Electric Vehicles Invade the Long Beach Movie Theatre

Last night over 75 people came to the Long Beach Cinema to watch Revenge of the Electric Car (sequel to “Who Killed the Electric Car”).  The event was sponsored by EmPower Solar and The Green Project of Long Island in an effort to get the message out about the benefits and capabilities of electric vehicles. The community got a firsthand view of two Chevy Volts, a Tesla Roadster, a Plug-In Prius and a Nissan Leaf.

Before the screening, EmPower CEO David Schieren addressed the audience to introduce the EmPower team and describe our long-term goal of making renewable energy a major contributor to the energy supply. Following David’s presentation was a short video about using solar energy to charge EVs, filmed and directed by EmPower employee Keith Collins.

Following the screening, EmPower employees, clients, friends and family continued showcasing their electric vehicles. The public was able to sit in, snap pictures and discuss more about these specific EV models.

In related news, today Tesla Motors began deliveries of their first batch of Model S vehicles. The Model S is a full size, fully electric sedan that seats 5 adults and 2 children. One of EmPower’s clients from Long Beach, NY, who attended last night is a Model S reservation holder and is expecting his this winter.  According to EmPower Sales Representative, former client and current EV owner Ed Olsen, the Model S is a game changer. “This is a beautiful car with a 300 mile range. It goes from 0 to 60 in under 6 seconds and its price is accessible to more car buyers”.

“Electric vehicles use no gasoline and can be powered by the sun. This is a concept that is long overdue” says Ed.

EmPower is on the forefront of turning this concept into a reality. We would like to thank everyone who attended and made this event such a success.

For those who were not able to attend and would like more information about solar and/or electric vehicles, please feel free to call our office at 516-837-3459.

Click Here to see photos from the event on our Facebook page.

Click Here to watch the live Tesla Model S delivery event tonight (6/22) at 6:30 EST

56,000 Leafs Pre-ordered and Renewable Energy

At the Geneva Auto Show, the CEO and President of Renault-Nissan Carlos Ghosn said that there have already been 56,000 orders for the Leaf in the United States, according to Business Week.  Ghosn went on to claim that the Leaf will be the only market-ready vehicle in 2011 and would have very little competition.  The people working on the Volt may disagree, but it is true that Nissan is making aggressive moves including being part of the largest EV infrastructure project in the U.S.

Ghosn’s statement is most important because it demonstrates the level of interest in the U.S. in moving away from the use of petroleum.  If 56,000 people have already pre-ordered a Leaf, many more are interested and many, many more may consider purchasing an EV in a few years.  This represents a paradigm shift which will be beneficial for the economy, security, and public health of our country.

EVs present an opportunity for more of our transportation energy to be produced domestically.  This means more secure lines of energy since we won’t be as reliant on oil imports. (For a great visual, check out the Rocky Mountain Institute’s oil imports map tool.)  Bringing renewables like solar and wind into this equation means more jobs as thousands of new systems are installed.  Renewables will also help to stabilize energy prices – since they provide predictable flows of energy, they will counteract the volatility of energy prices like that of oil. Read more…