Nebraska Electric Vehicle Newsletter October 2019 Edition *********** In this issue: * Electric Vehicle (EV) Campaign Team Meet 10/12 * National Drive Electric Week (NDEW) 2019 * National Drive Electric Week - Greater Omaha * Electric Vehicle Promotor Awards * National Drive Electric Week (NDEW) Lincoln * Funds Available for Public EV Charging Stations * LES offers Charging Stations Rebates ********** Electric Vehicle (EV) Campaign Team Meet When: Saturday, October 12 at 9:30 a.m. Where: 8531 S 101st. Street, La Vista, NE 68128 Join the NE Electric Vehicle Campaign Team as it plans demos, parades, exhibits, tabling events, and much more to demonstrate the advantages of driving electric to Nebraska residents. Consider joining/leading one of these teams that have responsibility for: 1. Parades 2. Tabling Events 3. Auto Showcases/ tailgate parties 4. Speakers Bureau presentations/panels 5. Communications between team members 6. Social media to reach general public 7. Fund raising Info? Contact: Albert Lierz, NE EV Team Captain, albert.lierz@gmail.com - 402-708-0241 ********** National Drive Electric Week (NDEW) September 14-22, 2019 Nebraska's electric vehicle (EV) associations and environmental organizations teamed up to present the latest information on electric vehicles (EVs) and EV charging stations. They highlighted the clean-air benefits and cost-savings of using an electric vehicle. The events were part of the fifth annual National Drive Electric Week - one of more than 300 going on across the USA. ******** National Drive Electric Week - Greater Omaha Area Event The event was held on Sunday, September 15, 2019 – noon to 4 p.m. at Bellevue University, Bellevue. The OUTDOOR program consisted of an all electric car show of over forty EVs! A variety of Tesla models, Nissan Leafs, Chevy Bolts, Chevy Volts, Fiat 500e, and other models were exhibited. The INDOOR program included: presentations, panel discussions, information booths, and a short awards ceremony recognizing local leaders that promote EVs. The booths included a plethora of information, handouts, displays, and demonstrations on electric vehicles and charging stations. The PANEL included five presentations: Living With An Electric Car In Nebraska: Don Cox What is it really like to buy/lease and own an electric car in Nebraska, especially in winter, with focus on how the technology works: their pros and cons. Where do you get service? How dependable are they? Review of EV Incentives: Tricia McKnight (OPPD) Federal, State, Local. What's available and what are the requirements and tax issues? How much can it save on the car, new and used? VW Settlement Funds: Randy Smith Nebraska has several million dollars of VW Diesel settlement funds on programs to help counter the pollution generated by VW Diesel engines. What is available and how is it planning to be spent? How Far Can You Drive? Syed Ali What charging options are available locally, statewide and nationally; and how do you find them and use them? What does it typically cost, both at home and on-the-road. Green Power Options: Jared Friesen Electric cars are only as green as the power supply that charges it. What is available to green your EV? Renewable energy credits? Community solar? Home solar? Listed below are those who made the Bellevue event such a great success: THANKS to the LOCAL SPONSORS: Platinum - $200 - OPPD Gold - $100 - Janece Mollhoff - Nebraska Sierra Club - Green Bellevue - Nebraskans for Solar - Albert and Myrna Lierz Silver - $50 - Clyde and Anna Anderson Brass - $20 - The Green Prairie - Eric Voien THANKS to Bellevue University for providing magnificent space both indoor and outdoor. THANKS to over forty(40) EV owners who exhibited their vehciles THANKS to Brenda Moskovits who supervised the EV Showcase THANKS to the PANEL for a very informative program: Bill Moore (Panel Moderator), Randy Smith, Don Cox, Syed Ali, Tricia McKnight and Jared Friesen. THANKS to those staffing EV information tables: Randy Cox, Louis Lester, Lewis Pinch, Bill Moore, Albert Lierz, OPPD, The Green Meadow THANKS to the non-profits who hosted tables: Green Bellevue, Nebraskans for Solar, Sierra Club, Nebraska Conservation Voters. THANKS to Mark Gregory of The Green Prairie for managing the publicity.[Green solutions for homes and businesses, 402-321-5885] THANKS to Chris Soriano for photographing the event. [Chris Soriano Photography; http://www.sorianophoto.com; Facebook/Instagram: @csorianophoto] PHOTO LINK FOR EVENT: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AooSYTU9TxPnhN99xMRERhi38SAkvg?e=TduNY4 THANKS to the Awards Committee - Don Preister, David Corbin and Clyde Anderson THANKS to all those who donated food and supplies: especially the Louis and Judy Lester, Myna Luz Lierz, Helen Deffenbacher, Lewis Pinch and many others. ********** 2019 Nebraska Sierra Club National Drive Electric Week Awards: Electric Vehicle Promotor Award Don Cox - Owner of four Tesla's, Don has given over a thousand EV test drives. He displays his red Tesla Roadster in the Hy-Vee on N 27 St. (Lincoln) for a week each year to promote our NDEW exhibit. He inaugorated and teaches an engineering course on EVs at both the UNL and UNO campuses. He regulary displays his Teslas at EV shows. He has served on numerous EV panels. He supports the NE EV Team whenever they call upon him. Bill Moore - Bill has published an EV webpage (EVworld.com) for over twenty years. He recently added a Twitter blog - EVisioneer. He is a vital part of the EV Team. He has given talks and moderated panels on EVs. He recently appeared on KIOS to promote EVs in Nebraska. He will coordinate the Speakers Bureau of the EV Team. Anne McCollister -Anne is the executive director of the Nebraska Community Energy Alliance, a 33-member inter-local cooperative agency. McCollister began developing the Nebraska market for electrified transportation in Nebraska in 2009 prior to the availability of electric vehicles in the state. She co-founded the Nebraska Community Energy Alliance (NCEA) formally in 2014 with nine municipalities, writing the first top-rated Nebraska Environmental Trust grant for electric vehicles and ChargePoint charging stations. Since 2014, NCEA has invested over $8M in utility scale solar and EV infrastructure projects with the financial partnership of the Trust. ********* National Drive Electric Week (NDEW) Lincoln - 9-22-19 Lincoln Electrical System (LES) host the INDOOR PROGRAM in the morning at the LES Service Center, 2620 Fairfield Street, Lincoln. Breakfast Buffet - 9:30-10 a.m.- followed by two consecutive moderated panel discussions and EV awards. Panel #1 - The Plug-in Vehicle Ownership Experience--a panel of plug-in vehicle owners and auto dealers led this interactive discussion that focused on common questions among those considering an EV purchase. Panel #2 - Public Charging in our Community--about areas of town that could use public charging stations as well as other key topics for EV owners. Panel members included plug-in vehicle owners, auto dealers, a representative of the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy along with LES staff. OUTDOOR PROGRAM - SHOWCASE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES HyVee at 5020 N 27th Street hosted the EV Exhibit at the south side of their parking lot (next to the Tesla Supercharging Center which has eight chargers) from noon - 3 p.m Over two dozen EV owners showcased their EVs and answered questions from visitors. They discussed their driving experiences with their respective models and also their experience with charging stations. ********* Listed below are those who made the Lincoln event such a great success: THANKS to Marc Shkolnick of LES for organizing the breakfast and panel discussions THANKS to Hy-Vee manager, Steve Parker, for hosting the event - year after year! THANKS to Brenda Moskovits who supervised the EV Showcase! THANKS to Don Cox for exhibiting his red Tesla roadster in Hy-Vee for a week! THANKS to over two dozen EV owners who displayed their EVs and oriented potential owners. ******** National Drive Electric Week Presenters/Sponsors include: Presented by: Plug In America, Sierra Club, Electric Auto Association National Sponsors: Nissan Leaf, Clipper Creek, California Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, EnalX Local Sponsors: Hy-Vee, LES, Nebraska Sierra Club, Nebraskans for Solar, Nebraska Interfaith Power & Light. The official National Drive Electric Week website is: driveelectricweek.org ********** Funds Available for Public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Applications Accepted Through November 15 The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) is announcing the availability of rebates for new electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment that will be available to the public in Nebraska. Applications are being accepted until 5:00 pm on November 15, 2019. This funding will provide partial reimbursement of the cost of the purchase, installation, and maintenance of Level 2 and Direct Current (DC) Fast Charging equipment at highway corridor, community, and workplace locations. Eligible applicants include businesses, government agencies, public utilities, metropolitan planning organizations, and nonprofit organizations. Funds for this program (approximately $1.2 million) have been allocated to Nebraska under the Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust for State Beneficiaries, which is part of the court settlement of Volkswagen emissions violations. The purpose of this funding is to encourage adoption of electric vehicles as a means of reducing air pollution. Each approved rebate recipient will pay all project costs and submit a reimbursement request to the Department including proof that project invoices have been paid and project work has been completed. The Department will provide 80% reimbursement for each DC Fast Charging Station and 50% reimbursement for each Level 2 Charging Station. All applications submitted by the 5 p.m. Nov. 15 deadline will be reviewed and scored by a scoring committee, and applicants will receive a funding decision on or before January 3, 2020. A program description has been prepared to provide further details and requirements of the program. The program description and application are available for download from the 2019 Electric Vehicle Charging Rebate Program web page: http://deq.ne.gov/publica.nsf/pages/19-011. ********** LES Offers Charging Station Rebates to Supplement VW Rebates Additional 10% for DC Fast Chargers and 25% for Level 2 Chargers For LES matching grant approval, customers must officially request a match from the utility by submitting a letter of request prior to applying to NDEE. While completing the NDEE application, applicants will need to include Lincoln Electric System as a “Community or Private Partner.” Once completed, businesses or organizations must provide LES a copy of the grant request application. To receive NDEE funds, each approved rebate recipient will pay all project costs and submit a reimbursement request to NDEE including proof that project invoices have been paid and project work has been completed. NDEE will provide 80% reimbursement for each DC Fast Charging Station and 50% reimbursement for each Level 2 Charging Station. Customers participating in the matching grant will split the remainder of costs with LES, receiving an additional 10% reimbursement for each DC Fast Charging Station and 25% for each Level 2 Charging Station. For complete details, go here: https://www.les.com/about-les/news/view?article_id=116593