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Thank you for visiting the site. As you probably know already, this site is dedicated to providing information about the bipartisan proposed American Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Act or "e-Drive" bill introduced as H.R. 4399 on December 16, 2009. We would like to encourage you to register here at the e-Drive.org website. Not only will you be able to post comments on any of the blogs, but also it will give us a way to reach you with additional information about the e-Drive bill.

The e-Drive bill would provide up to $2 billion for an Energy Department program in which vehicle manufacturers would compete for grants to build electric vehicles for immediate deployment by the U.S. Postal Service, operator of the nation’s largest civilian fleet. Besides the environmental benefits and vast fuel savings the program would achieve, the bill’s passage would also position the Postal Service fleet as a key energy storage asset for the nation’s power grid. Through Smart Grid technologies, new and converted electric postal vehicles would serve as power storage devices for the grid, helping ease peak loads and storing energy from intermittent or fluctuating sources, like wind power systems.

There are two Phases of the e-Drive program. Phase I lasts 3.5 years and involves a highly competitive solicitation for electric vehicles (EVs), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), and electric and PHEV powertrains for conversions. The best performing solution(s) are rewarded with a large Phase II contract. Each phase procures approximately 10,000 electric drive vehicles (or powertrains that are used in conversions of existing LLVs) and 12,000 charging stations.

Publicity about the e-Drive bill is growing. In the next two weeks, two events are scheduled in which speakers will have comments about the e-Drive bill:

• Ruth Goldway, Chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission will be speaking at the EDTA (Electric Drive Transportation Association) Conference and Annual Meeting for the Panel Session: Electric Does It (Part 1): Electric Drive at Work and Off-Road on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 from 1:30pm-3:00pm in Washington DC.
  
  
• Felix Kramer, Founder of the California Cars Initiative will be speaking at the RETECH 2010 conference, co-hosted by American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) for the Panel Session: B7: Advanced Vehicles and Batteries on Friday, February 5, 2010 from 1:30pm-3:00pm in Washington DC.

We expect a lot more coverage in the press and as word gets out within the industry. We look forward to your support. Please send us your questions by making a blog comment (registration required) and we'll try to address them through additions to the FAQs or via a future blog article.

Thanks again and welcome to e-Drive,

Erik Toomre and Joy Leong

Founders of the www.edrive.org website