Hi Steve,
Thanks for the great Bridgestone Eco-rally 2010 event and allowing the Battery Vehicle Society to participate.
I am sure that you would be interested in feedback from users like myself and discussions on our forum etc.
What went well :-
-it was great to see key celebrities supporting the event and providing excellent endorsement
-it was great to see the variety of cars showing the various technologies available.
the website was good, though maybe a little busy on the front page and difficult to see the program of events
-it was generally well publicised (although I don't remember it being posted on
electriccarsUK@yahoogroups.com)
-the flexible approach in allowing last minute entrants was much appreciated
Things to think about
-Finish location. Hyde Park has lot of potential and is easily accessible from Central London. The Royal Parks’ electric vehicles were in evidence passing several times, but there did not seem to be any awareness of the possible connection between the event and the onsite vehicles.
-As electric vehicles are going to be major part of a sustainable transport system, I was surprised to find a lack of charging facilities at both the start and finish locations (some people like myself came a long way, for me 150 mile round trip and only have a 55 mile range). If there had been charging available at the finish the vehicles could have been charging while on display. (We discovered, too late, that the inflatable Finish marker was powered by a Hydrogen-powered generator which could have been used in this regard as it had loads of spare capacity)
-Feedback from the Battery Vehicle Society forum and the
electriccarsUK@yahoogroups.com indicates that more members of the general public would have attended if the event had been held at a weekend rather than during a working day. This is important (as I have found from doing many shows) that it is the public perception that is the limiting factor that will drive take-up of electric vehicles.
-I was surprised not to see the Nissan Leaf there (but you might have been let down by Nissan).
-There was no display stand featuring major manufacturers such as Mitsubishi, Nissan, Mini, Toyota, Smiths Edison, Optare etc. Were they invited to attend? Would you like help in getting them there next year?
In summary, the event has been a success for everyone including the Battery Vehicle Society and my own company (Evergreen Consulting Ltd) and we look forward to attending the event next year.
If you would like to meet and discuss any of these points further please let me know.
Regards,
Rob