30 EVs Parade from Westport to Fairfield

On a glorious early fall day, the EV Club of CT in partnership with the Sustainable Fairfield Task Force held an EV parade from Westport to Fairfield, concluding with an EV showcase.

The parade was born one year ago as a way to hold an in-person event that would be safe during a pandemic. This year, the environment is somewhat better and we added a showcase as another outdoor event. This past weekend was the concluding weekend of National Drive Electric Week and a full slate of showcases and speaking events was held throughout the state. The EV Club participated as an exhibitor or speaker in several.

The Westport Police escorted the parade with their Tesla Model 3 police cruiser.

The police brought 3 of their plug-in vehicles, including a Prius Prime used for parking enforcement, and their newest addition, a Honda Clarity (above), used by the detectives.

There were three of the new Mustang Mach-E’s in the parade.

Westport Second Selectman, Jen Tooker, and Representative Jonathan Steinberg were on hand in Westport to kick off the parade.

In the photos below…

Bob Laravie returned this year with his replica 1903 Baker Torpedo. The car is able to be driven and was in the parade. The Torpedo was one of the fastest cars of its time, capable of traveling in excess of 75 MPH. It was the first car to have seat belts.

Barry Kresch and Analiese Paik are in front of the Proterra electric transit bus that belongs to Greater Bridgeport Transit. It is too small to see, but they are holding postcards urging legislators to support the Transportation Climate Initiative in the special session of the legislature.

There have always been a lot of reasons to support TCI but now there is a new and important one. If the Infrastructure and Reconciliation bills pass in Congress, there are a lot of federal funds that will come with state matching requirements. The proceeds from the carbon auction could be used for this match. In other words, TCI could be used to leverage a greater share of available federal dollars. Please contact your state representatives and tell them to support TCI now.

Tesla Tech Enables Innovative Solutions to Law Enforcement Customization

The Westport Police were out in front of the market when they acquired a Model 3 for patrol car duty in December 2019.

What is becoming apparent is that their diligence and attention to detail placed them further ahead than others who made a similar move after they did.

Case in point – how does one handle the police electronics. In a conventional ICE police car, the vehicle is equipped with a heavy-duty alternator. The Tesla doesn’t have an alternator – what to do?

One option, as was done with a Model Y that went into service this past July in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is to add a second 12-volt battery. This photo was published in DriveElectricCanada.ca. It shows the additional battery parked tidily in the frunk.

While that works, a more elegant solution was arrived at in Westport, which was to wire the police electronics directly into the large battery. The police report this being a trivial drain. It required the police and Whelen Engineering working with Tesla to do some recoding to make it happen.

The point is that there is a lot there when it comes to the potential to re-purposing the native tech in a Tesla. Westport has also been able to incorporate some of the camera and computing power into the license plate reader.

We don’t know how widely this knowledge about these opportunities to lower the cost of customization is being disseminated, though the Westport Police have more than done their part in terms of being generous with their time and sharing what they have learned.

The police have the approval for another electric patrol car, which will most likely be the Model Y.

Model 3 to Lead EV Parade

Officer Charles Sampson, who was the project leader for the Tesla patrol car, will be driving the Model 3 as the escort for the EV parade on October 2nd. There will be an opportunity to check out the vehicle before the start of the parade. The parade departs from the Westport Train Station at 10 AM. Registration is still open at https://bit.ly/GreenWheels

Drivers should arrive between 9 and 9:30 to give us time to organize.

Numerous EV Models Appear in Parade

30 EVs participated in this parade, a joint effort between the EV Club of CT and the Sustainable Fairfield Task Force. Parade participation was capped at this number to avoid being overly disruptive to local traffic

There was one novelty vehicle, a 1903 Baker replica. In its day, the Baker was quite the speedster, topping at about 48 MPH. It is a reminder that electricity was the dominant mode of energizing cars around the turn of the previous century.

The parade followed a roughly 25-mile route, beginning at the Westport Metro-North Depot, where the proceedings were kicked off by Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe. The route headed north up Imperial Avenue, jagged over Jesup to then proceed up Main Street, looping around Avery and Myrtle, and taking a left onto the Post Rd. heading East. There it stayed until hitting downtown Fairfield, where it veered off to Old Town Hall and concluded with  a second brief ceremony with Fairfield officials.

Throughout the event, masking was required and social distancing was observed.

Escorting the parade was the Westport Police Tesla Model 3 that has been fully outfitted as a police cruiser.

Deliveries of the newest Tesla Model, the “Y”, have been coming into CT, and this was one of 4 appearing in the parade.

This Toyota Prius Prime, a plug-in hybrid, is one of four plug-in vehicles currently in use by the Westport Police and it was the rear bookend of the parade.

EV Parade to be Part of Green Wheels Expo

The EV Club and Sustainable Fairfield Task Force have partnered for National Drive Electric Week events, including an EV Parade. (The parade is currently fully subscribed.)

Parade Details:

Date: Sunday, September 27th

Time: Check-in is at 9:30 AM. The parade begins at 10:00 AM. It will last for approximately 1 hour.

Route: It begins at the Westport Metro-North Depot, New Haven-bound side. The route goes north through downtown Westport, then east on the Post Road, and ends at Old Town Hall in Fairfield.

We wish to thank all of the public officials who are supporting this event. Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe will give remarks pre-rally at the train station. Fairfield Selectwoman Nancy Lefkowitz will speak at the parade terminus at Old Town Hall. Westport Chief of Police, Foti Koskinas, will provide the parade escort in the Tesla Model 3 police cruiser. Two other WPD cars, a BMW i3 and a Toyota Prius Prime, will also be along for the ride. WPD and the Fairfield PD have worked together to coordinate.

There will also be virtual events, including an interview with EVangelist Jay Leno (yes, that Jay Leno!).