From the Executive Director
Edwin L. Drake, founder of the modern petroleum industry, was challenged in 1859 by drillers who he was attempting to recruit to his project to drill for oil. "Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You're crazy," said the silly drillers. If you wait long enough, it's all a big circle. Those same drillers today may be lauded as peak oil visionaries but nonetheless, people like Mr. Drake who see promise in the unfamiliar are creating new transportation pathways that lead away from oil and toward the new energy that will replace it.
It's an exciting time as we face perhaps the largest social and economic transformation of our lifetime. We humans are remarkably adaptable and will figure out what to do when a Hurricane Katrina or other natural disaster strikes. What did we do when crazy man shoe bomber Richard Reid put plastic explosives in his shoes in an attempt to blow up a commercial flight? Simple. We compliantly remove our shoes so TSA can scan them. Those examples could tidily be summed up as resulting from global warming or enemy combatants who wish Americans harm. Great and complex dangers like those are very difficult to get your arms around. But, as human beings we are very adept at tackling complexities with concrete and specific actions. And that's what the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute (AFVi) is providing through a number of upcoming Learning Marketplace opportunities. Here are some of them we think you'll want to know more about.
Biofuels Drive Economic Solutions Forum
September 20, 2007 Las Vegas, NV
The Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute (AFVi) announces the Biofuels Drive Economic Solutions Forum to be held Thursday, September 20, from 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. The Forum focus is on biodiesel and E85 and is designed as part of AFVi's Learning Marketplace to introduce fleets and decision-makers to a wide range of information on the fuels, the vehicles and available incentives. This Forum, sponsored by the Las Vegas Regional Clean Cities Coalition, is designed to bring alternative fuel industry and government experts together to provide the latest informational tools to allow fleets to successfully operate using biofuels. Supporting sponsors include the Ethanol Promotion Information Council and the National Biodiesel Board. Read more details about the Forum in the "Fleet to Fleet" story in this issue of AFV Connection newsletter.
Fleet Solutions Webinars
Fleets communicate their specific needs throughout the year and AFVi webinars have become a convenient way to convene experts to make presentations and answer questions. The biggest information need we are hearing is that fleets want regular, updated information on the vehicles that are available for purchase. This series of webinars focuses on the light-duty vehicle market and options in three segments and features OEM presentations. The 90-minute webinars begin at 10:30 a.m. pacific time and you participate from the convenience of your own office. To sign up for the free webinars go to http://afvi.org/webinars.html
- Light-duty Vehicle Options
September 27, 2007
- Light-duty Electric Vehicle Options
October 9, 2007
- Small Volume OEM Options
October 11, 2007
Greening Your Fleet:
How to Choose Alternative Fuels and Vehicles Right for Your Fleet
November 6-7, 2007 Chicago, Illinois
This two-day, in-depth, training course is designed to give fleet managers the tools they need to build or expand their alternatively fueled vehicles with confidence. The lead presenter is Leo Thomason who has more than twenty years experience in the application of alternative fuels for large and small, public and private fleets throughout the world. Leo is the lead trainer for all AFVi training programs.
The elements of the training include the following:
- Understanding Your Fleet: Conducting the Vehicle Inventory and Vehicle Applications and Operational Characteristics
- Planning Ahead - Projecting Future Vehicle Needs and Purchases
- Evaluating Fleet Fueling Patterns and Needs
- Case Study Documentation
- Examining Alternative Fuel Choices and the Vehicles that Use Them
- Federal Incentives Available Today
- Putting It All Together: Choosing AFVs that are Right for Your Fleet
- Creating the Implementation Plan
- Evaluating Results
For registration and hotel information, click here.
Alternative Fuels & Vehicles Conference
May 11-14, 2008 Las Vegas
The 2008 website is live and you are invited to check out sponsor and exhibitor opportunities as well as check out some of the preliminary plans for 2008. The conference is expected to attract 2000 people from around the world to this premier alternative fuel vehicle and advanced technology conference. To view the conference website, click here.
It was the acclaimed futurist Alvin Toffler who said, "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." The changes precipitated by the rapid fire quest to develop a portfolio of clean transportation options for the future means that the prize awaits those who lead the way in "relearning." We invite you to join us.
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