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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
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Region in Driver’s Seat for Electric Vehicle Resurgence

Clean energy has taken center stage around the globe as increased environmental responsibility and economic stimulus have fueled citizens and government leaders to rethink our “green” future.

In its part to become more sustainable, the automotive industry — struck by the ongoing oil crisis and intensified environmental pollution — has been turning toward alternative fuels and power. The old ways of auto companies no longer seem in sync with 21st century eco awareness. There is a renewed emphasis on clean energy and cost-effective transportation, including the development of affordable and efficient hybrid and electric vehicles, or EVs.

A handful of cities across the nation, including San Diego, are leading this renewed EV revolution, from developing and rolling out the next generation of electric vehicles to building the necessary infrastructure to make EV technology more of a reality and desire among consumers. A group of local companies and organizations are powering the effort to make San Diego a model region of what the future will look like in terms of green transportation and true eco living.

In a historic move this summer, the Department of Energy awarded a $99.8 million grant to Arizona-based eTec to roll out the largest deployment of electric vehicles and charge infrastructure across the country. The EV Project, which was launched in October, partners eTec with Nissan North America to deploy up to 4,700 zero-emission electric vehicles, the Nissan Leaf, and 11,210 charging systems to support them in San Diego; Phoenix; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle, among other cities.

A key player in the San Diego rollout is San Diego Gas & Electric Co., which is working with eTec and UC Davis to evaluate and decide where the public and commercial EV charging units will be located throughout the region. Under the project, 50 fast charging units will be placed along major transportation coordinators, such as Interstates 15, 5 and 8, said Joel Pointon, manager of Electric Transportation for SDG&E. Charging stations will also be installed and offered to the first 1,000 San Diego residents who buy or lease a Nissan Leaf.

“These are very exciting times. One of the major things we have on our plate is helping to get San Diego plug-in ready and plan for the future as we add more of these plug-in vehicles to the grid,” Pointon said.

Charging Stations Coming

The charging stations will be installed in the summer of 2010, while the Leaf will be available in those areas in the fall of 2010. One of the goals of the EV Project is to collect and analyze data to characterize vehicle use in diverse topographic and climatic conditions, evaluate the effectiveness of charge infrastructure, and conduct trials of revenue systems for commercial and public charge infrastructure.

As part of the project, SDG&E will also evaluate the potential distribution impact for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids on the grid.

“San Diego is at the forefront of this and we will be one of the first areas to start generating very usable information for all the utilities in California and the United States,” Pointon said. “We have been waiting to see what consumer behavior is for these vehicles. This will give us the opportunity to get real time information about what the consumer response really is.”

This is not the first time electric cars have made a splash in the region or the state. When electric cars hit California in the 1990s with General Motors Corp.’s now killed EV-1, California also passed its Zero Emission Vehicle, or ZEV, Mandate, which required 2 percent of the state’s vehicles to have no emissions by 1998 and 10 percent by 2003. The law, however, was repeatedly weakened during the next decade to reduce the number of pure ZEVs it requires.

Now, America has a presidential administration that supports plug-in electric technology, Pointon said. He also pointed to federal stimulus funding, as well as $7,500 in federal tax credits for consumers who buy EVs such as the Leaf, a $5,000 rebate from the state of California, and an additional $2,000 tax credit for homeowners who purchase charging units.

As San Diego EV pioneer Chris Anthony sees it, one of the main reasons electric vehicles have made a powerful comeback is the $4-a-gallon gas prices that plagued consumers, the auto industry and the economy in recent years.

High Energy

“It has also sparked a lot of interest in high energy storage systems like lithium batteries,” said Anthony, CEO of Flux Power Inc., a Vista-based startup that recently rolled out its first energy storage product. Flux plans to market its suite of products for managing, monitoring and charging lithium batteries for a range of energy storage applications, including electric vehicles and backup power supplies.

“Before, from a costs analysis point of view, it did not make sense to use these high end energy storage devices,” Anthony said. “Lithium is now a viable alternative because there is more interest in electric vehicles and dollars are flooding the market.”

The global market for large and advanced batteries increased from $8.4 billion in 2006 to $8.9 billion in 2007. It should reach $11.4 billion by 2012, according to Electronics.ca Publications, a research network and publishing company focused on technology and market research for the electronics industry.

Another change that is powering the EV market is the ability of the smaller guys to compete with the big players.

“More financing is available from the government and from VCs, and the tools for smaller companies are more available and affordable,” said Anthony, also co-founder of Vista-based Aptera Motors, which has experienced delays in rolling out its aerodynamic, three-wheeled all-electric vehicle, the Aptera 2e.

Finding Jobs

These small cleantech companies and new green technologies will help communities around America rebuild their economies, said Joseph Gottlieb, Flux Power’s chief technology officer and president of the Electric Vehicle Association of San Diego.

“I think we have lost our way as a manufacturing hub and so we need to find where the jobs are going to be,” Gottlieb said. “I think green tech is the perfect place. It requires innovation and technology, which this country is built upon.”

Gottlieb added: “We have the capabilities in San Diego of really taking the lead on EV technology for this industry.”

Jay Friedland, a board member and legislative director for Plug In America, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for plug-in transportation, says the industry is closely watching regions such as San Diego to see if there is a quick adoption of EV technologies.

He says there’s only a small number of EV consumers now, but anticipates that figure growing to millions someday.

“San Diego will be a model city for these types of cars,” he said.

Andrea Siedsma is a freelance writer for the Business Journal.

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