Developing EV infrastructure by working together as a community.

[SWFL EV Owners]

I started my journey as an EV owner in February and in that short amount of time I have converted 7 people to EVs. I started meeting all EV owners I could and spread the information everywhere. I created a facebook group SWFL EV Owners to get all EV owners in our area to work together to get charging infrastructure to expand faster. To get the word out about our group I messaged people on Plugshare, posted in other facebook groups and even put stickers on every charging station I visited. We have grown to over 225 members now! I think this model would benefit all areas and I would love to help other create their own EV community.

 

[Feed The Trees]

I disagree. I think anytime you 'communitize' something like this you tend to put off the people who are not wanting to be associated with such 'communities'. It turns EV into something of a fringe thing that people who want to be part of this club take to, like a religion or AV club or something. It's the whole 'thaaaaanks' issue South Park made fun of. And SP is really pretty spot on for most of those commentaries. The earliest Pious... er Prius... drivers were often insufferable holier than thou enviros that probably did more harm than good in smugginess.

Just leave it alone and it will be better in the end, imo.

 

[SWFL EV Owners]

I guess there are a few things wrong with your argument. The early Prius owners were definitely environmentalist, but they were basically ambassadors to get the word out there about the cars. It took off so much that in the first 14 years of the Prius existing they sold over 1.5 million of them. Now you can't drive for more than 15 minutes without seeing one.

Another part of your argument that is incorrect is that a community of EV owners would be like the early Prius owners. The Prius still ran on gas, there was no plug-in unless you got it added by a 3rd party. I'm not sure where you are from but in my area there are few dealers that even carry electric vehicles and of those few none of their salesmen know anything about the cars. So the few people in our area that bought an electric car have little knowledge on charging and adapters that will benefit their use of their car. The community helps share and educate those people so they can get the most out of their car.

Again as I said before I don't know here you live but in Florida we have areas with lots of public charging and areas that have none. Our group is inclusive and encourages people in our 1000 sq miles area to come together to petition for more charging stations in areas that are lacking. By working together we can show business and local government that we are here and that electric vehicles aren't just coming in the future they are already here. So far we have gotten many businesses to add charging stations and are working with a Native American tribe that owns a Gas station in the Everglades to add some DC fast chargers to accommodate shorter range EVs.

I'm sorry that your experiences have made you feel like community is a bad thing but I regularly have people thank me for helping them get an EV or understand their EV.

 

[Feed The Trees]

I'm sorry that your experiences have made you feel like community is a bad thing but I regularly have people thank me for helping them get an EV or understand their EV.

I bet if you wandered around certain areas (I won't say which but let's call them less traditional EV drivers) and tried to promote your EV club people would roll on the ground laughing and further entrench themselves that EVs are silly toys. Human nature to both want to group up but to also become entrenched in your views of the 'other' group is something to shun. I just don't see there being a net benefit to 'group' things like this, it creates insiders and outsiders. There's already too much of that these days.

 

[youtube.com/bmhsonic]

It's not about being in a club or being part of a group but rather enlightening the community about the benefits of driving electric. By encouraging expansion of the EV infrastructure only then will more people consider buying an electric vehicle. I know many people who are interested in going electric but are afraid to make the switch because of the lacking infrastructure. As support grows and networks expand more people will be inclined to drive electric. For those who have already made the switch to an EV or are interested in buying an EV by grouping together you can help pave the way to a broader infrastructure for all. Community support and efforts are a good thing and will only help with the adaptation of EVs for all. http://mainepublic.org/post/aided-v...e-adoption-poised-growth-new-england#stream/0

 

[Feed The Trees]

People don't like being preached to, er 'enlightened', that's my point. To say you are 'enlightening' them is very holier-than-thou. "Here let me enlighten you about ___"... jesus, politics, vegan, crossfit, vegan crossfit. For every person you 'enlighten' you risk driving others away. Im of the opinion to just leave people alone.

 

[Pushmi-Pullyu]

I think anytime you 'communitize' something like this you tend to put off the people who are not wanting to be associated with such 'communities'. It turns EV into something of a fringe thing...

What purpose does being so negative serve?

Those who want to join such an organization, can do so. For those who don't, nobody is putting a gun to their head.

Organizations such as Electric Auto Associations, with its various local chapters, have long served the EV community, starting back in the days when it was just a small number of dedicated do-it-yourself-ers making conversion cars. The Sierra Club organizes meet-and-greet events for those interested in EVs.

These and other organizations help promote interest in EVs. So why try to portray them as a negative thing?

 

[Feed The Trees]

What purpose does being so negative serve?

I don't consider it being negative, I think it's being realistic. Clubs like these... and it's not a car or EV thing just these kinds of clubs... tend to attract people already inclined to the clubs beliefs and more often than not I have found serve as really nothing more than an echo chamber for members.

The members mostly all think and feel the same and tell each other how impressive and important the clubs mission is. Every convert they "enlighten" is a conquest, when really the person was probably already on board anyways, or at least prone to believe. Its like timeshare sales. Law of numbers.. you'll eventually hit that person who just wants to buy.

So an "enlightening" serves to boost club morale but is largely meaningless as the person wanted to join just never knew of the group or hadn't gotten around to join.

For this purpose if they start converting some coal rolling big truck driving people to an EV who never thought if it then I may be impressed. But I've not found many that aren't just self serving to the members sense of purpose in the end.

 

[Pushmi-Pullyu]

The members mostly all think and feel the same and tell each other how impressive and important the clubs mission is. Every convert they "enlighten" is a conquest, when really the person was probably already on board anyways, or at least prone to believe.

You're pretty much describing every social organization, including school clubs and athletic organizations, the various churches I've belong to throughout my life, as well as my local science fiction club. It's also how belonging to a military unit is described by those who have served; people in the military have an even stronger sense of belonging to a "special" group. People who belong to the Freemasons or the Rotary Club or the Elks or whatever club you care to name, all feel they are "special" because they belong to that club.

It's human nature to gather in groups, as well as finding reasons to believe that belonging to the group a person chooses to join makes them "special" or somehow "better" than those outside the group. Humans are social animals. Some few do live as hermits, but those are not mentally healthy humans.

You appear to be describing perfectly normal human behavior as somehow strange or "bad". It's neither; it's just human.

 

[Feed The Trees]

You're pretty much describing every social organization, including school clubs and athletic organizations, the various churches I've belong to throughout my life, as well as my local science fiction club. It's also how belonging to a military unit is described by those who have served; people in the military have an even stronger sense of belonging to a "special" group. People who belong to the Freemasons or the Rotary Club or the Elks or whatever club you care to name, all feel they are "special" because they belong to that club.

It's human nature to gather in groups, as well as finding reasons to believe that belonging to the group a person chooses to join makes them "special" or somehow "better" than those outside the group. Humans are social animals. Some few do live as hermits, but those are not mentally healthy humans.

You appear to be describing perfectly normal human behavior as somehow strange or "bad". It's neither; it's just human.

I would not count sports in that mix because it's simply how the games are played, if you want to play baseball you go play for the team. Churches are a mixed bag, some go for the community others go because it's a belief system if which the building is a key part. But yes freemasons and rotary and such are not terribly different. There's other similar clubs too. But most people don't belong to freemason's or rotary.

And it is not be a member of a group like freemasons or be a hermit. I would say most people are content with the friends and family they are surrounded by. Perhaps expanding to neighbor or coworkers. Maybe these clubs are for those who can't find contentment there? Or maybe just want to reaffirm to each other about how important the mission of the group they are part of is?