I park in a city parking garage a few blocks from where I work every day. It is the only public charging station in our metro area of about 500,000 people. I recieved a note on my windshield from a city representative to call him. He was an engineer from the city of Rock Island, Illinios. I was invited to meet with the city Green Team and discuss my Volt and how it works for me and my round trip of 80 miles everyday.
When I arrived I got to park in the electric vehicle spot and was flanked by 2 Leaf's(Leaves?). About 12 people were there at city hall including the mayor, other city officials, the rep from Siemens(charge station maker) and two reps from the local Nissan dealer (where the Leaf's were from).
I was introduced as an owner/user, and after explaining how I found the charge station(through this forum) and how it was working for me then it was opened up to questions.
I got some usual questions that gave me the idea that there is a lot of confusion about the Volt and other EV's and how they work. "How long will the Battery last?" "Are we just trying to save the planet, and not really expecting to save money?" "How do I charge at home?" "Is it too light weight to be safe on snow?" "Is it noisy when the ICE is running?"
I hope in my 15 minutes was able to help bring greater appreciation for this new technology and the investment that GM is making in the future.
I got the impression that these officials take heat when things don't go right and they took a leap of faith with this 1st charging station. The city is thinking of putting in more stations in other public areas. I thanked them for their efforts as it makes it possable for me to charge both ways and not just going to work.
I also let them know that Volt owners are a tight group and we talk togather on our forum. And i would let our owners group know that Rock Island would be recognized for its forward thinking.

Black/black #2571