National Plug-In Day an Electrifying Success

The weekend of October 15-16 was National Plug-in Day, a nationwide observance sponsored by Plug-in America, the Sierra Club, and the Electric Auto Association. Plug-in vehicles of all kinds got the spotlight at more than 25 events across the country. That's the New Hampshire Plug-in Day in the state capital of Concord, above and below.

The flagship event was held in Los Angeles, where speakers included California State Senator Fran Pavley, sponsor of a 2002 bill requiring 30 percent reductions in new auto emissions by 2016. The "Pavley Bill" was adopted by the California Air Resources Board and later adopted by 11 other states.

That's Pavley, above, speaking at the Los Angeles event. Also speaking was Chris Paine, below, director of the films Who Killed the Electric Car? and Revenge of the Electric Car.

Three thousand miles away, New Hampshire Sierra Club Director Cathy Corkery helped organize New Hampshire Plug-in Day. "We held our event in front of the Statehouse, right next to the farmer's market," Corkery says, "and pretty much everyone who went to the farmer's market came a looked at the electric cars."

On display were three Chevy Volts, a Plug-In Prius, and a Nissan Leaf from local auto dealerships, a converted Prius from a sponsor, two electric bicycles from a local bike shop, a homemade electric motorcycle, an electric lawn mower, and a Segway, along with charging stations so people could see how the system works.

New Hampshire Sierra Club volunteers tabled with literature, and two chapter leaders spoke, including Gerald Curran, who is also a Concord city council member.

The following day a Plug-In Day Conference was held at the Grappene Conference Center in Concord, free of charge to all attendees, with panelists and the public discussing electric car progress and goals.

"It was great exposure and fun for all," says Corkery.