With the average price for gas in the Raleigh area at $3.69 per gallon and the nation-wide average just one cent less, all eyes at the Plug-In 2011 conference were focused on the future of transportation, specifically on moving away from gasoline-powered vehicles.
The four day conference at the Raleigh Convention Center focused on uniting electric car manufacturers, area energy companies and companies behind home-charging stations with educational tools to inform public and private businesses about the benefits of these new technologies.
Christina Motley, a recent Raleigh transplant, said she thought it was important that conference organizers invited more than the car companies.
“People with either embrace this new technology, and understand how it can fit into their lifestyle, or they won’t buy these cars, and the electric car will fail,” Motley said. “I think it shows great things for the city of Raleigh to have gotten to host this conference. I’m sure it was up against some other tough cities on the eastern seaboard.”
Some of the companies represented are Nissan, Ford, GE, Siemens Energy, Leviton and Umicore Battery Recycling. In total, five car manufacturers will showcase their hybrid and electric fleets, and dozens of car charging systems will be showcased. During the conference, which ends today, companies participated in workshops centered around electric vehicle readiness, educating younger generations on merits of the electric car initiative, and how to coordinate the implementation of a national charging grid to phase out gas stations.
According to Katie Michel, a representative for Blink, one of the vehicle charging station companies, they are working to put car charging stations in accessible areas. Michel said Blink is currently in talks with Cracker Barrel to include charging stations at interstate locations across the country.
“Our philosophy is to put a charging station where someone would naturally want to stop. When you stop to eat, your car can be charging,” Michel said. “We also want to include them at places like libraries, sports arenas, and other major infrastructure areas where people are naturally already resting.”
Part of the conference’s public appeal was the July 19 public night where visitors could view the showroom floor, sit in cars, and speak with companies about specifics for a home charging station. Energy companies were available for discussion about charging for energy usage at night (during off-peak hours) and making their garage charger socket-friendly.
John Garrison, a junior in computer science, said this would be one the most interesting parts of the conference.
“I’d like to be able to discuss how much my energy company will be charging me to charge my vehicle. Although it might be cheaper than gas, you have to add a charging station, and that won’t pay for itself immediately,” Garrison said. “I’ll also like to know how much these electric vehicles will cost me.”
