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UPDATE: Since posting this and after reading the various responses from Brian and others (many thanks) I have withdrawn my support for the EVDA. I do not see how the EVDA can survive as it is and with the current committee especially with Brian Orr involved. I have asked to have my name withdrawn from the member list as I don't want to be associated in any way with Brian Orr or, by association, with the EVDA.
If you feel the same then email [email protected] and ask to be removed and tell them why.
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Brian mentioned on another thread that I had been in discussion with the EVDA over how I might help and whilst I am not prepared to disclose the details of the committee's response (if they wish to make their response public then they will I am sure) I do think it appropriate to explain to you what I proposed and why and what the outcome was.
This post is long and I make no apology for that. If you are interested in having a effective EVDA then it is worth reading. If not then you don't have to read on
Firstly, it is worth reminding everyone just what form the EVDA takes as I know that not many of you are members yet and so may not understand what structure the association has.
The EVDA is an association and so has a constitution that governs how it is run. That constitution dictates that the committee is voted in at the AGM and in accordance with normal practice in such cases each committee member would be proposed, seconded and voted into office each year. This means that come the AGM, if the membership is not happy with any or all of the committee then if they have an alternative they would like to see voted into office then they can propose, second and vote for any member to the committee.
This is incredible powerful because it puts the real power of the committee into the hands of the membership. The committee represents the members while in office but should the committee take the EVDA down a route that the membership is unhappy with then they can replace the committee at the AGM.
Read the EVDA constitution here.
So, what have I proposed and why?
Many of you that have been around the EV online scene over the past 3 years will know that I have continuously stood up for honesty in the EV world whilst tirelessly trying to be an EV advocate. In addition, I am self-employed and have a lot of spare time with which I feel I could do a lot to help promote EVs even further. I have been trying to get an EV drivers association started for at least the past 2 years but failed to get the support. So I was very pleased to see Matt get the EVDA formed. Unfortunately, the current EVDA committee, for quite legitimate reasons, have not managed to do as much as they would have liked and we find ourselves, a year on, with only limited membership, no real public presence, and no real engagement with the drivers.
I want to change that.
The following section I have withdrawn. I no longer support Brian in any way and I strongly oppose his involvement in the EVDA or any other EV advocacy organisation. He owns and run EV Matters Ltd which I consider a serious conflict of interest. How can anyone be sure he is acting on behalf of the members and not EV Matters Ltd. He should leave the committee of the EVDA or be removed IMO.
My proposal was that as Brian focused on the EVDA's representation to the industry I would also join the committee responsible for Membership and PR with the sole aim to build membership... without members the EVDA is weak and so the more members we have, the more of a mandate the EVDA has, the more the EVDA understands what is important to the EV driver, the more successful we could be influencing the decision makes.
So here is the proposal I put to the committee... this is verbatim as it was proposed in an email to the committee.
I feel that the following changes are necessary if it is to attract new members:
- It must become open and transparent. Currently it is a pretty closed entity and no one really know what they are up to or what they are working on.
- It must work on actively engaging with drivers... both members and non to lead the way in discussing the issues that matter to drivers. If drivers are taking about it then the EVDA should be involved actively in those discussions so that they can determine how they might represent those views to the industry.
This would require active discussion on forums and the attendance of an EVDA representative at shows and meetings (e.g. BeVOB, SoCEV, etc).
- It must take the lead in educating new EV drivers and those considering buying an EV so that they can ensure that they get the facts and that they can make the appropriate decisions for their circumstances. This would result in a redesign of the web site and the publication of fact sheets etc.
- The committee should be publicly available and actively promoted so that members and non-members can approach them and discuss EV issues freely without the current feeling of apparent secrecy and disguise.
- The objective of the EVDA must be to engage with drivers at all opportunities... forums, Twitter, G+, Facebook etc and to listen and talk to everyone they aim to represent. It must be a two way, open communication and not the occasional announcement or issuance of an open letter in response to some crisis, as it has been to date.
Let me clear here... I am proposing that I be the one to change the web site, to attend meetings and shows, to engage EV drivers online and off, and if I can get help from members interested in helping then even better.
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So that was my proposal... radical, ambitious, challenging, hard work... perhaps not everything I have proposed will work 100%... but surely it is a step in the right direction. Hopefully it is more likely to create an EVDA that we all want to join than the current offering and hopefully it could kickstart some genuine interest from members who would soon come to see the benefit of an organised voice to the industry for EV drivers.
So, the current situation is that I have declined the committee's offer to join them on a restricted mandate. The lines of communications are still very much open and I am hoping that they will see the necessity for change and accept my offer to bring about that change.
If you feel the same then email [email protected] and ask to be removed and tell them why.
-------------------------------
Brian mentioned on another thread that I had been in discussion with the EVDA over how I might help and whilst I am not prepared to disclose the details of the committee's response (if they wish to make their response public then they will I am sure) I do think it appropriate to explain to you what I proposed and why and what the outcome was.
This post is long and I make no apology for that. If you are interested in having a effective EVDA then it is worth reading. If not then you don't have to read on
Firstly, it is worth reminding everyone just what form the EVDA takes as I know that not many of you are members yet and so may not understand what structure the association has.
The EVDA is an association and so has a constitution that governs how it is run. That constitution dictates that the committee is voted in at the AGM and in accordance with normal practice in such cases each committee member would be proposed, seconded and voted into office each year. This means that come the AGM, if the membership is not happy with any or all of the committee then if they have an alternative they would like to see voted into office then they can propose, second and vote for any member to the committee.
This is incredible powerful because it puts the real power of the committee into the hands of the membership. The committee represents the members while in office but should the committee take the EVDA down a route that the membership is unhappy with then they can replace the committee at the AGM.
Read the EVDA constitution here.
So, what have I proposed and why?
Many of you that have been around the EV online scene over the past 3 years will know that I have continuously stood up for honesty in the EV world whilst tirelessly trying to be an EV advocate. In addition, I am self-employed and have a lot of spare time with which I feel I could do a lot to help promote EVs even further. I have been trying to get an EV drivers association started for at least the past 2 years but failed to get the support. So I was very pleased to see Matt get the EVDA formed. Unfortunately, the current EVDA committee, for quite legitimate reasons, have not managed to do as much as they would have liked and we find ourselves, a year on, with only limited membership, no real public presence, and no real engagement with the drivers.
I want to change that.
The following section I have withdrawn. I no longer support Brian in any way and I strongly oppose his involvement in the EVDA or any other EV advocacy organisation. He owns and run EV Matters Ltd which I consider a serious conflict of interest. How can anyone be sure he is acting on behalf of the members and not EV Matters Ltd. He should leave the committee of the EVDA or be removed IMO.
The issue as I see it though is that if Brian is even remotely successful in his efforts who exactly is he representing in the EVDA? Currently there are less than a 100 members and there is no dialogue. No dialogue between the members and the committee, between existing members, between the committee and prospective members. Without members Brian has no one to represent and the EVDA will have no standing anywhere.Brian and I have our differences and our styles clash quite often. I don't want to speak for Brian but I do believe that he has a similar outlook to me in that he wants to see the EVDA successful and to have a place at the table where we can get the views of EV drivers represented to those that matter. I want that too and in that respect Brian and I are very much on the same side.
However, Brian's TOR as he calls it (terms of reference) is facing government, councils, companies and network operators. His experience is with dealing with governmental organisations and in dealing with the bureaucracy in a way that will most gain us traction at the table. In other words, Brian is looking to ensure that the EVDA represents their members to the people and organisations that we want to influence. That is a great objective and he has my full support in that effort.
My proposal was that as Brian focused on the EVDA's representation to the industry I would also join the committee responsible for Membership and PR with the sole aim to build membership... without members the EVDA is weak and so the more members we have, the more of a mandate the EVDA has, the more the EVDA understands what is important to the EV driver, the more successful we could be influencing the decision makes.
So here is the proposal I put to the committee... this is verbatim as it was proposed in an email to the committee.
This proposal was partially accepted and I was offered a position on the committee but with a more limited remit. I declined. I feel that if we are serious about wanting to build membership of the EVDA and if the EVDA ever wants to be taken seriously at the discussion table then we need a sizeable membership and we cannot do things in half measures. The image of the EVDA amongst EV drivers I have spoken to is not good and so I took the view that the image of the EVDA must change and how it operates much change along with it. If I were to take over the task of changing the image of the EVDA and turning it into an association that EV drivers feel represents them and that they want to join then I must have the freedom to implement the measures needed to bring about the essential changes. Of course, always within the remit handed to me by the committee and always within the bounds of the constitution.I propose that I join the EVDA management committee heading up Membership and PR and starting a similar group within the EVDA of members interested in being involved in much the same way as Brian heads up the Liaison Group.
The Membership/PR Group might be responsible for:
- EVDA web site and forum
- social media - Twitter, G+, Facebook etc
- Official interactions in forums
- Interaction with the media in general, radio, TV
- PR efforts at shows and events
- the public face of the EVDA-UK in all aspects
- stickers, PR materials, printing of such
Obviously this is just an off-the-top-of-my-head list and it would be very much open to discussion as to just what the responsibilities would be but you get the gist.
I consider this to be our no.1 priority and with Brian looking after our interactions with official bodies, corporates, government, councils etc we would have made a good start on both sides of the arena... outward face towards those we represent (Membership/PR) and outward face to those we hope to influence (Liaison).
Of course, Brian and I would both be members of the committee but I feel that if we both concentrate on our respective areas of responsibility and interact professionally when our remits overlap then I am sure that we can behave professionally within the scope of a committee structure. With Brian and I, two very vocal and active advocates of EVs, I believe that together we would make a significant impact and finally the EVDA could start to become the voice and influence we all want it to be.
I feel that the following changes are necessary if it is to attract new members:
- It must become open and transparent. Currently it is a pretty closed entity and no one really know what they are up to or what they are working on.
- It must work on actively engaging with drivers... both members and non to lead the way in discussing the issues that matter to drivers. If drivers are taking about it then the EVDA should be involved actively in those discussions so that they can determine how they might represent those views to the industry.
This would require active discussion on forums and the attendance of an EVDA representative at shows and meetings (e.g. BeVOB, SoCEV, etc).
- It must take the lead in educating new EV drivers and those considering buying an EV so that they can ensure that they get the facts and that they can make the appropriate decisions for their circumstances. This would result in a redesign of the web site and the publication of fact sheets etc.
- The committee should be publicly available and actively promoted so that members and non-members can approach them and discuss EV issues freely without the current feeling of apparent secrecy and disguise.
- The objective of the EVDA must be to engage with drivers at all opportunities... forums, Twitter, G+, Facebook etc and to listen and talk to everyone they aim to represent. It must be a two way, open communication and not the occasional announcement or issuance of an open letter in response to some crisis, as it has been to date.
Let me clear here... I am proposing that I be the one to change the web site, to attend meetings and shows, to engage EV drivers online and off, and if I can get help from members interested in helping then even better.
-----------------
So that was my proposal... radical, ambitious, challenging, hard work... perhaps not everything I have proposed will work 100%... but surely it is a step in the right direction. Hopefully it is more likely to create an EVDA that we all want to join than the current offering and hopefully it could kickstart some genuine interest from members who would soon come to see the benefit of an organised voice to the industry for EV drivers.
So, the current situation is that I have declined the committee's offer to join them on a restricted mandate. The lines of communications are still very much open and I am hoping that they will see the necessity for change and accept my offer to bring about that change.