News and Events 2003 Pollution Preventions Award  ElectriCab is the proud recipient of the 2003 "Pollution Prevention Award" from the Sacramento County Business Environmental Resource Center (BERC).  Based on the company's "outstanding pollution prevention efforts," ElectriCab was honored by the following Federal, State, County and City organizations:  United States Senate, Senator Barbara Boxer  California State Assembly, Darrell Steinberg  California State Senate, Deborah Ortiz  Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, Illa Collin  Sacramento City Council, Mayor Heather Fargo  ElectriCab director, Robert Kittell, P.E., accepts 2003 PPA award    2004 EPA National Ombudsman Conference ElectriCab director Robert Kittell, P.E.,  delivered the following address as invited speaker and Small Business panel member: “Private Sector Environmental Stewardship and Economic Prosperity” (excerpt) “Our mission at the ElectriCab Company is to deliver world class fare-based urban transportation that is clearly distinguished by the use of zero-emission vehicles.  Our mission is to do so profitably as an on-going enterprise, and to incubate and dominate a new kind of transportation marketplace.  As a small business with barely two years under our belt, we face many similar challenges as do other traditional enterprises in our community, including financing and growth.  We have a couple of additional burdens: overcoming in the minds of investors the myths of the electric vehicle industry, and overcoming the hype about alternative technologies. “I am not here to romanticize over the feel-good stories about chocolate-dipped strawberries or golf cart communities.  I am not here to applaud our polluters for not polluting as much this year as they did last, or to give credit-for-effort to demonstration programs or e-mail campaigns that will fade away and be forgotten.  I am not here to dream about technologies-of-tomorrow or bridges-to-the-future.  I am here to talk about impact, about clean air solutions for today, about zero emission transportation.  I am here to talk about environmental stewardship and economic prosperity.  I am here to talk turkey about financing, and processes to enable the true innovators of our society, small business, to deliver environmental solutions at a time and place where they are desperately needed. “Dismayed at the lack of clean transportation alternatives in the Sacramento community, I developed what would become the foundation of the ElectriCab service model: a profitable operation based upon lifecycle costing methods, clearly distinguished by its zero-emission nature, utilizing electric vehicles built to industry-leading performance specifications, and to optimize the dynamics of fleet, cash flow and infrastructure.  The biggest problem was, the vehicles as specified didn’t exist. “I proceeded down the path of experimenting with Neighborhood Electric Vehicles, including rapid charging and advanced chemistry batteries.  We ultimately wound up with a 4-passenger golf cart that could be driven over 300 miles per day on city streets.  We leveraged our learnings into a minivan conversion platform that served as both concept vehicle, and eventually, as a full-function, freeway capable, licensed and insured, revenue-generating electric taxicab.  While in service last fall, our flagship vehicle, E1, validated a full suite of capability requirements, and was met with extraordinarily positive marketplace acceptance.  Customer reaction ranged from, “It’s just like a gas car… I can’t believe it’s electric!” to “You’re going to be the next Bill Gates.  You’re an Einstein!”  It was with great pride that I announced to the chamber of commerce transportation committee that E1 had reduced over 500 pounds of emissions during its first week of operation.  “ElectriCab was self-funded initially, and had reasonable investment success through its Proof-of-Concept phase; it is at the expansion phase that fundraising has become more difficult.  While the easy part is to identify sources for grants, loans, guarantees and private investment, the obvious challenge is in actually being awarded such funds.  Much as BERC has documented processes to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, a similar framework for notification, qualification and realization of public or private sector funding could be instrumental in enabling small businesses to bring new products or technologies quickly to market.  Putting the entrepreneurs in contact with the funding community, and expertly guiding them through the process, will be of tremendous value.” Home