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THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY:
A National Infrastructure Planning and Design Competition

ELECTRIC UTILITY SPONSORED WORKSHOPS SCHEDULED FOR
SATURDAY, FEB. 20, 1993:


BOSTON, Massachusetts
Hosted by Boston Edison Company

Location:       Boston Architectural Center
                Cascieri Hall, 2nd floor
                320 Newbury Street
                Boston, MA

Time:           10:00 a.m.

Contact:        RSVP to:
                Doris McCann
                (617) 424-3790



DETROIT, Michigan
Hosted by the Detroit Edison Company

Location:       Detroit Edison
                Customer Communication Center
                Room 10 (Community Room)
                26801 Northwestern Highway
                Southfield, MI 48034

Time:           8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Contact:        Rachel Demos
                Detroit Edison
                2000 2nd Avenue, 303 WCB
                Detroit, MI 48226
                (313) 237-8910



LOS ANGELES, California
Co-hosted by the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power and
the Southern California Edison Company


Location:       CALSTART
                3601 Empire Avenue
                Burbank, CA 91505

Time:           1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Contact:        Debbie Brodt, (818) 302-6486



SAN FRANCISCO, California
Hosted by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Location:       San Francisco, CA

Time:           10:00 a.m.

Contact:        RSVP to:
                Evelyn Lee
                (415) 973-4539



SACREMENTO, California
Hosted by Arizona Public Service Company and the Salt River Project
Location:       SMUD Headquarters
                6201 South Street
                Sacremento, CA 95817

Time:           12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Contact:        Shirley Okada
                (916) 732-5486



PHOENIX, Arizona
Co-hosted by Arizona Public Service Company and the Salt River Project

Location:       Auditorium/Cafeteria
                Arizona Public Service Company

Time:           9:00 a.m.

Contact:        Tanya
                (602) 250-3066/3316


Background info follows....

The Electric Vehicle and the American Community:
A National Infrastructure Planning and Design Competition

COMPETITION MANAGER:
Cecil & Rizvi Inc.
376 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
617 267-9035 Telephone
617 267-9098 Telefax

SPONSORS:
Edison Electric Institute
General Motors Electric Vehicles
Hughes Power Control Systems
Electronic Data Systems
U.S. Department of Energy

CO-SPONSORS:
The Detroit Edison Company
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Southern California Edison Company
with
Arizona Public Service Company
Boston Edison Company
Los Angels Department of Water and Power
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Salt River Project


Previously posted to this news group was an general press release announcing
the competition.

The following summary of the competition program should address many of the
questions you may have concerning the program, intent, and requirements of
the competition.

A complete package of instructions, information, and the specific challenge
to the competitors will be provided in the competition program which will be

mailed to all registrants beginning January 15, l993.  The registration
process is described in this summary.

Registrants will have an opportunity to submit detailed questions a the
competition process.  Responses to submitted questions will be mailed to
all registrants in early March, l993.

In addition, information workshops are being planned in several in several
cities during February and March; registrants will be notified of the workshop
locations and dates.

Should you have further questions,  please contact us and we will try to
assist you.  We look forward to your participation in seeking answers to the
challenging questions which face the emerging infrastructure for electric
vehicles.

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The Electric Vehicle and the American Community:
A National Planning and Design Competition

* Overview

Electric vehicles and related "hybrid" vehicles will soon be introduced to
American communities in large numbers. This event will substantially shift
the nature of the infrastructure which supports the automobile.  Ingredients
in this change include the need to recharge these vehicles, their positive
effects on air pollution, shifts in energy use, and shifts in travel patterns.
As a result, America's communities will change. The opportunity to anticipate
this change and promote creative solutions is unprecedented.

The challenges presented by the planning and design of the new infrastructure
cut across traditional boundaries between public agencies, private companies,
and professional disciplines.  To realize the full potential of the electric
vehicle, cooperation and inventiveness are required.  A chance exists to
creatively expand an American technology, create jobs in emerging businesses,
and help make our communities better places to live.  But many of the issues
raised by this new technology for our communities are unprecedented, and
unexplored.

This competition is an important step in the introduction of electric
vehicles.  Recognizing that numerous problems of a new infrastructure must be
solved rapidly, and that many communities must bridge important gaps of
information and cooperation, the competition seeks to engage the creative
participation of interdisciplinary teams of professionals and students.
This is an "ideas" competition about significant practical issues and
opportunities which must be resolved soon.



* "Infrastructure" Defined

The notion of infrastructure as applied by the competition encompasses the
entire spectrum of supporting facilities and policies which will become the
operating framework for future users of electric vehicles.  This may range
from recharging stations to public policies that set air quality, land use,
and transportation goals.  By way of illustration,  the infrastructure which
supports the internal combustion engine is now pervasive in the landscape of
our communities and the structure of our public policies.  Elements of this
infrastructure range from strategically located glass and steel filling
stations which compete for our attention along our roads, to huge highway
interchanges.  Taxation programs allocate resources to support this
infrastructure, and transportation policies seek to regulate the flow and mode
of travel to help keep congested communities moving.  We often take for
granted the system which has evolved to support the existing technology. Much
of this infrastructure will prove essential to electric vehicles, as well.
But key elements will change.  The short range of electric vehicles, their
special recharging needs, and the shifts in air quality which could be
achieved are new factors which will alter the form and quality of our
transportation infrastructure, and American communities with it.



* Context

Two recent developments have created the context for this new technology.
The first was the adoption of strict new air quality standards by several
states which require the introduction of zero emission and low emission
vehicles as a percentage of new vehicle sales.  First adopted by the
California Air Resource Board, similar regulations now exist in New York
and Massachusetts, and may be adopted by many other states.  Suddenly, a
new market opportunity for hundreds of thousands of vehicles has been created
which must be fulfilled in the next few years, based on regulatory
requirements alone.  The second major development has been the evolution of
practical technologies which will allow electric vehicles to meet this market
need.  All three major U.S. automobile manufacturers have active product
development programs underway and a commitment to meet the new air quality
standards with American products.  Other technical advances are being pursued
under the auspices of the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium, a collaborative
effort involving the "Big Three" auto makers and the U.S. Department of
Energy to create key improvements in performance of electric vehicles to
help make them increasingly competitive.



* Technologies

Electric vehicles encompass two related technologies.  Vehicles are now being
designed and produced which have no emissions, and are entirely electric;
they must be connected periodically to a recharging system in order to
operate.

Hybrid electric vehicles include a small internal combustion or other motor
which can operate to recharge the electric motor which provides the vehicle
propulsion.  This technology can serve to extend vehicle range, or improve
overall emissions to achieve "low emission" standards.  Both technologies
will depend on the same infrastructure to accomplish most recharging needs,
however.

These technologies hold the promise of major reductions in air pollution in
American communities.  By using predominantly off-peak charging,  and given
the greater efficiency and lower air pollution of electrical generating
plants, the projected benefits are significant.



* Competition Goals

The fundamental goal of the competition is to create a unique forum for the
investigation of the electric vehicle and its potential for the Americas
communities.  Additional goals include:

National and Local Solutions:  The electric vehicle has national implications
but the infrastructure which supports it must be devised and implemented to
meet specific local conditions.

Interdisciplinary Problem Solving:  The challenges of the electric vehicle
and its infrastructure needs must be solved simultaneously by American
communities, manufacturers, energy suppliers, designers, technicians, and
public agencies.

By requiring team responses, the competition seeks to encourage a broad
spectrum of talents and ideas.  Problem Definition: The implementation of the
infrastructure for electric vehicles entails significant changes, the
implications of which have not yet been fully explored. The competition will
help define specific and unanticipated problems in cities throughout the U.S.
and pair them with possible solutions.

Practical Ideas:  The competition sponsors wish to uncover practical ideas to
match the emerging electric vehicle technology with real needs and as yet
unimagined potentials.



* The Challenge

The challenge to the competitors is detailed in the program package which
will be distributed to registrants. In order to provide a fair and equal
opportunity to all entrants, the specific challenge cannot be released until
January 15, l993.  In general terms, the challenge asks the question, "how
canyour community best accommodate electrical vehicles, and what will be the
changes which will occur as a result?"  Communities which are the subject of
entries must be within the United States.



* Award Categories

The jury will be instructed to direct awards to entries which deserve merit
in several categories.  These categories are organized to assure that
communities of similar scale and complexity are compared equitably.



* Jury  Review  Criteria

The jury will be instructed to distinguish among the entries and determine
award and merit based on  criteria which will include the following:

        Creativity
        Applicability to the Subject Community
        Practicality
        Presentation Clarity



* Eligibility

Any individual or team may enter the competition.  In order to qualify as
an entry eligible available for awards,  entering teams must be
interdisciplinary,  with a professional or professional degree student in
each of the following disciplines: design, planning, and engineering.
Reasonable definitions within these categories will be accepted; the
following categories are offered as a guide:

Design - including architecture, landscape architecture, industrial and
product design, urban design or the fine arts.

Planning - including urban planning, economic planning or real estate
development, public policy and governmental affairs, demography and urban
geography, environmental planning, transportation planning and urban design.

Engineering - electrical, civil, mechanical, transportation and related physical
sciences.



* Submittal Requirements

Entries will include display panels and a small amount of written material.
The graphic quality of the materials submitted will be a factor considered
by the jury.)


* Awards

The jury will allocate $100,000 in prizes to winning entries.  Award winning
entries and other selected submittals will be published in a competition
catalogue. Winners will be invited to participate in a workshops with the
competition sponsors and national experts to review the results and suggest
practical directions for further investigation.


* Registration and Competition Schedule

Registration is now open for the competition.  Program packages will be mailed
to registrants beginning January 15, 1993.  Written questions will be accepted
through February 28, 1993.  Entries are due on April 13, 1993.  The award
ceremony will be held in Washington, DC on May 11, 1993.  In order to
register, send a non-refundable check or money order payable to the:

BSA/Electric Vehicle Competition,
432 North Saginaw Street, Suite 801,
Flint, Michigan 48502.

The entry fee is $100. $50 for students.

Please include a name, address and a daytime telephone number.
Students should include documentation of current enrollment.

A kit with competition rules and program information will be sent to all
registrants.


Poster's Note:

For further info please refer to recent issues of MIT's Technology Review and
to the IEEE's November 1992 Spectrum.

Turner Information Providing Services 
(TIPS)

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