kreuter and edited by Vice President Grace Reamer.
—
Meeting Recording(s):
: Live Meeting Recording
:* YouTube: SeattleEVA.org 20240109 Meeting