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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Kiss A Car: It’s Electric Vehicle Plug-In Day

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Monday, September 17, 2012   

SANTA FE, N.M. - While the ever-fluctuating price of gas keeps commuters on their toes, electricity offers a less expensive option that is growing in popularity. This is the second year of "EV Plug-In Day," co-sponsored by the Sierra Club, to help promote electric vehicle use in New Mexico. The event is designed to educate the general public about electric vehicles, and is a kind of "car club" for owners of electric cars and hybrids.

Karen Paramanandam, sales and marketing coordinator with Positive Energy Solar, says there will be some real hands-on experiences for the "green" auto mechanics.

"There will be home-built electric vehicles, so people can talk to people who have done it on their own cars. So, if you don't want to purchase a production vehicle, you can talk to people that have just done it themselves."

She says people can also see how to charge vehicles, and have opportunities to ride in and drive them. Santa Fe's Plug-In Day event runs this weekend, Friday evening through Sunday.

Paramanandam says it's easy to drive an electric vehicle.

"It's just like driving a regular old vehicle. The one thing that you're going to have to change your mentality on when you're driving is, that you have to plug it in. That's basically it."

Monte Ugdahl, president of New Mexico Solar Energy, says Santa Fe held a small version of "Plug-In Day" last year. But the 2012 event is expected to be much bigger, in response to the growing popularity of electric vehicles in New Mexico.

"We now have a wide network of people who plug in a standard receptacle. That has made it really grow. It's no longer just easier to build your own unit, but now the commercial markets have grown considerably."

Ugdahl says it's difficult to determine how many electric vehicles are on New Mexico roads, since many conversion vehicles are not differentiated by their license plates. He says the state could see a significant increase in EVs on the road within the next year. A tax incentive proposal for EVs is being drafted for the New Mexico Legislature to consider in January.

The event starts Friday evening, Sept. 21. It continues Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 1628 St. Michael's Drive, Santa Fe. Event co-sponsors: Sierra Club, Plug-In America, the Electric Auto Assn., the NM Solar Energy Assn., Northern NM Electric Vehicle Assn., and Positive Energy Solar.

More information, including a map, is online at events.pluginday.org.




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