Earlier this week, I got invited to be an EV Ambassador for the California Better Ride campaign. The first event was yesterday, at Google headquarters in Mountain View. I decided to go because it was close by, and I figured it might give me an opportunity to promote Worse Than Poop! Plus I'm always going on & on about how much I love my Fiat 500e - so I thought it made sense to go to a place where someone might actually listen.
Googlers waiting patiently to drive electric Cadillacs, BMWs,Porsches, Fords, Fiats, and Smart Cars.
Cute! But not as fun to drive as the Fiat 500e...
The event was smack in the middle of a school day, so unfortunately Elliot wasn't able to join me. But I had a lot of fun. I got to test-drive a Smart EV, and to chat with a lot of very smart people. Over lunch, for instance, I had an interesting conversation about the future of transportation with a fellow named Seth, who rides an electric skateboard and works on the Google autonomous car project. I even got to ride a Google bike!
The only thing cooler than a BMW ActivE electric car is a Google Bike!
FrankE the Fiat 500e, happily charging in the solar shade at Google.
The Google campus is a pretty amazing place - part theme park, part office park. They had a catered lunch - with multiple cuisines on offer, plus an ice cream truck - in the parking lot. Probably the most surreal experience was during a conversation with a Google employee about the Tesla rangers who came to his house to repair his Model S: over his shoulder, I spotted a group of six people pedaling down the street on a bright yellow contraption. The Google employee didn't bat an eye, and explained that it was a mobile conference room.
A Tesla Model S charging under the Google solar canopy. Not one but TWO Tesla Roadsters were parked on the other side.
Once this project is over, I might have to go get a job at Google. I hear they have an environmental non-profit wing...