BC3 had the opportunity to talk with Maureen Blanc, Co-Founder and Director of Charge Across Town, about her organization's big event of the year EV Week, taking place September 23-27 in San Francisco, Palo Alto, and San Jose. For more details, click here. To RSVP for EV Week events, click here.
Maureen Blanc BC3: Tell us about Charge Across Town. What inspired its launch?
Maureen Blanc: Charge Across Town (CAT) was born through a discussion with the San Francisco Department of Environment and (SFE Director) Melanie Nutter to advance the adoption of electric vehicles in San Francisco. This happened between 2010 and 2011 - we’ve been around for two years.
The concept behind CAT was to create a campaign with programs to help get the city EV ready, with a focus on businesses and the residential/real estate community. We worked with the transportation team at SFE and reached out to commercial and residential real estate developers to get them on board, as well as businesses. EV Week 2012 focused on getting businesses EV-ready. We invited businesses to come test-drive cars and get their employees to test-drive EVs.
Along the way, we discovered a few things. There’s the chicken-and-egg problem; employers won’t put in chargers until employees ask for them. This has changed dramatically in the last year. At a large company, you now have a better chance of charging your car, especially in Silicon Valley.
Because of the chicken-and-egg problem, we’ve started trying to drive up consumer interest and consumer awareness. We’re helping to answer the questions, “What is it like to drive an EV?” and “What are the considerations of living an EV lifestyle?”
This year, the focus is on those considerations. We’re showing consumers that EVs are here. We have the “1-2-3’s of EVs” - how to go electric, how to get charged, how to get around.
Maureen Blanc: Charge Across Town (CAT) was born through a discussion with the San Francisco Department of Environment and (SFE Director) Melanie Nutter to advance the adoption of electric vehicles in San Francisco. This happened between 2010 and 2011 - we’ve been around for two years.
The concept behind CAT was to create a campaign with programs to help get the city EV ready, with a focus on businesses and the residential/real estate community. We worked with the transportation team at SFE and reached out to commercial and residential real estate developers to get them on board, as well as businesses. EV Week 2012 focused on getting businesses EV-ready. We invited businesses to come test-drive cars and get their employees to test-drive EVs.
Along the way, we discovered a few things. There’s the chicken-and-egg problem; employers won’t put in chargers until employees ask for them. This has changed dramatically in the last year. At a large company, you now have a better chance of charging your car, especially in Silicon Valley.
Because of the chicken-and-egg problem, we’ve started trying to drive up consumer interest and consumer awareness. We’re helping to answer the questions, “What is it like to drive an EV?” and “What are the considerations of living an EV lifestyle?”
This year, the focus is on those considerations. We’re showing consumers that EVs are here. We have the “1-2-3’s of EVs” - how to go electric, how to get charged, how to get around.
BC3: What are you most looking forward to at this year’s EV Week. What can we expect?
Blanc: I’m excited about the range of vehicles we have for people to test-drive. We will have over 15 different models, from the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt to the Tesla Model S. We have some new cars like the brand new Honda Accord plug-in and the Chevy Spark. Ford is bringing all three of their EVs.
There will also be three 2-wheel EVs. There is a motorcycle from Brammo Motors called the Empulse, and a truck from VIA Motors. The cars are the Honda Fit, Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV, and BMW’s i3. The Fiat 500e has been recalled, but we’re hoping to still get it by Sept. 24. So, the range of cars is really exciting to see.
Blanc: I’m excited about the range of vehicles we have for people to test-drive. We will have over 15 different models, from the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt to the Tesla Model S. We have some new cars like the brand new Honda Accord plug-in and the Chevy Spark. Ford is bringing all three of their EVs.
There will also be three 2-wheel EVs. There is a motorcycle from Brammo Motors called the Empulse, and a truck from VIA Motors. The cars are the Honda Fit, Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV, and BMW’s i3. The Fiat 500e has been recalled, but we’re hoping to still get it by Sept. 24. So, the range of cars is really exciting to see.
Tesla Model S (Credit: Autoblog) BC3: This is only the second year of the event and it’s growing a lot. What do you hope to see happen at future events?
Blanc: The goal is to continue to expand around the Bay Area. We started in San Francisco, and we want it - and the Bay Area in general - to be the EV capital of America. The demand is overwhelming; we’ve been invited to the East Bay, Berkeley, and Contra Costa County. We want to be up in Marin County.
Our goal is to support Bay Area efforts and also larger CA state efforts. The Governor put out a zero-emissions vehicle plan to have 1.5 million EVs on the road by 2025, and we have a ways to go. It’s exciting to see that Bay Area has a much higher uptake than other places. Many cities in the Peninsula are all claiming to have the highest EV ownership per capita. Palo Alto probably does have the highest Tesla ownership.
Another part of this is carshares. If you’re going to jump into a car or vehicle, can you grab an EV from City CarShare? Getaround has more EVs now registered. It’s a great time to be in Bay Area because we have lots of options and a lot of innovation.
Blanc: The goal is to continue to expand around the Bay Area. We started in San Francisco, and we want it - and the Bay Area in general - to be the EV capital of America. The demand is overwhelming; we’ve been invited to the East Bay, Berkeley, and Contra Costa County. We want to be up in Marin County.
Our goal is to support Bay Area efforts and also larger CA state efforts. The Governor put out a zero-emissions vehicle plan to have 1.5 million EVs on the road by 2025, and we have a ways to go. It’s exciting to see that Bay Area has a much higher uptake than other places. Many cities in the Peninsula are all claiming to have the highest EV ownership per capita. Palo Alto probably does have the highest Tesla ownership.
Another part of this is carshares. If you’re going to jump into a car or vehicle, can you grab an EV from City CarShare? Getaround has more EVs now registered. It’s a great time to be in Bay Area because we have lots of options and a lot of innovation.
BC3: There have been stories in the news about the environmental impacts of EVs. Would you like to address those concerns?
Blanc: There is a report about EV ownership in areas with cleaner energy sources. The Bay Area’s energy is getting greener every year. When you charge your car, much of the electricity is coming from hydro power. The flip side is the creation of the batteries. We talked with Ford about how to create a greener car. They have begun using reclaimed or recycled materials for the interior, and car companies are making sure the car itself reflects the environmental message.
Right now, we’re in the first or second inning of a nine-inning game. I worked in the tech sector for 25 years, and this reminds me of 1984 when you had very early versions of computers. They were clunky, and some were better than others. It’s a similar situation with EVs: there will be winners and losers. But it’s great to see that American car companies are getting on board.
The great thing is that EV drivers love their cars. They never have to go to a gas station, they’re helping the environment, they can drive in carpool lanes, get tax benefits, there’s less engine noise, and EVs are still speedy. There are great benefits for EV drivers.
Bringing it back to EV Week, we hope to have a 1000 ride-and-drives this year. We want to capture the drivers’ experience and survey them as they get out of the car.
BC3: Do you drive an EV?
Blanc: No, I have two hybrids. But I am on waiting list for next Tesla, the Model X.
Blanc: There is a report about EV ownership in areas with cleaner energy sources. The Bay Area’s energy is getting greener every year. When you charge your car, much of the electricity is coming from hydro power. The flip side is the creation of the batteries. We talked with Ford about how to create a greener car. They have begun using reclaimed or recycled materials for the interior, and car companies are making sure the car itself reflects the environmental message.
Right now, we’re in the first or second inning of a nine-inning game. I worked in the tech sector for 25 years, and this reminds me of 1984 when you had very early versions of computers. They were clunky, and some were better than others. It’s a similar situation with EVs: there will be winners and losers. But it’s great to see that American car companies are getting on board.
The great thing is that EV drivers love their cars. They never have to go to a gas station, they’re helping the environment, they can drive in carpool lanes, get tax benefits, there’s less engine noise, and EVs are still speedy. There are great benefits for EV drivers.
Bringing it back to EV Week, we hope to have a 1000 ride-and-drives this year. We want to capture the drivers’ experience and survey them as they get out of the car.
BC3: Do you drive an EV?
Blanc: No, I have two hybrids. But I am on waiting list for next Tesla, the Model X.
