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June 22, 2008 Mt. Washington Alternative Energy Day is a day to raise awareness in New Hampshire of climate change. Bring your alternatively powered vehicle to the Mt. Washington Auto Road and drive to the summit for just $10. |
The highlight of the day will be the Mt. Washington Alernative Vehicle Regatta.
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The history of alternative energy on the Mt Washington Auto Road began in 1899 when Freelan Stanley drove his steam powered Locomobile to the summit at a time when the dominant motive power was real horse power. In the ensuing years, internal combustion engines took over the automotive world with gasoline as their favored fuel. With the fuel crisis in the 1970’s, a group of entrepreneurs gathered at the Mt Washington Auto Road for the Mt. Washington Alternative Vehicle Regatta to once again use it as a proving ground as they showed off their new alternative fuel ideas and experimented with ways to reduce our countries dependence on gasoline. These Alternative Vehicle Regattas featured a wide array of homemade vehicles including steam-powered cars, electric motorcycles and unique gasoline-powered cars with modified engines for high MPGs. The Alternative Vehicle Regatta was last held in 1979 when declining interest on the part of the public and the inventors themselves, caused its demise. In 2007 the Mt Washington Alternative Energy Days were held as a showcase for alternative energy, energy conservation measures and to once again use Mt Washington as a proving ground for new technology and alternative fuels. Arriving on the summit last year were vehicles as diverse as the smart car, an electric scooter, and 100 mpg commuter cars the Moonbeam and the Corbin Raven.
The 2008 version of the Mt Washington Alternative Energy Day will look quite different from the events of the 1970’s as gasoline/electric hybrids are becoming commonplace on the roads today—and on the Mt. Washington Auto Road—but the spirit will remain the same. In the 1970’s, the participants were exploring and asking questions about how vehicles could operate. From the 1975 program for the Alternative Vehicle Regatta:
“Is it possible to produce a hot water automobile? Could the heat energy from the brakes be used to maintain water temperature? Could the hot water automobile be “fueled” by solar mirrors focused on a receptor coil? Given proper water tank insulation, could a hot water automobile take its energy from a slow burning wood fire by accumulation?”
The questions we face today are different, but the goal is the same: Finding the most energy efficient mode of travel and testing it on Mt. Washington. In fact, for the Mt. Washington Alternative Energy Day, the Mt. Washington Auto Road hopes to host some of the founding members of the original Alternative Vehicle Regatta, including Charles Mac Arthur who rode an electric motorcycle to the summit in 1974.
For 2008, all vehicles that meet the vehicle limitations and are alternatively-powered will be charged a reduced toll of $10 on June 22. The Mt. Washington Auto Road hopes to welcome many hybrid car owners as well as one-off inventors and invites them to meet at the base of Mt. Washington to discuss their experience of owning and driving such vehicles.
In 1975, the Mt. Washington Alternative Vehicle Regatta was described as “A tough & demanding contest for amateur and professional builders of prototype or production engine driven alternative vehicles awarding a trophy for the unique machine with most favorable efficiency, integrity and low resource consumption.” In 2008, Mt. Washington Alternative Energy Day will be a day to continue the challenge of forward thinking and new ideas on Mt. Washington.
Mt. Washington Valley Velo Club - Alternative Energy Ride
Schedule
| 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Mt. Washington Auto Road open |
| 10:00 a.m. | Nature Walk with AMC Naturalist |
| 11:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Barbecue |
| 1:00 p.m. | Nature Walk with AMC Naturalist |
