Please join the EV Club of CT there! 

Visit our EV showcase featuring a Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model 3 and more in the parking lot. Come inside – it’s free – to visit us at our exhibitor table where we are part of the Sustainne https://sustainne.com/zone featuring an immersive sustainable living experience.

We look forward to offering you the opportunity to learn from enthusiastic EV owners about how easy and fun it is to drive an EV, and get your questions answeredabout safety, charging, servicing and more as we lounge in the Conversation Zone filled with comfy furniture courtesy of The Junkluggers.

Sustainne is a proud sponsor and Green Partner! The Junkluggers is a Silver Sponsor and is hosting the Conversation Zone to foster dialog around zero waste and sustainable living. Bring your used textiles to recycle on the Bay State Textiles truck and junk to recycle on The Junkluggers truck (first 100 guests only).

Bring the whole family to enjoy Sustainne’s immersive sustainable living experience featuring a zero waste tiny home, zero waste tiny greenhouse, a raised bed with edible crops, a chicken coop, a composting system, beehive, a rainwater harvesting system, an electric scooter, rescued and upcycled furniture and art and more!

MISSION:

The Zero Waste Faire is a special event designed to educate, inspire, entertain, and engage the town of Wilton and neighboring communities about zero waste living. With your participation, this event will be even more dynamic than last year’s, which received broad accolades, featured over 100 exhibitors, and had an attendance of over 1000 people of all ages from CT, NY and MA.

Pre-election candidates debate.

Organized by the Westport Green Task Force, these are the logistics:

Thursday, November 1st, 2018

7p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

EARTHPLACE, THE NATURE DISCOVERY CENTER

10 WOODSIDE LANE, WESTPORT, CT

Hear what the candidates have to say about environmental issues, policies, and plans that affect Westport and CT.

State Senate District 26:

Senator Toni Boucher (R) vs William Haskell (D)

State Senate District 28:

Senator Tony Hwang (R) vs Michelle Lapine McCabe (D)

State House District 136:

Representative Jonathan Steinberg (D) vs. Greg Kraut (R)

(Note: Mr. Kraut declined to participate)

State House District 143:

Representative Gail Lavielle (R) vs Stephanie Thomas (D)

Do you have questions you want to have answered?

Submit them to gtf@westportct.gov

The club supports various EV showcase events as they have been a proven way to spread the word about EVs.

Attendees from the general public who are interested in EVs can have a conversation with an owner about their real-life experience owning a plug-in vehicle and not be in a pressured sales environment. It is ideal for someone who is anywhere from early in the learning curve to the point where they may be focusing on the fine points between a couple of vehicles they have narrowed their search to as they get close to making a purchase decision. Customer experiences at dealerships (excluding Tesla) can vary wildly, with some dealerships embracing EVs and having a knowledgeable staff to others which can be indifferent or hostile. This is a great way to arm oneself with important knowledge. These events are also a great way to interact with media or politicians who are often present.

Our experience as EV-owners at numerous events of this nature is that most people still don’t know much about EVs or the types of models available.

WE SEEK EV-OWNER CLUB MEMBERS to bring their EVs to one or more of these events. Please email WestportEVClub@gmail.com if you are interested in participating. We will follow up with details.

AVANGRID COMPANY FAIR

Expected attendance ~400. This is a fair for Avangrid employees. Avangrid has recently been buying Chevy Bolts to use for their corporate fleet. The CEO will give a short talk on the advantages of EVs from a corporate perspective.

TIME/LOCATION – Tuesday, August 7, 11:30 AM – 2 PM. The event will be held at Avangrid HQ at 180 Marsh Hill Road, Orange, CT.

There is a barbecue and attendees will be served lunch. This is a short lead time. RSVP by Friday, August 3 if interested.

NATIONAL DRIVE ELECTRIC WEEK

The club is participating in the local NDEW event in Fairfield. This is a combo EV Showcase and Ride and Drives. There is a mix of EV owners as well as dealers who participate. The Ride and Drives are only done by the dealers. There will also be speakers. Turnout at these events has been good, both from the perspective of EV owners and spectators. EV owners can come for just a part of it. Those interested, please register here

TIME/LOCATION – Saturday, September 8, 10 AM – 2 PM. Fairfield Warde High School (under the new solar carports), 755 Melville Avenue, Fairfield, CT

CLIMATE REALITY PRESENTATION + EV EVENT

Club board member Dawn Henry will be giving the latest iteration of the Climate Reality Presentation (the Al Gore slide show). She is a certified presenter. Following the CR presentation, there will be a talk about EV basics followed by an EV showcase.

TIME/LOCATION – Thursday, September 20, 4:30 PM – 7 PM. Westport Senior Center, 21 Imperial Avenue, Westport, CT

SUSTAINABLE LIVING EXPO

Expected attendance ~1000. There is an EV showcase that is held in conjunction with this event.

TIME/LOCATION – Saturday, October 13, 12 PM – 2 PM. Stepping Stones Museum, Norwalk, CT.

A ribbon-cutting for the largest cluster of charging stations in Connecticut will be hosted by the Electric Vehicle Club of Connecticut, Connecticut Fund for the Environment, and the Connecticut Electric Vehicle Coalition on June 13, 2018, at 5:00 PM in Hartford. This event is open to the general public.

777 Main Street in Hartford is a LEED Certified Platinum building with 285 apartments and 40,000 square feet of commercial space. The development includes a total of 29 EV chargers: six Tesla superchargers, eight Tesla destination chargers, eight Clipper Creek level 2 chargers, and six level 2 and one level 3 DC SAE combo ChargePoint chargers.

A reception and panel discussion of EV policy in the Penthouse of 777 Main will follow, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. Moderator and panelists:

• Claire Coleman – Energy and Environment Attorney at CT Fund for the Environment
• Matt Macunas – Legislative Liaison and EV Policy Specialist at CT Green Bank
• Kerri Enright Kato – Director of DEEP’s Office of Climate Change
• Emily Lewis – Policy Analyst at The Acadia Center

Subject to interest and time, an EV “ride and drive” will be available. An array of new electric vehicles are expected, including BMW, Nissan, Chevrolet, Tesla, and Honda.

About 777 Main

777 Main was designed and developed by Becker and Becker. Principal Bruce Becker, also the president of the Electric Vehicle Club of CT, stated, “80% of EV charging is done at home. Residents of apartments and condos typically have less access to charging, which is a significant barrier to ownership for a lot of people, especially in cities. The ambitious emission-reduction goals set by the state underscore the importance of increasing the number of EVs from the 6,264 registered as of March. This project in Hartford, CT serves as an example for adding charging features in housing developments as an impetus to accelerate EV adoption.”

First Tesla Model 3 in CT

Westport Electric Car Club Member Bruce Becker is the recipient of the first Model 3 from Tesla to be delivered to Connecticut. As an existing (or should we say pre-existing) Tesla owner of a Model S, along with an early dive into the packed reservation queue, Becker was able to land his prize. The only way to have gotten it sooner would have been to be a Tesla employee. As of the end of January, Tesla had only delivered 3,647 units of the Model 3 with a backlog of over 400,000 non-binding reservations.

A gathering at the charging stations outside of Staples High School in Westport brought a number of onlookers and local officials. The timing is propitious as the CT State Legislature has just convened it’s “short session.” There will be another push to pass legislation that would allow Tesla to open stores in Connecticut, which is one of only a handful of states that do not permit this. As a result, CT residents have to travel to neighboring states to purchase, depriving CT of millions in lost tax revenues, not to mention the economic activity that would result from Tesla investing in facilities and hiring locally, and not to mention that Tesla manufacturers clean transportation vehicles in the USA.

The Westport Electric Car Club has started a petition to tell our legislators to support this legislation. It is easy to virtually support this effort. Just text “EV CT” to 52886.

Bruce Becker, Model 3 Owner. Yes, that’s a BMW i8 in the back/center (Photo: Barry Kresch for WECC)

Details

Becker described the Model 3 as providing an exceptional driving experience, smooth, quiet, responsive, more fun even than his Model S.

 Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe was checking out the goods. (Photo: Barry Kresch for WECC)

View of the trunk and panoramic glass roof. (Photo: Barry Kresch for WECC)

Here is the “frunk.” No engine = more storage. (Photo: Barry Kresch for WECC)

All of the controls are part of the screen. Otherwise, the dash is a clean laminated strip, partly visible here between the screen and the steering wheel. (Photo: Barry Kresch for WECC)

Please support our petition. The legislature is on a short timeline to act and now is the time to be heard.

National Drive Electric Week

The 2017 Drive Electric Week is coming up next month (September 9-17) and will be celebrated locally with an event in Fairfield on Saturday, September 9 from 10 AM to 2 PM. This is one of the larger EV showcases in the area with approximately 50 EVs exhibited from both dealers and private owners. New models of battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are being introduced at an increasing rate and this is a great opportunity to see many of them.

The event location is the Auxiliary Commuter Parking Lot, 140 Mill Plain Road across from the Sportsplex@Fairfield.

Electric bikes welcome, too!

Drive Electric Week is presented by Plug In America, the Sierra Club, and the Electric Auto Association.

The event is free.

2017 EV Rally

Our 2017 EV Road Rally was enjoyed by all participants this past Sunday, May 7. The rally covered roughly 30 miles, beginning and ending at the Westport/Saugatuck Metro-North Train Depot with a mid-point stop at the Wilton Go Green Fair.

These were the EV models spotted in the rally:

Tesla Model S

Tesla Model X

Chevrolet Bolt

Chevrolet Volt

VW eGolf

Mercedes S550e

BMW i3

Ford C-Max Energi

Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Joining us as a sponsor was Pedego Electric Bikes.

Videos from older rallies.

The EV Club began doing EV Road Rallies in 2013, which, at the time, was the first EV rally to have been held in Connecticut. Below are links to videos from the 2014 rally:

Rally overview

Time-lapse video of rally route

5th Annual EV Road Rally

The 5th annual Westport Electric Car Club EV Road Rally will include electric bikes courtesy of an arrangement with Pedego Electric Bikes of Norwalk.

In past years a number of newly introduced EVs have participated in the rally such as last year with a Tesla Model X and the second generation Chevrolet Volt. This year’s rally will include the Chevrolet Bolt, one of the first to be seen in Connecticut. The 5th annual Westport Electric Car Club EV Road Rally will include electric bikes courtesy of an arrangement with Pedego Electric Bikes of Norwalk. In past years a number of newly introduced EVs have participated in the rally such as last year with a Tesla Model X and the second generation Chevrolet Volt. This year’s rally will include the Chevrolet Bolt, one of the first to be seen in Connecticut.

Rally Details:

Entry Fee: $50 (car or bike)

Bike Rental Fee: $25

Location: Start and finish at Westport/Saugatuck Metro-North Station (New Haven-bound side)

Time:

Registration and driver check-in is at 10:00 AM

The rally starts at 11:00 AM

Finish approximately 1:00 PM

Coffee served at the start of the rally.

There will be an en-route stop in Wilton at the Wilton Go Green Festival.

As in past years, our rally master will devise a 35-40 mile course winding through the back roads of Fairfield County. There will be a separate, shorter course for the bikes. IT IS REQUIRED THAT ALL DRIVERS HAVE A NAVIGATOR. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ONE, CONTACT THE CLUB AND WE WILL FIND ONE FOR YOU. Bike riders will follow a lead bicycle.

EV Test Drives available at the conclusion of the rally.

Food available.

Families welcome!

2015 Recap

2015 has been a great year for our EV Club. From our third annual EV Road Rally to winning multiple awards to the productive relationships that have been developed with other environmental organizations, local officials, and businesses, a lot has been accomplished and provides us with a running start toward 2016. These are some of the highlights:

                                     THIRD ANNUAL EV ROAD RALLY

Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe waves the green checkered flags signifying the start of the road rally.

The third annual Westport Electric Car Club Road Rally was held under crystal clear blue skies on May 3, 2015. This year the club partnered with the Wilton GoGreen organization and the rally finish line was at their Green Festival. The rally for 2016 has been scheduled for Sunday, May 1. It will commence at the Saugutuck Metro North Railroad depot as in the past. Other details will be forthcoming early next year. SAVE THE DATE! 

                                                                   AWARDS

Our EV club was given three awards this year and we are grateful to have been appreciated by these organizations.

Lime Rock

In August, the club participated for the second consecutive year at the Lime Rock Historic Fest and was given a Best in Show Award.

 Award given to the WECC for its exhibit at Lime Rock Park. (Photo: Barry Kresch)

WeGreen Westport Award

Our EV Club was one of the recipients of the 2015 WeGreen Westport awards, given by the Westport Green Task Force.

The presentation of the award by First Selectman Jim Marpe to club president Leo Cirino, pictured here with club member Barry Kresch. (Photo: Westport Electric Car Club)

Text of the certificate (Photo: Westport Electric Car Club)

The WeGreen awards go to community organizations that contribute to the sustainability efforts in our community.

Green Coast Award

The WECC was given a Green Coast Award from the Conscious Decisions organization for its role in promoting environmentally responsible transportation.

Leo Cirino is pictured above holding the certificate for the Green Coast Award at the Taylor Park Green Festival. (Photo: Barry Kresch)

Gen 2 Chevy Volt

The club continues to work with local businesses and organizations.

One of the major EV introductions this year was the Gen 2 Chevy Volt. The club was invited to see a prototype at the Karl Chevrolet dealership in New Canaan, CT. The arrow points to one of the innovations of the Gen 2 Volt, which is an indentation along the side/top of the body to improve aerodynamic flow.

Karl Chevrolet offers club members a discount on the purchase of plug-in vehicles. Contact us for details.

In 2016, club members will be eligible to become members at the Tri-Town Teachers Federal Credit Union and their offerings of numerous no-fee banking services. The TTFCU is located on Jessup Road with two solar-powered level 2 charging stations adjacent. More detail on that coming in January.

The town added one additional public charging station in 2015, a second unit in the back of Town Hall on Myrtle Avenue. Both are level 2 and are free to use. There are now a total of 10 public charging stations in town. Aside from the TTTFCU and Town Hall, the others are at the Saugatuck Metro-North depot (four solar-powered level 1 chargers) and the Green’s Farms Metro-North station (two level 2 chargers). At the risk of repetition, all of these charging stations are free, though railroad parking regulations apply at Saugatuck and Green’s Farms.

We look forward to an exciting and productive 2016 and wish everyone a healthy and happy Holiday Season. Cheers!

Lime Rock Gathering of the Marques

The Westport Electric Car Club is poised to participate for the second successive year at the Lime Rock Historic Fest and the Gathering of the Marques on Sunday, September 6. The club will again exhibit the 1898 Riker electric car from Dragone Classic Motors, along with EVs owned by club members.

Miggs Burroughs did a great poster for us this year. We hope to see EV owners and other interested people at Lime Rock!