Saturday, May 31, 2008
At the very end of May 2008 I learned about Google's RechargeIT.org call for videos on "Why I Want to Drive a Plug-In". The videos were not to be more than 90 seconds and had to be posted to YouTube by June 4th, 2008. I contemplated doing a more serious video documenting my PV+EV adventures of the past couple of years. These adventures include installing a residential grid-tied 4kW Photovoltaic Solar System and dedicated EV charging ports both in my garage and side of house to support my future Plug-In Electric Vehicles. My PV Solar System has been supplying 100% of all of my residence's electrical power plus 2500kWhrs per year of excess energy that I could be using to drive a Plug-In Electric Vehicle over ~10,000 miles! Not only do I have a $0 electrical bill for the next 40+ years, I could have a $0 gasoline bill too if I had a Plug-In Electric Vehicle! For the time being the excess 2500kWhrs produced by my PV Solar System is forfeited (yearly) to Southern California Edison electrical utility under my net metering contract. At least it is going to help offset 2500kWhrs of otherwise dirtier electrical power that would have resulted in additional global warming CO2 emissions. Do realize that SCE's electrical power content mix is already one of the cleanest in the nation utilizing only 7% coal for 2007. Click here for SCE's power content mix for 2006. Soon I plan to be driving electric, plugging in, charging greenly (from my PV Solar System), and curtailing drastically my consumption of expensive and polluting gasoline.
Having only a week to prepare a video seemed unlikely due to my busy schedule. My close friend Alexandra Paul, a longtime EV advocate, enthusiast, believer, Plug In America board member, and EV driver since 1990 suggested we do a more entertaining Plug-In video showing the Power of Electric Vehicles to capture a girl's heart. She created an initial script and we evolved it into the video you see here. Super thanks go out to my good friend Gary Winterboer who played the part of "EV Guy" and helped with videoing. Thanks to Amanda Jones who helped support the video shoot and drove the EV chase car in order to capture the closing scene along Pacific Coast Highway.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
EVWorld's Bill Moore published an excellent article entitled "Electric Attraction" covering this video shoot. Imagine an EV as a Babe Magnet. Think of the possibilities.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Click here to check out the Brookings Institution - Google's RechargeIT.org Plug-In Conference in Washington D.C. webcast video archive (8 hours).
(Select your preferred viewing format below)
Photos from the video shoot of "The Power of Electric"
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| TURBO Guy's ride. | A very rare Toyota RAV4-EV | EV Guy's ride. |
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| The Power of Electric "hero cars". | Alexandra Paul strikes a sultry pose. | Loving the license plates! |
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| TURBO Guy - Stefano Paris | A rare 2006 Mitsubishi Evolution 9MR 2.0L turbocharged rocketship. The pinnacle refinement of the gasoline automobile has happened just as we run out of affordable oil. The Plug-In EV future is bright with performance oriented EVs by AC Propulsion and Tesla Motors out accelerating even this very quick EVO. | Mobil gas prices. |
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| Enjoy the "cheap" $72 fillup as gasoline is only going to get more expensive. My Italian cousin just filled up last week for $9.04 a gallon. Now do you see why we need inexpensive to recharge Plug-In EVs? | Alexandra adjusts her makeup prior to her video sequences. | |
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| EV Guy - Gary Winterboer and Alexandra. |
Stefano and Alexandra | |
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| Super electric car advocate, enthusiast, and fellow Toyota RAV4EV owner Tom Hanks spots our EV and stops by to say hi! Alexandra and Tom haven't seen each other since they played in the1987 movie Dragnet. | Tom also owns the very first customer delivered AC Propulsion eBox EV. Check out Tom Hanks' eBox electric car video on his MySpace page. To learn more about Tom's eBox electric car visit AC Propulsion. |
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| GOT EV? | The Power of Electric cast: Stefano Paris, Alexandra Paul, and Gary Winterboer |
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| Electric Vehicles are pocket change (~$0.60 an equivalent gallon) to recharge in comparison to these ever- escalating gas prices. | Pacific Palisades Mobil gas station. | |
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Tuesday, June 3, 2008
EVWorld's Bill Moore published an excellent article entitled "Electric Attraction" covering this video shoot.
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See the Brookings Institute page covering the Plug-In conference held on June 11th and 12th in Washington D.C.
Here is a snapshot of Google's RechargeIT.org call for Plug-In videos webpage:
Below are some of the other great video submissions to
Google's RechargeIT.org call for videos on "Why I Want to Drive a Plug-In".
Click here for a list of speakers at the Google.org - Brookings Institution Washington D.C. June 11th, 2008 conference.
Several of the best "Why I Want to Drive a Plug-In" videos were played at this conference.
A FOREIGN POLICY EVENT
Plug-In Electric Vehicles 2008: What Role for Washington? Sponsored by the Brookings Institution and Google.org
Energy Security, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Technology
EVENT SUMMARY
Oil prices are at record highs. The overwhelming dependence of our cars and trucks on oil strains family budgets, threatens our national security and contributes to global warming. Plug-in electric vehicles have the potential to significantly reduce the United States’ dependence on oil. Yet can this potential be realized? If so, how? Is there a national interest in putting millions of plug-in vehicles on the road soon? How should policymakers in Washington, D.C., respond?
On June 11 and 12, the Brookings Institution and Google.org hosted a conference titled “Plug-in Electric Vehicles 2008: What Role for Washington?” The conference placed a spotlight on plug-in electric vehicles, examining their potential, their viability, and the pros and cons of different federal policies to promote them.
Among those who addressed the conference are:
• The Honorable Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Chairman, Senate Republican Conference
• The Honorable John Dingell (D-Mich.), Chairman, House Committee on Energy and Commerce
• The Honorable Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
• The Honorable Jay Inslee, U.S. Representative (D-Wash.)Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
• Shai Agassi, Founder and CEO, Project Better Place
• John Bryson, Chair & CEO, Edison International
• Troy Clarke, President, GM-North America
• Peter Darbee, Chair and CEO, PG&E Corporation
• Mark Duvall, Program Manager, Electric Transportation, Electric Power Research Institute
• Juliet Eilperin, Correspondent, The Washington Post
• Mark Fields, President, Ford-North America
• Tom Friedman, Columnist, The New York Times
• Peter Horton, Producer and Director, "Grey’s Anatomy"
• Andy Karsner, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy
• Felix Kramer, Founder, CalCars
• Tom Kuhn, President, Edison Electric Institute
• Deron Lovaas, Vehicles Campaign Director, Natural Resources Defense Council
• Alan Madian, Director, LECG
• John Podesta, President, Center for American Progress
• Dan Reicher, Director, Climate Change & Energy Initiatives, Google.org
• Bill Reinert, National Manager, Advanced Technology Group, Toyota
• David Sandalow, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
• Chelsea Sexton, Executive Director, Plug-In America
• Frederick W. Smith, CEO and Founder, FedEx, and Co-Chair, Energy Security Leadership Council
• Sue Tierney, Managing Principal, Analysis Group Inc.
• Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Correspondent, The Economist and co-author, Zoom
• Dave Vieau, CEO, A123 Systems
• Jon Wellinghoff, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• Jim Woolsey, Partner, Vantage Point Venture Partners
• Mary Ann Wright, CEO, Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions
Sponsored by the Brookings Institution and Google.org
When: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 11:00 AM - Thursday, June 12, 2008 3:00 PM
Where
Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill
400 New Jersey Ave., NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20001
TinyURL-like redirect link to this "The Power of Electric" page:
http://www.stefanoparis.com/redirect/ThePowerOfElectric.html
TinyURL-like redirect link to the QuickTime version of The Power of Electric Video:
http://www.stefanoparis.com/redirect/ThePowerOfElectricVideo.html
TinyURL-like redirect link to the other Google RechargeIT.org submitted videos embedded on this page:
http://www.stefanoparis.com/redirect/ThePowerOfElectricRvids.html
TinyURL-like redirect link to Brookings Institution - Google's RechargeIT.org Plug-In Conference in Washington D.C. webcast video archive (8 hours):
http://www.stefanoparis.com/redirect/PlugInConference.html