EV 101 at Rotary
Rotary Hamilton were treated to a presentation on Electric Vehicles at their weekly meeting last Monday. Local EV Champion, Justin Boyd, organised the event which was held at Sky City Hamilton. He kindly invited our very own Chairperson, Kathryn Trounson, to attend. And Kathryn brought along not only her Tesla Model S to put on display, but yours truly as well. Although the latter was not on display.
[Rachelle Tilsley - Better NZ Trust - 8 Jul 2018]
Unbeknownst to Kathryn and me, it was a special meeting. Not just because of the EVs on display, but also because it was the group’s first meeting conducted by their newly elected (female) President, whom I had the pleasure to sit beside at lunch. I’d never been to a Rotary meeting before so was surprised at the gorgeous meal we were invited to share.
Also speaking to the group and there to receive special funding from Rotary, was a NFP organisation aimed at helping teenage girls who have been staying home from school because they can’t afford period products. We heard that this is a bigger problem than one might expect. The Waikato-based charity is helping schools in all demographics in Hamilton and even Southern Auckland, with organic products.
This was followed by a humorous roasting of Members by the Sergeant. And there was lots of chortling and pay-ups from those imagined misdemeanours and fabricated tales.
Next Kathryn spoke to explain who the Better NZ Trust were and our mission. Her introduction was followed by the main event: a presentation called: EV 101 by Justin.
This was a crowd of business owners and local governance from the largely farming region. So at least two of them actually admitted to me after, that their eyes started to glaze over at the first mention of carbon-footprint. However, they soon perked up when they heard about the speed of EV and their torque. Justin was speaking their language. By the finish, they were hungry for more information. They had so many questions in fact, that the Chairperson was worried about going over time and Justin was spoilt for choice in picking them.
The questions were the usual sort and easily answered. Then those that didn’t have somewhere to get to in a hurry, were invited to come out and get into the Tesla, and Justin’s beautiful “solar-orange” i3.
At this type of presentation, it is best to give a basic overview of what is an EV, why you’d want one, cost of charging and range, etc. The Better NZ Trust is happy to help with short outlines for Powerpoint slides which you can personalise/update as you wish.
I’d encourage any local Champion to consider speaking to Rotary. It’s a captive audience that is often made up of the type of people who make fleet decisions. Indeed, I chatted to one City Councillor who was off to speak to the Council Transport Manager directly afterwards.
Hampton Downs
Taking a short detour on the way home, we decided to check out the new WEL Networks rapid charger at the Hampton Downs racetrack.
This ABB style charger is easy to find on the south side of a well-stocked café and coffee roasters. It’s not showing on Google Maps yet, so I’ve marked it with the red “X” on the accompanying satellite image.
Going off the Waikato Expressway, it is so convenient, literally metres from the Hampton Downs Road off-ramp and in through Gate 1 of the Racetrack. It is open to the public and available 24/7.
Drivers of the popular Renault Zoe will be pleased to hear that it also has a Mennekes socket for BYO cable. As an added bonus the charger is currently set to free mode.
END
[Rachelle Tilsley - Better NZ Trust - 8 Jul 2018]