It just might be up to us. Sales of plug-in cars are steady, but not overwhelming. The Volt has had to contend with the overblown battery fire incident and the production hiatus. Fisker is delivering the Karma, but not without glitches and its DOE loan is being questioned. Aptera went under. Bright Automotive went under. The press has not been kind. Gas prices are at historically high levels, and have become a political football, but haven’t led to a surge in EV purchases. Politicians hoping to exploit the moment spread the notion that American gasoline could flow bountifully, cheaply and forever were the boot heel of big government taken off the neck of poor oil companies. Technology has enabled access to petroleum previously unavailable, but at an unacknowledged high cost. This should be our moment. Many of us are driving past gas stations while others gripe and cling to false hopes. If we want to see more and more varied plug-in models offered, we’ve got to ensure that demand for plug-ins always exceeds supply.  That means the cars on offer have to be purchased as quickly as they are produced. If you’ve wanted a plug-in car - whether for environmental or political or practical reasons - now is the time. If you have one, it’s time to convince someone else. It may not be exactly the electric car you want - with more range, or more space, or more leather - but it is a pretty great car powered by electricity. With the Nissan LEAF and the Chevy Volt, you get nameplate cars that have been well-received by the press and most importantly, their drivers. With the Mitsubish i, you get maximum efficiency and cute practicality. With the CODA, you get a bit more range in a plainer package. With the Fisker, you get flash. The least expensive, the Mitsu i, could be had in some places for less than $20,000 (with tax credits and rebates) while the Karma will set you back over $100K. What needs to happen in 2012 to keep things moving apace? We need about 25,000 Americans who don’t know it yet to buy a plug-in car.  The best thing to do is to expose people to the reality of plug-in cars. Give rides! Let people drive your LEAF or Volt or conversion or whatever you’ve got! Host an Electric Driveway party! (http://www.pluginamerica.org/ElectricDriveWay.)  It’s up to us. 

This month, Revenge of the Electric Car celebrates Earth Day with some great new ways to see the film.  Still available on DVD online, and streaming on multiple outlets over the internet, we're happy to announce our USA broadcast premiere of the film this month!

Starting April 19th, Revenge of the Electric Car will be on TV on the Independent Lens documentary series on PBS.  We're proud to be a part of their excellent documentary programming and hope that the millions tuning in to see the film this month will learn more about electric cars and will want to do more to bring them to their communities. 

Some areas will have broadcasts of the film on April 19th, others April 22nd, and even some other dates, plus re-broadcasts over the course of the month-- so we encourage you to CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS with your cable provider to find out exactly when the film is broadcast to your area.

Invite your friends over to your place (or go to theirs if they have a bigger TV), make some popcorn, and watch the film together.  We made this film with the intent of opening a conversation about electric vehicles, so we urge you to invite your EV-skeptical friends over to see the film and discuss it with them afterward.  This is the month to spread the word about alternative fuel vehicles!

Also this month- Whole Foods has announced that they will be carrying DVDs of Revenge of the Electric Car in select stores across the country!  Many of their stores offer charging stations for electric cars, and now they're offering our film on the shelves to further the cause for EV.

Stop by your local Whole Foods and grab a DVD copy.  And if you don't see it there, tell them you want that location to carry the DVD too!

Next month the world will draw its attention to Earth Day on April 22nd, and over the next several weeks we're all guaranteed to see more environmental action and activism in the news.  The filmmakers of "Revenge of the Electric Car" urge you to bring electric vehicles to the front of the conversation next month, so we can introduce alternative energy mobility to more people and free us from inefficient oil dependance.  

We keep adding new dates to our theatrical screenings, including a special Midwest tour on April 9th and 12th in a dozen theatres in the Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Missouri areas.  Grab a friend who knows nothing about electric cars and take him or her to see this film!

Buy the film on DVD and give it to someone who needs to be introduced to the future of electric vehicles, or see the film any way you can- including through Netflix or online streaming!  And get acquainted with our Revengers- the people doing what they can to bring electric cars to life in their communities- and aspire to be a Revenger too!

The car landscape of America is changing. Some places have plug-in cars. Some places have public charge stations. Some places are lucky enough to have both. The USDOE counts over 5500 public charge stations. Only ten states have none. Is there public charging where you as a EV driver want to find it? How will you find it? Will you be able to simply plug in and charge?  Will you be charged money? How much? And how will you pay?Pretty basic questions are still being asked, and occasionally answered. But it’s a bit of a crapshoot out there. Three web and mobile phone apps I’m familiar with make it pretty easy to learn if there is a charge station near where you want to find one.  carstations.com, plugshare.com and recargo.com each offer the basic information you need and some degree of crowdsourcing. Plugshare brings crowdsourcing to the next level with the inclusion of people sharing their own home plugs. These first thousands of public Level 2 240V J1772-compliant charge locations have often been installed by Ecotality’s EVProject and Coulomb Technology’s ChargePoint America program with significant government assistance. Because of these programs, there are a lot more charging stations out there than would otherwise be. That’s a good thing. But it’s usually not as easy as plugging in your phone. Drivers are having to learn the intricacies of the differing proprietary networks, each with their own access methodology. Many are free for the time being while costs are covered by government grants, but payment is sometimes required, whether by the hour, or kilowatt hour, or session. Prices reported range from $.50 per hour to $7.40 per session.Many of the host locations are struggling with pricing and unrealistic expectations of a significant financial return. In areas with growing numbers of EVs and public charging, the charge points are often well utilized when free - too well-utilized, perhaps selfishly, in some cases. And quite under-utilized when payment is required.  Drivers know only free beats home charging, unless you need it.  We face a conundrum. For the near future, we want the general public to see cars utilizing charge spots so they can ask us questions and come to envision the future. Down the road, pricing will likely need to be used to ensure charger availability for those who really need it. But charging too much too soon results in empty spaces, resentment, and missed opportunities. While companies compete to create an industry out of public charging, the non-profit Adopt-a-Charger (adoptacharger.com) offers a different model. (Full disclosure: I’m on the Board of Directors.) No hassle, fee-free sponsored public charging at destination locations. The first installation was inaugurated on February 15 at Crissy Field in the National Park Service Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco. This will undoubtedly become the most photographed charge station in the country, given a background of wind turbines and the Golden Gate Bridge. This location was sponsored by the National Parks Conservation Association which covered the charge station and installation costs.  As additional sponsors are lined up, more public charge stations will be located within the park, including locations at Muir Woods and Stinson Beach. Contributions will be solicited from supporters to cover the ongoing electrical cost. (You can check it out on the webcam at: Nissan is sponsoring the next two Adopt-a-Charger locations, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Music Concourse Parking Garage that serves the DeYoung Museum and Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. In 2012 it is vitally important to demonstrate the popularity of EVs. Uninhibited access to public charging is good for drivers and good for the general public. By bringing together sponsors - corporate and non-profit - that want to put a stake in the ground for electric cars along with attractions like museums and parks that want to host charge stations, Adopt-a-Charger has found a way to put plug-and-play (not pay) charge stations in useful places.