It is forecast that recharging will eventually reduce to 10 -12 minutes.....just coffee time. Batteries for EVs are quite heavy (5 times current standard batteries or even much more, eg the Tesla battery weighs 630kg). The cars can be very quick, faster than conventional motors - the latest Porsche EV can do 0 -100 kph in 2.5 seconds. Costs will decrease and efficiency improve significantly in coming years. The running costs are 1/3rd of petrol driven engines with much less servicing required, but are heavier on tires. The EV batteries are expected to last 15 years but factors such as extreme heat or cold, too many bumpy roads or too many fast charges will reduce this. 
Club members with MB relationships include Ken (himself a twin), Trevor, Ging and Stephen. Note the excitement and joy from the Baker twin grandsons
Posted on May 20, 2022
By Anniela Carracedo, member of the Rotary Club of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, USA, and a Rotary Youth Exchange Alumna
When I decided to become a Rotary Youth Exchange student, I had no idea how much it would change my life and the lives of everyone around me.In 2017, I was invited to the Interact Club of Valencia, Venezuela, following my parents, who joined the Rotary Club of Valencia. I joined the club because I wanted to make a difference in my local community. I had seen Venezuela go from being one of the healthiest countries in Latin America to experiencing one of the worst humanitarian and economic crises in the modern world.
Today it is considered the second-largest refugee crisis in the world, according to UNHCR. I wanted to help, but I didn’t know how; Interact turned out to be the perfect combination of service and fun.
Then, I learned about the Rotary Youth Exchange program. I immediately applied and was selected to become a goodwill ambassador in the United States.
Unfortunately, due to my country’s complex situation, participating in an exchange program was and still is a challenge. However, our 2019 district Youth Exchange chair, Francisco Padilla, made it possible for 70 of us to become exchange students.
In my case, I had to cross the dangerous border between Colombia and Venezuela on foot to get my visa, because early that year, Venezuela broke diplomatic relations with the United States.
When I arrived in District 6840 in Mississippi, USA, I realized the true impact of Rotary. I left my comfort zone, learned a new language, immersed myself in American culture, and shared my own culture in return.
I told the community about Venezuela. They fell in love with my country. The local Interact club at Hancock High School joined an international project called Hope for Venezuelan Refugees, led by Cristal Montañez, a Rotarian from the eClub of Houston, Texas, USA. Eventually, the entire high school in a small town in Mississippi was collecting shoes, socks, and hats for Venezuelans leaving my home country and walking on the same path I did earlier that year in Colombia.
I told the community about Venezuela. They fell in love with my country.
I took my role as a goodwill ambassador seriously. First, I presented about Venezuela to at least 20 classrooms in my American high school. Later, I moved on to Rotary clubs! I spoke to the majority of the clubs in southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi. Just as we were collecting donations, the whole world came to a halt because of the coronavirus pandemic.
But the work was done, the connections were created. The district governor that year, Robert Haeuser, led the efforts to donate to the projects that my Interact club in Valencia, Venezuela, was working on to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, District Designated Funds were sent to help three organizations that the Interactors partnered with. Over 2,214 miles away, our efforts impacted at least 1,000 people in Valencia.
Now, the clubs and districts have built a strong relationship, which I hope will lead to a global grant in the future.
It all started with me, just one Interactor, who decided to become an exchange student and had Rotarians who believed in and supported youth programs.
