Green Car Institute was founded by Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal. Ever since this publication began reporting on activities in this field in 1992, it was evident that industry and government efforts to develop and commercialize electric, hybrid, alternative fuel, and cleaner-running gasoline and diesel vehicles would be successful only if consumers understood the benefits of these advanced technologies. Simply, potential buyers needed to become comfortable with these advanced technology vehicles before they would be willing to buy them in significant numbers. Green Car Institute was founded in 1999 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit California corporation with the goal of educating both the public and the media in an effort to overcome obstacles to these vehicles’ commercialization.
Ron Cogan
Ron Cogan, president of the Green Car Institute, has been involved in the auto industry for 30 years. His extensive knowledge of this industry, combined with his environmental acumen, has been of value to the Green Car mission for more than a decade. That mission includes educating consumers, the media, and the industry on the benefits of environmentally conscious vehicles and technologies.
Cogan is additionally editor and publisher of the award-winning Green Car Journal and Green Car Industry Newsletter, as well as chief executive officer of the Green Car Group, an organization that specializes in the interaction of automobiles and the environment.
Cogan's perspective on the environmental side of the auto industry has been read for years in such publications as Motor Trend, Popular Science, and other consumer magazines. He directed the launch of seven special-interest magazines at the former Petersen Publishing Company (now Primedia) and served on the staff of Motor Trend, where he was the staff specialist on advanced technology and alternative fuel vehicles.
Recognized as an authority in the environmental auto industry, Cogan is often sought out for his views on "green" car issues and to lend his analysis of breaking news in this field. He has been quoted as an expert source by international publications, wire services, radio, and television, appearing in such noted media outlets as the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and San Jose Mercury News, as well as appearances on CNBC and NBC.
Cogan was instrumental in producing the Automobiles and the Environment conferences at the Greater L.A. Auto Show and Environmental Technology Expositions at the Society of Environmental Journalists national conventions.
A proponent of alternative energy and low emission technologies, Cogan limits his automotive work to "green" programs that work toward energy efficiency and lessening the automobile's impact on the environment.
