DANVILLE — It’s a no-brainer. Talk to folks who drive electric vehicles (EVs), and they’ll say it will be no time soon, if ever, before they go back to fossil-fuel-powered ones.
It was the impression of people who gathered at Marty’s First Stop in Danville on Saturday morning for an EV parade and EVenture. Put on by Green Mountain Power Corporation (GMPC), the Danville Energy Committee and the Northeastern Vermont Development Association, some 25 EVs pulled into Marty’s First Stop on Route 2 after driving in a caravan around town.
“What’s really exciting is that there are so many new models of electric vehicles coming out now,” said Kristin Kelly of GMPC. “There’s so much choice for customers, and more and more people are choosing to drive electric and switching away from fossil fuels.
“It’s really important because the top source of carbon emissions in the state of Vermont is driving with fossil fuels,” she said. “So the biggest thing you can do if you want to reduce your carbon footprint, is switch to driving electric.”
It didn’t take Ben Reed, of St. Johnsbury, long to become convinced. He’s been driving a Tesla Model Y since last November. “Love it, it’s the best vehicle I’ve ever had,” he said. “One of the things I like best about it is, I have a gas station at my house, only it’s in the form of a charger.”
“I drive around a lot for my job, so that at the end of the week [with a gas car], I might have to go fill it up at a gas station to have a full tank in the morning. Now I don’t ever have to do that, so I save tons of time.” In terms of impact on his electric bill, “in the busiest month it’s about $50, but in those months I also would’ve spent $200 on gas,” he said. His EV also has a lot of ground clearance, a helpful factor on dirt roads, he added.
The Energy Action Network recently released a report, Kelly said, “and they found that rural Vermonters save money with an electric vehicle because there’s very little maintenance, there no engine to maintain … so over the life of the vehicle you save a lot of money, thousands of dollars.” Charging up a vehicle, she noted, is the equivalent of about one dollar for a gallon of gas. There are various levels of chargers, she added; some can charge a battery “in a matter of minutes,” while others can take four to 12 hours.
A fully-charged Chevy Bolt has about a 250-mile range, while some Tesla models have a range of 300 miles, Kristin said.
One EV that drew a lot of attention was a dark red, all-wheel-drive Ford Mustang Mach E, with a range of some 250 miles. “I’ve had it since the beginning of March, and I’m thrilled with it,” said owner Alice Kitchel. “I wouldn’t have cared [what it looked like], I was looking for an all electric, all-wheel-drive car, and look what I got. The first hot car I’ve ever owned,” she said with a laugh, at the same time touting the great acceleration of the car.
Martin Maitner has had three EVs over the last eight years. He had 2013 and 2016 Nissan Leaf models, and now drives a newer-model Leaf. “I’ll never go back,” he said. “You put winter tires on and it’s perfect. I find you really don’t need all-wheel drive. The battery being where it is under the seats, in a kind of skateboard type of design … the center of gravity being so low, makes the car really well-planted in winter conditions.”
More and more places of business are installing chargers, including Marty’s, which has Level 2 and fast-charging outlets. Various apps show where public charging facilities can be found, Kelly pointed out.
Ford F150s will soon have an electric option, “and we’re even getting electric trucks for our line workers, the heavy-duty ones that you see,” she said, as part of a GMPC pilot program.
There are numerous programs and incentives being offered by GMPC and auto dealerships, to inform potential customers of the benefits of EVs, “including our rebate, free charger, and discount charging rate. All of our programs are designed to lower costs for all customers,” Kelly emphasized. More information about this is at greenmountainpower.com/rebates-programs/electric-vehicles/
“It’s an exciting time,” she added. “People are curious about electric vehicles and they want to know more.”