Interested in a Detroit area get together?
 

I would be in favor of having participating in a FEH owner's get together in the Detroit area of Michigan if others are interested... If we had enough folks, maybe we could encourage some folks from Ford to attend to give us input as well as us give them input! They can certainly learn what drives this market by listening to those that already drive these vehicles!

Please post here if you would want to participate in this meeting in the Detroit area. If we have enough interest we can discuss the agenda, contacting Ford, the site location (I may have access to a downtown location), and any logistics we need to cover.

Moderator, if you could PLEASE sticky this thread to stay up top to let it build some momentum?

Thanks, now weigh in folks!

Re: Interested in a Detroit area get together?
 

I would certainly be interested in something like that. Count me in and keep me in the loop.

Re: Interested in a Detroit area get together?
 

It might be best to start by "forming" a Ford (or just any hybrid vehicle?) hybrid club for the area. Yes, create simple by-laws, membership fees and "other" to give your group credibility. Then attempt to "partnership" with a collateral business/chamber of commerence or similar resource to make things "bigger and better". I know, there is some work here.

If one goes to cleanmpg.com, there will run across a reference to the Milwaukee, Wisconsin hybrid club. Debbie Katz is a sometimes poster here who lives in the nearby area.

Re: Interested in a Detroit area get together?
 

Frankly I'm not interested in a dues paying club to meet with monthly... This idea was born out of the idea that Ford was holding a meeting to talk to Hybrid owners about using their vehicles to the fullest advantage.

I am not interested in an all Ford club nor meeting with those that do not buy American cars... I also think if we stick with FEH you could get engineers and designers of these vehicles to come and share and listen...

That is what I would be interested in forming a get together for... Some others may want to go another direction.

By the amount of folks weighing in on the Michigan Roll Call, there should be enough FEH and MMH owners to get together if thought to be beneficial... We'll see?

Re: Interested in a Detroit area get together?
 

There have been several attempts to get some kind of club going in Southeastern Michigan. You might check the general topics near the bottom for regional efforts, including the thread "Michigan Roll Call" for all hybrid owners in the area.

Some of us (three) met at the 2006 NAIAS and enjoyed ourselves. But the general experience was that it was difficult to get schedules and venues together.

I would be interested in participating in a club, but it will take an awful lot of work to get together if past experience is any indication. But now that there are more hybrids on the road (including FEH's), maybe it will fly this time around.

In general I am not in Motown during the summer, but am available the other nine months of the year.

Re: Interested in a Detroit area get together?
 

I have access to a Hall downtown with PA system, overhead projector, off street parking, kitchen, and seating for 200... It could be layed out for any type of event we wanted it to be if folks were inclined to take the opportunity to do it for the learning experience. Again, I am talking a one time thing, not a club... I would think it would be most beneficial to have Ford folks present and also see it as a good partnership since I am in the electrical industry...

Re: Interested in a Detroit area get together?
 

Hey John, haven't heard from you in ages!

Anyway, I've tried to get a hybrid club together, but it proved far too difficult to do on my own, combined with some general apathy at the time, getting over a dozen users schedules alligned for a meeting was a logistical nightmare. I got some great advice from Bradlee Fons, who put together the Milwaukee, Madison, and Chicago Prius groups about starting a group, but it's proven most difficult here in the Motor City.

Others have tried too, Raven tried to get an offroad FEH Experience together, and another user tried to get one together at a park in Dearborn as I recall, but neither went anywhere.

If my schedule allows it, I'd be game for it.

Re: Interested in a Detroit area get together?
 

Hi Rich,

Yeah, I've been kinda out of it for while. It's good to hear from you.

I think ddderek wants an "Escape Hybrid Experience" thingy. My advice would be to try to schedule it at an optimal time for him (and the Ford folks if they are interested), and let the chips fall where they may for the rest of us. Until we tried to put something together, I never realized how so few people could have so many scheduling conflicts.

But beyond ddderek's one-shot deal, perhaps we can agree to meet somewhere once a month or so. If people cannot make it, so be it. But maybe we will get enought to keep something going for a while.

Incidently, it is only a few days until the "Sainte Marie"'s third birthday: 08/08/08.

Re: Interested in a Detroit area get together?
 

Any date set yet?

Re: Interested in a Detroit area get together?
 

We are still trying to get a critical mass. I suspect that the thing to do is to select a meeting place for a regular get-together. Those who are free at the time each week could show up. If only one or two make it, that would say something. If more, this might make up the core we need for something bigger and more profound.

I do suggest that the metro Detroit area is appropriate for an active club of this sort. Perhaps we would not want to restrict it to FEH owners.

Re: Interested in a Detroit area get together?
 

Yes, no doubt. Do not limit your club to Ford owners. I think a Hybrid club would be much more effective. Then all 3 of the manufacturers could lobby the club for marketing, design, etc.

Furthermore, I think a club like this should not be limited to Hybrids, but rather more forward thinking... Alternative Fuel Vehicles...

-jay
life long South Eastern Michigander

Re: Interested in a Detroit area get together?
 

Thanks, jay. It was ddderek who revived this thread and specified FEH. I think the posting refered to the "Escape Hybrid Experience" at Ford in 2005 - something perhaps some of us would like to rekindle.

I would be happy to go with an FEH club if we can find sufficient interest. But I also think that a SEMI (SouthEast MIchigan) club of auto owners who think outside the box is good. Honda hybrids look down at Toyotas focus on city effeciency, Toyota owners sneer at the copycat FEH, and all look down our noses at the relatively inefficient but market-cost effective GM and European brands.

But all this is in family. The commitment to alternative fuels and powertrains unites us more than our differences divide us. All alternative vehicles on the road now will be obsolete soon, to be replaced by the next generation of alternatives.

I, for example, am waiting for some car company to offer a "convertable," that is a vehicle which is a two-seater (and likely plug-in) for around town, but to which a payload carring rear end can be added for hauling stuff around when needed. Other combinations for other needs are also possible.

Re: Interested in a Detroit area get together?
 

4-5 interested... not worth doing I guess at that level of interest... I think this thread is lost here in events... But then again the newsletter note didn't generate any interested parties either... Oh well.

Re: Interested in a Detroit area get together?
 

ddderek - What it will take to get something going is for someone to say, "Hey, let's meet regularly at <place> at <time>." Sometimes only one person will show up, but keep at it and it might lead to bigger groups. Or it might die.

I have neither the time nor the energy now to take the initiative on this, but if you (or someone else) wants to take the bull by the horns and seed things, I'll see about participating.

You also might start with things a little more open. The group could be open to all hybrid, flex fuel, diesel, electric, and even solar powered vehicles. Get enough people interested and subgroups will form. If one of those subgroups is an FEH group, we may be able to interest the Ford engineers who designed it.