ADVISORY/Clean Air Month Wraps Up With Display of Latest EV Technology at Los Angeles Zoo

28 May 1999

Clean Air Month Wraps Up With Display of Latest EV Technology at Los Angeles Zoo


WHAT:    Clean Air Month (designated during May) wraps up with a free
         public display at the Los Angeles Zoo of the latest electric-
         vehicle (EV) technology, including production-model vehicles
         from several manufacturers. Through a program called Quick
         Charge L.A., the city of Los Angeles, in partnership with 29
         public and private locations, has installed about 200 EV
         charging stations at more than 40 frequently visited
         locations, including the zoo. The zoo also uses electric
         bikes for security-officer patrols and electric trucks for
         in-park transport of personnel who work with animals, all of
         which creates a cleaner environment for the zoo's inhabitants
         and visitors.

WHEN:    Sunday, May 30
         11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE:   Los Angeles Zoo, at the top of pedestrian ramp, in front of
         the main entrance, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles (in Griffith
         Park) -- Thomas Guide, page 564, B-4

WHO:     -- Representatives from sponsor organizations -- Los Angeles 
            Environmental Affairs Department, Los Angeles Zoo and Los 
            Angeles Department of Water and Power
         -- Current EV owners
         -- Zoo security officers who patrol on electric bikes

VISUALS: -- Several EVs, including the Chrysler EPIC minivan, the 
            General Motors EV1, the Toyota RAV-4 EV and an electric 
            pickup truck 
         -- Electric-bike visits by zoo personnel, and EV displays

BACKGROUND:

Gasoline-powered cars and other vehicles still account for about 60 percent of air pollution in Southern California -- home to the worst smog in the country. EVs are 97 percent cleaner than today's gas-powered cars, even considering emissions from power plants that produce the electricity to recharge EV batteries. Development of infrastructure to support EV use represents one way Los Angeles is working to improve air quality for the 21st century.