We at SEVE have encountered the perfect financial storm. Many scooter, bike, and motorcycle electric manufactures - including 14 potential exhibitors - are relocating to China, Vietnam and India. Those countries are offering great deals to those firms in order to have less polluting alternatives on hand to offer to their more numerous, affluent natives instead of the highly effluent current motorbikes. Air quality is becoming an increasingly severe problem in their urban areas...Most electric carts, ATVs and people movers - another 12 exhibitors - are made by companies whose primary business is producing golf carts. With the economy down, golf courses are not buying new carts...Cash for Junkers program is having a major negative impact on the sale of electric cars. With the other incentives, one can buy a hybrid Lexus for less than the price of an electric vehicle (EV) or plug-in EV (PHEV). Most EVs are made in California. Those manufacturers - another 9 exhibitors - are restricting sales to that state in order to be able to service what they already have sold. Ford, GM and Chrysler truly are not serious about building electric cars. Production schedules with the Big Three continue to slip.

So with much regret we are forced to cancel SEVE for this year. We have neither the booth revenue to cover our costs nor the number of vehicles participating to justify a $10 admission fee for adults.

And now for the good news: With the momentum that we have built for an electric car expo, we are going forward with plans for a 2010 expo. The 2010 Southern Electric Vehicle Expo will be held at the WNC Agricultural Center on October 29-31, 2010. We will be working hard over the next year to make this the largest electric vehicle expo in the area.

Sincerely,
Dr. Robert Sweeney
Expo Coordinator