The Mast-Head: Town Plugs In
As the driver of an electric car, it was exciting to learn this week that the Town of East Hampton had installed its first charging station. An open house of sorts is planned for tomorrow morning at 9 to introduce it to the public. Buzz Chew Chevrolet and Tesla Motors are expected to send vehicles over and representatives ready to answer questions.
Not that I have the time, but I’d be happy to head over there to gab about my vehicle, a Chevrolet Volt leased as more of an experiment than anything. At the dealership when I was checking out the models, a salesman said Volt drivers were like a cult. He was right. This isn’t the first time I’ve written about my new car, and I have to admit that I find myself jabbering about the thing at the slightest provocation.
Having driven it for going on two months now, I have begun to get a feel for it. With a relatively fast outdoor power supply installed at the Star office, I can recharge the batteries to full between the time I get to work and my break for lunch. This is enough for about 40 miles before the small on-board gas generator kicks in.
On a recent weekend trip to Massachusetts of about 500 miles, between the battery power and gas, I averaged 39.8 miles per gallon. Had I had the time to plug in at stations like the one now behind Town Hall, the mileage would have been significantly more impressive.
There is a lot to learn, that’s for sure.
ChargePoint, the system into which the town’s new plug-in is tied, lists stations on its website, as do a number of apps. Some of the hookups charge a fee; others are free. It remains to be seen what the town board decides to do about that. Here at The Star, as soon as we work out some access issues, I hope to invite other electric vehicle drivers to top up, perhaps for subscribers only or by donation to Meals on Wheels or another local charity.
I suspect that the town’s station is only the first of what will be a trend among public entities, including schools and libraries, to get aboard the electric train, so to speak. The more all of us can do to cut back on fossil fuel use and tailpipe emissions, the better off we will all be.