Ben Benoit Mayer pro tem City of Wildomar

Plug-In Electric Vehicles A Possible Road To Economic Recovery
Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) partnered with the Western Riverside County Clean Cities Coalition to host the "Plug-In Electric Vehicle Workshop" at Southern California Edison's LEED Platinum facility in Wildomar, CA. The Wildomar facility provided an ideal venue for the event as it exemplifies sustainable operations and efficient green design -- attributes strongly emphasized in electric vehicles. Representatives from both public and private industries, as well as the local and federal governments attended the workshop in an effort to understand and further the implementation of environmentally friendly vehicles, and the corresponding infrastructure to support them.
Increasing the number of plug-in electric vehicles throughout the general public and professional domains raises several concerns about the increased amount of electricity to the region's power grid. However, Viet Tran, Region Manager for Southern California Edison emphasized that "Southern California Edison is committed to making sure that we are plug-in electric vehicle ready" and that the proper steps are being taken to ensure the infrastructure to support the added electricity usage. The workshop also addressed the importance of spreading information about the benefits of plug-in electric vehicles to the general public. Rick Bishop, Executive Director of WRCOG claimed "green vehicles, particularly electric vehicles, are one way to make the sub region more environmentally friendly, and also more economically competitive," revealing plug-in electric vehicles to be beneficial and appealing on several different levels.
In addition to the informational workshop were several plug-in electric vehicles, both on display and available for test-driving. Among the vehicles featured were the Mitsubishi MiEV, Fort Transit Connect-EV, Vantage EV1000, Chevy Volt, and Nissan Leaf. Representatives from the various production companies explained the technologies, multifaceted uses, and developments in the industry today. They also addressed concerns over speed and range limitations, and speculated on where the industry was headed. While several consumer cars made an appearance at the event, many fleet and specialty vehicles were also present. Michael Pak of Vantage Vehicle Int. revealed several promising venues where plug-in electric vehicles (particularly low-speed vehicles) may find a niche, including "military bases, campuses, and universities."
The "Plug-In Electric Vehicle Workshop" was critical to bringing personnel from many different venues together in order to realistically discuss the implementation of plug-in electric vehicles. Rick Bishop addressed the fact that "the infiltration of electric vehicles will not happen unless public and private sectors are working together along with the utilities that provide the energy supply." Thus it can be seen that in order to truly advance the efficiency, economy, and environmental health of local regions, professionals from all sectors must collaborate today and unite behind the goal of creating a better tomorrow.

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