And a fun Labor Day Parade was had by all, September 1. The Greenbelt outing had two Volts, a Plug-In Prius, a Leaf, a Ford C-Max Energi, and an e-bike, plus wind power representatives.
Don’t forget, we’ve also got the Mini Maker Faire in Silver Spring this Sunday, followed by the Monthly Meeting Wednesday Sep. 17, and then The Big One- our multiple Drive Electric Week events around the Metro area. See you there! Continue reading
Lots of news and events this meeting. In order of appearance, not importance:
President Charlie called the meeting to order at 7:16. We began with introductions, including many new faces (new BMW i3!). This includes people looking to upgrade from their hybrids. Debra brought up the August issue of Consumer Reports, bringing attention to dealer misinformation about EVs and, in some cases, active hostility to them. Later, members shared their recommendations on good, EV-aware dealerships.
Speaking of EV awareness, the annual Greenbelt Labor Day Parade is coming up fast, this September 1. We’ve seen great turnouts and enthusiasm in our previous runnings. Bring your EV (well before 10 am) if you have one, check it out if you want one. After that (Sept. 14, 12-5 pm) is the Mini Maker Faire, downtown Silver Spring’s local edition of the tech hobbyists’ powwows. We have brought EVs before; anyone have any cool mods, or entire homebuilts they’d like to show off? Charlie’s crowd-pleasing Porsche 914 conversion won’t be ready, though- still upgrading from NiCd cells to Lithium chemistry.
For non-tinkerers, we mentioned Nissan Leafs can now be found under $20k with deals. Possibly near $15k if you’re good. Meanwhile the first Leafs, Volts, and Prius Plug-Ins are going off leases and on the used market, for good prices. Member Rob sold his Tesla S, anticipating a Tesla III in a few years. He’s now using his Think City, though it needs a paint job. We heard the issues with various Think finishes. Continue reading
Thanks to all racers and teams, volunteers and staff, sponsors, and even museumgoers who stopped by and helped. A rain cell aside, it was a great event, hope to see everyone next year.
Thanks to all who came last weekend for the Science and Engineering Festival/Sustainable Design Expo at the Convention Center. I feel it really got traction and reached a lot of people.
We still have our EV Grand Prix coming up next weekend, May 10 in Dulles. Great volunteer opportunities are available that day and the Friday before, even if you have no experience. Please see our SignUpGenius page. With our reserved volunteer parking, you can drop the family off at the museum beforehand, then watch the race and EV parade together at midday, all for free. There is no downside- the Udvar-Hazy Center is even chipping in lunch for racers and volunteers.
Don’t forget, plenty of EVents before, after, and including the monthly meeting. See our events page for times. Rockville Science Day is this weekend, and previous years have turned out quite well. The weekend after Earth Day (April 25-27) is particularly packed- mark your calendars.
