Biofuels and Electric Vehicles Conference 2008: The Way Forward

2008 was the fourth year of the annual EECA Biofuels Conference. The conference followed on from the success of previous years and as New Zealand's principal industry conference on biofuels it was a great opportunity for the industry to discuss the current, and future state of biofuels for New Zealand.

The conference theme this year had also been expanded to include electricity as a transport fuel in electric vehicles.

EECA is pleased to announce Meridian Energy as the Principal Sponsor for the EECA Biofuels and Electric Vehicles Conference 2008. EECA and Meridian worked together to deliver a comprehensive programme featuring local and global expertise for both biofuels and electric vehicles.

Key note speakers:

• Chelsea Sexton is an independent consumer advocate for electric vehicles and also advises manufacturers on their electric vehicle deployment programme globally. Chelsea is famous for her EV1 crusade as documented in the film 'Who killed the electric car'. Chelsea is a sponsored guest of Meridian Energy.
• Edward Kjaer leads Southern Californian Edison's extensive electric vehicle programme and has been instrumental in the roll out of electric vehicles globally. Edward is a sponsored guest of Meridian Energy.
• Jan Brentebraten, Director Flexifuel (FFV) / Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFV) Strategy for Ford Europe is responsible for creating and implementing a coordinated FFV/AFV strategy and plan for Ford Europe.
• John Plaza is the President and CEO of Imperium Renewables and is responsible for the day to day operations and strategic direction of the company. Imperium Renewables are the company that produced the fuel for Virgin Atlantic's recently successful flight using renewable fuel.
• Darrin Morgan oversees strategy development and execution for Boeing Commercial Airplanes' Sustainable Biofuels Program. The program aim is to drive market viability of sustainable aviation fuels. Prior to this role in The Boeing Company, he helped lead market requirement development for emerging airplane models as well as forecasting and competitive analysis for airplane services. 
• Bill Orts is a Research Leader at the US Department of Agriculture for a group developing biofuels products from non-corn feedstocks - most notably cellulosics.

There were also speakers presenting from Gull Petroleum, Meridian Energy, SKM consulting, Scion Research, as well as the Hon. Minister of Energy David Parker and the Government Spokesperson on Energy Efficiency and Conservation Jeanette Fitzsimons.