Page 11 - WCM 2019 Winter

Scott Vlaun
This charging site Norway boasts three stations, and solar panels on the adjacent public kiosk offset the cost of electric usage to the town.
With each of these events, more people in the area have been switching over to electric vehicles, especially in two-car families, where they can still maintain an ICE car for long trips. With all those electric cars on the road, CEBE saw the need for more chargers, and their funder agreed. The organization has now installed 15 level 2 chargers in the area, creating a network stretch- ing from Bethel to Poland, and Buckfield to Fryeburg. Complementing the few existing charging opportunities in the area, it has created a safety net for EV drivers.
Skiers and boarders will be delighted to find level 2 charging at both Mt Abram and Shawnee Peak, as well as places to plug into level 1 chargers at Sunday River. As of this writing, only Tesla drivers have access to charging at Sugarloaf, but we expect that to change soon. Thanks to CEBE and Garbo-Kane, Roberts Farm Preserve in Norway boasts what might be the first public off-grid charger in the state, where cross country skiers can add
a few miles of range on a sunny day. Visitors and locals alike are increasingly finding Western Maine’s foothills region to be a range anxiety-free zone.
Second Generation
and the Used EV Market
When Fred Garbo got that first Nissan Leaf, he would have been lucky to go 75 miles on a charge, especially in winter when battery efficiency drops. He’ll tell stories
of driving in a down jacket, with a blanket over his legs, to avoid draining the battery to run the heater, and elaborate schemes with extensions cords to put on a few miles of range to make it home. The new crop of EVs has significantly greater range than those early models. The 2019 Leaf offers a version that will go up to 225 miles on
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“Besides the fact that the car will pay itself off in gas savings alone within 3 years, it saves me from the cringe I used to feel while driving my gas vehicle, know- ing the true costs. I feel better about driving again!”
~ Katey Bessey, Sumner, Nissan Leaf
“I love that I don’t have to do any maintenance on the car. I drive it ten thousand miles a year, and it only costs me about 30 dollars a month to charge.”
~ Danny Whittemore, South Paris, Nissan Leaf