Sunday, 22 April is Earth Day – a date that reminds the global population of how precious our home is, and the many different ways of recycling or using renewable energy to ensure that the planet is here for generations to come. [...]]]> by Vicki Wheaton for the Cay Compass, April 18, 2012

Photo by Vicki Wheaton

Sunday, 22 April is Earth Day – a date that reminds the global population of how precious our home is, and the many different ways of recycling or using renewable energy to ensure that the planet is here for generations to come. Events are popping up all over the Cayman Islands this week to promote Earth Day, so why not stop by to see how you can do your part to keep Cayman green? 

Today, 18 April, Camana Bay is celebrating with an afternoon of presentations and displays revolving around eco-friendly products. It all begins at 2pm at the Market Street Pavilion. There will be a distribution of complimentary native seedlings and gardening advice from the Camana Bay Arboretum, environmentally educational media from local organisations and vendors selling “green” goods. 

Throwing away bottles and cans is almost physically impossible for people who come to live here from other countries that offer recycling programmes. Ask any Canadian how they feel about it all going in one bin and they will start to break out in a cold sweat.  

Bring your glass and aluminium to Camana Bay this afternoon, and you can assist with local recycling efforts by putting them in the labelled collection bins. 

Two very exciting products will be debuting at the Earth Day event: Camana Bay’s new glass pulveriser and the Wheego electric cars courtesy of Cayman Automotive. Both are definitely worth a second look. 

At 7pm, there will be a special screening in Gardenia Court of the documentary “Revenge of the Electric Car.” This film follows four auto-entrepreneurs during three years as they race to reinvent the electric car and become industry leaders.  

Certified 73 per cent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes it is considered “Riveting … highly entertaining” by Vanity Fair and the San Francisco Chronicle had this to say: “The movie is interesting now and, given its subject, should even be more interesting in about a hundred years. Stick around.” 

On Friday, 20 April, the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism will be hosting the Living Green Fair from 11am to 6pm on the lawns of the Governor’s house. The objective is to expose the public to green initiatives and products available on the island that people can adopt as part of their daily routine both at home and at the workplace. 

One of the highlights of the day will be when the entries for the Disney Planet Challenge 2012 are showcased. This challenge is an environmental tourism awareness building programme for students under 17 years of age. The winning project entitled “Save the Wetlands” will be on display and a presentation will be made by its creators – the Year 6 class of Triple C School. 

For more information on the Living Green Fair, contact Jessica Pawlik at Department of Tourism e-mail: jpawlik@caymanislands.ky 

The Cayman Islands enjoy an abundance of sunshine. So, why not put that solar abundance to work, to help solve one of the islands’ most pressing energy needs?

That’s the thought behind an evolving transportation initiative: Liberalizing laws allowing electric cars on Cayman highways, and installing a [...]]]> by Jerry Garrett for Garrett On The Road

The Cayman Islands enjoy an abundance of sunshine. So, why not put that solar abundance to work, to help solve one of the islands’ most pressing energy needs?

That’s the thought behind an evolving transportation initiative: Liberalizing laws allowing electric cars on Cayman highways, and installing a public infrastructure of solar-powered stations to re-charge them.

In December, the governor, Duncan Taylor, signed into law revisions in the Cayman Islands Traffic Law, which included legalizing the use of all-electric vehicles able to travel at highways speeds, that meet crash test standards and contain proper safety equipment.

Previously, the law had considered EVs to be merely low-speed golf-cart sorts of machines. Such vehicles already have widespread (and increasing) popularity in many island and resort locations, but are usually limited to neighborhood, beach or downtown use.

In late 2011, one of the island’s automobile dealerships, Cayman Automotive began importing $32,995Wheego LiFe EVs from the United States. Customers liked them immediately. Since then, rental car companies began offering them too.

Wheego’s LiFe has a top speed of 85 m.p.h. and a range of about 100 miles on a charge.

That’s seen as a perfect range for the three islands comprising the Caymans, which have a total area of 102 square miles; operating an EV far enough to run it out of juice shouldn’t be much of an issue

And what happens when the time finally comes to re-charge? The islands are tackling that problem too, with a plan to install a network of 14 Level 2 publicly accessible charging stations – powered by solar cells.

So that means the electric car and its infrastructure are intended to be totally self-supporting – which is a good thing on islands that must ship in, at great expense, all fuels used for transportation and utility power.

The first station, in Governors Square on Grand Cayman, was recently inaugurated. Upgrades planned include a canopy of solar cells (which themselves provide welcome shade during the re-charging process).

The solar cells are always “on”; when not being “milked” of energy for vehicle re-charging, they feed surplus power back into the local power grid. (In the event of insufficient sunlight – a rare occurrence in the Caymans – any excess power needed by the re-charging station can be made up by juice sent from the grid.)

Some of the planned re-charging stations will feature Level 3 fast-charging capability. Some of the charge stations will be free, while some will charge a fee.

When the 14 stations are in place, and EV use becomes easier and more user-friendly, perhaps the Cayman Islands will become not only an ideal place to park your money, but also your electric car.

Jerry Garrett

March 19, 2012

CLAREMONT, CA - Richard Hibbard Auto Center general manager Jimmy Hibbard said electric vehicles are the wave of the future but some people are not ready to jump on.

“It’s getting people over that fear they have over the whole electric idea,” Hibbard [...]]]> excerpted from an article by Wes Woods in the Contra Costa Times.

Jimmy Hibbard, General Manager at Richard Hibbard Auto Center in Claremont, talks about the Wheego electric cars the lot sells. The car comes in either a low speed model (with a top speed of 35mph) and full speed model (with a top speed of 65mph). The vehicles can run upto 100 miles on a charge with prices starting at $21,000. (Will Lester, Staff Photographer)

CLAREMONT, CA - Richard Hibbard Auto Center general manager Jimmy Hibbard said electric vehicles are the wave of the future but some people are not ready to jump on.

“It’s getting people over that fear they have over the whole electric idea,” Hibbard said in a recent interview. “Like, ‘what if I run out of charge on the freeway.’ They have a mode where you wouldn’t get stranded on the freeway. You could go another three to five miles on the freeway at a lower speed. It’s just people’s perception.”

The dealership, which recently received Wheego electric cars and Zapino electric scooters, held a barbecue lunch last week that included a blood drive and test drives to get people more comfortable with the vehicles.

The bubble-shaped Wheego LiFe goes 65 mph, has driver and passenger airbags, anti-lock brakes, power windows and locks and optional air conditioning.

The 115V lithium battery pack can be charged from a standard 120V outlet, a 240V outlet or any of the J1772 standard charging stations being installed in public locations nationwide – but not in Claremont.

The LiFe gets about 100 miles on a single charge. It starts at more than $32,000 and qualifies for federal and state tax credits.

The center will also carry the Wheego Whip low-speed vehicle, which is a subcompact car designed for campuses and city driving that goes 35 mph. It costs more than $19,000.

“I think it’s exciting,” said Claremont Mayor Sam Pedroza about the dealership’s electric vehicles. “I believe it’s a great fit for our town. They’re a great, viable dealership that knows what they’re doing and has electric cars as one of their main products.”

Susan Nicholson, spokeswoman for Wheego, said the area’s potential to sell electric vehicles was large because state air regulators had passed a mandate in late January to have 1.4 million electric and hybrid vehicles on state roads by 2025.

“It’s just a huge market in that part of country and California in particular,” Nicholson said. “The momentum is building and they wanted to be a part of that.”

Nicholson said the agreement between her company and Hibbard was a couple of months old.

The cars are put together in Ontario.

“We have people stop by just because they’re curious,” said Michele Henson, sales manager for the auto center. `It’s so little.”‘

Henson, who is interested in owning one, said potential customers frequently ask her about the vehicle’s range, which is 100 miles per charge.

“It can be your only car if it fits your lifestyle. Or it can be your second car to use as a commuter. I (personally) live 38 miles away. So I can definitely use it.”

Reading’s high school colors may be red and black, but one new business on Main Street is adding another color to the mix – green.

Dan Enxing, President of Subaru of Nashua, New Hampshire and co-founder with John Zaeder [...]]]> excerpted from an article by Paul Feely in the Middlesex East paper at HomeNewsHere.com.

Dan Enxing (right) and John Zaeder of Ecars in Reading have recently opened the first electric car franchise in New England. The duo stands next to the Wheego electric car. Photo by HomeNewsNow

Reading’s high school colors may be red and black, but one new business on Main Street is adding another color to the mix – green.

Dan Enxing, President of Subaru of Nashua, New Hampshire and co-founder with John Zaeder of Go Green Realty Trust in Hudson, New Hampshire, has opened an ECars of New England dealership at 281 Main Street in Reading, the former site of the Artists Frame Shop.

Zaeder and Enxing are looking to ride what they hope will be a growing wave of support for electric cars, in both sales and usage throughout the region. 

“It is the first new electric car franchise in New England,” said Enxing. 

Enxing became interested in the site after learning about it online.

“I was looking for suitable locations one day, and I came across this site,” said Enxing. “It seemed like there were some environmental challenges with it, and it seemed like a great fit.”

The dealership, located on a 36,340 square foot lot, specializes in sales of Wheego Whip cars, though hybrid cars from other companies are also sold there.

The Wheego Whip LiFe Full-Speed all-electric car recently became available for purchase. The Whip LiFe runs on a lithium battery pack, and will go approximately 100 miles on a charge. The sticker price on the Wheego Whip LiFe is targeted in the low $30K’s.

“That’s the highway version of the Wheego,” said Enxing. “There’s another version, meant for around town or city driving, that gets slightly less mileage per charge.”

With gas prices on the rise at the pumps again weekly, Enxing couldn’t be more excited about the future of the electric car industry.

“The price of oil is going to take off this spring,” said Enxing. “These are great cars. They look great, they have a lot of room inside – a tall man can fit inside comfortably. We have a lot of confidence in this. It will be the first new electric car franchise in New England, and we are excited.”

Wheego Electric Cars distinguishes itself from other electric vehicles currently on the market with its long running dry cell sealed (AGM) batteries, which require no maintenance and will not harm the environment. 

Its vehicles feature on-board high tech chargers and battery systems can allow travel up to 50 miles on a single charge – and plug in for a recharge on any standard home 120 volt electrical outlet.

Electric cars – What’s the fuss all about?

An electric car is powered by an electric motor instead of a gasoline engine. The electric motor gets energy from a controller, which regulates the amount of power—based on the driver’s use of an accelerator pedal. The electric car (also known as electric vehicle or EV) uses energy stored in its rechargeable batteries, which are recharged by common household electricity.

Unlike a hybrid car—which is fueled by gasoline and uses a battery and motor to improve efficiency—an electric car is powered exclusively by electricity. Historically, EVs have not been widely adopted because of limited driving range before needing to be recharged, long recharging times, and a lack of commitment by automakers to produce and market electric cars that have all the creature comforts of gas-powered cars. That’s changing. As battery technology improves—simultaneously increasing energy storage and reducing cost—major automakers are expected to begin introducing a new generation of electric cars.

The recent years have seen a remarkable activity in the global electric vehicle industry. Growing environmental concerns and an increase in oil prices in 2007-2008 provided manufacturers as well as consumers with ample thrust to accelerate the transition towards electric vehicles (EVs). 

Several major as well as small manufacturers ventured into the manufacture of electric vehicles, while a few others announced plans for the same. Technological breakthroughs have expanded the scope of electric vehicles considerably. These developments are expected to result in widespread acceptance of electric vehicles across mass markets.

The US presently constitutes the largest regional market for electric vehicles, accounting for more than 50% of the global market, as reported by the new market research report on Electric Vehicles. Nevertheless, growth is expected to emanate mainly from Asia-Pacific, with countries such as China and Japan setting aggressive production and sales goals. Sales of electric vehicles in Japan are projected to reach 433,000 units by 2012.

The company strives for a more environmentally responsible future, committing to [...]]]> from the CayCompass, January 23, 2012

 Wheego CEO Mike McQuary welcomes Richard Hibbard Auto Center. “Our cars are assembled in Ontario, California, just a few miles from [...]]]> ATLANTA (January 26, 2012) – WHEEGO ELECTRIC CARS, a U.S. manufacturer of all-electric cars, today announced that Richard Hibbard Auto Center, in Claremont, California has been named a new Wheego dealer in Southern California.

 Wheego CEO Mike McQuary welcomes Richard Hibbard Auto Center. “Our cars are assembled in Ontario, California, just a few miles from Hibbard in Claremont. That area of California has great potential for electric vehicles, and Hibbard Auto Center is a trusted name in the auto business for both sales and service. They are just minutes from the Claremont Colleges, which boast top tier academics and a proven commitment to sustainability. We are happy to have Hibbard Auto join the team. They have our cars in their dealership now and are ready for test drives.”

Richard Hibbard Auto Center will showcase the Wheego line of electric vehicles at their second annual American Red Cross Blood Drive on February 3, 2012 from 10am to 4pm. A free BBQ lunch will be served to all blood donors, and to anyone bringing their car in for service at the Hibbard Auto Service Center. 

The Wheego LiFe comes fully-equipped with driver and passenger airbags, anti-lock brakes, power windows and locks, and optional air conditioning. The 115V lithium battery pack can be charged from a standard 120V outlet, a 240V outlet or any of the J1772 standard charging stations being installed in public locations throughout theUnited States. The LiFe travels approximately 100 miles on a single charge. It is available in red, white, blue, black, silver, and green. The Wheego LiFe is a two-seat subcompact car with fit, finish and features designed for today’s environmentally-conscious commuters. The LiFe starts at $32,995 and qualifies for a $7500 Federal tax credit and a $2000 California tax credit. 

Hibbard Auto Center will also carry the Wheego Whip low-speed vehicle, a subcompact car designed for campuses and government fleets. The Wheego Whip list price is $19,995.

About Richard Hibbard Auto Center

Richard Hibbard Auto Center is a family-owned business begun in 1981. They are located at 191 S Indian Hill Blvd in Claremont, California. For more information about Richard Hibbard Auto Center, visit http://www.richardhibbardautocenter.com/.

About Wheego Electric Cars

Wheego Electric Cars is an innovation-driven and environmentally-conscious manufacturer of Electric Vehicles (EVs).  Under the leadership of Mike McQuary, CEO and former MindSpring entrepreneur, Wheego Electric Cars has become a leader in the integration of advanced technology components.  Wheego Electric Cars is one of the first EV companies to deliver affordable fully capable, street legal all-electric cars for everyday consumer use. The Wheego line of electric vehicles is emission-free, making them an ideal choice for consumers, fleets and businesses who want to reduce their carbon footprint. Wheego is headquartered inAtlanta,Georgia. The cars are assembled inOntario,California.

For more information about Wheego, visit the company website at www.wheego.net. To inquire about dealership opportunities,email info@wheego.net.

Contact:          

Richard Hibbard Auto Center: Jimmy Hibbard, jimmy@richardhibbard.com  909-624-4541

Wheego Electric Cars: Susan Nicholson, susan@wheego.net, 678-904-4795

Les Seagraves, Wheego VP-Product Development, represented Wheego Electric Cars in a Plug-in Electric Vehicle display for the Georgia General Assembly’s Committee on Energy, Utility and Telecommunications.  The event showcased the latest technology in Plug-In Electric vehicles and charging stations at the Georgia State Capitol building on January 12, 2012.