http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9-kcrp7YKQ

Sunday, August 30, 2009. The first time that we actually got the wheels, electric motor, batteries, and every other necessary connection made was for the Power of DC [www.powerofdc.com] drag races at Hagerstown, MD. Here is an article from the local papers. Check out the NBC and CNN/You Tube video, too.
Drivers get a charge out of racing electric cars
By ALICIA NOTARIANNI | alician@herald- mail.com

HAGERSTOWN — Motor sports typically bring to mind powerful vehicles with furiously roaring engines leaving trails of sullied exhaust fumes swirling in the air.

The Electric Vehicle Association of Washington, D.C., keeps the powerful vehicles motif, but leaves the roaring engines and exhaust fumes in the dust.

The group hosted the ninth annual Power of D.C. E.V. Racing Event Saturday in the Valley Mall parking lot.

About 10 drivers maneuvered their electric vehicles — known as EVs — around an Auto Cross course. The drivers navigated one at a time through a series of traffic cones, vying for the best times.

Coming from the course was the quiet whir of electric motors, squealing tires and an occasional faint smell of burning rubber.

Charlie Garlow, vice president of the Electric Vehicle Association of Washington, D.C., said the Power of D.C. event was held in conjunction with the East of Mississippi Electric Auto Association Conference. Garlow said about 40 electric vehicle enthusiasts from across the United States gathered at Comfort Suites in Hagerstown? for an EV display, Saturday’s Auto Cross and for a NEDRA Drag Racing event scheduled for today at Mason-Dixon Dragway.

“We share ideas about ways to encourage more people to get excited about electric cars, motorcycles and bicycles,” Garlow said.

Garlow, a lawyer for the federal government whose work deals with clean-air issues, touted the benefits of the vehicles. He said they are, in many ways, less expensive than gas cars.

“If you drove 30 miles on a gallon of gas, that would cost you 75 cents of electricity for that same 30 miles,” Garlow said.

He also said EVs require less maintenance, as they do not need oil changes, tuneups, filters, radiator flushes and mufflers.

Garlow owns a tricycle-style EV called a Bug E. He bought the kit to build it for $3,000.

“It has an unusual clear bubble on top,” he said. “It looks cool and that’s a big factor. People like things that are cool to look at. It’s human instinct.”

The crowd favorites at the event were three ultra “cool-to-look-at” electric sports cars made by Tesla Motors. The vehicles sell for around $100,000.

“(The Tesla) is very exciting. Very experimental. Very sexy,” Garlow said.

Tom Jamison, 50, of Mount Airy, Md., owns a factory custom-painted prism green 2008 Tesla Roadster. Jamison said the vehicle can outperform more expensive gas-powered cars in the same performance category. He cited the Porsche GT3, which he said sells for around $270,000 and the Corvette ZR1, which costs about $120,000.

“I’ve always liked the idea of electric cars, and I’ve always liked the idea of sports cars,” Jamison said. “I really think this is going to be the wave of the future, so I thought I might as well go for it. How often do you get to be a part of something like that?”

Many of the EV owners at the event said they do not have the income to spring for $100,000 on a car. But they are not without options. Most participants converted gas-powered cars, which they call ICE, for internal combustion engines.

Ken Barbour of Deptford, N.J., was inspired to convert his Geo Metro into an electric car after seeing the documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car.” The 2006 film explores the roles of various parties in limiting the development and adoption of electric vehicle technology in the United States.

After converting his own car, though, Barbour committed to a one-year field trial lease on a 2008 BMW Mini Cooper Electric Car — the Mini E — for $850 month. Barbour says while the cost seems steep, it was “a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”

Besides, he says, the cost covers related expenses, including insurance and maintenance. At the end of his leasing year, the company will take the car apart and evaluate it to see how it held up.

“I haven’t driven a gas car since I got this,” Barbour said. “I drive this around in circles just for fun.”

Chip Gribben, a member of the Electric Vehicle Association of Washington, D.C., helped organize the event. He said the event shows the public that electric vehicles are “more than glorified gold carts.”

“You hear people say, ‘I’m gonna run over the person in an electric vehicle in front of me,’ when really some of these vehicles are faster than their gasoline counterparts,” Gribben said.

Drivers get a charge out of racing electric cars

Have you read about the Energy Citizens, employees of Big Oil, who are rallying support against stopping global warming? Well here come the soldiers to call them on it !
From Grist:
A new coalition of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is hoping to counter the oil industry–backed “Energy Citizens” rallies with its own call to pass a climate bill and end dependence on fossil fuels.

Under the name of Operation Free, the group aims to rally other vets to the cause. “We’re a coalition of leading veterans and national security organizations who recognize that climate change is a major threat, and support fast, bold action,” reads its website. “It is time for Americans to rise to the challenge, and we’re taking on the fight.”

In a call with reporters on Thursday, Operation Free members argued that dependence on foreign energy sources and threats posed by climate change put American military personnel and national security at risk.

“As a former U.S. Army captain and a veteran of Iraq, I understand firsthand how our dependence on foreign oil is a threat to national security,” said Jon Powers, chief operating officer at the Truman National Security Project, a sponsor of Operation Free. “We’re looking to Washington to take this threat seriously and come up with policy that reduces the threat to national security.”

Maine State Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx, an Iraq War veteran and Operation Free’s campaign coordinator, said that his time in Iraq made him realize the hazards of being dependent on other nations and on a single major energy source like oil. He criticized the American Petroleum Institute, which is organizing the “Energy Citizens” rallies: “It is really disheartening how a front group is watering down any meaningful debate,” he said. “The Energy Citizens is making America less secure.”

Operation Free’s first major event will be in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 9 and 10, when 100 veterans will come to the capital to lobby for a Senate climate and energy bill. The group is also spreading its message through the internet and in-person outreach, as well as through partnerships with national security organizations and other nonprofits.

The Operation Free website uses military terminology to try to engage support. “Mission: Secure America with Renewable Energy,” declares the site, asking volunteers to “enlist” in the cause and “deploy in support of Operation Free.” Each page prominently features a photo of a hand holding a gun with an oil fire burning in the distance.

Kevin Jones, an Iraq veteran, student at the University of Missouri, and vice president of the Mizzou Student Veterans Association, said he would see oil and fuel trucks in Iraq “lined up, one right after another.” “It’s disheartening to know that we’re so dependent on a source like that,” said Jones. “There are brand new, renewable sources available right here.”

Operation Free is supported by the the National Security Initiative, VoteVets.org, VetPAC, and the Truman National Security Project.

http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.cfm?ID=1730
This poll was just released August 15, 2009. This 71% support the House Waxman bill and the green jobs that will be created by it. 45% think Congress should do more and 22% think Congress is doing the right amount. Only 28% say Congress is doing too much. That’s 67% for the right amount of more needs to be done by Congress to address global warming. Write to your Congressional rep and Senators.

Says a recent study by the US Geological Survey. 291 streams were checked all over the US. In every single fish they looked at ! Did you read this in today’s 8/20 news? Most of it comes from coal fired power plants. This is just another reason, among many, to kick our addiction to fossil fuels. Ugh.

Jo Reyes and Charlie have been hard at work trying to get ready for the electric vehicle races August 28 - 30 in Hagerstown, MD, just outside of Washington, DC. Join us. Visit www.powerofdc.com. We will use lead acid batteries to race and get the lithium batteries loaded later, so we don’t beat up our precious lithium batteries by racing them. The battery box is built and the copper buss bars to connect the batteries. We have built the disc brakes, front and rear with DOT certified parts. We have the steering mechanism mostly finished. We have ordered a lot of parts which should be arriving tomorrow 8/21 and we will be busy this weekend finishing up. Then we will trailer our vehicle to the races. More pictures to come. Wish us luck.