Have questions for Plug In America and SF Electric Vehicle Association?

Last week while I was over at UC Berkeley, I had the pleasure to meet Marc Geller of Plug In America and Dale Miller, President of the San Francisco Electric Vehicle Association, two incredibly dedicated individuals to the EV movement.

Here's a little background about Plug In America and SF EVA...

Plug In America is a coalition of RAV4-EV drivers, former lessees of Honda EV+, GM EV1, Ford Ranger and Ford Th!nk City electric cars, and advocates of clean air and energy independence. Prior to 2008, we functioned as a loose network of individuals organized around websites of various names (like dontcrush.com and saveEV1.com) and then coalesced as a chapter of the Electric Auto Association. On January 2, 2008 Plug In America became a separate California Non-Profit Corporation. On August 18, 2008, we received our determination from the IRS, and we became an official 501(c)(3) public charity!

The SFEVA is an educational, support and advocacy group for the promotion of electric vehicles.  Electric cars, trucks, scooters, and bikes provide emission-free personal transportation using electricity, not fossil fuels.

In our first, two interviewee interview, what's on your mind about electric vehicles?  What about advocacy?  Policy?  How you can get involved?  Ask away!

Things to remember:

• Make sure to submit only 1 question per post (but feel free to ask as many questions as you like)
• Check back to vote on the questions you'd most like to have answered by Marc and Dale (use the "Rate Post" thumb up to vote)

We'll send the best questions over to Marc and Dale and post their answers ASAP.

Check out the Interview Guidelines for a bit more help if you need it. Good luck - may the best questions win!

If you had to pick a pony in the race for a large scale EV company (or several) to emerge in the coming years, who do you think is best positioned? Does it have to come from an entrenched player (Chevy, Mitsubishi, Toyota) or can the Teslas and Fiskers and Zaps of the world cross the chasm?

Can you give us a brief break-down of what the recent stimuls package will mean for plug-ins and EVs?  For example, in terms of tax credits or rebates for different types of vehicles, including two- and three-wheelers?

How would Plug-In America differ from the Electric Auto Association?

I've been waiting a long time for electric vehicles with long range (100+) and short recharge times. Phoenix and others keep pushing the dates further into the future. When do you think any longrange EV's will make it to the marketplace?

What are the biggest obstacles for the EV movement and what is Plug In America doing to overcome them?

Do you think the current economic downturn is slowing down progress?

What are some of the most important things we as individuals can do to help advocate for EVs getting to the marketplace?

What do you think Obama's administration might be able to do to spur EV technology and infrastructure?

What do you think the future holds for two and three wheeled electric vehicles?  Do you think they'll be street legal?  Do you think cars like the Aptera, the Triac, the Persu Hybrid, etc. will have good consumer adoption? 

How do you feel about the whole silent EV thing versus "manufactured noise?" (In other words, the "EVs can kill you" sentiment.) 

How do you think the international EV market will develop?  What role will China play?

Thanks for all your great questions.  This thread is now closed. 

Head over here for Part 1 of Marc and Dale's electric car interview.