Can you feel the electricity?
Westport already boasts 19 electric car public charging stations. You’ll find them at places like the train stations, library, Town Hall and Staples High School. Many are solar-powered.
Now — as the Westport Electric Car Club plans its 5th annual Electric Car Rally — it’s gearing up for a new addition: electric bicycles.
In addition to the usual 35-40 mile event for Teslas, Chevy Volts and Bolts and the rest, this year’s rally — set for next Sunday (May 7), has a separate course for bike riders.
You don’t even need to own one. Several are available for a $25 rental fee (call Pedego Electric Bikes at 203-354-9333 to reserve one).
The rally starts and finishes at the Westport train station New Haven side (near both charging stations and Donut Crazy). Registration, driver instructions and a continental breakfast are at 10 a.m.; the rally starts at 11 and ends at 1 p.m. There’s a $50 entry fee for both cars and bikes.
Robin Tauck (center) lent selectmen Jim Marpe and Avi Kaner (left) her 2 electric vehicles at an earlier Electric Car rally. Kaner liked driving it so much, he bought this Tesla. On the right is Westport Electric Car Club president Leo Cirino.
The rally course winds through the back roads of Fairfield County. Though the course is secret until registration, it includes a pit stop at the Wilton Green, for that town’s Go Green Festival.
Bikes have a separate, shorter course.
Spectators are invited to view EVs before or after the rally. Test drives are available afterward.
Charge!
(For more information, click here. For a registration form, click here. Questions? Email WestportElectricCarClub@gmail.com)
Dan, caption on that picture is incorrect, the number refers to the battery size, and there is no 35, so it’s most likely a P85D. Also the actual model name is Tesla Model S. It’s like saying “this is the Nissan 3.5 SL” and showing a picture of an Altima, P85D is a trim level of that model, not the model name itself.
Sorry for being pedantic…
Thanks, Brian. I’ll change it right now!
Electric Cars reduex, the battery breakthrough has not really been invented, yet. In a State with among the highest electric bills in the nation, I don’t get the practicality. Tesla will not have a resale value in a couple of years. Like my T-bird, it’s a pretty a toy. Yet somehow their electric bill is sponsored by us /government and yet each electric car makes their own unique charging cable that is not compatible by any other electric car. Would it be so hard to agree on one or two compatible systems. I suspect one of our kids in a garage will invent the battery that will power the future. Come on science!
Every electric car in the US can use the J1772 charging standard plug. http://m.eet.com/media/1200053/sae-j1772c.jpg
What kind of bicycle is the electric “bike” supposed to replace? As an avid cyclist (more so in the past than in the present), I found cycling to be a wonderful form of exercise. Cars are for transportation, and the electric car will reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. An electric bicycle will get you there faster, but without the benefits of exercise or the pleasure of breathing in fresh air and seeing the countryside at close hand. Or — are the electric “bikes” a replacement for mopeds?