skip to main content

→ Top Stories:
Keystone XL Pipeline
Defending the Clean Air Act

Max Baumhefner, Sustainable Energy Fellow, San Francisco

Max Baumhefner
I am an attorney, outdoor enthusiast, and a bread baker. My focus is the juncture of the electricity and transportation sectors. I work on policies designed to integrate electric vehicles into the grid and maximize their environmental benefits. I'm an environmentalist because my parents taught me to be responsible and clean up after myself, and I always do what my parents tell me.

Recent Posts

PG&E Proposes New & Improved Rates for Electric Car Customers

Posted May 9, 2012 by Max Baumhefner in Curbing Pollution, Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming

Tags:
, , , , ,

Comments (8)

Today, the biggest electric utility in California, the largest car market in the country, took an important step to give drivers access to a cleaner fuel that’s roughly the equivalent of buck-a-gallon gasoline.  Pacific Gas & Electric (“PG&E”) has submitted...continued

Getting Off Oil Can Be Done - The Electric Industry Already Did

Posted May 5, 2012 by Max Baumhefner in Curbing Pollution, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
, , , , , ,

Comments (3)

Imagine driving on a cleaner, domestic, oil-free fuel, at a cost that’s roughly equivalent to dollar-a-gallon gasoline.  That, in essence, is the reason why thousands will gather this week at the Los Angeles Convention Center for the International Electric Vehicle...continued

Unfounded Attacks on Electric Cars Endanger American Jobs

Posted February 9, 2012 by Max Baumhefner in Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, The Media and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
, , , , , , ,

Comments (3)

Congressman Issa recently called a hearing to accuse the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) of a cover up related to its now closed investigation into the post-crash fire risk posed by the Chevy Volt’s lithium-ion batteries.  Issa’s theatrics only...continued

An Electric Vehicle for You?

Posted January 23, 2012 by Max Baumhefner in Curbing Pollution, Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
, , , , , ,

Comments (9)

2012 will see the introduction of a myriad of plug-in electric vehicles: sports cars, an SUV, compacts, hatchbacks, sub-compacts, and sedans.  Over the next several years, up to 40 plug-in models will be introduced.  Later this week, the California Air...continued

Air Resources Board Accelerates Electric Vehicle Market

Posted December 20, 2011 by Max Baumhefner in Curbing Pollution, Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
, , , , , , ,

The California Air Resources Board acted decisively Friday to improve the economics of a decision to drive on electricity.  The Board unanimously adopted amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (“LCFS”), one of the state’s most important measures to reduce...continued

Future Beyond Oil on Display at LA Auto Show

Posted November 28, 2011 by Max Baumhefner in Curbing Pollution, Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming

Tags:
, , , , , , ,

Comments (10)

At last week’s Los Angeles Auto Show, I saw a glimpse of the future.  Many of the up to 50 plug-in electric vehicle models scheduled to hit America’s streets over the next several years were on display and attracting particularly...continued

Buck-a-Gallon Gas for Life?

Posted November 17, 2011 by Max Baumhefner in Curbing Pollution, Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
, , , , , , , ,

Comments (6)

Tomorrow, I’ll be at the Los Angeles Auto Show, where several of the up to 50 plug-in electric vehicle models coming to America’s streets over the next several years will be on display.  When you buy your next car, ask...continued

Would You pay $20 More to Drive on Renewable Electricity for a Year?

Posted November 6, 2011 by Max Baumhefner in Curbing Pollution, Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming

Tags:
, , , , , , , ,

Comments (2)

Americans will buy electric vehicles for various reasons, including reduced dependence on oil, the convenience of refueling at home, the performance advantage inherent in electric drive, never having to get another oil change, and to help clean the air.  Driving...continued

Thank You, Early Electric Vehicle Adopters

Posted July 29, 2011 by Max Baumhefner in Curbing Pollution, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
, , , , , , , , ,

Comments (6)

There are waiting lists for both the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt, full of Americans who want to be part of the most exciting evolution in automotive technology since we switched from coal-fired steam engines, to gas-powered motors. These early...continued

California Public Utilities Commission Charges Forward on Electric Vehicles

Posted June 10, 2011 by Max Baumhefner in Curbing Pollution, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The California Public Utilities Commission today unanimously approved policies that will keep California at the forefront of efforts to speed the adoption of electric vehicles. This vote represents a significant step towards fulfilling the Commission’s statutory mandate to “overcome any barriers to the...continued

Get it Right "USA Today" - Americans Want Electric Cars

Posted May 25, 2011 by Max Baumhefner in Curbing Pollution, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
, , , , , , , ,

Comments (15)

Two days ago, a Gallup poll was released with the following headline: “In U.S., High Gas Prices May Make Many Get Fuel-Efficient Cars." Less than 48 hours later, a USA Today article on the very same Gallup poll was published...continued

Thank You EIA, for Making it Clear: Driving on Electricity is the Safer Bet

Posted May 11, 2011 by Max Baumhefner in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
, , , , , , ,

Comments (6)

As big oil and its friends call for more drilling under the false pretense that we can drill our way to lower gasoline prices, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on the importance of the Energy Information Agency's unbiased...continued

Violence in Libya, Oil Up, Stocks Down, Gasoline Up. Driving on Electricity? Still a Predictably Good Deal.

Posted March 1, 2011 by Max Baumhefner in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
, , , , , , , , , , ,

Comments (6)

As traders watched images of violence in the streets of Tripoli, oil futures surged 14% last week, the largest increase in two years. This week, the stockmarket slid in response to Ben Bernanke’s caution that rising oil prices could undermine...continued

Fact Check: California Already Has Utility Rates Designed for Plug-in Electric Vehicles

Posted January 21, 2011 by Max Baumhefner in Green Enterprise, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming

Tags:
, , , , , , ,

Comments (1)

Both the Los Angeles Times and New York Times recently published articles based on a Purdue University report which concludes that driving on electricity won’t save Californians as much gas money as expected.  This comes as quite a shock to...continued

California Welcomes Electric Vehicles

Posted December 20, 2010 by Max Baumhefner in Curbing Pollution, Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
, , , , , , , ,

Comments (1)

The first of a new generation of mass-market electric vehicles was recently delivered to a happy customer at a Nissan dealership in my home town, Petaluma.  Petaluma has a small hi-tech industry, but is better known for chicken farming.  In...continued

About

Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.

Feeds: Max Baumhefner’s blog

Feeds: Stay Plugged In