Atlantic City event shows off EVs to elected officials and pushes back against reduced clean-car standards.
The Environment New Jersey Research and Policy Center hosted a recent ride and drive event to let policymakers experience electric cars. The purpose of the event was not only to excite the officials with these impressive electric cars, but also to put emphasis on the necessity to fight the proposed rollback of vehicles emissions policy. The event showcased two Tesla Model 3 vehicles, a Tesla Model X, and a Chevrolet Bolt EV.
Democrat Assemblyman John Armato (who is also an experienced drag racer) was in the driver’s seat of the Model 3 Performance, while a Tesla rep and a reporter were also in the vehicle. The story begins:
It felt more like an airplane taking off than a car accelerating, as the Tesla Model 3 performance vehicle hit 60 mph in 3.3 seconds on the old Bader Field runway Monday.
Environment New Jersey invited the government officials hoping that they might be able to be convinced to convert public fleets to electric. Atlantic City is a very popular destination, so a transition like this could have an impressive and positive impact. Mayor Frank Gilliam believes it’s the government’s job to promote electric cars by example. The New Jersey Senate Environment and Energy Committee recently pushed a bill to add charging infrastructure in the state and push EV adoption. The state also doesn’t charge sales tax on electric vehicle purchases.
Mayor Gilliam had an opportunity to test drive a Chevrolet Bolt EV that belongs to ChargEVC CEO Pam Frank. In fact, he raced it against a Tesla driven by Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo. Though the 0-to-60-mph time in the Chevrolet is more than double that of the Model 3, at 7 seconds, it’s still a peppy car with plenty of torque. It also costs about half as much as the Model 3 Performance. Frank shared:
This beats most cars at a traffic light. And there are no tune ups. All those things you do to service a gas vehicle are gone.
It’s events like these and support from the government that can rally to promote electric cars. Let’s hope other states will take notice and move things in the right direction.
Source: PressofAtlanticCity
TESLA MODEL 3 PERFORMANCE
CHEVROLET BOLT EV
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