Jim Stack, President of the Phoenix AZ Electric Auto Association, Discusses EV Adoption

Jim Stack, President of the Phoenix AZ Electric Auto Association, was interviewed by Bill Pierce, Publisher, EVinfo.net. In this interview, Stack shares information about the Phoenix AZ Electric Auto Association, as well as his own personal EV adoption story.

BP: Tell us a little about yourself.

JS: I have worked in Telecom for over 40 years. First at Landline as an engineer, then I quit to work on wireless which I saw as the future. Then at Iridium Satellite. I loved the change to digital and fiber optics. I installed solar on my home myself in 2001 and then taught solar classes by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP).

BP: How and when did you get into EVs? Which EVs have you owned? What have been your most favorite and least favorite features of them?

JS: I always loved the idea of electric vehicles but don’t like lead acid batteries. I became a member of The San Diego EAA when I lived there and bought an electric scooter then an  ebike. When I moved to Chandler, Arizona I bought a Chevy S-10 Electric that didn’t run because of a fault error. I fixed that, and later had a Fiero conversion that was not great. Later, I bought one of the first Nissan LEAF vehicles and the heat in Arizona made the battery lose capacity very fast. I later bought a new Ford Focus EV, then a KIA Soul EV. Later, a Chevy Spark EV best buy and a salvaged Tesla S, then a Tesla 3 and now a Tesla model Y.

BP: How has the Phoenix AZ Electric Auto Association promoted EV adoption in the past?

JS: To promote EVs we share charging interests and compare vehicles. We have monthly meetings. When gas was $4 it was standing room only. We met with Andy Palmer,  Head of Nissan LEAF, telling him about the heat issues. We have a 100 mile rally each year to see who is the most efficient and direct.  

BP: What plans does the Phoenix AZ Electric Auto Association have for promoting EV adoption in the future?

JS: We now have monthly Zoom meetings. We combine with many auto groups to tell about EVs. We have had Drive Electric Week displays and work with Salt River Fields who allows us have shows for no charge and wants to be come a CES of Electric Vehicles. We also connect with Lucid, Nikola and Solo all located in AZ .

BP: What are the biggest barriers to EV adoption in your opinion? How could these barriers be overcome?

JS: The biggest barriers in AZ is the HEAT. It is hard on any vehicles. We also lost the low registration fees of only $15 for EVs. Also the state cancelled the Clean Car Standard so we don’t get all automaker vehicles in our state.

BP: How could middle class and lower income families be assisted in adopting EVs?

JS: The many free chargers are helping the lower income drivers to be able to adopt a used EV. New lower cost EVs also helps the lower income adopt a great EV.

BP: Many thanks to Jim Stack for taking the time to speak with us. We greatly appreciate his efforts in EV adoption and his time.