New York Event for MINI E Pioneers

To some, blogs are like graffiti. They seem to be everywhere and everyone has their story to tell. However, once you start to write a blog, you realize that they are more like cave drawings. You discover that people have to actually hunt to find your blog and recognition comes slowly. That’s how it’s been for My MINI E. I write and I pray that others will find it, read my entries and find what they read interesting. When you suddenly discover that your blog is being read it can be quite a surprise.

That is one of the things that happened at the MINI E Event in New York City on May 13. I arrived at the IAC Building around 7:30 PM and wondered how I was going to find the authors of the other blogs I’ve been reading. They would be the only Pioneers I had any knowledge of. I spoke to several people, including BMW and MINI representatives, during the cocktail period but no luck. Then the presentation began. Marc Alt was introduced as the guest speaker. He is a proponent of green design and would speak about sustainable energy sources and how the public can help pressure corporations to move in a more environmentally beneficial direction.

Who's business card is that?

The big surprise was when he opened his slide presentation with a picture of my MINI E Pioneer business card! My friend Raj and I were sitting in the first row and it took both of us a few seconds to realize what was happening. Marc proceeded to talk about my blog as well as others he’d come across and how we’re helping to spread the word about electric vehicles. He pointed out that the MINI E Field Trial is not just a personal experience, it is a social event. He commended me on my attempts to reach out and meet others in the field trial and promote sharing of charging stations. I have to admit that I had the idea for extending the range of the MINI E by charging them at other Pioneers homes since I signed up but I wasn’t the first to publically mention it. At any rate, I had no trouble finding the other bloggers after that. They found me. Read the rest of this entry »