CALSTART Coordinates CPVICI
 
What in the world is a CPVICI? Well, although it’s pronounced C-P-vee-chee, it’s not Italian for anything.  It is a good story having to do with plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs).
 
About a year ago, California became the leading state in terms of sales of PEVs. All but a few PEV manufacturers are actively selling or leasing their PEVs in California, including General Motors, Daimler, Nissan, Tesla, Fisker Automotive and Coda,
Not surprisingly, meeting the charging needs for these vehicles has rapidly become a priority in many California communities. With federal stimulus funding, a major San Diego program is underway and a San Francisco Bay Area coalition is moving ahead with plans funded by the California Energy Commission (CEC).
 
California Plug-in Vehicle Infrastructure Coordinating Initiative (yes, that’s CPVICI) came about to fill a need – to serve as an effective information clearinghouse for local government, utilities and equipment services providers as they work through PEV infrastructure and charging equipment issues.
 
At the first working group meeting via telecom last October, each attendee shared efforts underway in their area, along with the challenges they were facing.
 
Over the next nine months, five additional meetings have taken place.

“What is great about CPVICI is that we had real-time practitioners exchanging challenges and solutions,” exclaims Whitney Pitkanen, Program Manager for CALSTART. Whether the challenge was a signage issue, ADA accessibility, problems with site selection or anything else, the collaborative effort resulted in the sharing of best practices and real-world solutions.

George Bernard Shaw says, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”  With CALSTART’s efforts and CPVICI, Mr. Shaw may have been proven wrong in at least this one case.
 

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