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Zan Dubin Scott
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Plug-In Parade Celebrates Obama Inauguration With Green Cars
Largest Event of its Kind Ever Sends Message: Americans Want Efficient Cars
SANTA MONICA—For the world’s greenest procession of its kind, 71 plug-in vehicles will parade through Santa Monica on Sat., Jan. 17 to jump start the nation’s presidential inaugural festivities with a message for Congress, Detroit and Barack Obama: America wants plug-in vehicles, the most fuel-efficient cars ever made.
Plug In America, the nonprofit organization leading the nation’s plug-in vehicle movement, will hold a 9:30 a.m. press conference followed by “Inaugural Parade West: Plug In, America!” at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St. California state Sen. Fran Pavley and others will send their message standing beside the Civic’s solar carport to signal that clean, renewable energy must replace oil to fuel the vehicles that will drive a sustainable and prosperous future.
“Today we congratulate President Barack Obama, who has called for one million plug-in cars by 2015,” says Paul Scott, one of the group’s co-founders. “But, with the audacity of hope—and the confidence born of years driving these cars—we’re asking Obama to accelerate his plan and make it happen three years sooner, then to boost that number to ten million plug-ins by 2016.”
The clean-car parade, coming as gas prices begin their inevitable rise again, represents the largest assembly of its kind in history. It demonstrates the number and breadth of new plug-ins coming onto the market and the continued viability of those that have been on the road since 2002.
“The number of drivers who have signed up for this parade exceeded even our own high expectations,” said Sen. Pavley, author of the nation’s first global warming law. “It sends a clear signal that Americans are serious about combating climate change and will vote with their dollars by purchasing clean, efficient cars.
The event’s all-electric vehicles, all of them freeway-capable, include:
* More than two dozen Toyota RAV4 EVs—with tens of thousands of oil-free miles on each
* Three Tesla Roadsters
* Two Vectrix motor scooters
* Three Zero Motorcycles
* One AC Propulsion eBox
* Two Phoenix SUTs
* One 50-ton Balqon truck
* Two Chevy S-10s
* One Solectria
* One prototype Mitsubishi iMiEV
The latter is undergoing testing at Southern California Edison, which also will provide a prototype Ford Escape plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. A 1971 Porsche 914, a Jeep, and all-electric Hummer are among EV conversions. Even a plug-in hybrid electric school bus will strut its heaving-lifting stuff.