PHEV advocates' campaign to build awareness and support in the US has been successful. These days, the benefits of plugging in, and more broadly, the importance of electrifying transportation, are now broadly discussed among drivers, journalists, entrepreneurs and elected officials, in online forums, town halls, academia, corporate HQs and legislative chambers. Of course, we still have big challenges to bring the automakers along!

Globally, however, we've only just begun put to PHEVs on the map. For years, among others, Prof. Andy Frank, first Bob Graham and then Mark Duvall from EPRI, and Roger Duncan from Plug-In Partners, have travelled tirelessly promoting PHEVs. And we're seeing encouraging signs among our neighbors north and south: Mexico City's newly formed Electro Autos Eficaces de Mexico has just committed to convert 2,000 Nissan cars to electric. And Ontario just established a US $612M "Next Generation Jobs" fund for clean transportation and fuels.

A look at the geographical breakdown of visitors to CalCars.org in the past 10 days demonstrates the opportunity: North America 85.8%; Europe 8.7%; Asia 2.5%; Oceania 1.7%; Central/South America and Caribbean 0.6%; Africa 0.3%.

Now, time and resources permitting, we're bringing our strategic and promotional approach in person to the international campaign. Our first international foray was Ron's trip to Brussels for Avere http://www.calcars.org/­calcars-news/­769.html. Below is information about events we'll attend in Iceland and Canada.

We're also looking for any opportunities to facilitate the permanent placing of PHEVs in many countries. This remains a large logistical and financial challenge. But it's worth doing because daily demonstrations of a car with existing technology using today's infrastructure has an incalculable impact. One of our great ambitions is to place PHEVs front-and-center on global warming at major events for thought- and-action-leaders. For the International Panel on Climate Change's Working Group III (highlighting solutions), our last-minute efforts to get contributions and in-kind help to bring a car to Bangkok in April were insufficient. We're starting now to look at the next big opportunity: to bring a car, probably converted in Australia, to the meeting that formulates what will follow Kyoto; the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, December in Bali. If you know anyone with deep pockets who appreciates our efforts, we'd like to talk!

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, NOVEMBER 1-2
The Plug-in Highway Network's PHEV2007 Conference: "Where the Grid Meets the Road" http://www.pluginhighway.ca/­index.php

The conference will focus on the range of opportunities and challenges that Plug-in Hybrid Electrical Vehicle (PHEV) present for sustainable transportation. It will provide a forum for collaboration amongst industry, academia, utilities, governments and institutions to understand how PHEV technologies integrate into current and future transportation systems and the electrical power grid.

The conference will focus in part on:

• establishing a Canadian network of researchers focused on PHEV related issues,
• focus on the simulation of advanced vehicles to optimize the effective use of renewable resources,
• reviewing on-going demonstrations PHEV project across North America, and
• discussion of the possible role of Canadian government in supporting PHEV development.

Keynoters include: -Dr. Andy Frank, UCDavis, California, USA: -Dr. Ali Emadi, Illinois Institute of Technology and Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies, Inc., Chicago, USA -Bill Moore, Editor EVWORLD Omaha, Nebraska, US -Felix Kramer, Founder California Cars Initiative, Cal Cars -Roger Duncan, Austin Power -Chelsea Sexton, President of Plug-in America -Jasna Tomic, University of Delaware, Fuels Program Manager, WestStart- CALSTART -Dan Eberle, American Solar Challenge Advanced Vehicle Competitions -Phil Shear, Argonne National Laboratories (PSAT) -Ewan Pritchard, Hybrid Program Manager, Advanced Energy

Registration is in Canadian dollars, $265 on/before August 15, then $355. Go to http://www.pluginhighway.ca/­register-online.php I'll also be leading the "Public Forum" session, which will bring together a panel of the keynoters with hundreds of people from the public at large (no fee)

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND, SEPTEMBER 17-18, 2007
The First Annual Conference on Renewable Energy for Vehicles http://www.driving.is/­

Meet the people pioneering the worldwide trend of renewable energy for vehicles and explore business opportunities and policy cooperation.

Iceland is a global leader in renewable energy with 72% of its total energy consumption from hydro- and geothermal sources. Nearly 100% of the country's houses are heated with renewables and nearly 100% of the electricity is generated from renewable sources.

Renewable energy for vehicles is the next step.

The majority of the country's 190,000 vehicles are in the small capital area, making Reykjavík the ideal test market for transforming the vehicle fleet to run on renewable energy.

Join international energy experts, visionaries, policy makers and financiers to help shape the future of renewable energy for vehicles through a powerful exchange of views in this unique setting.

Sustainable energy and electric cars
- Dr. Ulf Bossel, European Fuel Cell Forum, Switzerland

The case for Ethanol
- Per Carstedt, CEO SEKAB, Chairman Bio Alcohol Fuel Foundation (BAFF), Sweden

Ford Alternative Fuel Vehicles
- Jan Brentebraten, Director, Alternative Fuel Vehicles Strategy, Marketing and Sales, Ford of Europe

The case for Methanol or how to liquefy hydrogen
- Baldur Elíasson, Former Head of ABB's Energy and Global Change Program, Switzerland

Creating a Hydrogen Society in Iceland
- Jón Björn Skúlason, General Manager, Icelandic New Energy, Iceland

Stockholm Success Story -Gustaf Landahl, Director, Clean Vehicles Stockholm, European Coordinator Bio Ethanol for Sustainable Transport (BEST), Sweden

The case for Biogas -Björn H. Halldórsson, Managing Director, Metan Biogas Iceland

Renewable Energy in Transport-Outlook for 2015, 2025 and 2035 -Professor Þorsteinn I. Sigfússon, Head of Iceland Innovation Institute and recipient of the Global Energy International Award 2007

Plug-in hybrids - Best of Both Worlds -Felix Kramer, CEO of California Cars Initiative - Makers of the world's first plug-in Prius

Additional Programme: Expert guided tour to Reykjavík Energy state of the art geothermal power plant. Visit to the Blue Lagoon geothermal outdoor spa

Registration is 450 Euros (550 with gala dinner) at: http://www.islandsmot.is/­Forsida/­registrationdriving/­