Felix Kramer, the founder of the California Cars Initiative, takes solar power seriously: He was the first owner in the world of a plug-in hybrid car, and this week his family became the first consumer household to own two new plug-in vehicles, a Chevrolet Volt and a Nissan Leaf. Kramer sat down with the Solar Home & Business Journal for an interview in which he talked about his commitment to solar power and his hopes for the domestic adoption of policies that further Americans' use of renewable energies.
Since he received his Chevrolet Volt in December, Kramer has logged 2,200 miles on the electric vehicle, affirming that he has made "two long trips from the Bay area to Lake Tahoe without refueling, something that never could have been done by a plug-in before."
Moreover, Kramer contends that the Volt is "a great car to drive too." Kramer asserts "it's fun, peppy, with a lot of advanced technology features." The Nissan Leaf, which is the Japanese automaker's answer to the Volt, is designed differently from the Volt, but in the few weeks Kramer has had it, he says he's noticed that its design is "more conscious of finding every single way to save energy because every bit of energy is precious."
Kramer said he will shift driving the two cars with his wife, but so far he is pleased with what advancements in clean technology have brought to the automobile industry.
California State University Bakersfield recently joined a growing number of colleges and universities throughout the U.S. that have invested in solar technology: The school's dean flipped on a 1.2-megawatt solar parking canopy on its campus on Wednesday. 
