% ? Did Automakers did not sponsor because it was an EV-only EVent ? No hybrids, pih, or fcvs were allowed to participate in EVent %
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1093335_august-largest-electric-vehicle-gathering-events-and-rally-canceled August 'Largest Electric Vehicle Gathering' Events And Rally Canceled By Stephen Edelstein Jul 18, 2014 [images http://images.thecarconnection.com/lrg/2013-tesla-model-s-at-tk-nov-2013-photo-george-parrott_100449153_l.jpg 2013 Tesla Model S in Mount Shasta, California, Nov 2013 photo: George Parrott http://images.thecarconnection.com/lrg/chevrolet-spark-ev-at-ccs-fast-charging-station-in-san-diego_100442424_l.jpg Chevrolet Spark EV at CCS fast charging station in San Diego ] Just three weeks before the anticipated kickoff, an electric-car rally billed as the largest ever has been cancelled. The third annual BC2BC all-electric vehicle rally was supposed to run up the West Coast from Mexico to Canada. Organizers had planned a number of events along the way, including a potentially record-setting gathering of electric cars in California. However, organizer Tony Williams announced in a Facebook post Thursday that both the rally and the gathering won't happen this year. Lack of sponsorship appeared to be the main reason for the cancellation, though Williams' post listed many disappointments and challenges. The event apparently attracted interest from potential major sponsors, but none were willing to commit before the cutoff date set by planners. Williams also expressed "disappointment" with the lack of support from carmakers, specifically calling out Nissan and Tesla for not even mentioning the event on social media. The rally and gathering were intended for battery-electric cars only. Extended-range cars like the Chevrolet Volt weren't going to be allowed to attend, and neither were hybrids, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, or anything that didn't get its energy solely from a plug. That probably wouldn't have been an issue in electric-car friendly California, but a successful event often requires more than eager participants. Organizers were also forced to move the electric-car gathering from its original location at Long Beach Arena to an alternate site in Irvine before deciding to cancel altogether. A main goal of the rally was to promote the California portion of the West Coast Electric Highway,--a network of public charging stations running from Washington and Oregon down through the Golden State--but Williams feels California officials are no longer interested in pursuing the project. As for the possibility of similar events in the future, Williams said they could happen provided a sponsor is willing to commit money up front. [© greencarreports.com] ... https://www.google.com/search?q=BC2BC-2014 search on BC2BC-2014 https://www.facebook.com/groups/639438762816813/permalink/660737410686948/ [Facebook account required to read] ... I'm sad to report that all events planned for August 9-17, 2014, the 3rd annual BC2BC-2014 All Electric Vehicle Rally and the World's Largest Electric Vehicle Gathering are cancelled. Coming off our fantastic event last year, we had planned a far bigger and better program this year. We suffered some set backs when we lost our original venue at the Long Beach Arena, but we regrouped to find a location in Irvine, California with the same dates. I have to say that sponsorship interest was high, but ultimately we were never able to sign a single major sponsor by our cutoff date. Not one. The costs are already significant just to get the event to this point, and without major sponsors like we had last year, that left only me to fund the events. One of the several outcomes for our events was promotion of the California West Coast Electric Highway. Sadly, the folks that I have been working with in the governor's office have largely moved on and I just don't see anything happening from California that would match what Oregon and Washington states have already done, and are expanding on. It seems we are beating a dead horse there. The singular biggest disappointment is the lack of support from actual electric vehicle manufacturers, particularly Nissan and Tesla. These two companies are leaders in the market, but in the third year of this event, we never got even the most basic support. Not a Tweet, not a Facebook post, not anything whatsoever, ever. In Tesla's case, last year we actually had one Tesla Model S owner who had to leave his car behind and rent a gasoline car to finish the event because a Tesla sales office wouldn't let him charge there. I truly think that this type of support is also a dead horse as far as this event is concerned. Going forward to potential future events, honestly, unless a sponsor were upfront with the money to make it happen, I wouldn't even start the planning. It really is a full time job with real costs. All of the many electric vehicle events that I have planned in the past have been entirely non-profit with no fee whatsoever to the participants. We have already discussed the possibility of one such event for next year with a potential sponsor. I'd like to thank Zan Dubin Scott for her help in marketing. Also, many thanks to Angus Clark for securing our new launch location, and a long list of others who were instrumental in planning our Stage Overnight city activities and surprises along the way. There are just too many people for me to name, as I'm sure I'd miss somebody. One standout person from last year was Tonia Buell from the State of Washington Department of Transportation who I can't thank enough to make last year's event truly legendary. I'd also like to thanks all our sponsors who already stepped up for this year and the many, many well wishes and encouragement that I have personally received along the way. It is truly humbling and all I can say is that whatever successes I've had promoting electric vehicles, it was only possible because I stand on the shoulders of giants in our electric vehicle industry. I thank you all, Tony [Facebook © 2014] For all EVLN posts use: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=evln&sort=date {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/Canceled-BC2BC-2014-EVent-no-EVmaker-support-sponsorship-lacking-tp4670403.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
