Welcome to e-Drive!
Thank you for visiting the site. As you probably know already, this site is dedicated to providing information about the bipartisan proposed American Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Act or "e-Drive" bill introduced as H.R. 4399 on December 16, 2009. We would like to encourage you to register here at the e-Drive.org website. Not only will you be able to post comments on any of the blogs, but also it will give us a way to reach you with additional information about the e-Drive bill.
The e-Drive bill would provide up to $2 billion for an Energy Department program in which vehicle manufacturers would compete for grants to build electric vehicles for immediate deployment by the U.S. Postal Service, operator of the nation’s largest civilian fleet. Besides the environmental benefits and vast fuel savings the program would achieve, the bill’s passage would also position the Postal Service fleet as a key energy storage asset for the nation’s power grid. Through Smart Grid technologies, new and converted electric postal vehicles would serve as power storage devices for the grid, helping ease peak loads and storing energy from intermittent or fluctuating sources, like wind power systems.
There are two Phases of the e-Drive program. Phase I lasts 3.5 years and involves a highly competitive solicitation for electric vehicles (EVs), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), and electric and PHEV powertrains for conversions. The best performing solution(s) are rewarded with a large Phase II contract. Each phase procures approximately 10,000 electric drive vehicles (or powertrains that are used in conversions of existing LLVs) and 12,000 charging stations.
Publicity about the e-Drive bill is growing. In the next two weeks, two events are scheduled in which speakers will have comments about the e-Drive bill:
- Ruth Goldway, Chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission will be speaking at the EDTA (Electric Drive Transportation Association) Conference and Annual Meeting for the Panel Session: Electric Does It (Part 1): Electric Drive at Work and Off-Road on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 from 1:30pm-3:00pm in Washington DC.
- Felix Kramer, Founder of the California Cars Initiative will be speaking at the RETECH 2010 conference, co-hosted by American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) for the Panel Session: B7: Advanced Vehicles and Batteries on Friday, February 5, 2010 from 1:30pm-3:00pm in Washington DC.
We expect a lot more coverage in the press and as word gets out within the industry. We look forward to your support. Please send us your questions by making a blog comment (registration required) and we'll try to address them through additions to the FAQs or via a future blog article.
Thanks again and welcome to e-Drive,
Erik Toomre and Joy Leong
Founders of the www.edrive.org website
- Founder's blog
- Login to post comments
Encourage Electric vehicles
Nowadays, electric vehicles and other alternate energy vehicles are becoming the world's need. The world's energy resource is getting low every day every hour at the same time making a massive pollution out of it. Now, we need to be serious about it and work for more electric vehicle. One day, we will be able to see all vehicles and means of transportation moving along with alternate energies than petroleum.
Regards
Tonneau Cover
lithium ion recycling and re-purposing
Recupyl Battery Solutions (RBS) processes dry cell batteries including lithium ion into their basic chemical components. It currently has a facility in Brighton, Michigan to process batteries and in the process of establishing additional facilities throughout the United States.
RBS is interested in participating in the edrive program and would like to learn more about how it can be a part of this program.
For more information, please contact John Herschelman, General Manager, 248-446-5637 or email john@rbs123.com. Information on the Recupyl technology at www.recupyl.com.
Building for the Future
This is a wonderful idea. Yes, the upfront cost is required, but the savings down the road in both emissions and fuel cost are dramatic. Imagine the cost of fueling over 160,000 low mileage vehicles a year. I am sure the fuel savings alone will be double the initial cost of this program within just a few years. Add to that the cost savings in not having to maintain internal combustion engines, transmissions, fuel and exhaust systems. Labor and spare parts savings will be significant. Electric drive motors can last a million miles before refurbishment and they don't idle when the vehicle is stopped. Internal combustion engines idling are burning fuel and pumping all kinds of nasty emissions into the air. On top of all that, no more oil changes times 160,000! What a tremendous fiscal benefit that not only realizes immediate savings but pays for itself very quickly and pays for years to come once the system is in place. Our local post office has solar panels. As solar grows imagine solar charged USPS vehicles. People in Plug-In America have been driving solar charged EV's for years. This is a proven technology that works. It will reduce dependence on oil, reduce pollution and save money. If done practically using the J1772 standard if will also help build the public EV charging infrastructure I see nothing but upsides.
2 Billion divided by 20 thousand gives $100,000 each?
2 Billion divided by 20 thousand gives $100,000 each? Whom among you thinks that is Reasonable? There is just a totally unreasonable cost here.
Twice the price of a brand new Electric or Hybrid vehicle to convert a 17 year old jeep with an aluminum shell???
That is under 15 thousand dollars in parts and $85,000 in labor and PROFIT the correct pricing should be 25% of that.
Do all the 20,000 conversions for $500,000,000. not $ 2,000,000,000
And don't tell me it's for the charging stations, they can be installed by any licensed commercial electrician for under $4,000 each including all materials.
So who has the red face now? How many thousand dollars for the new leather seat covers in each Mail Vehicle? Hand sewn interior for $5,000 ? That still leaves a $65,000 profit for each vehicle with a recharging station already paid for and installed for it and the hand sewn leather interior in a 17 year old "Long Lived Vehicle. We could carry the Letter carriers around by TAXI for less with a five year contract!
$ 2 billion
Dennis--
I'm gonna bet your first VCR set you back somewhere in the neighborhood of $ 600, more than 6x what a decent DVD player will cost you today. Your first cell phone? Probably $ 175, right? now, they're free with a service plan. we have a choice here. we can invest what it takes to get the EV industry up to scale and spark some demand or we can watch the euros, the Chinese, the Indians, or the Koreans do it faster than we can and then dominate our markets. when the first Mach 2 fighters were being designed, did you (or your father) say that's too pricy for us, let's let the French do it first? do you bear the burden of upfront costs now or are you willing to tolerate the costs of economic domination later? basic American industry deserves basic American support. in that light, $ 2 billion is a pretty small sum. thanks
$2 Billion? Lets spread it around but keep it in the USA
OK "Postal-Reboot" I agree the influx of funding would be good for the industry, But, As Dolly said,"Money like Manure is best spread around helping young things to Grow." Therefore the phases should include 40,000 mail vehicles using already proven AC systems and Lithium batteries, and 48,000 weatherproof electric outlets and the ones accessible by the public should include a monetary link so the power is not free...
And since the USPS is all over the USA, there should be a 1,000 vehicle conversions per state and the conversions done inside that same state not half of them done in California, and the remainder in Virginia, but 1,000 done in each state by companies established for over two years in each state.
Otherwise, buy all new electric and some hybrid vehicles at less than $50,000 each from manufacturers in the USA with certified parts made in the USA and assembled in the USA so it will help American Workers in the USA
Amen
i think you'll find some strong buy American provisions in the bill and an embrace of geographic diversity in the bill's wording.
Its about time
I don't know how I can help, but I will keep an eye on here for a chance.
Support!
EXCELLENT ! I am completely in favor of this Bill. I just wanted to emphasize the need to make such an investment benefit as many future EV drivers as possible. To enable this, Charging Stations should be made accessible to the public and conform to the J1772 standard. If at all possible, despite some added expense, such J1772 compatibility should stretch to Level 2 (240V, 70A) charging, not be limited only to Level 1 (120V). In reading a summary of the Bill the basic idea is already planned ("Post offices could provide the public easy access to EV charging stations."), but the J1772 compatibility and Level 2 capability should be a heavily emphasized objective, even at the expense of a slight (10%-20%) reduction in total stations to meet budget constraints if necessary. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Support
Greetings, I'm glad this is happening! As president of a local chapter of the Electric Auto Association, I have encouraged everyone I know to support H.R. 4399. If there is anything our chapter can do to assist in the conversion of postal vehicles in our area (central Kern County, California), please let us know.
Can you HELP?
The preferred contractors won't want any help. For a hobiest to convert one would take two weeks and you would earn a years wages in profit. Or at $100,000 per conversion, do two and buy yourself a Tesla sports to drive.
Great Bill!
I think it would be beneficial in many ways to have local electric vehicle companies develop prototypes in major areas. In central Texas, we have enough electric vehicle expertise to support the design and manufacture for Texas's electric postal vehicles. I know there are many other very capable small companies around the US that would love a chance to participate - it’s time to let the little guys help instead of feeding the monsters. This would expedite development and allow a variety of prototypes to be evaluated in a competitive environment, it would create jobs and stimulate local economies in more areas, and it would create a network of design and maintenance facilities with training and quicker response times than a single larger entity. This would be a welcome paradigm shift to our design and production practices that would match the paradigm shift in our transportation system being brought about by electric vehicles. This is not a time for business as usual; it is a time to rethink the way we do things. Thanks to everybody for supporting and promoting this bill, it’s long overdue.
lithium
I'm concerned about the myopic focus on lithium-based EV technologies. There's a herd mentality concerning lithium-ion. There are so many drawbacks to lithium: it's relative scarcity, high-cost, weight. Shouldn't we be looking seriously at metal/air batteries?