South Paris EV Expo, Maine Drive Electric Weekend

Thanks to an outpouring of community support, the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School has three new electric vehicle charging stations powered by the sun. To celebrate the dedication of the system, the Center for an Ecology-Based Economy (CEBE) will be holding its third annual Electric Vehicle Expo in the high school’s parking lot on September 16th from 12-4pm. The EV Expo is part of National Drive Electric Week and Maine Drive Electric Weekend in conjunction with a Sunday evening event in South Portland.

Visitors to the EV Expo will have the opportunity to drive the latest in EV cars, including the all-electric, high-range Bolt and plug-in hybrid Volt from Chevrolet, Nissan Leaf, eGolf from Volkswagon, and more. Additional privately-owned EVs will be at the Expo to view and ride in. All area EV owners are encouraged to bring their cars to show and share their knowledge with the community. Electric-assist bicycles will also be featured at the event, provided by the Green Machine Bike Shop and local eBike enthusiasts. Thanks to the Natural Resources Council of Maine, test drivers and riders will be offered free artisan pizza from Riverside Lodge & Pub, who will also have plenty of food and refreshments for sale at the event. Speakers at the event will include Barry Woods of ReVision Energy, Sophie Janeway from the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Sarah LaChance of 350 Maine, and others.

The solar-powered EV and eBike charging stations were donated to the MSAD 17 school district by the Center for an Ecology-Based Economy. CEBE would like to thank the MSAD 17 school board for taking the time to work with them on the project, and especially Superintendent Rick Colpitts for shepherding the project through the system. Educational programing around solar power and electric mobility will be developed for school students to learn more about the project, solar power, and electric vehicles.

The installation of the EV chargers and solar array is a collaboration between CEBE’s Transportation and Energy Working Groups with generous support from area businesses and locals who donated time and materials to the project. Excavation work for the project was provided by Jason Shiers of Pleasant Hill Property Services in Norway, with gravel supplied by ECI Materials from South Paris, and a utility poles and posts provided at cost and set by Mark Shaw of Western Maine Line, Inc. in Albany Twp. The 20-panel solar tracker was provided at cost and installed for free by Garbo-Kane Integrated Solar Builders of Norway and Otisfield with help of other volunteers, and the two Clipper Creek and one Tesla Level 2 Chargers were installed by Paris Autobarn in South Paris. Master Electrician Guy Merrill was assisted by Adam Baril who provided their time and expertise to safely wire the chargers and solar array, which is connected to the regional power grid. Their employer, Electrical Solutions, Inc. of Auburn donated use of a boom truck to run the wiring up the utility pole. Area residents Travis Ritchie, John Cates, Darryl Collins and Jasper Vlaun also volunteered time on the project. An estimated 300 volunteer hours brought the project to fruition.

“This project Is part of a larger initiative to build out charging infrastructure to promote clean and sustainable transportation in Western Maine,“ said Tony Giambro, the Chairperson of CEBE’s Transportation Working Group. “This system adds to the public chargers that we’ve already installed in Norway at Longley Square on Main Street and in South Paris at the Police Department behind the South Paris Library, making this area an easy destination for EV drivers. By this time next year, we hope to have projects completed in Bethel and other area towns to make the Western Foothills area attractive to electric vehicle drivers from around the state and beyond,” he added.

To learn more about the project or to volunteer your time at the EV Expo, please call CEBE at 739-2101 or contact them at info@ecologybasedeconomy.org .

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There will be two electric vehicle expos in Maine during National Drive Electric Week in 2017. One will be in the South Paris area and the other in South Portland. We hope to collaborate with organizations such as The Center for an Ecology Based Economy, The Sierra Club of Maine, The Natural Resources Council of Maine, and others to organize Maine Drive Electric Weekend.

We are looking for volunteers to help with the expo, electric vehicle owners to display their vehicles, and anyone with an interest in electrified transportation to attend. Please RSVP and let us know if you would like to participate and in what role.

National Drive Electric Week, September 9-17, 2017, is a nationwide celebration to heighten awareness of today's widespread availability of plug-in vehicles and highlight the benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid-electric cars, trucks, motorcycles, and more. They are fun to drive, are less expensive and more convenient to fuel than gasoline vehicles, are better for the environment, promote local jobs, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Are you considering going electric? Come talk to owners who have successfully done so.

Started in 2011 as National Plug In Day with the simple idea to hold simultaneous events across the country on the same day, by popular demand we have expanded to an entire week of events and changed the name to emphasize the thing we all want to do: drive electric. We expect National Drive Electric Week 2017 will again grow to include more events in more cities with more drivers reaching out to share the many advantages of driving electric with the public.