Electric Vehicles

Benefits

One of the strategies of the Climate Action Plan is to examine the possibility of setting up some electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in town. To help mitigate the costs, the Town will apply for grant funding to implement this project.

Why choose an electric vehicle:

  1. Affordability. Electric companies offer a rate plan for vehicle charging that makes charging your EV cheaper than filling it up with traditional gasoline or diesel fuel.
  2. Environmental impact. Over its entire lifetime, an EV creates fewer emissions than its gas-powered alternatives even when the EV’s power comes from a coal-dominated power grid. 
  3. Energy independence. EVs can cut the US’s oil consumption by 1.5 million barrels a day by 2035 which will contribute towards lowering our nation’s reliance on foreign oil.
  4. Lower cost of ownership. While the base price of an EV straight off the lot is generally more expensive than a base-level ICE car, the maintenance costs for EVs are far less than those of ICE cars.  

Types of Cars


  • Hybrid vehicle - This type of car has both an internal combustion engine and a small battery. The car runs solely on gasoline and the small battery is powered by regenerative braking. You do not need to plug the car in.
  • Plug in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) - PHEVs have a much larger battery capacity than hybrid vehicles. Although they also have an internal combustion engine, these vehicles can run solely on their battery and have a range of 30-50 miles. The battery is recharged by plugging it in.
  • Electric Vehicle (EV) - This type of vehicle does not have an internal combustion engine and runs solely on battery power. Its range is usually between 100-250 miles. To recharge the battery, users must plug into a recharge station and full recharge can take between 2-12 hours depending on charging level and amount of power left.

Read about EV charging types here.