Let's Start CalCars 2.0 to Open Multiple Plug-In Pathways
Jan 18, 2008
(From the CalCars-News archive)
CalCars-News
This posting originally appeared at CalCars-News, our newsletter of breaking CalCars
and plug-in hybrid news.
View the original
posting here.
Dear Supporters and Fans of Plug-In Cars and CalCars.org
We're succeeding in the world's first campaign to create a new type of vehicle -- brought to market by popular demand. As ouor goals are in sight, it's time to evolve -- to shift focus from "Put PHEVs on the Map" to "Successful PHEV Commercialization ASAP." ( See our CalCars-News Dec 13 posting, "Help CalCars Build the PHEV Tipping Point" for more about how far we've come and where we're heading.) To do this, we need your help!
Can we and all our partners rest on our laurels? Can we sit back and say, "Wow, 2010-2012 willbe great! One or more carmakers hopes to put tens of thousands of PHEVs and EVs on the road"? No, we can't wait -- because that's not soon enough.
THE URGENCY AND THE CHALLENGE
It's too late for "business as usual". Both the climate crisis and fossil fuel dependence challenges are so serious we can't wait as a few plug-ins trickle into the marketplace. Hybrids are still less than 1% of US cars after almost ten years. We need manufacturers to electrify significant chunks of the world's 50 million passenger vehicles built annually ASAP -- because most stay on the road for 15-20 years. And we have find ways to power electrically many of the miles and kilometers of today's nearly 1 billion vehicle global fleet.
AFTER FIVE YEARS, IT'S TIME FOR CALCARS 2.0
We've accomplished a lot. Now's the time to make the most of our momentum, contacts and visibility. We have enormous opportunities. We can take advantage of them by branching out and involving more campaigners. While we await mass-produced PHEVs, let's spark new efforts to speed up the rate of change in transportation.
How? Until now, each member of CalCars' small core group has tried to do the work of two or three people, sometimes calling on eager supporters. Now we're redefining CalCars and designing a management structure to organize, support and coordinate many semi-autonomous projects.
SIX PROJECTS WE WANT TO START/EXPAND/PARTNER ON
As we reposition (and perhaps re-brand) CalCars for a broader mission, take a look at some NEW PROJECTS through which CalCars 2.0's can broaden awareness and support and speed mass-production. (We'll share a longer list of 20+ potential projects with people who become involved.)
PROMOTE INCENTIVES: Help align and package emerging public and private revenue sources to motivate large companies to deploy demonstration fleets and then mass-produce PHEVs.
TARGET CAMPAIGNS: Customize programs to encourage several large US and international automakers to catch up to the future by committing to sell PHEVs in the SAME TIME-FRAME as GM and small startups.
EXTEND PHEVS: Bring electricity to the most gas-guzzling vehicle types: trucks, large SUVs, vans, recreational vehicles -- fostering both new vehicle production and aftermarket conversions even of EXISTING NON-HYBRIDS.
SERVICE BUSINESS NEEDS: Establish a non-profit consulting branch both for demonstration partnerships with component makers and for strategic consulting with technology companies and cleantech investors.
TELL STORIES: Transmit to carmakers and public audiences the meaningful experiences and preferences of the fast-growing community of PHEV drivers and owners.
INFORM GLOBALLY: Provide the best up-to-date and usable multi-lingual resources to increase awareness and understanding of plug-in cars, their impact on the climate crisis -- and the short- and long-term potential of distributed energy storage in cars, both vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G).
THREE NEXT STEPS
RECRUIT A PROJECT COORDINATOR to manage the process of matching volunteers with projects, becoming a key CalCars team member.
EQUIP EACH PROJECT MANAGER with the orientation and resources to hit the ground running and recruit a volunteer team.
DIVERSIFY CALCARS as we begin to work on projects, transforming CalCars into a more effective and sustainable non-profit -- bolstering our donations and foundation grants with new revenue streams from government grants and contracts, consulting and referral fees.
WE SEEK A PROJECT COORDINATOR WITH
IMAGINATION: experience as a strategic decisionmaker, with a record of spotting and maximizing opportunities.
ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS: excels at prioritizing tasks, building and managing teams, working harmoniously with volunteers and partnering organizations.
BACKGROUND: technical (engineering or automotive), marketing (communications) organizing (environmental, nonprofit, political) experience all a plus.
LOCATION: preferably based in the SF Bay Area, though we won't rule out a spectacular candidate in another location.
COMMITMENT: interest in becoming CalCars COO/Executive Director.
AVAILABILITY AND COMPENSATION: must be available INITIALLY AS A PART- OR FULL-TIME VOLUNTEER; within several months full time with compensation (the amount depending on our resources at that point).
TO APPLY: Please don't just shoot us a resume. Include a cover letter with your feedback on CalCars and its strategy and your vision. Paste your background info into the email or point to a URL -- to keep things simple and avoid viruses, we won't open email attachments. Write to jobs@.... Please don't call.
HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW:
Transforming the enormous and slow-to-change automotive industry is an ambitious goal, and finally approaching some success is very gratifying. Some people who've worked on the plug-in campaign have described the experience as the most satisfying and meaningful thing they've ever done. The new CalCars 2.0 will give many more people the opportunity to make even more of a difference than we have already!
PLEASE FORWARD THIS OR THE EMAIL THAT FOLLOWS (which includes more CalCars background) to your network to help identify a Project Coordinator.
SUPPPORT OUR WORK: If you missed the most recent invitation, read our December 13 "Tipping Point" posting at http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/890.html -- and then, to help us make the transition to CalCars 2.0, with a credit card or check, send your tax-deductible contribution via http://www.calcars.org/sponsor.html .
IF YOU'D LIKE TO VOLUNTEER FOR A PROJECT, please wait until we announce our Project Coordinator!
Thank you for your continuing support -- The CalCars Team
