Electric Vehicle Showcase Review
From August 8th through October 3rd, Winneshiek Energy District presented a Electric Vehicle Showcase at the Decorah Farmers Market. Each week, we had an electric vehicle with it’s owner-ambassador at the farmers market. All of our owner-ambassadors live in Iowa and use their cars for their daily commutes, trips around town, and even for road trips!
Below is the full list of cars with a little synopsis of each:
August 15th: Larry Grimstad, Prius Prime
Larry’s Prius Prime is a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). Larry charges it in his garage with a 220V charger. He can do all his in town driving on the 25 mile electric range of the car and, for longer trips, he can use the flexibility of the gas backup engine. On average, the car gets over 300 miles for each gallon of gas.
He and his human family find the car roomy and comfortable! (However, his Golden Retriever finds the cupholders in the back seat impede his ability to lay down.)
August 22nd: Jim Fritz, Tesla Model 3
Jim’s Telsa Model 3 is a fully electric vehicle. He also charges it in his garage with a 220V charger. The Tesla is the most fun car he’s ever had! It handles in the snow or other slippery conditions better than any other car, accelerates with a ton of torque, and the sound system and storage space are top notch. He’s driven it as far as Santa Fe with no complaints. “By the time the batteries need to be charged, my wife and I are ready for a break.” The Tesla suggests charging stations along the driving route and automatically conditions the batteries so the car can accept a maximum charge as soon as you arrive at the station.
August 29th: Jesse Green, Chevy Bolt
Jesse is our only out-of-town owner-ambassador in this year’s showcase. He loves his fully electric Chevy Bolt so much that he was happy to drive all the way from Dubuque to talk to market-goers! He easily made the drive on a single charge from his home in Dubuque and regularly gets over 220 miles on a charge. Jesse appreciates the reliability and low maintenance of his Bolt.
September 5th: Joel Zook, 2013 Chevy Volt
Joel bought his Chevy Volt used and loves the low maintenance costs, reliability, and flexibility of his PHEV. It is a great car for running town errands and the flexibility of a gas engine as back up made it a great car for his family’s recent north shore road trip.
September 12th: Susan and Dale Goodman, Nissan Leaf
Susan completes her 40 mile work commute in the Nissan Leaf every day. She charges the car at an employer provided charging station so she can make the drive home even in the winter. The quiet Nissan Leaf is excellent for that length of commute or for running errands around town. The Goodman’s bought the Leaf when it was 3 years old for just over $10,000. The only maintenance they’ve had is rotating the tires.
September 19th: JT and Betsey Vogel, Chrysler Pacifica
The Vogel’s Chrysler Pacifica is currently the only minivan on the market with a plug-in option. It has a range of 25 miles on electric before it switches to the gas motor backup. With the available tax credit, the Vogel’s will have bought a PHEV for the same price as the standard Chrysler Pacifica!
September 26th: Jim Martin-Schramm, Honda Clarity
Jim gets 50 miles per charge on his Honda Clarity PHEV. Like all PHEVs, it it perfect for in town errands and for short commutes. For longer commutes, he just presses a button when he needs to switch to the gas engine.
October 3rd: Gerald Harvey, 2017 Chevy Volt
(Description coming on October 3rd)