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To the board:

An owner of a hybrid that wishes to covert his or her car to a
“plug-in” should not be burdened more or less than an owner who
wishes to modify his or her non-hybrid car.  Car owners all across
our state modify their vehicles in various ways such as upgrading
the carburetor, muffler system, fuel systems, and tire sizes often
times resulting in a decrease in fuel efficiency and an increase in
carbon release.  

CARBs purpose is to regulate and monitor air pollution in
California, not to over regulate those emerging industries that
would help CARB reach its goals.  

Shop owners that do “plug-in” conversions should not have to
provide warrantees or guarantees that differ from the warrantees or
guarantees that traditional car maintenance and repair shops are
required to offer.  Warrantees or guarantees are market devices
that help competitors separate themselves and should be the option
of such “plug-in” conversion shops and/or buyers of such
conversions.

Another concern I have is that “Fuel Cell” type EV’s are being
fast-tracked through the regulatory process.  Electric cars are the
way of the future, but not PEM fuel cell EV’s.  Hydrogen produced
and packaged for use in cars is highly redundant when the car is
already operating on electricity.  Using PEM fuel cells is an
inefficient use of PEM technology when one considers that %50+ of
the energy produced is heat and is mostly useless to the system or
operator.  Also, hydrogen requires much energy to make and then
store in liquid form.

It is my opinion that electricity is the future of energy, and
because its use in vehicular motorization is conducive to the goals
of CARB it would be more productive to resist placing regulatory
barriers between citizens and their right to own and drive electric
and hybrid/electric vehicles.

Thank you,
 
Daniel Phelan
Oakland, CA