Nevada EVA News

NV Energy hosted an electric car Ride ‘n 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.

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.

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.

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:

newamericanroadtrip.com

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.

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.

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.

Followers helped promote the New American Road Trip through these social media channels, as drivers of the Chevrolet Bolt EVs traveled cross-country:

newamericanroadtrip.com

Twitter: @NewAmericanRT #NewAmericanRoadTrip

Instagram: @NewAmericanRoadTrip #NewAmericanRoadTrip

Facebook: New-American-Road-Trip

NEVA blog posted by Stan Hanel, Outreach Coordinator

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:

https://driveelectricweek.org/event.php?eventid=1276

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:

Mark Larsen, an annual visitor and long-distance traveler from St. George, Utah, also posted pictures and video on his website at this link:

http://bit.ly/ndew18lv

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

The September general meeting of the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association coincided with National Drive Electric Week celebrations being staged in 270 cities worldwide during the week of September 9 – 17, 2017.

https://driveelectricweek.org/event.php?eventid=983

The LVEVA co-hosted an electric car rally at Springs Preserve museum parking lot from 10 AM to 2 PM on Saturday, September 9th, located at: 333 S Valley View Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89107

The electric car gathering was staged beneath a canopy of photovoltaic solar cell panels.

Two ChargePoint stations with three SAE J1772 AC Level 2 plugs were available for electric vehicles to recharge from energy generated by the sun.

About 150 attendees and 40 vehicles visited the event during the day.

Vendor and non-profit organizations provided information about electric car technologies and support infrastructure to visitors. Plug-in electric car models were on display from Tesla, GM Chevrolet, Nissan, Ford, Fiat, BMW, Daimler and other automotive manufacturers throughout the day.

Sponsors included Nissan, NV Energy, Plug-in America, Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter, Citizens Climate Lobby, Verdek, ChargePoint, Las Vegas Tesla Owners group, the Nevada Electric Vehicle Accelerator (NEVA) program from REA250, and the Drive Clean Energy Las Vegas program from Green Alliance of Nevada.

Jane Feldman from Sierra Club Toiyabe chapter shared a video of the NDEW event on her Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/jane.feldman1/videos/pcb.10155337926952771/10155337881287771/?type=3&theater

NV Energy supplied a walk-through “Renewable Generations” trailer exhibit that showcased solar thermal, solar photovoltaic and wind generation technologies.

Mark Larsen drove his Nissan LEAF from St. George, Utah to the Springs Preserve in Las Vegas and back over the weekend, chronicling his journey both ways, as well as his visit to the NDEW gathering: http://bit.ly/ndewvegas

“A good time was had by all!”

The Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association held its monthly general meeting at Findlay Chevrolet in the dealership’s conference room from 10 AM to noon on August 12th.

Findlay Chevrolet is located near South Rainbow Blvd. and Hwy 215 intersection at:

6800 S. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89118
Contact Tel: 782-982-4000

This month’s meeting featured a special presentation about the Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car that will be making its Nevada debut during September 2017.

Doug Fleming, General Manager of the Findlay Chevrolet dealership, gave all attendees the latest Bolt EV 2017 brochure that included vehicle specifications, as well as optional vehicle colors, interior trim, and 17-inch wheel designs.

A 60 kilowatt-hour battery pack and electric motor drive train enable the Bolt EV to travel 238 miles between charging sessions, while accelerating from zero to 60 mph in just 6.5 seconds with 226 lb.-ft. of torque.

A myChevrolet mobile app allows integration of a personal mobile phone with the operation of the vehicle and the onboard MyLink 10.2-inch, touch-screen console display through either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. A built-in WiFi hotspot, voice recognition and voice feedback capabilities offer additional “hands-free” operation features for the driver, converting the Bolt EV into a mobile phone on wheels.

Energy Usage and Range Analysis screens give the driver real time feedback on driving performance.

There are two basic model package configurations, the Bolt EV LT and the Bolt EV Premier. The Premier model has a Driver Confidence package of accessories that include more Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, as well as a Comfort and Convenience package that includes heated seats.

More specifications and features can also be found online at the GM Chevrolet website:

http://www.chevrolet.com/byo-vc/client/en/US/chevrolet/bolt-ev/2017/bolt-ev/features/trims/?styleOne=388584

LVEVA Vice-President Justin Steele ordered a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV Premier and a 2017 Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric hybrid vehicle for his family, to replace his existing 2012 Nissan LEAF and 2012 Chevrolet Bolt.

The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is a game changer for the automotive industry and has won several awards that include Motor Trend 2017 Car of the Year and Green Car Journal’s 2017 Green Car of the Year.

GM is also basing its autonomous vehicle research efforts on the Chevrolet Bolt EV platform. The company’s Cruise ride sharing program is under development in San Francisco. Four modified Chevy Bolt EVs were seen charging at the Desert Research Institute on Flamingo Road in Las Vegas during August 2017.

On March 8th, the Southern Nevada Strong coalition hosted an educational discussion about electric vehicles. The event was organized by Marie Steele, Manager of Electric Vehicles and Renewable Energy at NV Energy, with support from the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy and the Southern Nevada Regional Transportation Commission.

The location of the EV presentation was at the Mobile Training Center of the RTC in Las Vegas and featured electric buses from Proterra, NAVYA, GreenPower Bus, and Adomani, as well as electric cars from Nissan, Tesla, and BMW.

Ahern Energy provided portable solar-powered trailers that supported a ChargePoint AC Level 2 charging station to replenish the battery packs of the vehicles on display while parked.