The next general meeting of the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association will be on Saturday, August 10th, from 10 AM to noon at Gateway Classic Cars Las Vegas showroom, located at 6580 S. Lindell Road, Suite 300, Las Vegas, NV 89118.
Directions: Exit Hwy 215 at Jones Avenue, head north to Sunset, then east to S. Lindell Road. Cross streets are West Sunset Road and South Lindell Road.
Agenda:
Notes and updates from LVEVA Board of Directors Meeting on 7/13/2019.
Tour of classic and exotic cars within Gateway Classic Cars showroom.
Planning for National Drive Electric Week 2019 that is being rescheduled for Springs Preserve location.
An Electric Car Guest Drive EVent was staged at the NV Energy campus in Las Vegas on May 25th at 6226 W. Sahara in Las Vegas.
Pre-registered attendees could choose tickets to test drive two electric cars during the day, from a variety of currently available plug-in hybrid and battery-powered electric cars on the market.
LVEVA President Lloyd Reece was one of the “coaches” during the event, who rode along in the passenger seat of the test-drive vehicles. He helped new drivers learn about the Tesla Model 3 , the Chevrolet Volt, and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
The May monthly meeting of the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association was staged on Saturday, May 11, 2019 from 10 AM to Noon at the SYN Shop Hackerspace in Henderson, near the Valley Auto Mall, at 1075 American Pacific, Suite C, Henderson, NV 89074. www.synshop.org
The April 2019 meeting of the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association was staged in conjunction with GreenFest 2019 at Downtown Summerlin on April 20th from 10 AM to 5 PM, where the LVEVA staged two exhibit booths within the Clean Energy Drive Zone:
The Electric Drive Transportation Association has been tracking U.S. Sales of plug-in electric cars since 2010, when the first Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt mass-market cars were introduced:
President Barack Obama during his 2011 State-of-the-Union address challenged the nation to put one million plug-in electric cars on U.S. roads during his term.
One Million EVs Sold!
It took a little longer, but the benchmark was achieved during October 2018, when 9,465 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and 24,638 battery-electric vehicles were sold.
Total sales since 2010 were estimated at 1,015,980 at the end of October 2018.
NEVA blog posted by Stan Hanel, Outreach Coordinator
Electrify America installed six dual-port DC Fast Charge systems from ABB at Premium Outlet Malls South on the corner of Warm Springs Road and South Las Vegas Blvd.
Electrify America, a non-profit organization funded by Volkswagen to install multiple DC Fast Charge stations on highways and roadways across America, has begun installing these systems in Nevada.
The Premium Outlet Malls South is a shopping district near Las Vegas Blvd and Warm Springs Road, just south of the Las Vegas Strip. The company is hosting six DC Fast Charge stations with 12 charging ports of various power-delivery capabilities for different model EVs equipped with different levels of fast-charge battery packs.
Two of the stations will carry “ultra fast” plug connectors capable of delivering electricity at a maximum power-transfer rate of 350 kilowatts. At this time, no plug-in electric car battery pack has been equipped to handle this combined amount of voltage and current flow from a DC Ultra Fast Charger. However, the installation of these systems will future-proof these DC Fast Charge systems near Las Vegas Blvd., so that newer vehicles with ultra-fast charging rates that will be developed over the next ten years, will still be able to use this site.
DC Fast Charge Station manufactured by ABB is one of six that has been intalled at Premium Outlet Malls South just south of The Las Vegas Strip.
The plug-in connectors on these charging stations are based on the SAE International standard for DC Fast Charging, known as the Combined Charging System, or CCS. The latest CCS version 2.0 coincidentally has a maximum power rating of 350 kilowatts, that can be achieved through a combination of voltage and current settings. Voltage can be adjusted from 200 – 1000 Volts DC, while current flow can reach a maximum of 500 Amps.
Three of the six stations at the Las Vegas Premium Outlet South shopping district will be also use a similar CCS connector, but have a maximum power-transfer capability of 150 kilowatts.
The last DC Fast Charge station has two different connectors. One is a CCS-compatible plug rated at 150 kilowatts while the second plug is a CHAdeMo standard plug rated at 50 kilowatts. CHAdeMo is an older DC Fast Charge standard developed by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and implemented more than a decade ago. It has been used by Japanese automotive manufacturers in the Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi i-MiEV that were sold in the US during 2012 and beyond.
Each CHAdeMo-equipped vehicle had two separate charging ports, one for the standard SAE J1772 Level 1 and 2 AC charging systems, as well as a separate CHAdeMo port for DC Fast Charge systems.
All six DC Fast Charge stations have been provided by ABB, a worldwide manufacturer of electric vehicle supply equipment for the automotive industry.
Currently, the Tesla Supercharger network of DC Fast Charge stations are rated at 120 kilowatts to enable Tesla Models S, X and 3 to travel cross-country and recharge a 250-mile range pack in about forty minutes. Tesla owners can purchase an optional CHAdeMo adapter cable but at 50 kilowatts, charging time is closer to two hours to top off a Tesla model battery pack.
A 150-kilowatt DC Fast Charger should reduce the time required to refill an electric car’s battery cells to about 35 minutes, while a 350-kilowatt Ultra Fast DC Charger should be able to recharge a compatible battery pack in about ten minutes.
Implementing this EV technology roadmap to enable an electric car future may have some speed bumps over the next ten years.
Building out the necessary charging station infrastructure to safely deliver electricity at the same rates as high-voltage transmission lines will still be a tremendous challenge to designers, installers, product managers, maintenance people and even first responders to a traffic accident or DC Fast Charge station malfunction.
A lot of “real world” testing will be required with each new level of DC Fast
Charge technologies over the next decade.
Already, Electrify America has experienced a recall of 350-kilowatt DC Fast Charge cables after recent testing found a problem in some of the units. Retrofits to the original cable designs were required to systems that have already been installed.
An onboard card reader can process all major credit cards for the purchase of electric power, as well as process payments through Apple Pay and Android Pay.
NV Energy hosted an electric car Ride ān Drive event in Las Vegas on Saturday, October 27 2018 from 10 AM to 4 PM. The event was located in the parking lot of the Pearson Building campus at 6226 W. Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89146.
Over 200 attendees were able to test drive plug-in electric cars from multiple automotive manufacturers, including Tesla, GM, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Fiat Chrysler, and BMW.
Tesla Model S, Chevrolet Volt, Fiat 500e, and BMW i3 queue up for test drives on NV Energy campus.
These included Tesla Models 3, S, and X, as well as the Chevrolet Bolt EV, Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, BMW i3, Nissan LEAF, Fiat 500e, and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
Interested participants could reserve one hour of time to drive up to three different models by registering online at the Electric Car Guest Drive website:
http://www.electriccarguestdrive.com/lasvegas
The test drive route circled the NV Energy campus by going west up the hill on West Sahara Avenue to Torrey Pines Drive, right on Torrey Pines Drive to Oakey Avenue, right on Oakey Avenue to Jones Blvd., right on Jones, then right again on W. Sahara to return to the NV Energy campus parking lot.
The Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association and Las Vegas Tesla Owners Group provided support for the event that was coordinated by the staff of Electric Car Insider magazine from San Diego, California.
Static display of a Tesla Model X, Chevrolet Volt, Tesla Model 3, and Nissan LEAF allowed attendees to spend more time to inspect each vehicle as well as talk with vehicle owners in more detail about owning an electric car.
A static display of a Tesla Model X, Chevrolet Volt, Tesla Model 3, and Nissan LEAF allowed attendees to talk in more detail about each of these vehicles with the owners of the electric cars.
Some local members of the San Diego chapter of the EAA also provided their vehicles in support of the event, so it was fun to meet other members of this EAA chapter from southern California.
LVEVA was given booth space during the event and signed up 25 interested participants to the mailing list of the non-profit organization.
The Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association was given booth space at no cost by NV Energy to provide local information about electric vehicles and EV charging stations. About 25 new attendees signed up to be on the LVEVA mailing list, in order to attend future meetings and events.
Local LVEVA members who worked the Electric Car Guest Drive during the day included President Lloyd Reece, Vice-President Justin Steele, Secretary Stan Hanel, Board of Directors member Brad Appelgren, and Ed Malkewiscz.
The New American Road Trip, led by two Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars, arrived at the Luxor Hotel & Casino on Sunday, 9/16, from 3 PM to 6 PM and staged a celebration that included food, music, entertainment and guests speakers who sought to bring more attention to climate change issues:
An electric car caravan drove from San Francisco to New York City between Sept. 14 – 26th, stopping along the way to promote climate change awareness before arriving at the United Nation for the One Planet Summit at the UN on Sept. 26th.
The Las Vegas stop during this event took place in the valet parking lot of the Luxor resort on the corner of S. Las Vegas Blvd and Mandalay Bay Rd. and the party started at 3pm.
Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City and Special UN Envoy for Climate Change, addressed media.
Speakers during these three hours were Michael Bloomberg, former Mayor of New York City as special UN Envoy, Jim Murren, CEO of MGM Resorts, and Antonique Smith, actress and grammy-nominated singer.
Ride ‘n Drive opportunities were offered in 2018 models of the Nissan LEAF, Honda Clarity PHEV, and Toyota Prius Prime PHEV.
Electric car ride ‘n drives were available from local dealerships, that included the 2018 Nissan LEAF electric sedan, 2019 Honda Clarity plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, and 2019 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Food, music, guest speakers, and celebratory events rounded out the presentation.
Roland Lewis, sales representative from United Nissan, coached test drives and answered questions about a 2018 Nissan LEAF.
Followers helped promote the New American Road Trip through these social media channels, as drivers of the Chevrolet Bolt EVs traveled cross-country:
The Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association co-hosted a kickoff event for National Drive Electric Week on Saturday, September 8th at the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89107 from 10 AM to 2 PM:
Partners and exhibitors for this event included NV Energy Renewable Generations and PowerShift programs, Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter, Nevada Electric Vehicle Accelerator (NEVA) program from REA250, Drive Clean Energy program from Green Alliance of Nevada, Nevada Conservation League, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, FIRST Nevada Robotics Team from Clark High School, Net Zero Brokers, and University of Nevada-Las Vegas Formula SAE race team.
Pictures of the event are shown below:
Electric conversion of a kit car replica of 1965 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe.
Original Tesla Roadster owned by David Morse
Photovoltaic solar panels track the sun to provide electrons to four ChargePoint AC Level 2 stations at Springs Preserve during an electric car rally that attracted 45 plug-in vehicles.
Exhibit booths from local vendors and non-profit organizations provided educational outreach.
Renewable Generations exhibit trailer from NV Energy provided information about incentive programs from the utility that encouraged the use of renewable energy and installation of EV charging station infrastructure throughout the state of Nevada.
More than 20 Tesla owners attended the kickoff event at Springs Preserve in Las Vegas for National Drive Electric Week.
Mark Larsen, an annual visitor and long-distance traveler from St. George, Utah, also posted pictures and video on his website at this link:
The Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association supported GreenFest 2018 at Downtown Summerlin on Saturday, April 21st from 9 AM to 5 PM. The event celebrated Earth Day.
Ray Malkewicz gets ready to drive Tesla Model 3 to lead Green Procession from Las Vegas Cyclery to Downtown Summerlin for GreenFest 2018.
The LVEVA participated in a Green Procession to kick off the event. LVEVA member Ed Malkewicz and his brother, Ray participated. Ed drove a Zero electric motorcycle while Ray drove his new Tesla Model 3, that he brought all the way from Austin, Texas.
BMW i8 plug-in hybrid electric car parked at Las Vegas Cyclery prior to launch of Green Procession.
LVEVA President LLoyd Reece, Board of Director Members Stan Hanel and Jim Katzen, Rob Lipener, and Lily and Henry also exhibited electric vehicles on Clean Energy Drive while answering questions at an informational booth: http://www.greenfestlv.com
LVEVA President Lloyd Reece exhibited his Nissan LEAF alongside an Aztec 7 kit car, that was restored by LVEVA members.
Lloyd exhibited his Nissan LEAF electric car, as well as a 1974 FiberFab Aztec 7 kit car that had been restored by LVEVA members. Rob Lipiner also showed off his customized electric bicycle.
Panamera S e-hybrid from Gaudin Porsche exhibited at GreenFest 2018.
Findlay Chevrolet exhibited a 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2018 Chevrolet Volt during GreenFest 2018.
Other electric vehicles exhibited at Clean Energy Drive included Panamera S e-hybrids and a Cayenne e-hybrid from Gaudin Porsche, Chevrolet Bolt EV and Chevrolet Volt from Findlay Chevrolet, an electric ATV and a Sentinel Personal Mobility Vehicle from Xtreme Green Vehicles in Las Vegas.
Under the hood of a 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV.
Xtreme Green Electric Vehicles Citadel Pro, an off-road all-terrain electric vehicle.
Jeffrey Price from the Las Vegas Tesla Owners club also exhibited his Tesla Model S while other members of the Tesla club, like Dan Wettlauer, participated in the Green Vehicle Procession.
Over 120 other booths at GreenFest 2018 featured information about how to live a sustainable lifestyle in the Mojave Desert, as well as family-friendly activities like bounce houses, rock climbing, pet adoption, music and Beer Garten refreshments during GreenFest 2018.
GreenFest 2018 Celebrated Earth Day at Downtown Summerlin in Las Vegas.
