Microgrid Energy, our represenatives in the St. Louis area, will showing our Coulomb Electric Vehicle Charging Stations at the St. Louis Green Homes Festival on September 24th from 9am to 5pm at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Be sure to stop by and visit to learn about Coulomb Electric Vehicle Charging and how Solar energy can provide driving fuel for your electric vehicle.

Click here for more details

We will be at the Topeka Energy Star Energy Savings Expo from 9am to 4 pm on Oct 1 and 2 at the Ramada Convention Center at 420 SE 6th St.. Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations will be there for you to learn more about the vehicles and charging stations to see how they might work for you.

Come see us at booth #14 at the Kansas Energy Conference on Oct 4th and 5th in Wichita at Century II. Come and learn more in person about plug in vehicles and how putting charging stations in your parking lot can be good for both your community and your organization.

Join us to learn about and drive electric vehicles at the 2011 Clean Transportation Exposition sponsored by KC Clean Cities on Oct 6th from 10am to 3pm at 6000 College Blvd in Overland Park, KS. Nancy Gioia, Ford’s Global Director of Electrification will be the keynote speaker. This is the Midwest’s premier trade show for clean transportation.

We will have a Coulomb charging station available so you can see how that works. Learn about these electric and other clean fuel vehicles and how they might work for you.

If you would like one of the free passes we have left for the trade show contact larry.kinder@lilyadpdev.com . Note however that the lunch banquet with the keynote speaker will cost $40. Info and registration is here: http://www.kcenergy.org/kcrccceventsandnews.aspx.

There is even a Door Prize: Pit passes to the October 8-9 NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway.

We hope to see you there.

This is a major step forward for the promotion of plug-in vehicles in the Kansas City area. Current and potential electric vehicle owners can be confident that the number of Kansas City businesses catering to their needs is only increasing.

Stations will be installed at the following locations:  (click here for a map)

• Black & Veatch – 11401 Lamar Ave., Overland Park, Kan.
• The City of Lee’s Summit – 220 SE Green St., Lee’s Summit, Mo.
• Commerce Bank – 13441 State Line Rd., Kansas City, Mo.
• Harley-Davidson Motor Company – 11401 N. Congress Ave., Kansas City, Mo.
• Heartland Hospital – 5352 Faraon St., St. Joseph, Mo.
• Johnson County Community College (2) – 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, Kan.
• Park Place Leawood (2) – 11551 Ash St., Suite 200, Leawood, Kan.
• Union Station – 30 West Pershing Rd., Suite 450, Kansas City, Mo.

KCPL’s announcement here.

Google has installed 75 Coulomb Electric Vehicle Charging Stations at their headquarters in Mountain View, CA. The charging stations are used by employee-owned electric vehicles in addition to the company’s growing car sharing program for Googlers (GFleet), which includes Chevrolet Volts and Nissan LEAFs. With plans for175 more charging stations on its campus, and a goal to make 5 percent of its campus parking EV-ready, Google’s installation is the largest workplace charging initiative in the country.  Google has created a video on their Green Blog detailing their green transportation initiatives.

“By investing in new, green transportation technologies, Google is making a significant contribution to reducing our own greenhouse gas emissions,” said Rolf Schreiber technical program manager of Electric Transportation at Google.  “Our EVs and charging stations are part of our broader green transportation system that includes biodiesel shuttles that Googlers use to commute to work instead of driving their own cars. But we’re only one company among many, so we hope our green transportation initiatives serve as a model for other companies to incorporate sustainability programs into their own workplaces.”

The Moonrise Hotel in St. Louis has installed a Coulomb electric vehicle charging station for use by the general public.  The Moonrise is the first hotel in St. Louis to install a charging station.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this service to our guests and neighbors, and thrilled that we can help lead the way on this important transition to cleaner running vehicles,” Joe Edwards, owner of the Moonrise.  Even better, the Moonrise has solar panels installed on its roof. Solar AND charging stations: pretty cool!    Here is their press release.

As part of its growing commitment to sustainability, the University of Missouri-Kansas City has joined the ChargePoint® Network, providing electric vehicle driver services for its students and employees. UMKC has installed its first ChargePoint networked charging station for EVs at its Kansas City, Mo. campus.  The ChargePoint station will service electric vehicles on campus as part of a U.S. DOE grant managed by the Metropolitan Energy Center’s Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition.

“The University’s commitment to sustainability and cleaner transportation is evident in our growing bike-share program, our recent bus pass initiative and a new emphasis on promoting and accommodating electric vehicles throughout our campus,” said UMKC Chancellor Leo E. Morton.  “With the installation of our first electric vehicle charging station, we are pleased to introduce our students, faculty and staff to an alternative future of fueling.”

This ChargePoint Network expansion brings University of Missouri EV drivers unique, easy-to-use services including real-time status and location of unoccupied charging stations, tracking and reporting of greenhouse gas and gasoline savings, and charging status notification, all by SMS, email or smart phone (iPhone and Blackberry) applications. Coulomb’s ChargePoint Network is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and all manufacturers of electric vehicle charging stations.

A program of Metropolitan Energy Center, the Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition is a public/private partnership among fleet managers and manufacturers, vendors, and service providers in to promote the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles and other petroleum reduction strategies sector.  Kansas City’s coalition has been active since 1996 and is a proud partner with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program since 1998.  Clean Cities’ vision is energy independence and cleaner air through clean fuels and advanced vehicle adoption. The Coalition’s mission is to promote this vision in the greater Kansas City area and beyond. In 2009, the U.S. DOE awarded the Coalition $15 million, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to deploy more than 300 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles and install or upgrade alternative refueling at more than 30 locations in our 3-state region. For more information about MEC and the Coalition see www.kcenergy.org.

About the University of Missouri-Kansas City
The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit www.umkc.edu. UMKC was named one of Sierra Club’s 100 Coolest Schools for 2010.

This is consistent with Boulevard’s commitment to sustainability.    They have installed solar panels on their building, formed Ripple Glass which offers metro-wide glass recycling, and has recently adopted a zero landfill policy.

“Boulevard has a strong commitment to sustainability and the environment with our recycling, packaging, water conservation and transportation initiatives,” said John McDonald, founder and president of Boulevard Brewing Company. “Doing what we can to preserve the environment has always been important to us. When we consider new projects, sustainability is a critical factor. We like to embrace and promote new technologies that further our environmental goals, so it was natural for us to become part of the ChargePoint Network and give our EV-driving employees and customers the unique services these stations offer.”

The addition of the ChargePoint charging station is the latest example of conservation efforts by Boulevard Brewing Company.

• In 2009, Boulevard formed a new company called Ripple Glass, which constructed a state-of-the-art recycled glass processing plant and created a metro-wide glass collection network. Ripple’s facility also processes container glass from throughout the region, helping other communities keep glass out of their landfills while giving it the new life it deserves.
• Boulevard’s brewhouse and packaging building, built in 2007, features a green roof to reduce heating and air conditioning by increasing the insulation value where it is needed most. The surface also absorbs rainwater, thus reducing runoff while sustaining a variety of plant life. The plants, in turn, reduce the overall thermal footprint of the building, absorb CO₂, and generate oxygen, all positively impacting the quality of life in the surrounding area.
• The company has recently adopted a zero-landfill policy, with all solid “waste” being recycled, composted, or used as an alternative fuel source.

“What powers the wheels is different, but the level of safety for the Volt and LEAF is as high as any of our other top crash test performers,” said Joe Nolan.  Joe is the institutes chief administrative officer.

In fact because of the extra battery weight, both cars are actually a bit safer than other vehicles of similar size.

Take a look at these links if you are interested in more information.

http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr042611.html

http://gm-volt.com/2011/04/27/iihs-says-2011-chevrolet-volt-and-nissan-leaf-are-practically-as-safe-as-larger-cars/