Virginia last year saw the passage of the most ambitious climate legislation in the American South, the Virginia clean Economy Act. Now in 2021, advocates across Virginia are turning their attention to one of the biggest sources of climate pollutants, the transportation sector, following closely on the heels of ambitious transportation plans in California and Massachusetts, to ban the sale of internal combustion engines. This episode is a Q&A with our Virginia team and experts from Gen180 that helps paint the picture of what an electric transportation sector will look like in Virginia.

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Read the full transcript below.

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Charles Olsen  0:02  

Hi, my name is Charlie Olsen and this is Upside Down the podcast from the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. In this episode, Virginia last year saw the passage of the most ambitious climate legislation in the American South, the Virginia Clean Economy Act. Now in 2021, advocates across Virginia are turning their attention to one of the biggest sources of climate pollutants, the transportation sector, following closely on the heels of ambitious transportation plans in California and Massachusetts, to ban the sale of internal combustion engines. This episode is a Q&A with our Virginia team and experts from Gen180 that helps paint the picture of what an electric transportation sector will look like in Virginia.

Kim Jemaine  0:51  

Hello, everyone, as Ellen mentioned, my name is Kim Germain, and I’m the Virginia director for CTN. And we really want to thank generation 180, for helping us not only with this with the material, but also for joining us today. Blair and I have done a lot of events together over the last few weeks. So getting to know each other really well. So thank you. And thanks to you all for joining us. Now that we’ve gotten limber with those polls. We’ll get started by just addressing offhand some common misconceptions we’ve heard related to electric vehicles. Later on in the evening, we’ll talk. We’ll have questions that have been pre submitted for us to answer and then we’ll also give you an opportunity to ask questions right here. But it just started off where you were going to just address some common misconceptions. All right, we can go to the next slide. So this is a big one. Many people are surprised to learn that transportation is the leading source of carbon dioxide emissions in our state, which means it’s one of our biggest opportunities for impact. We know that transit, transportation emissions, like carbon dioxide and fine particulate matter have negative impacts on our health and our children’s children’s health. But Virginia also spends $33 million every single day on important imported gasoline. So we have the potential to not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also save huge sums of money. And the reality is that these emissions also have an environmental justice impact. communities of color and low income communities face the burden of these emissions. So we have a really unique opportunity to address issues on multiple fronts by addressing emissions from our transportation sector. So generation one he recently released the Virginia drives electric report, which includes the key findings you see sampled here. In summary, the report shows that there is a significant demand for electric vehicles in the Commonwealth, which includes 53% of Virginians who are somewhat likely or very likely to consider electric vehicles for their next vehicle. And roughly 71% of respondents strongly support or support Virginia offering an Eevee incentive. So we know that the demand is there, but there are barriers holding up our transition to electric transportation. So we get a lot of questions about the options related to electric vehicles. And the reality is that there are over 42 models available right now. And 10, more at least coming in 2021. Mate menu, major manufacturers, manufacturers have all announced their goals for fully electric fleet fleets. Electric cars aren’t just the future of the automotive industry, they are here right now. I’m here in Virginia, you may not see that broad array of electric vehicles. And we’ll tell you why throughout this program.

So another thing we hear really often about electric vehicles is that they aren’t affordable. But that’s not necessarily the case. The average out the door cost of a new car in the United States is 39,000. And there are 20 electric car models that are at or below that amount. And that’s before any tax credits or discounts. So right now there is a federal incentive of 7500 and we are going to be working here in Virginia to make sure that in the coming years, we can offer incentives that further reduce the cost of electric vehicles. So there is big news out there designed to keep you out and out of an electric vehicle. But the biggest is range anxiety. The average American drives around 30 miles a day. Which is well under the average range of an all electric vehicle, and Evie can be your perfect daily driver. So you all were correct 10 plus models, electric cars have ranges of over 200 miles so can take all the trips you want. There is a dog in here playing with his toy so that is the noise in the background. Another question we often hear is, where am I going to charge? The answer is at home 80% of Evie charging happens at home overnight, just like charging your cell phone, it becomes part of your evening routine. But for those of us who may not have a garage, or easy access to a charging source at home, charging can happen at your workplace or on the go. There are currently 1400 public charging outlets in Virginia. with significant growth slated for over the next three years. Virginia has partnered with Evie Go, a charging infrastructure company based out of California, to expand Virginia’s Evie charging network. And when the project is completed, 95% of Virginians will be within 30 minutes of a fast charger. So I know when we got started, a lot of folks expressed concerns about range in charging. So hopefully this eases some of that anxiety. So here is just an outline of how you can charge and fast charging stations are not your only option. We all have access to level one charging in our own homes right now. Just plug it into any basic outlet the same one needs to charge your phone, it will take longer, but it is an option.

Level One plug in can be a bit slow however, which is why level two charging is recommended for your home. This level uses the same 240 volt plug as your oven or washing washing machine. an electrician can easily install one of these plugs and a corresponding level two charger in your garage or parking access. What nor charging on the go however, we want the quick as chargers as possible. That’s where fast chargers come in. Fast chargers convert electricity to a more efficient form for charging and deliver power directly to your car’s battery. So you don’t always need a special charger for your electric vehicle. And we are obviously going to continue the program answering any questions you have pre submitted and ones you have right now. But if you’re interested in getting involved, here are some ways. I will let you look over this and we will drop some links in the chat box later on tonight. Thank you.

Unknown Speaker  8:09  

Awesome job cam.

Unknown Speaker  8:13  

And Awesome job to all of our attendees today. Y’all are on it.

Kim Jemaine  8:17  

I am impressed.

Unknown Speaker  8:21  

Thank you so much, Kim. That was great information. So now I haven’t been able to look at the chat because I was presenting so I’m pretty sure I saw some notifications going off. And we’ve got some great questions piling up in there. So I’m going to turn it over to Stacy. And let her cycle through them and get some answers for y’all from Blair and Kim.

Unknown Speaker  8:42  

Great. So I’ve been looking at the chat collecting some questions. If you have other questions, please put them in the chat. One question I see. Tim or Blair, can you handle this? The question is, are many federal incentives exhausted for some carmakers? Will this be renewed?

Unknown Speaker  9:02  

Yeah. And Charles put a great response in the chat after that. And he’s absolutely right. Some of the automakers credits are phased out. That’s pretty much just Nissan, Chevy and Tesla. So there are so many other EV’s that are still eligible for the full tax credit. There’s kind of a misnomer that when that federal tax credit didn’t get renewed by the current administration, most recently, that that meant it was dead and dying. But that’s not what it means. It means that, you know, Nissan, Chevy and Tesla wanted them to renew it for more than 200,000 units, because they’ve already sold that money. And the current administration said no, all of these other OEMs these other auto manufacturers still qualify for the full tax credit. So we’re going to let those people run their course before we determine whether or not we renew it. Granted with the current or with the upcoming administration that may change There may be a new effort, I believe there is a federal bill being considered to yet again address that. But if you’re looking at a Kenya or a Hyundai or a BMW, there are still or Mercedes, there’s still so many tax credits out there. And if some of us on our call on this call to our jobs well enough in the coming years, they’ll also be a state level incentive as well.

Unknown Speaker  10:24  

Great, thank you. I have another question here. The question is, is rolling out a restructuring plan, so that I will get a cheaper rate when charging my Eevee during certain hours, but it requires a smart meter. What is a smart meter? And how do I know if I have one? Or how do I get one? Blair? Could you answer this one?

Unknown Speaker  10:45  

Yeah, um, yeah, if you don’t think you have a smart meter, the odds are you probably don’t. But they are not complicated, scary things. It’s just a slightly different model than your standard level two, plug into the wall, kind of charging mechanism. I don’t know if folks have noticed lately, but about six months ago, the iPhone had an update, where now your phone doesn’t start immediately charging. When I plug my phone in at night, I get this alert that pops up that says Like, my phone will be charged by 5am. Because my phone knows that, that’s when I have my alarm set. So it structures itself to charge in the most efficient manner, instead of just charging up right then and there. And then sitting on full for hours on end, which for all of us who don’t do this, but have been told to, you know, you’re supposed to let your battery drain down, you’re not supposed to leave it plugged in all the time, those things apply to your car, too. And so a smart charger essentially takes that responsibility off your plate, you don’t have to worry about it, the charger worries about it. And the reason the charger can address that is because it’s actively tapped into the data network with your utility for Dominion for this instance. So that charger is being told when electricity is at its lowest cost, which is generally between 12am and 5am. So it’s going to start charging your car around then. And that’s to the dominion’s benefit, it takes advantage of off peak grid power. I don’t know if folks know. But utilities actually do have to keep a constant flow of electricity for emergencies, essentially, throughout the entire evening, even though they know it’s not going to be used, it’s going to be wasted. And so electric vehicles actually represent an opportunity to reduce that waste. And besides it being a monetary gain for utilities, it is a great civil stabilization aspect as well.

Unknown Speaker  12:44  

Thank you. Okay. Next question is, it seems that auto manufacturers offer more Evie options and other countries, perhaps that maybe because of market demands that makes it more lucrative to offer emus abroad? What can we do to persuade vehicle manufacturers to offer more of their models in the US and how can we create market conditions to favor ABS here? That’s a great question. Kim, can you take that one?

Kim Jemaine  13:12  

Yeah, absolutely. And you’re absolutely right, and the answer is layered. But the first thing I will say is that this is not a matter of low demand. As I mentioned earlier, the generation when he released a report indicated that 53% of Virginians would consider an electric vehicle for the next vehicle, and 71% have a favorable view of electric vehicles. I think the reality is that this is a market failure. In the United States, manufacturers prioritize sending electric vehicles to states that have adopted clean car standards. That means states like Virginia that have not adopted these standards are being left behind. One simple fix is to adopt Zev and Love standards, which apply to manufacturers and tasked them with sending a certain percentage of electric vehicles to the Commonwealth. This means that Virginians will have access to a wider array of electric vehicle options, they won’t have to travel out of state to go car shopping, and it will broaden the use of the electric vehicle market for those that may not be able to afford an electric vehicle right off the lot. The second approach is to remove barriers for consumers. We can provide rebates or other incentives to ensure that more Virginians can afford electric vehicles. And we can also invest in charging infrastructure so people feel secure in the knowledge that their electric vehicles will be adequately powered. So it’s not a it’s not a matter of demand. The demand is there. We just have to set the mechanisms in place.

Unknown Speaker  14:52  

Thank you. I see someone in the chat who wants to make a comment. Let’s just get through our submitted questions first, and then we’ll open it up to allow you to take yourself off of mute in just a few minutes. Okay, so I’m just checking through the rest of the questions that you all submitted ahead of time. One more is, Where can I buy an Eevee in southwest Virginia, specifically Roanoke, and part two of that is what electrical infrastructure will I need to install in my home for a typical Evie charging station? And then lastly, this person has a three part question. Why is the resale value on Evie so low? For example, a three to five year old low mileage Nissan LEAF lists at only 11 k? Who can take that question? Perhaps? Can you want it? Yeah, I

Kim Jemaine  15:48  

I can answer and then glare if I am missing anything, you can absolutely take care of it. Go for it. Like and sold earlier, many Virginians are unable to find electric vehicles because manufacturers simply are not sending them here to Virginia. We have to change that by adopting clean car standards, a quick search. And we’ll show you a Hyundai and Chevy dealer in Roanoke with a few hybrid auctions and a couple of Eevee auctions. But we want to make sure that folks throughout the Commonwealth have access to a wide array of electric electric vehicle models. We address the second portion of this question in the slide deck. But the short answer is that you can charge an electric vehicle using a standard outlet. You can also purchase and install or have a charger installed, those start at around $200. So that is an option for those folks who have allocated parking spaces or who have a garage. And the answer related to the resale cost of electric vehicles is a little complicated. It’s not the case across the board. But it is the case for some vehicles. Because of rapidly changing battery technology. Some older EBS have a lower resale value. But this is way less true for newer electric vehicle models.

Unknown Speaker  17:24  

It’s also way more true for Nissan specifically, because Nissan has changed their battery technology considerably back and forth over the past decade. So if you’re looking at Nissan’s in particular, like pre 2018, pre 2017, which is when they had a big change in battery technology, those are going to be lower priced. That’s not the case across all OEMs or all manufacturers. And it’s definitely not nearly the same for newer models. In fact, titles in particular hold their resale value incredibly well. So yes, you can totally scoop up an old Nissan, very easy to scoop up as well, what we call orphan brands. So for instance, the FIA that they’re not making anymore, or the EB golf that they’re not making anymore, are not Eagle Eagle. There are pluses and minuses to buying a bolt that buying a car that’s not being made anymore. Maintenance, for instance, is technique, it can be harder to come by, but you can get them at a steel. So what was the other part of that question? Roanoke? We have a ton of Eevee owners in Roanoke. So it’s hard and I sympathize with that. I know the BMW dealership, for instance, is very pro Eb there. If that is potentially a brand that you want to consider, I’d also recommend, you know options like carvana, for instance, or carmax, you know, looking at manufacturers or or used options that will deliver straight to your driveway. But until we pass some more Evie friendly policies in Virginia, driving to Northern Virginia or Maryland, or even Charlottesville is the unfortunate reality right now.

Unknown Speaker  19:20  

Great, thank you. Okay. Other questions that we have? Someone asked a follow up question about the smart meter. So I just want to make sure we’re everyone’s clear on that. The question is, off -peak plan requires a smart meter. Do I have to buy that or just a minion install it?

Unknown Speaker  19:40  

Hey, Charles, you know this book better than I do. He’s responding in the chat. I don’t know if Charles can unmute himself at this juncture. But dominion is helping people install them in the first wave. And once they hit that wave that might change. Do you have any follow up?

Unknown Speaker  20:03  

I just checked the website and put that in the chat. But yeah, they’re in the process of installing meters in Richmond and one of their service areas. And so yeah, they’re doing it in phases. And every time you do a wave of a certain set, then they go back, I think, to the sacred ration commission and get permission for the next wave because it costs there. There’s a cost associated with that. And yeah, it’s in process. And if you’re, if your area is going to get one, you’ll get a card in the mail that says, hey, we’re going around installing smart meters. So you saw you called them and requested one, unfortunately.

Unknown Speaker  20:45  

Thank you. Okay, moving on to this one that I have here. How can personal Evie lead to electrification for public good? I am electrifying the public transit fleet. Great question. Who wants to take that one Kim or Blair? Kim, do

Kim Jemaine  21:08  

Do you want me to go?

Unknown Speaker  21:10  

Okay. Um, so there’s a lot of ways that EDS fit into the broader transportation electrification picture, in terms of the types of vehicles we’re talking about right now, which is light duty vehicles. There are policies and incentives in place and great organizations like the Clean Cities coalition across the country. And in our state, we have a few who helped municipalities and businesses electrify their fleet. So that’s sort of the next organic Step. Using the vehicles that we’re talking about right now. Then, most recent Nissan leafs are the most ideal candidate for that work, because they are vehicle to grid enabled. And so they help with resiliency, they help mitigate costs for those companies because they can store batteries and then draw down on them. Really, it’s a very cost effective argument, which is why combined with the lower cost of maintenance, you see so many cities going electric with their fleet, Roanoke is actually a great example of them. They were one of the first in the city or in the state other than Norfolk. So small, light duty fleets, really easy to electrify this technology directly supports that when we start looking broader at fleets. Just going off of that one word for the question. You start looking at buses, we start looking at trains. Trains, I think, are a little farther off. But there are a lot of hopeful breakthroughs coming out just actually this past week. So I think they’re getting there. Buses are here, we just need to help push for them more the technology is here, it becomes similar to an Eevee. A cost question, can you afford the upfront cost of an electric bus, and then reap the significant rewards of those savings over time. And so some of the work that Kim and I do is to help more areas understand more schools, more transit authorities understand that if you look at the long term, going electric with your fleet makes insanely good economic sense. And then there are other things that we can do like policy levers that help create better financing mechanisms that create more access. Right now, we do have, I believe it is around 5000 advanced transportation jobs in the state. But Volvo is bringing Volvo trucking and has always sort of loved Virginia. And Volvo trucking is bringing their electric truck manufacturing to Virginia. So we’re seeing the effects of these policies showcase Virginia as a hub for innovation, which creates more jobs. So we’re going to see more of not just light duty vehicles, but a comprehensive approach to transportation electrification taking place.

Unknown Speaker  24:02  

Thank you. Okay, next question from the chat is Can someone speak to the total life battery life with fast charge versus slow charge will a slow battery, less slow charge battery lasts longer than a fast charge battery?

Kim Jemaine  24:23  

Yes.

Unknown Speaker  24:27  

Same with your iPhone, like if you’re constantly leaving that sucker plugged in, it impacts your battery life. It’s negligible. You know you won’t notice it that much. But it is better to not constantly be fast charging unless you install a fast charger in your home or you drive 500 miles a day and so you have to fast charge every single day. You really don’t have to worry about it. The beauty of an electric vehicle is not having to worry about this stuff. You know we don’t worry about that with your gasoline car. You don’t have to worry about it with your ice cars just or your Eevee cars just that this is new technology and So, change is scary. And so, you know, it’s helpful to ask these questions. But I promise like owning an Eevee gets rid of all of that anxiety, owning an Eevee cures range anxiety, it cures any real concerns, the only thing you have to figure out is either, How comfortable are you with refilling the window washer fluid. If you’re comfortable with that, then you’re good, you’re set there’s nothing. If you’re not, then you can still drive to your maintenance shop and have them do it for you. But that’s about it. That and changing your windshield wipers.

Unknown Speaker  25:29  

That’s really it. Thank you. Okay, our next question is, how can Evie vehicles help or impact rural communities? Can you want this one? Yeah, so

Kim Jemaine  25:45  

I think the big answer here is that, um, somebody asked the question about how does electrifying our personal vehicles supports a transition to electrified fleets? And this answer kind of ties into that school buses are a perfect example. These are vehicles that are used in the morning, and then they’re used in the, at the end of the day to pick kids up, that means that we have the perfect opportunity to charge them. So there is technology moving forward that will allow us to utilize them as battery storage as well. So that’s a way that if we invest in the infrastructure needed for electric vehicles and electric fleets, the entire Commonwealth will benefit. And our most vulnerable populations, including our children will benefit if we start to see electric vehicles, electric transportation and electric fleets as a way of the future.

Unknown Speaker  26:46  

And I just add to that there’s recent data that came out. Actually, Charles is the one who sent me this study, talking about how there is actually increased transportation emissions in rural communities, because these are the same communities who are in general driving farther, as well as driving less efficient vehicles driving older vehicles, you know, lots and lots of pickup trucks. And so you’re actually having a higher density of core air quality transportation emissions in these rural communities. And so they actually could really benefit from transportation electrification, we do have to do things to make that a more feasible transition for them, making sure we don’t have charging deserts and rural communities, making sure that we prioritize incentivizing vehicles with longer ranges. But we’re, we are on a tipping point and how quickly we get to the other side of that really depends on how quickly we push for it.

Unknown Speaker  27:46  

Thank you. Next question is do you know if there are recycling centers for Evie batteries in the US?

Unknown Speaker  27:56  

I don’t know if there are recycling centers specifically for EDI batteries in the US. I can say that we have plenty of manufacturing sites, businesses that are currently being powered by old Evie batteries in the US. For instance, Amazon’s data centers are backed up with EDI batteries, the Mall of America’s escalators are run on old Ed batteries. When an Eevee battery is done in the vehicle, it still has 70% capacity left. So they’re used across the entire world. And I truly do mean the entire world. I can travel often example in every continent

Unknown Speaker  28:37  

or

Unknown Speaker  28:38  

escalators, data storage. Hospitals use them as more efficient generator systems. So there’s a huge Second Life market there even before we talk about recycling of the battery. We talked about repurposing the battery. But yes, there is a big market for recycling. But I think focusing on the repurposing is more effective, because we should get every last ounce of that battery that we can before we even think about how we recycle it.

Unknown Speaker  29:12  

Thank you. We have a couple of questions left. Next one is how can we make sure that easy access is equitable in terms of the rebates and incentives? Is there any policy being proposed?

Kim Jemaine  29:30  

Yeah, I know Blair is working really closely on Ed incentives.

Unknown Speaker  29:35  

Yes, there is a great bill being proposed by delegate Reed. I would love to have seen more of the detailed bill but the legislative Information Services website is very, very behind. So I know what my understanding of it is. But I’m going to say stuff that could be proven wrong tomorrow if the bill gets posted, so please don’t hold me back. Honorable if I become a liar accidentally, but it is designed very equitably, not only is there an enhanced rebate for lmia communities 55% of the funding for the program is reserved for those communities. It’s available, what’s being proposed is that it would be available for both used and new EBS, it’s really important to have that used component in there. Because elamite communities are generally buying more used vehicles. But we still do need to incentivize new vehicles to support that use market. So that’s why you still see financing for non LMA communities financing for new vehicles, it’s to create a more robust market, and also helps get at what Ken mentioned earlier about sending policy signals to manufacturers that they should be sending their emails here. And Zev is one lever, and it’s a fantastic lever and Eb rebates is sort of the other partner level to that cause. And, you know, we won’t get non equitable policies passed. That’s not, Kim and I are not going to put our names or effort on policies that are not designed with fence line and frontline communities at heart. So I can guarantee that if we’re advocating for it, we’re making sure that it is up to snuff. Thank you, Blair, I

Unknown Speaker  31:21  

actually have a follow up question to what you were saying. I have a question. In general, how long can you speak to how long it might take for electric vehicles to enter the used market where they become a little bit more affordable?

Unknown Speaker  31:35  

Sure. And this isn’t just an Eevee thing, this is just standard automotive things. The majority of the US market that you’re going to be most interested in is cars coming off of leases. So those are generally between one and three years. There’s definitely vehicles that people flip at the seven to eight year mark. That’s because on average cars are flipped between eight and 12 years. So you start seeing those early, early end options, but really like certified Pre Owned, which I will highly recommend you still get a warranty that car has been checked up, up and down. It’s basically as good as a new vehicle that tires might have a little bit more wear on them. But that’s basically it, it’s been scrubbed. And those are coming off of leases. So that 123 year mark is where you can get a really good deal.

Unknown Speaker  32:27  

Great, thank you. Okay, we have two questions left. Next question is, is there any difference between the lifespan of an Eevee versus a combustible engine? Yes, there

Unknown Speaker  32:42  

Is a BS that lasts longer. Whoa, Merry Christmas? Um, no, not not to be good, right. But there are lots of studies showing, you know, they’ve put EBS just by sitting on a treadmill to see how many miles they can get them to. And it’s well beyond what any of us mean, I’ve driven a car to 250,000 miles, and I’d like to never pay for those maintenance bills ever again. Don’t do it, I don’t recommend it. Unless you’re in an Eevee. Because there are no sway bar legs to replace. And you know, all the other transmission parts to an ice speaker go that go broke at 100,000 miles, you don’t have that same and it may be so an Eevee can go farther. And if anybody tries to tell you, what about when you replace the battery? My response to that is that the battery and an Eevee engine in an EB car is the exact same as your engine in an ice vehicle. And in any right mind, Would any of you, unless you’re desperately in love with that car, consider replacing your entire engine? No, you would not. It would be way more than the value of the car. And so it’s really a non-starter. And so if it’s just it’s it’s a talking point that ice advocates are trying to use to conflate one to the other in a way that it’s just not even something you would ever consider. And it’s also just not supported by the data.

Unknown Speaker  34:15  

Thank you. Okay, my last question is for Kim, can you give us an overview of any legislation that will advance EBS and this upcoming session?

Kim Jemaine  34:26  

Yeah, and I will actually address the clean car standards aspect. And then, like I said, Blair is working on some rebates, rebate incentives. So I’ll let her speak to that. So the short answer is, yes, there are standards that we can adopt, and we are pushing for this next legislative session that will send a signal that Virginians want electric vehicles, and will, quote will task manufacturers with Sending a small percentage of EBS of what they send to Virginia to be EBS. So that number starts at I think we’re looking at about 7% initially, and it will increase over time. And it has a two year waiting period. So if this legislative session Fingers crossed, it will impact model year 2025 vehicles. So that is the short answer there. It doesn’t impact our dealers, it’s not something that takes a lot of money. It is simply a market signaler that says, We want manufacturers to send electric vehicles to Virginia. So the short answer is we want to adopt love ends of standards, also known as clean car standards.

Unknown Speaker  35:52  

Yeah, and I would raise or I would add to that. Zev solves a market failure, like Kim was saying, We have so many Eevee owners, some of you on this call, who bought your car in another state, because you couldn’t find it in Virginia. And so that’s Virginia losing out on that revenue and those jobs, and it’s Maryland getting it. So if I’m Maryland, I’m advocating against them for Virginia, because I’d like to keep getting those sales. But there already is demand in Virginia. And if anybody tells you differently, they’re wrong. And so really, it’s just about increasing access to these vehicles to help to support the demand we already have. The flip side of that is the Evie rebate program, which supports demand and it supports more equitable access as well. Bringing the Evie here is fantastic as the long term market economics trickle down, you’ll get more used vehicles, you’ll have increased access to infrastructure, it has a way of increasing equitable access to Evie. But if you combine that with a point of sale, Evie rebates that’s equitably designed. So a rebate that drives down the price of the car on the hood incentives is what manufacturers called instead of the federal tax credit, which is designed to benefit folks who make the most money, maybe rebate helps drive down that price right then and there for folks who can’t afford that upfront cost anyway. And it supports the communities who can benefit most from electric vehicles. So if we could get that passed, that sends a great market signal as well to these OEMs. And it addresses the other side of the EDI coin, we need to increase equitable access. But then we also need to make them more reachable for so many people. So these are really complementary policies. And then in 2022, we’re going to come back and talk to you guys about TCI. So just brace yourself. We have work to do.

Unknown Speaker  37:56  

Thank you for these great questions. I’m going to turn it back over to Lauren. And we can pick a few more questions from you all.

Unknown Speaker  38:05  

Thank you so much for facilitating that, Stacy. Y’all have some great questions. I do want to give just a few minutes for people to raise their hands. I’ll call on people to do some kind of round robin questions. And maybe any, you know, testimonial statements, we only have a few minutes because I do want us to do a few closing polls so that we can reflect on this information and see if we changed you know anybody’s minds or presented new information and then cap it off with next steps. Where

Kim Jemaine  38:32  

Where do we go from here? So

Unknown Speaker  38:33  

I’m going to start off with Chuck who has been waiting so patiently Chuck, please go ahead and unmute yourself.

Unknown Speaker  38:41  

Okay, so yeah, just to comment on affordability and emission. So we’re in year five of our all electric and for the first time of my life, I got vanity plates, vanity plates, say son car. The reason I say son car is because our car is powered totally off the roof of our house. Nice. We put on solar panels at the same time because we bought the car. Now people say,  “Well, that’s expensive.” But I have found that we have recovered the cost of our solar panels in three years. Because we’re saving $7,000 a year in gasoline and maintenance that we were spending on our Volvo wagon. The other thing people said to us was oh, well, aren’t you cool? You’re driving an electric car with dirty electricity. Oh, no. And I say no. It’s not dirty electricity, because the sun is not dirty. And as far as resale. First time ever. I leased a car. And the reason we lease the car was that you know this technology turns over like every 18 months. So every two to three years. We get it we get brand new technology and we’ve Had no devaluation of the car, because we didn’t know, I

Unknown Speaker  40:03  

I don’t know how to do this.

Unknown Speaker  40:06  

That’s awesome. I would just add to that, even if you don’t have solar, by the way, everyone go solar whenever you can, if you can, or check out our cadia, where you get offsets for your house. Even if you’re charging on today’s grid in Virginia, it’s still a 70% reduction in emissions. So across the United States, and every single state, even Kentucky and Tennessee that are primarily charged with coal, it’s still cleaner to drive electric cars than it is to drive gasoline. And that’s because you lose 50% of your energy in an ice vehicle simply due to heat. So it’s incredibly inefficient. And so you’re just burning more and more and more than you would from seeing natural gas, or nuclear, which are the primary grid sources here in Virginia. But combining that with solar, like Chuck said, takes you all the way to 100%. And so, you know, that really is the creme de la creme of options.

Kim Jemaine  41:03  

Yeah, and I will just piggyback off that and say that one thing that Chuck highlights is that solar panels help the individuals but here in Virginia, we are well on our way to modernizing our grid, and making sure that our grid is sourced by renewable energies. So as our grid becomes cleaner, our electric vehicles if you own one will also become cleaner. So it just shows you how much all of these policies, and all of these components reinforce one another.

Unknown Speaker  41:35  

Yay for the Virginia Clean Economy Act.

Unknown Speaker  41:37  

Thank you so much for that. Chuck. That was great. We have time for two more, we’re gonna go to Diane, and then we’re gonna go to CMB 4761. Hit it, Diane. Oh, I mean, go ahead and unmute yourself.

Unknown Speaker  41:51  

Still muted.

Unknown Speaker  41:53  

There we go.

Unknown Speaker  41:54  

I’m about 20 minutes south of Charlottesville. So I’m interested in buying and having serviced an electric vehicle in Charlottesville with any firsthand experience about that. And the second part is, if I can squeak this in, besides being around here, I’m sure I will work locally, we travel up to New England. So the idea of taking a trip and planning a trip.

Unknown Speaker  42:19  

So I live in Charlottesville, and I have my electric vehicle and I get it serviced in Charlottesville. If you buy an Eevee from a dealership, it has to be certified to maintain that vehicle. So that’s a really good way of guaranteeing that the maintenance is really, really, really minor. But you still do want to have the tires rotated, you know, have your brakes checked. So there are still those good things every year, you have to get a state inspection in Virginia. So it’s still good to check with your local dealerships and make sure that they can service them. If you’re not that far from Charlottesville, you really won’t have any problems, in particular Carter Myers Automotive, here in town is an Eevee leader. They have solar on their roofs, CMA, Carter Myers, automotive, they are great. Pete and wise are the owners and they are truly fantastic. And our Ed leaders in space. The second question was about traveling. Okay, what if, if you guys traveled that much? Check out a plug in hybrid. Best of Both Worlds, the majority of your daily driving is still electric, but you still have the convenience of gasoline vehicles. I will say that, you know, renting a car is really easy, though. So if you want to go all electric, it’s really easy to rent a car for a trip and a charging infrastructure. Just look at the plugin, look at the plug star maps and see all the Chargers on your route and just see what the infrastructure is like now and know that it’s getting better. Every single day. Virginia has tripled our access to DC fast chargers in just the last year. So it really is a network that’s expanding, especially on travel quarters, like 95

Kim Jemaine  43:58  

Yeah, and one of the benefits of doing a lot of these events related to electric vehicles and clean car standards is that we’ve heard a bunch of great stories about people traveling in their electric vehicles, which include stories about people charging at the grocery store, which includes stories about a wild lion in Fairfax County that is only equipped with fast chargers. And a lot of places, especially in Northern Virginia, have increased access to charging. So I think for folks who are looking to take long trips, the infrastructure is there you may have to like Blair said plan it out a little bit. But definitely would encourage folks to to think about just pulling up a map of Evie chargers and you’ll realize that there are more available than people may think.

Unknown Speaker  44:52  

Yeah, and Google and Apple Maps now have USB chargers built into their maps. So that’s a new Yes. They’re now included so you can look up Evie chargers on your apple or iPhone or Apple or Google Maps.

Unknown Speaker  45:06  

Thanks so much guys. That was great information that I’m going to go check out very soon. CMB 4761 bring us home and then guys stay with us for the last few minutes. We still got some important reminders.

Unknown Speaker  45:19  

Oh, you got on mute. Sorry, you muted. Yep. There we go.

Unknown Speaker  45:24  

My question would be if you’re not even considering the incentives, which of these are the top that you would recommend? If it were new at this and we’re thinking of purchasing one.

Unknown Speaker  45:39  

Okay, if money isn’t an option,

Unknown Speaker  45:42  

but we’re not totally extravagant

Unknown Speaker  45:47  

The model three is probably one of the best TVs out there. But the bowl is the best bang for your buck, the Chevy Bolt it has is the most cost efficient with me for this range. So and and really do check out use options on the carvanha my coworker got his delivered. His Eagle just slid into his driveway and it was the easiest buy so I’d highly recommend those options too.

Unknown Speaker  46:11  

This has been a great great informative presentation all you guys who organized it it’s just like it’s the first zoom we’ve been on where it just goes tick tick tick tick and we just did Thank you

Unknown Speaker  46:25  

my heart. I know you just made my day to day like that’s amazing. Thank you sir. Okay, give us the last minute and a half to hang in there with us guys. Okay as he likes to say everything worth doing is worth reviewing. Did I get it right recapping worth

Unknown Speaker  46:41  

evaluating

Unknown Speaker  46:43  

there we go okay guys, you know I love a pullback now.

Unknown Speaker  46:46  

Here we go.

Unknown Speaker  46:48  

Easy softball question y’all. Do you feel more informed about him leaving? Not to guilt trip here but give you give this give it? No, I’m just kidding. Answer. Answer. Honestly.

Unknown Speaker  47:02  

We only have four of these Hang in there. And they’re gonna be so helpful.

Unknown Speaker  47:09  

Okay, good. I’m

Unknown Speaker  47:10  

gonna go ahead and end it. And we got 85% said yes. And 15% said somewhat No one said no. Thank you. We’re so happy. Yeah, I will get a 100% ticket. Okay, next one. Are you more interested in purchasing an Eevee? Now? Yes, no, someone knowing the answer.

Unknown Speaker  47:34  

Yeah, we’re 1,000% aware of that one. And Evie isn’t necessarily for every single person at this exact moment. And we just hope that you’ll consider it for your car when you can go electric. And hopefully we make it easier for you to do so.

Unknown Speaker  47:50  

Perfect. So 70% said, Yes, I’m more interested now. So panelists, you’ll nailed it. 25% said someone will take that too. And no, that is all right, baby. You’re the one buying a scooter.

Kim Jemaine  48:02  

Okay,

Unknown Speaker  48:03  

number eight.

Unknown Speaker  48:06  

What barriers Do you still feel prevent you from making your next car and EV? So we tried to address them. We gave you a lot of new information. But help us tell us you know, this is still a concern that we can do more research, we can find more good facts to help with those concerns. And these are the same ones from the beginning so we can kind of compare apples to apples. I’m looking for about 20 votes. I’m almost there. And then the last one next. Thank you all for giving us a few extra minutes. We really really appreciate it.

Kim Jemaine  48:35  

Our rights

Unknown Speaker  48:37  

ending right there. Okay, still

Unknown Speaker  48:40  

people own an already paid off vehicle. Great problems still have consulting cost concerns. a totally understandable car’s big purchase no matter what it is. And charging infrastructure. Great. That’s good to know. We will take that back. And then this is the last one y’all. Very important. This transitions us into next steps. If you’re one of the people that at the beginning said yes, I’m a Zephyr owner. Are you willing to help us get more people to be seven love owners? This is multiple choice. You can choose more than one? Let us know l put our emails. Is it working? No one’s voting.

Unknown Speaker  49:16  

Oh, they’re not gonna do it.

Unknown Speaker  49:19  

I’ll put our emails in the chat. If you didn’t get a chance to ask a question if you didn’t get a chance to share your testimonial or where you charge or where you got your car, or how much you love your car. Please email me an owl. We’re looking for ways this upcoming legislative session to communicate with legislators about how we can get more jobs and lives into Virginia and we need y’all the owners of these vehicles. To show us your cars shows how much you love them shows you plug it in into a charger, something that’s COVID safe that we can send as an invitation to legislators to say hey, we’ll ask this great local Evie owner to come to your district office because they’re local And open up the front door and let you take a peek. So please email us and let us know if you are available or would like to do any of those things. We got 63%. That’s a yes, you would love to help provide that 25% so that you’d be happy to roll out into your driveway in your pajamas and take a quiz. Love will tell you that it will email you instructions. And 50% said you take a selfie everyone knows how to take a selfie.

Kim Jemaine  50:27  

I script points if you put your puppies in the selfie with your electric vehicles,

Unknown Speaker  50:33  

babies.

Unknown Speaker  50:35  

So those are just some of the next steps. I’m also going to go ahead and drop in the chat really quickly. Take the pledge gentleman, he has a great pledge that I’m going to drop in for how to electrify your ride, take that pledge, it shows us that Virginians are committed to this. And then also watch out on January the 14th. So you can be doing lobbying training to help advocates like yourself, get prepared to advocate for this type of great legislation. In the upcoming session. We’ll do a much deeper dive on how you can help. This is kind of the tail end of our great info session tonight. So we kept you so long. I’m so sorry. So I’m not gonna give too much time to everybody else. But I just want to say thank you so much for great panels to come to me and Blair st Leger Olsen for being our experts. And Blair has been doing every event that anyone invites her to for this. So we’re so thankful for doing

Unknown Speaker  51:25  

hanging in there, y’all

Unknown Speaker  51:28  

being able to facilitate anything on a dime, all for everything she did to work on this. putting this event together. We’re so thankful that God gave us your evening. Please, please email us. Let’s not stop the conversation here. And let us know what other information we can get you and how we can keep partnering. Thank you so much. And we’ll see you out there at the next events.

Unknown Speaker  51:47  

Thanks, everyone. I have holidays,

Kim Jemaine  51:49  

everyone.

Unknown Speaker  51:51  

Bye.

Charles Olsen  51:55  

Thanks for listening to Upside down. This podcast is produced by Charlie Olsen. with incredible support from the entire CCAN staff. Check out the show notes for links to all the things discussed in this episode. If you want to know more about how you can get involved with seeking in the climate fight, check out our website at chesapeakeclimate.org. If you want to get in touch with us, follow us on instagram and twitter @CCAN. And if you enjoy the work we do, why don’t you share it with your friends. Sharing the show is a super easy way to help spread the word about the work we’re doing in the fight for bold climate actions. Thanks again for listening. I’ll see you next time.