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INVITATION: Celebrate Arrival of Volt This Weds AM at Novato Chevrolet
Dec 20, 2010 (From the CalCars-News archive)
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EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT: This Wednesday December 22, at Novato Chevrolet, long-time advocates will pick up the PHEVs they've worked to bring into existence. This first California Chevy Volt celebration marks the climax of a long and successful campaign. Please join us for fun and inspiring speakers!

Celebrate the Arrival of the Chevy Volt World's First Mass-Produced Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) Wednesday Dec. 22 at 9:30AM at Novato Chevrolet

SPONSORS: Novato Chevrolet and The California Cars Initiative -- the nonprofit that entrepreneurs, engineers, environmentalists, and drivers formed in 2002 to get carmakers to build PHEVs.

WHO: Speakers and a crowd will greet the customers getting the world's first mass-production PHEVs:

  • Andy Frank, from Davis, CA, the "Father of the Plug-In Hybrid," designing PHEVs for over 30 years, Engineering & Aerospace Professor at the University of California at Davis and Co-Founder of Efficient Drivetrains, Inc;
  • Ron Gremban, from Corte Madera, CA, CalCars Technology Lead, who first drove an electric car in the 1968 Caltech-MIT cross-country race and led the 2004 open-source PRIUS+ Project, converting hybrids so they could plug in.
  • Felix Kramer from Redwood City, CA, CalCars Founder, former entrepreneur and the world's first consumer owner of a PHEV.

WHAT: The new Chevy Volt PHEV (GM calls it an extended range electric vehicle or EREV) has been winning awards everywhere, including "2010 Motor Trend Car of the Year." It's the first consumer vehicle whose local miles can be electric, chargeable at 120 Volts, while it can drive across the country anytime. Hundreds of the first Volts left Michigan last week for six states, including this first wave for Californians.

WHY: Fueling miles by cheaper, cleaner, domestic electricity tackles the high cost of driving, global warming, energy security, and jobs in the auto industry, all at once. Advocates and the auto industry aim to get millions of PHEVs and EVs (all-electric vehicles) on our roads ASAP.

HOW will the PHEV pioneers get to Novato? Gremban's silver "World's First Prius PHEV" began the buzz on PHEVs in 2005. Kramer's white Prius was flown to Washington DC in 2006 to inspire members of Congress http://www.calcars.org/­phevs-in-dc.html . (Both cars sport giant "$100+MPG" signs.) Frank's Nissan hybrid stays until his Volt arrives.

WHEN/WHERE: "Success of the Plug-In Vehicle Campaign" is the theme for this grass-roots event on Wednesday morning December 22 at 9:30AM at Novato Chevrolet, 7123 Redwood Boulevard, Novato CA 94945 (45 minutes north of San Francisco). Speakers will be announced. Bring an umbrella; if weather is extreme we may relocate. WEDNESDAY MORNING, CHECK http://www.calcars.org/­events.html .

CO-SPONSORS: Plug In America, Electric Auto Association, San Francisco, North Bay & Silicon Valley EAA chapters.

Watch http://www.calcars.org/­news-archive for more info. Some photos at http://www.calcars.org/­photos-plugins-arrive.html

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