Hawaii to be 1st state with electric car stations

I had searched on the web prior to posting but couldn't find anything that directly states this policy. I stumbled upon this during a visit as I was looking for a parking spot and found the limited number of visitor spots greatly reduced and filled but that the rest of the front row was marked for hybrids only. Unfortunately cameras are not allowed on their property so it isn't possible to capture a picture of their signs. I asked my contacts about it and they told me of the change from long tenure employees to hybrids only and the original discontent that it had caused but was now generally accepted.

Apparently the company is being aggressive in terms of stewardship at all of their facilities but I do not know if each facility has its own practices or if this particular instance is a company wide policy. This link provides an overall summary of their stewardship efforts though it does not specifically mention the hybrid parking initiative. The energy and environment links in particular are rather progressive. I'm also aware that the Portsmouth, RI facility has been seriously looking into placing a couple of large wind generators on their property. The Town of Portsmouth is currently in the process of constructing a wind turbine at the High School but Raytheon's efforts would be independent of this. Raytheon's Andover, MA facility added 100-kW of solar panels in May 2008.

The local facility has an employees association wildlife habitat committee that has been locally recognized for their wildlife management program on their property.

 

Better Place Unveils Design and Deployment of Charging Spot and Electric Parking Lots in Israel

TEL AVIV (Dec 08, 2008) -- Better Place Israel, which is deploying the world's first nationwide network for charging electric vehicles, today demonstrated for the first time its charging spot plugged in and charging an electric car in Israel. The company unveiled its first plugged in parking lots as well as the charging spot design that will be used in deployments around the world.

 

Better Place Coming To Japan

The Japanese government announced Tuesday that consumers will be able to swap depleted batteries for fresh ones easily when they don't have time to plug in. Thomas Friedman calls it a new way to generate mobility. Starting with municipal fleets, the program is the first step toward electrifying Japan's vehicles. The Japanese Environment Ministry invited Better Place to take part in the feasibility project for up to six months starting in January in several cities, starting with Yokohama, south west of Tokyo.

 

I worked there in the 1980's and can attest that this is a much different attitude than before when even the handling of hazardous materials was suspect at best. I too am quite surprised and impressed with their current approaches and considerations. Hopefully we'll see ALL companies entertain these types of practices as part of their corporate responsibilities.