Page 14 - WCM 2019 Winter

to support efforts like CEBE’s Western Maine charging network. EVs are a perfect fit with renewable energy,”
he added. Barry has also been intimately involved with plans for expanding a fast-charging network throughout the state utilizing funds from the VW Clean Air Act Settlement. Maine has been allocated over $20 million from the fund, $3 million of which is dedicated to EV charging. These funds will be dispersed through Efficien- cy Maine. Their phase one plans show two main corri- dors bisecting Western Maine on routes 302 and 2, with potentially more to come along the Route 26 corridor. These will help connect coastal Maine and urban areas to the south, with the Canadian province of Quebec, which hosts a very robust EV charging network, and sends lots of visitors our way. It will also be a great complement to local charging already in place.
With all that has been done to advance the prospects
of electric mobility in our rural part of the state, many realize that we are just scratching the surface. Sitting behind the wheel of a late model Tesla, with nothing but a flat screen on the dash, and watching it drive itself down the road, one cannot help but imagine a day when this new breed of vehicle will be fully autonomous, charge itself on renewable energy with no plugs or wires, and pick us up and deliver us as needed. When that
day comes, it will be that much more ecological and enjoyable to cruise the highways and byways of Maine’s beautiful West Coast. ❧
Fred Garbo
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West Coast Maine global correspondents Tony Giambro and Fred Garbo found this futuristic EV at EVS 31 in Kobe, Japan, this past October. “Japan was awesome, with a crazy number of EV chargers on the mainland. Puts the U.S. to shame!” reported Giambro. The intrepid duo weathered a typhoon, which postponed the conference and shut down the subway in Kobe for the first time ever. “The event hosts and speakers did not hold back from connecting the typhoon and four or five others major storms that hit them this year to climate change, and touted EVs as part of the solution” he added.
“What I love about my Tesla is that it is forward thinking. It is innovative, environmentally progres- sive, and epitomizes a sense of safety and comfort.” ~Nancy V. Drew, Norway, Tesla Model S