Cleantech Open and Plug-In 2010

Well we just completed a whirlwind tour down to San Jose, and it's high time I wrote about it. As a semi-finalist in the Cleantech Open (CTO) competition, we were invited to present our wares at the CTO conference on July 22, followed by the CTO Academy on July 23-25. As long as we were in the neighborhood, we decided to join fellow Drive Oregon companies Shorepower Technologies and Barefoot Motors at the Plug-In 2010 conference on July 26-28. We showed the Pulse prototype 3 at both events, and were very happy with the reception from industry veterans and public alike.

Erin Milnes of sunpluggers.com reported on the CTO and Sebastian Blanco of AutoblogGreen featured Arcimoto and Drive Oregon in a report on Plug-In 2010. Additionally, I had the opportunity to talk to Ryan Levesque and Bo Bennett of EVcast at Plug-In 2010 (Arcimoto featured inside the first 20 minutes of the podcast).

The trip started off quite eventful as we realized that although the regular batteries were fully charged, the GFI switch had been tripped and the accessory battery was fully drained. No accessory battery, no turn on car. I am looking forward to the electrical improvements in proto4 which should negate unnecessary battery drainage. Another little tidbit about the accessory battery in proto3 is that charging the vehicle's battery system only provides a small charge to the accessory battery, and the accessories require a substantial charge to turn on. All this to say, it was going to take several hours to charge to the point where we could drive it, and we were already running later than desired.

We finally hooked up an auxiliary accessory battery and walked it alongside the car as we drove it into our shiny new (used) 20' trailer. We made it out of Eugene around 6:30 pm, with the intention of stopping in Ashland to pick up Barefoot Motors' electric ATV before heading down to San Jose. It was going to be a long night.

By the way, if you want to get a funny look from the California "you got any fruit?" Border Patrol, answer "the future" when they ask what you've got in your trailer.

After driving all night we arrived in San Jose about an hour before the conference was to start, plenty of time to unload the Pulse and set up the vehicle outside and our table inside before spending the day working and learning.

In addition to exhibiting at the conference, we were treated to a bevy of speakers on a wide variety of topics. Under-Secretary of Energy Dr. Kristina Johnson kicked things off with a keynote emphasizing the importance of innovation within the cleantech industry, followed by a series of panels discussing the future of transportation, building a more cohesive grid, solar and other renewable energy source policy, the state of water, green building in urban areas, and roadblocks to ramping energy efficiency.

The Cleantech Academy followed; three days of intensive training on all aspects of running a start-up clean energy company. Speakers featured experts in a wide range of fields, including sustainability, marketing and market strategy, business plan and business model writing, intellectual property protection, financial modeling and capital structure. In particular, several speakers focused on securing funding from various sources and presenting to investors, including a "mock pitch" from two of last year's Cleantech Open finalists, complete with judging critique and discussion.

Sounds like a full week, doesn't it? But we were just getting started. The very next day was the start of Plug-In 2010, a nationwide conference throwing the spotlight on plug-in hybrid and electrical transportation. We were there as part of Drive Oregon's booth, and shared the space with Shorepower Technologies, who had their charging station on display, and Barefoot Motors' electric ATV.

The show was primarily an industry event, with about 40 exhibitors. The Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt were both on display, as well as several component manufacturers, charging infrastructure companies, and government agencies. The Pulse showed well at the event, drawing stares, photos, and long lists of questions from industry veterans, but the real rush came on "public night." They opened the doors to an estimated 1,500 public consumers from 5:30 - 7:30 Tuesday evening, and the excitement surrounding the Pulse was palpable.

The typical questions about top speed, range, charging time, handling, and cup holders abounded, but by far the most oft-asked question was, "When can I buy one?" If you're reading this you probably already know the answer, but you can place a pre-order deposit now (applicable to either of our first two vehicle models, more on that soon) with deliveries of our initial production run expected to start in 2011.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello at either event, and congratulations to our fellow CTO semi-finalists. We look forward to the next CTO event and our next trip down to The Golden State, with our latest prototype!