This text is meant to be a plain English listing of the project's operating principles.
VERSION 1.0
1. Economic advantage is sought, but no profit.
It's clear that getting a better car is an economic benefit. One central motivation is to get an electric car. This is different than making profit.
2. The information produced in this project is free.
Someone could formulate this better. Creative commons and such…
The communication between commercial and community partners is public. This, of course, must be told in advance to the partners, law of secrecy of correspondence means that partners' permission is needed. The members of the project commit to publish their contacts to potential partners.
it's not necessary to report every little bit of info or preliminary contact. These are general principles and the use of common sense is allowed.
3. Participating and commercial operation
The participants of the project can also pursue making profit, but this operation is set on the same level with every other provider of service or product.
It is clear that mass conversion of electric cars will benefit those who are producing batteries, electric motors and other parts, import cars or are making the actual conversion work. It is also clear that those people that are already working on these or similar projects are interested in the project because of the cause itself and the possibility to earn something.
4. Free ideas
Besides the electric cars and the conversion activity, a new market of products and services might spring up, and the ideas are born from the common discussions within the project. No member of the project has a monopoly of the ideas. Still, anyone can freely start an operation which seeks profit based on their own or other people's ideas, or ideas that are born by working together.
5. Project partners
The project may have any commercial or community partners that assist reaching the goals of the project.
6. Project has no leaders - everyone is a "leader of concern"
Open mode of operation has presented its force and its lightness. Those that want to do something, can do as much as they want to do. Those that can do, will do those things that they think are important for the project. Thoughts of every participant can be questioned, but if someone is doing something stupid, pressuring them will be avoided as much as possible. They are free to do whatever they do, there is room for several different solutions, the best solutions will rise up in the sieve of public discussions.
There are no stupid questions but there is no obligation to argue all decisions with everyone, because everyone is free to pursue their own solutions. Every participant uses the time they want to use for the project.
Of course community mode of operation requires normal good behavior. When these normal good manners are enough, we aren't constrained by so called company policies and company rule books and we will have lots of time and energy to have fun and relax with the project. When there are no hierarchies we can chill and take the things as they come.
7. The project isn't a legal entity
The project isn't a legal entity so it's not possible to sign contracts in the name of the project. This doesn't prevent people working with the project to negotiate contract models between producers and buyers. These models are templates that producers and buyers are using to benefit them both.
For example an unified contract template can be negotiated with electric companies, providing free electricity for the car buyer and advertising stickers on the buyer's car for the electric company. Uniformity of the contract is beneficial for everyone and this uniformity is best reached by planning and negotiation.
Project eCars - Now! will bring electric cars to market: we are asking the question that will transform to real demand. We will refine the supply further and create the marketplace and the operational models that are needed for buying an electric car. Without that the project will buy, sell or convert any cars at all (excluding the prototypes).
8. Public and uniform right to purchase
eCars - Now! won't exclude anyone from purchasing parts, service or complete cars. Nobody will get discounts and nobody will pay higher price. The bulk discounts are used in the project purchasing but bulk discounts aren't allowed in sales. The product and service prices are separated from the delivery expenses that vary by area and delivery quantities.
9. No exclusive rights or contracts
An unified contract can be negotiated for example with the electric companies, like the example in chapter 7 shows.
The results of negotiations between the project and the partners aren't binding. The binding contracts are made between the private person purchasing the electric car and the producers of goods and services.
The following leads to situation that exclusive rights and contracts that exclude a third party are not possible in the project.
10. Project timeline
There are public and announced goals in the project: 500 converted cars, first deliveries before the end of year 2008. Nevertheless, nobody gets fired if the goal isn't met. Nobody loses their bonus. We are, of course, carrying the flag of electric vehicles in more general sense, meaning that if we fail, it might have broader repercussions for the future of the electric cars. If the expected quality won't bet met, it will be a pity, but not the end of the project. Nobody would take back the invested capital because there aren't any (*)
(*) This has to be reformulated now that Fortum has donated € 30000 for this project.
11. Project goals
The immediate goal of the project is to get cheap electric cars for those who want them, by converting internal combustion engine (ICE) cars or by adding the electricity parts to a chassis of a new car, if some car manufacturer would make such contract with us.
The parallel goal of the project is to enable the group orders of the new electric cars (Th!nk for example).
An additional goal of the project is to provide for electric cars the best possible environment in infrastructure and economic stimulants.
The long term goal of the project is to quicken the arrival of industrially manufactured electric car by showing an example that the electric car is more competitive than ICE car in many areas.
Expanded goals of the project might be a) making the project permanent b) expanding the conversions for new car models and c) spreading mass conversion operation to other countries. Project might also aim for global group purchases if there are enough partners and the logistic and administrative problems can be solved.
The deeper goal of the project is to cut down emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides and small particles and lower atmosphere ozone. These are used partly to control the climate change and to prevent hundreds of thousands of early deaths and respiratory organ illnesses.
The project can also be seen as a milestone of consumer driven networking, illustrator of the free information exchange efficiency (and the fun of it!) and as a part of global environmental movement.
12. Secret master plan
Mass production of electric cars will push the ICE powered leaf blowers out of existence! ;)
