Springfield gets a ‘charge’ for cars

On Thursday when Springfield held a celebration of the new two-customer electric car charging station next to the Town Hall.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20151016/NEWS02/151019562

Published October 16, 2015 in the Rutland Herald Springfield gets a ‘charge’ for cars By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — Harriette Sherwood’s license plate says it all: NO2GAS. Her little shiny white Smart car runs on electricity. So Sherwood and her small car were front and center Thursday when Springfield held a celebration of the new two-customer electric car charging station next to the Town Hall in the Claremont Savings Bank parking lot. The charging station is convenient to Sherwood’s employer just down Main Street at Lovejoy Tool Co., but she told the gathering that she probably wouldn’t have to use the town charging station, since she charges her car at home in Chester. Sherwood couldn’t say enough about her car, which she’s had for a year. “I get 90 miles to a charge,” she said. “I’m green, and I just love my little car,” Sherwood said. That means her car, which is a two-seater, can only travel 90 miles before it gets a charge. And depending on what kind of charging station it is and what phase of power it provides, charging can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 8 hours. In cold weather, Sherwood said, she only gets about 45 miles a charge. Sherwood paid about $29,000 for her car, including $3,000 extra for the convertible top. But the price came down considerably, she said, because of the $7,500 federal tax credit and a $5,000 credit she got from Smart car for leasing her battery. “I’d love a Tesla if money was no object,” she said. The charging station, which was funded through grants and came into being through a lot of work by Springfield On The Move, would take about three hours to charge Sherwood’s car, said Jennifer Cortez, “innovation champion” for Green Mountain Power. Cortez arrived in a rechargeable hybrid Chevrolet Volt. Cortez said there were more and more charging stations all over the state, and the number of electric cars was also rising. Three years ago, Cortez said, there were about 88 electric cars in the state and now the number is closer to 1,000. Electric charging stations will “help the state become a greener state,” she said. Noelle MacKay, commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development, said the state is helping to fund the charging stations, particularly in downtown areas, as another downtown attraction or benefit. Visitors can leave their cars charging at the Springfield station and can go do shopping or other visiting, she said. “We really value our downtowns and the working landscape,” she said. “It’s a commitment to the Vermont brand and a clean environment,” MacKay said. “Small things add up and make our downtowns stronger,” she said.