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Dear Mary Nichols and CARB,

I support Governor Schwarzenegger’s agenda to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions 25% by 2020.

The most promising way to reach this goal is to give consumers the
choice to buy Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEVs), like Governor
Schwarzenegger’s electric Tesla Roadster.

Please don’t reduce the number of ZEVs required of automakers by
90%, settling for only 2,500 from 2012-2014.  Please don’t kill
the electric car.


1. Please require at least the full 25,000 ZEVs that automakers
had promised for 2012-2014.

2. Please create a separate requirement for plug-in hybrids that
lets them replace the dirtiest vehicles in CARB's regulations,
rather than the cleanest ZEVs.

3. Please incentivize EVs and PHEVs that have the most on-board
electricity storage.

4.  Please give us back the NiMH technology that
Chevron/Texaco/GM/COBASYS is making it difficult if not impossible
to use.  I think the ‘Human Element’ could really use it now.


Choice for consumers means cleaner air for everyone.

I saw that movie "Who Killed the Electric Car" and couldn't
believe it, so, I read the book “Internal Combustion” by Edwin
Black, and “Plug-in Hybrids” by Sherry Boschert.  (After looking
at Edwin Black’s chapter on hydrogen power, reading other reports,
and talking to various sources, it still looks like a really
clumsy, expensive, and inefficient way to store and distribute
energy.)  Then I went to Power Up! Summit  (plugincenter.com ) and
to EVS23 in Anaheim.  I showered the technicians and researchers
and engineers and businessmen and EV and PHEV owners with lots of
questions.  

From what I could see, the EV and PHEV cars run beautifully with
current technology.  There's no need to wait for more research.  

I had trouble finding much information on the tried and true NiMH
batteries.  The RAV4EV goes much farther than most of our vehicles
go on their daily commute, and their NiMH batteries are still going
strong after 100,000 miles. Dr. Andy Frank's plug-in hybrids also
go farther on electricity than most vehicles that commute daily,
and that's with the old NiMH batteries.  

I wish COBASYS wasn't being so difficult with its NiMH patent.   I
remember at EV23 I asked the Panasonic guys, "Why don't you make
that NiMH battery again that works so great in the RAV4?"  After
the translator passed on my question, they all turned to me,
pointed accusing fingers at the Toyota exhibit, and loudly
exclaimed in english, "You ask them!!!  You ask them!!"  I guess
that's Japanese for, "We'd love to make them, but the car
companies are being foolish."  I asked Dr. Andy Frank if NiMH
batteries would work well with EVs and PHEVs.  He shook his head
sadly and said that they are a proven technology that works really
well, but Chevron/Texaco/ COBASYS is making it all but impossible
to use these batteries.

Bob Sexton mentioned that the newer generation lead-acid batteries
don’t get enough attention.  He said the EV1s with lead-acid
batteries worked great once GM switched from Delco to Panasonic. 
According to him, a lot of EV and PHEV designs would work just
find with these better lead-acid batteries. 

Car companies must have spent a fortune to successfully convince
us to buy gas guzzlers despite our dangerous, toxic, expensive,
and unpredictable oil economy.  I think if we spent half as much
money educating the public about EVs and PHEVs as we do pushing
SUVs, they'd sell like hotcakes, especially since we can hook them
to the grid, and triple the effectiveness of air and solar power. 
Also, I’m sure a lot of car buyers actually do care about the next
generation.

Any sacrifice we'd have to make pales in comparison to the welfare
of our children.  What we're sacrificing now is a cleaner
environment, freedom from a dangerous oil situation, and most
important, the future of our children.

Thanks for listening and for all your hard work ----->

  >>>>>   Stephen Medina -  hoping to have a car I can plug in at
night, and go to sleep knowing I’m helping to make the world a
better place.

P.S. – currently I do get to enjoy at least one ZEV  >>  my
bicycle