Raleigh has been the host of several high profile national environmental conferences since the new Silver LEED certified convention center opened in 2008. Wow that was 3 years ago already!
- 2010 National Green Building Conference May 16-18
- American Solar Energy Society National Solar Conference July
- Electric Power Research Institute’s Plug-In International Conference Jully
Plug-in 2011 included an open to the public evening. The $10 admission included a pass to the exhibit hall to see the latest plug-in vehicles and to a screening of Revenge of the Electric Car. Both were well worth the investment.
I was familiar with the Nissan LEAF when the national tour stopped in Raleigh in March this year. You can read all about the LEAF and see pictures of me driving the car using this link to the my earlier blog post.
At the time I was enchanted with the LEAF but after investigating it further I think the Chevy Volt is a better fit for me. It is a hybrid and has a more flexibly and cheaper charging system than the LEAF. I had been concerned about the 100 mile range, the slow re-charge and few charging stations.
Cars on display included:
- Chevrolet Volt
- 2012 Ford Focus Electric
- Mitsubishi i
- Nissan LEAF
- Siemens Smart Chopper
Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle
The evening’s finale, The Revenge of the Electric Car, was well worth seeing! The insights, photos and clips from Telsa Motor’s CEO Elon Musk made for delightful viewing.
In Revenge of the Electric Car, director Chris Paine takes his film crew behind the closed doors of Nissan, GM and the Silicon Valley start-up, Tesla Motors, to chronicle the story of the global resurgence of the electric car.
Electric cars have come a long way since the Detroit Electric car in the early 1900s. Tesla’s roadster is sleek, fast and cute!
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| 1918 Detroit Electric | Telsa Roadster $120,000 | Tesla S model |
Two of the displays really captured my interest. First, on the
practical side, a tow truck equipped to provide a minimum charge
to electric vehicles. This was an add-on capability to the
standard towing and enough gas to get to a station rescue.
The second answer the question of where does the power come from
to power the electric car. Aren’t we just trading carbon to create
grid based power for gas? Well, this innovative structure with
solar panels as the roof answered the question and provides cover
for the vehicle. At this time it is only available to dealers as a
display and charging station.
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AAA Mobile Electric Charging |
Green Zone charging station for dealers |
Enjoy the slideshow!
I was wondering which convention on green home building you have found to have the best seminars and informational classes. We are always looking for a chance to learn!
GreenNC Dec 8th in Durham sponsored by the Triangle Chapter of the USGBC and the NC Solar Center is a good option next month. See my upcoming blog post.
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