Artfully Getting an EV in a Museum

The 49th PLMA Conference is just around the corner on May 6-8 in Portland, Oregon. Thinking about PLMA brings back some memories of the recent Fall Conference. During the 48th PLMA Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, we had a rare opportunity to demonstrate how charging an electric vehicle (EV) can be detected using Itron’s AMI Gen5 Riva meter and EV Detect software during PLMA’s reception at the beautiful Mint Museum. I remember looking at photos of the venue’s website, it seemed like a perfect place because it looked like they even had built-in EV chargers! 😉 What a great idea, right? I thought I’d share my experience with you.

Little did we know the logistics of getting the EV in a museum would prove to be a herculean task, but in hindsight, it was a great opportunity and an almost mythical legend for PLMA.

First, we had to load the EV onto a flatbed truck in downtown Charlotte because like a “baby on board” sign advises us, it needed to be gently lifted into a cargo bay. May I share with you how difficult it is to find two adjacent open parking spots in downtown Charlotte? Luckily, PLMA’s Executive Director, Richard Philip, and Sponsorship Manager, Sandy Humenik, arranged for a designated area for the flatbed truck to park and stood in the parking place behind the truck while we used GPS to find the parking spot location. Truth be told, it was less than a block away from the museum. Google Maps just made it feel like it was a 10-mile course. Who knew a vertical lift for an EV would be so involved?

With the vehicle lifted to the appropriate height, we backed the EV into the loading bay. Do we back into the freight elevator, or do we dive head on? 

We decided head on. It was at least a 10-point turn to back off the truck and turn the EV around!

Then we had to put down paper and two pieces of plywood to protect the floors. They had a limited supply of plywood so we could only move about six feet at a time to keep laying down the plywood tracks.

It really did take a village to get the car in the exhibit hall and maneuver around all the obstacles. There were a good 10 of us working together. This was the first EV the museum ever had on display!

But we made it! Here is the car with the demo equipment set up in the back, meter and all, to show how our software can detect EVs charging, even in an art museum! Big thanks to John Steinberger for maneuvering in REVERSE at 11:00 PM when the event was over. While I’m going to miss the 49th PLMA Conference this year and there’s no plan to repeat the same entertaining adventure in Portland, I know the team has some exciting plans in the works. If you’re planning to attend, connect with Itron and reach out at PLMA@itron.com.