portland
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It's an old cliche used to indicate an unsolvable problem: which came first, the chicken or the egg? Sometimes it's applied to the challenge of electric-car charging stations: which comes first, sales of the cars or installation of public charging to support them? Well, Jeff Allen isn't having any of it. He wants to talk about hot dogs, and buns. DON'T MISS: Go Forth Electric Vehicle Showcase in Portland: lessons learned In a feisty essay, "Let Us Bury the Chicken and Egg," the executive director of Forth (nee Drive Oregon) lays out why the chicken-and-egg comparison irritates him. It's an...
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Electric-car discovery, education centers are now a thing
Breaking with routine and tradition is never easy, especially when it comes to buying, owning, and operating a vehicle powered by an internal-combustion engine. Around the world, roughly 1 billion vehicle owners stop at fuel stations and keep cars powered by fossil fuels running—and have done...
Sean Szymkowski -
Go Forth Electric Vehicle Showcase in Portland: lessons learned
One of the challenges in getting car shoppers to consider plug-in electric vehicles is the education required. Tesla attacked this problem head on, opening its stores in malls and other sites where potential future buyers could dip their toes in and start to learn about electric cars without being...
John Voelcker -
Drive Oregon goes Forth: new name, broader mission, more states
Oregon is a state that punches well above its weight in promoting and adopting zero-emission vehicles and plug-in electric cars. Smaller than California, it offers a laboratory where EV makers can try out new programs and experiment with new marketing and charging programs to see how they work...
John Voelcker -
Uber urges Portland drivers to lease electric cars
In the wake of numerous recent PR setbacks, Uber may be able to help clean up its image with the launch of the Uber EV initiative in Portland, which supports the city’s green vision for the future. When you think of electric mobility, California might be the first state to come to...
Green Car Reports -
Four large West Coast cities unite to buy 24,000 electric cars
When it comes to policy efforts aimed at promoting electric cars, the focus is usually on private passenger vehicles. But to cut carbon emissions in a meaningful way, policymakers will have to look at other types of vehicles as well. That includes the thousands of cars and light trucks in the...
Stephen Edelstein -
The U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday that it would award almost $1 million to Drive Oregon over three years, to fund a regional marketing campaign that will promote the benefits of electric cars to regional consumers. The advocacy group plans to set up a permanent storefront in downtown Portland that will showcase a variety of electric vehicles and charging equipment. It will be located across the street from Electric Avenue, the city's array of charging stations for plug-in cars. DON'T MISS: Most electric-car-friendly U.S. cities: new ranking puts Portland on top The staff inside...
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Selling an electric car is easy, says creator of fictional Chevy Jolt EV
First, there was the Volt. Then came the Bolt, later renamed the Bolt EV. Now, there's the Jolt EV, the third Chevrolet electrical car. At least, that's what appeared on a website a few weeks ago—the all-electric Chevrolet Jolt EV, a sporty two-door coupe offering more than 230 miles of...
John Voelcker -
Most electric-car-friendly U.S. cities: new ranking puts Portland on top
Portland tops rankings for the most electric-car-friendly U.S. cities compiled by Indiana University.
Stephen Edelstein -
Oregon's Pitch To Electric-Car Industry: Come Test New Stuff Here!
When it comes to raw numbers of electric cars sold, California leads. However, just to the north, the small state of Oregon has long been a pioneer and a trendsetter when it comes to electric mobility. Drive Oregon, the nonprofit trade association that has led much of this work over the past few...
John Voelcker -
Portland Airport Adds 42 Electric-Car Chargers, At 120 Volts; Here's Why
Portland International Airport just installed 42 Level 1 charging stations in its long-term parking area.
Stephen Edelstein -
Car2Go Cutting Out Portland's Lower-Income, Racially Diverse Areas?
The Daimler-owned car-sharing operation Car2Go recently announced that it was massively reducing its coverage area around Portland, Oregon. According to the company, it’s simply a smart business move, one that will keep cars in areas where they’ll be more likely to be used frequently...
Bengt Halvorson -
It’s already been four years since Portland really charged ahead in its commitment to electric cars with Electric Avenue, a project that designated a city block of parking spots plug-in-only, peppered the block with a variety of charger hardware, and let EV owners have at it. That original project, a partnership between Portland General Electric (PGE), Portland State University (PSU), and the City of Portland, was supposed to be just two years long; yet it became a popular place for EV owners and enthusiasts alike—as well as automakers and hardware-makers testing...
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Electric-Car Incentive Considered In Oregon: $3,000 "Cash On The Hood"
Oregon has quite the reputation for being electric-vehicle friendly. That reputation holds true if you already own an EV—the state’s a wonderland in terms of charging infrastructure—but for those who want to replace the fossil-fuel burner, the state hasn’t helped make the...
Bengt Halvorson -
Portland Car2Go Car-Sharing Fleet To Get Bike Racks
Would you be more likely to use car-sharing if you could bring your bike along? For Portlanders, that will soon be a real possibility, as 250 vehicles in its Car2Go fleet will get bike racks. Portland was one of the first U.S. cities with significant car-sharing fleets; and it was one of the first...
Bengt Halvorson -
Electric Cars: Which States Are Doing It Right, Which States Lag?
If you live in parts of California, electric cars--from the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid all the way up to the Tesla Model S--are no longer uncommon. The streets of Palo Alto, in the center of Silicon Valley, are practically crawling with Teslas these days. But in other parts of the country, you may...
John Voelcker -
Best-Selling Nissan In Portland: Leaf Electric Car--Due To Electric Highway?
We've already asked whether the Tesla Model S sells more units than the equivalent BMW, Audi or Mercedes--and now Nissan is outselling regular vehicles with its Leaf. Not Corollas or Ford Focus countrywide, of course--but apparently every other Nissan vehicle in March, in Portland, Oregon. With...
Antony Ingram -
Portlandia Steps Up For Electric-Car Sharing: We're Not Surprised
You've probably heard about what a model green city Portland, Oregon is, or how Portlanders shy away from car ownership—and, perhaps, how they can be a little uncomfortably earnest and politically correct. Is that how it really is? In short, yes. Now Portland, Oregon residents have another...
Bengt Halvorson -
You want to drive an all-electric car, but you've got range anxiety: the fear that you'll run out of charge in the middle of no where, miles away from the nearest charging station. Now there's a solution that lets you drive an all-electric car and know you'll not get stranded without hope. Enter the AAA. Last year, in select parts of California and Oregon and four other states, it started testing roadside assistance for rapid charging of electric cars whose owners were stranded because their car ran out of charge. If you’re lucky, the chances are you’ll never see the...
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Tesla Opens Portland Store, Passes A Million Visitors So Far In 2012
By the sales numbers—even if you consider the 20,000 Model S sedans (which Green Car Reports drove this week, with a first drive review and video post) the company hopes to sell annually—Tesla Motors [NSDQ: TSLA] is a small niche automaker. But based on what the upstart electric...
Bengt Halvorson -
Fast-Charging Adds Appeal To Electric Cars—Especially In Portland
If you plan to get a Nissan Leaf or Mitsubishi i (or already have one), and you live in Portland, Oregon, consider yourself fortunate. Because all of these places have at least one DC fast charger reported as currently in operation.
Bengt Halvorson -
Ten Percent Electric Vehicles By 2020? No Sweat, Utility CEO Says
How many people, how soon, could be driving electric vehicles before it makes a significant difference to the grid and the utility needs to increase capacity?
Bengt Halvorson -
Portland's Electric Avenue Charger Project Aims To Take It Higher
In what we see as a shrewd move that will help keep Portland, Oregon at the forefront of the EV movement, the city has dedicated a full city block, called Electric Avenue, to EV charging.
Bengt Halvorson -
Portland Welcomes Electric Avenue, Showcases Charging Stations
Which electric car charging station is the best? And just how are public charging stations getting used? These are just two of the questions Portland State University and Portland General Electric Co. are hoping to answer with a two-year research project into electric car charging stations and...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield