Part of the Electric Drive Transportation Association's (EDTA) reason for being is to convince lawmakers to support electric-drive vehicles. That's what those May radio spots were about and that's what EDTA president Brian Wynne will be doing next week when he testifies before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on "the current state of vehicles powered by the grid and the prospects for wider deployment in the near future." If you're interested in how the EDTA views plug-in, hybrid, and hydrogen-powered vehicles in the currenty energy policy debate, you can listen on on the Committee's website starting at 10 a.m. EST on Tuesday, September 16th (we have our own plans for that particular moment) and check the EDTA's website for prepared testimony sometime before the hearing begins.

[Source: EDTA]

In April, the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) started targeting 580,000 movers and shakers in the Washington, D.C. area who listen to WTOP, 103.5 FM with a series of ads called "The Electric Drive." You can now listen to the EDTA's ads online to see how this major partnership is trying to explain electric drive to the masses. Brian Wynne, the EDTA president, wrote in an email that the radio campaign and the EDTA's Earth Day Congressional briefing were quite effective in getting the word out. Wynne described the hearing as "standing-room only" and that one of the specific goals of the EDTA Policy Committee is to build support for a plug-in vehicle tax credit this year. EDTA is also working with lawmakers to ensure that the Department of Energy will continue to fund electric drive research and development in FY09. Promoting EVs and hybrids and PHEVs has got to be something of an easy sell in a time of $120+ barrels of oil, but it still takes a good amount of effort to make people understand how electric cars will/might change our future. I mean, Toyota reps still have to reassure people that you don't need to plug in a Prius. Read Wynne's full email after the jump.

Starting this month, the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) will begin running a series of radio ads called "The Electric Drive" on the Washington, D.C. station WTOP, 103.5 FM. The station will also host a website that describes what the EDTA is and what electric drive vehicles are. On April 22 (that's Earth Day), the EDTA will also hold a Capitol Hill Briefing titled "The Electric Drive Answer: Transportation Technologies & Policies to End Oil Dependence" where EDTA members will talk about the "latest advances and the federal policies that can accelerate commercialization of electric drive."

Brian Wynne, the EDTA president, wrote that this campaign marks the EDTA's move to the mainstream, which is kind of a big term considering this is just one station we're talking about. Sure, a "a well-known radio personality" will drive hybrid vehicles provided by EDTA members (what, no Hydrogen 7s were available?), but I don't quite see how WTOP is going to bring the electric drive word to the masses - am I missing how important this station is? Read Wynne's full email after the jump.

Many of you were critical of USA Today for publishing an article recently about a study on the relative cleanliness of plug-in vehicles. Those of you who joined the criticism have something in common with the Electric Drive Transportation Association, which has sent a letter to USA Today's editor that calls the article misleading and
pointing out items that the reporter, James Healey, minimized in his article. EDTA president Brian Wynne also sent out an email (read it after the break) that describes his organization's displeasure with Healey's piece. His email is more directly critical of the article, saying it "used selected information, creating unlikely scenarios and misleading implications about grid-powered transportation." Wynne writes that the electric drive community was unified in its criticism to the USA Today piece, a unification that will probably be tested more and more as new people try to understand what it means to have a plug on a car.

As I was cleaning out my digital files and getting ready for the Detroit Auto Show that starts for us media folks this weekend, I noticed I have a few EVS23 items left to process and post. I'll try to the them all up before NAIAS overwhelms us, but the one I have for you now is an interview I did with EDTA head Brian Wynne just as the show was ending. Wynne was quite pleased with the giant electric drive conference and expo, something you can hear for yourself here (9 min, 6MB). We were interrupted briefly during out talk, and you'll notice where it is on the recording by the way it jumps at one point.

You can also get an idea of what Wynne thought about the symposium by what he said in an email following the end of the event:

The success associated with EVS-23 was also unprecedented. More than 1,500 electric drive experts from around the world came together to share the latest information regarding technology and market developments. An additional 700 visitors joined us for public day to view 125 exhibits on the show floor and hear from local mayors, as well as from a forum of leading authors on energy policy.

With more than 37 countries represented, EVS-23 was truly global in its scope. Media coverage was extensive, with more than 90 accredited media working the show. If you were not able to attend, but would like to get a sense of the high-voltage energy that was in the air, please check out our wrap-up video, which was shot at the event.

All in all, let's just say that everyone's looking forward to EVS24, which will be in Norway in 2009.

Note: The picture above shows a plastic cup that was part of the breakfast tablesettings. I thought it was a nice touch.