Here is a roundup of electric-vehicle news that recently crossed my desk:
? The City of Vancouver has announced it is purchasing 13 Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric cars for their municipal fleet for 2012. It will access the cars for suitability and have indicated they may purchase a further 17 MiEVs in 2013.
The city also plans to install a number of charging stations at city sites for the cars.
Vancouver's purchase is the largest fleet purchase of MiEVs in Canada. The District of Saanich, by comparison, purchased one MiEV earlier this year.
? Nissan celebrated National Plug-In Day (Sept. 23) with an ad recognizing the more than 37,000 Leaf owners around the world. Nissan calculates the Leaf owners have driven more than 160-million gas-free kilometres (100 million miles) since the vehicle's launch in 2010.
Their figures include numbers on the vehicle's use: In the U.S., owners on average charge their cars for two hours and drive an average of 50 kilometres a day in their commute.
? One Nissan Leaf in Tennessee won't be known for its commute. An Embassy Suites hotel in Nashville has taken a Leaf and converted it into a limousine - the first in the world.
The hotel chain was committed to luxury but also going green - so they came up with the idea of a Leaf limo.
It fits a total of seven passengers with all the typical luxury limo touches.
? The Edison Electric Institute recently releases a guidebook to help utilities get ready for electric vehicles.
The report, The Utility Guide to Plug-in Electric Vehicle Readiness, is a road map for utilities, outlining the changes required in the year ahead. For more information, go to eei.org.
