A Look at Our September Autonomous and Electric Vehicles Events
To kick off National Drive Electric Week, Green Living Magazine partnered with the Tucson Electric Vehicle Association to host three informative and engaging panels surrounded by the beautiful Tucson scenery at the Jose D. Valdez Library on Sept. 19.Â
Tucson Autonomous Vehicle Event
Panel one was moderated by the esteemed Robert Bulechek, energy management consultant, and consisted of Jim DeGrood, deputy director; Ray Martinez, program manager for Residential Energy Efficiency Programs and Services; Ursula Nelson, environmental quality director; and Paul Durham, Tucson City Councilmember, who discussed the details of electrification.Â
Panel two featured representatives from TuSimple, who explored the various ways autonomous trucking will help shape the future and change the way we do business.Â
To wrap everything together, the Chief Operating Officer of Fed by Threads, Skya Nelson, moderated a panel on the process of moving from fuel to electric vehicles. Pedego Bikes, Fed by Threads, and the Solar Store all had representatives on hand to add their own perspectives from various fields.Â
For more hands-on experience, there were many electric vehicles from cars to trucks that guests could view and interact with, as well as exhibitor booths.
Our Sponsors:
Phoenix Autonomous Vehicle Event
In Metro Phoenix, our second National Drive Electric Week Event was held at the ASU Skysong Center on Sept. 27, with sponsorship from ASU LightWorks, APS and SRP.Â
After breakfast and a mingling session, the first panel kicked off with ASU Sustainable Engineering Professor Ram Pendlaya as moderator. Hanna Breetz, assistant ASU professor; Elisabeth Graffy, professor of practice; Juan Padres from TuSimple; and Mike Tamor, adjunct professor, all discussed what the main interest in switching to autonomous vehicles is, as well as how it is changing our community.Â
The second panel, moderated by Phoenix’s Chief Sustainability Officer Mark Hartman, had representatives from Local Motors, SRP, Nikola Motors, APS and the International Research Center give their perspectives on where the future of electric transportation is headed.Â
Guests were then able to choose between two breakout sessions to round out the event. Panel A focused on the future of mobility and Panel B allowed fleet and dealership representatives to explain the minimum maintenance required with EVs from the business side.Â
Our Sponsors:
Courtesy Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram
Never miss a Green Living Eco Event! Visit our website.
Maybe a different photo? Not sure how a military off-road vehicle with a chain gun is part of green living. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for OHV vehicles shifting from 2 cycle to electric. But destroying the last wilderness areas and ecosystems while killing people is not my idea of green living. Best wishes, Toby