Phoenix Chong and Her 2011 Nissan Leaf
The Owner/Driver Name: Phoenix Chong Occupation: Retired attorney Location: Oakland/San Francisco, CA The Vehicle Year/make/model: 2011 Nissan Leaf Type: Fully electric Range: 84 miles MPGe: 99 MSRP*: $32,780 Time owned: 7+ years *When new, at time of model release. The Experience What made you decide to go electric and how did you…
New Initiative to Prepare People for Climate Change
The International Transformational Resilience Coalition (ITRC), supported by The Resource Innovation Group (TRIG), is calling for a major West Coast initiative to prepare people for the adverse psychological and psycho-social-spiritual impacts of climate change. The Coalition released a report calling for transformational resilience education and skills training to become universal by…
Environmental update: A busy year for the city
2018 was a busy year for the Public Works Department’s Environmental Resources Division staff. Some of the division’s outreach activities this year included: * Four green gardening classes held in April that covered a range of sustainable gardening topics. Presentations from the classes are available…
John Garamendi: Climate change won’t wait
Climate change is not a future problem — it’s a now problem. In California, we’re already feeling the effects. Drought threatens the viability of our agricultural industry, which Is not just a huge contributor to our economy but feeds the nation and the world. Hot…
Jered Sneesby and his 2014 BMW i3 REx
The Owner/Driver Name: Jered Sneesby Occupation: Civil engineer Location: Sacramento, CA The Vehicle Year/make/model: 2014 BMW i3 REx (with range extender) Type: The BMW i3 is available as a fully battery-electric vehicle, but adding the range-extending gasoline engine (as my car has) makes it a plug-in hybrid. The REx…
Solar water heating systems: Cost-effective and carbon reducing
Solar water heating (SWH) systems heat water using energy from the sun in rooftop collectors that generally loop into a solar water storage tank. This additional storage tank adds hot water storage capacity and reduces household energy usage. Monthly savings compared to a typical natural…
Edgar and Julie Wong-Chen: 2018 Nissan Leaf
The Owner/Driver Name: Edgar and Julie Wong-Chen Occupation: Researcher Location: Davis, CA The Vehicle Year/make/model: 2018 Nissan Leaf Type: All-electric Range: 151 miles MPGe: 112 MSRP*: $29,900 Time owned: 0.5 years *When new, at time of model release The Experience What made you decide to go electric and how did you decide…
Butternut Bisque with Pears and Onions
By Julie Cross Serve this with garlic bread or cheese toast and a green salad. Ingredients: 3 cups pureed squash or pumpkin 6 cloves of garlic, peeled 3 cups vegetable broth 1 cup heavy cream (or substitute) ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon…
New tool available for residents to manage water use
As part of the city of Davis’ Water Meter Upgrade Project, the city has launched the AquaHawk customer water use portal. Water customers can sign up for AquaHawk to view hourly water usage information and to set water usage alerts. If you had previously been…
Mollie D’Agostino and her 2018 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid
The Owner/Driver Name: Mollie D’Agostino Occupation: Policy Director, 3 Revolutions Future Mobility Program Location: Davis, CA The Vehicle Year/make/model: 2018 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid Type: Plug-in hybrid Range: 26 miles (battery only); 560 (battery + gas) MPGe: 105 MSRP*: $27,900 Time owned: <1 year *When new, at time of model release. The Experience…
Kindness: An unsung climate change tool
When you think of climate change and community resilience, visions of seawalls, renewable energy projects and other physical things may come to mind. But there’s another powerful tool that anyone of any age at any time can act upon to help their community weather the…
Ying Wu and family and their 2017 Chrysler Pacifica
The Owner/Driver Name: Ying Wu Occupation: Health-related Location: Davis, CA The Vehicle Year/make/model: 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Type: Plug-in hybrid Range: 33 miles (battery only); 570 (battery + gas) MPGe: 84 MSRP*: $41,995–$44,995 Time owned: 1 year *When new, at time of model release. The Experience…
Suresh Ram and his 2017 Chevrolet Bolt
For more about electric vehicles and incentives, visit our Drive Electric webpage. The Owner/Driver Name: Suresh Ram Occupation: Program Manager Location: Davis, CA The Vehicle Year/make/model: 2017 Chevrolet Bolt Type: All-electric Range: 238 miles MPGe: 119 MSRP*: $36,620–$40,905 Time owned: <1 year *When new, at time…
Diana Lucas and her 2014 Ford CMax Energi
The Owner/Driver Name: Diana K.I. Lucas Occupation: Retired Location: Davis, CA The Vehicle Year/make/model: 2014 Ford CMax Energi Type: Plug-in hybrid Range: 20 miles (battery only); 550 (battery + gas) MPGe: 88 MSRP*: $31,635 Time owned: 3.5 years *When new, at time of model release….
Alf Brandt in his 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV
For more about electric vehicles and incentives, visit our Drive Electric webpage. The Owner/Driver Name: Alf W. Brandt Occupation: Attorney in the California State Legislature Location: Davis, CA The Vehicle Year/make/model: 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV Type: All-electric Range: 62 MPGe: 112 MSRP*: $29,125–$31,125 Time owned: 5+ years…
Scott Shepard and his 2014 Smart Fortwo Passion
The Owner/Driver Name: Scott Shepard Occupation: Retired Location: Davis, CA The Vehicle Year/make/model: 2014 Smart Fortwo Passion Type: All-electric Range: 68 miles MPGe: 107 MSRP*: $28,000 Time owned: 3 months *When new, at time of model release. The Experience What made you decide to go electric and how did you decide what…
Regional report: Climate change threats, solutions for Sacramento Valley
Over the next few decades, climate change is expected to make the Sacramento region hotter, drier and increasingly prone to extremes like megadroughts, flooding and large wildfires. This is expected to strain the region’s infrastructure for water and energy transmission, agricultural systems, plants and wildlife,…
New “EV&Me” blog highlights experiences of electric-vehicle owners and drivers
For more about electric vehicles and incentives, visit our Drive Electric webpage. Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly ubiquitous. You can hear about them in the news, see them on the street, and (for many UC Davis researchers!) study them at work. But what is it…
EV&Me: Cathy and her 2016 Nissan Leaf
For more about electric vehicles and incentives, visit our Drive Electric webpage. The Owner/Driver Name: Cathy Forkas Occupation: Furniture maker Location: Davis, CA The Vehicle Year/make/model: 2016 Nissan Leaf Type: All-electric Range: 107 miles MPGe: 112 MSRP*: $29,010–$36,790 (depending on model) Time owned: 1.5 years *When new, at time of model release. The Experience What made…
5,000 Miles of Bolt Ownership
While I count myself a happy Bolt owner, I’ve also learned that being an early EV adopter comes with a lot of challenges, mostly in terms of the availability and functionality of charging infrastructure. Driving an EV—especially as your only vehicle—definitely requires you to be…
