Now that the Obama Administration has successfully infiltrated its climate change agenda into the farming community with its so called Climate Hubs, the next target for climate indoctrination appears to be NASCAR, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. We’re sure the folks at NASCAR are way to smart to fall for that trick…aren’t they?
On the other hand, just yesterday NASCAR’s Vice President of Green Innovation announced that the organization had signed on to President Obama’s EV Everywhere Workplace Charging Challenge, complete with a photo op at NASCAR Plaza in Charlotte, North Carolina.
So yes, NASCAR is in deep.
Courtesy of NASCAR.
EV Everywhere
The broad goal of EV Everywhere is to transition the US auto market out of petroleum dependency and into electric vehicles. All else being equal, the Department of Energy anticipates that total US greenhouse gas emissions would drop by 60 percent if electric vehicles replaced their petroleum-fueled counterparts.
Perhaps with the ultimate goal of eventually sucking NASCAR into its evil scheme, when the Obama Administration launched EV Everywhere in 2012 it promoted the initiative as a race to see which nation will be first to produce EVs that are just as affordable as any other car. With American exceptionalism on the line, who could resist a challenge like that?
Workplace Charging
When Workplace Charging launched, the goal was to develop best practices models for other employers to adopt, without having to reinvent the wheel each time. It leverages the Energy Department ‘s resources and technical experience with private sector partners and other stakeholders to make it easier (and cheaper) for employers to install and maintain charging stations.
NASCAR isn’t the only one getting played. The Workplace Charging part was added to EV Everywhere last year, with 13 private sector partners already roped in, including 3M, Chrysler Group, Duke Energy (yes, that Duke Energy) Eli Lilly and Company, Ford, GE, GM, Google, Nissan, San Diego Gas & Electric, Siemens, Tesla, and Verizon.
Fast-forward barely one year later and the head count now stands at 55, representing 150 work sites and more than one million employees.
Workplace charging dovetails with EV Everywhere by embracing the convenience factor. For EV owners with access to home charging, workplace charging is a convenient battery range extender. For apartment dwellers and other EV owners who don’t have a home charging station, workplace charging can be a dealmaker.
We’ve already noting that the number of retail gas stations in the US has been plummeting while EV charging stations are skyrocketing. Who wants to drive out of their way and wait in line at the gas station when you can just slot into your spot at work?
As for the employer benefit, NASA is reporting “insane” numbers for reducing greenhouse gas emissions at Kennedy Space Center relating to employee commutes, relative to the cost of providing free electricity. For employers looking to reduce their carbon footprint, that’s translates into a cheap, easy way to bank up green cred (noting, of course, that the savings applies to the work site and does not reflect fossil fuels in the local grid mix).
NASCAR Goes Green
Come to think of it, who’s leading who? From its earliest days, the US auto industry and related motor sports have had innovation built into their bones, so it stands to reason that NASCAR would get in on the action when it comes to cutting edge EV tech.
Before signing on to Workplace Charging, NASCAR already had about 15 employee charging stations at various sites, and it used yesterday’s announcement to show off five more.
That’s nothing compared to NASCAR’s broader green initiatives, including numerous partnerships with its supply chain and federal agencies (here and here for example), along with renewable energy around the NASCAR circuit most famously at Pocono Raceway.
As for you Formula 1 fans, not to worry. Formula 1 is already nipping at NASCAR’s heels, with the first ever Formula E (for electric vehicle) series sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile is set for this fall.
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