Electric vehicles produced by nine different automakers were showcased at Greenbelt’s first EV EVent, hosted by Greenbelt’s Green Team and the City of Greenbelt at Schrom Hills Park on September 17. Thirteen EVs were all-battery electrics (BEVs) and four were plug-in hybrids, including the only plug-in minivan on the market. Owners Barrett and Anna Bedford-Dillow charge the minivan using their own roof-top solar system. Around three dozen visitors showed up to talk to EV owners, sit in their cars, ask about available incentives and how to charge EVs. Senator Paul Pinsky brought his new Hyundai Ioniq5 and said he has had no problems getting his car charged to go where he needs to go.
Several folks with aging gas vehicles wanted to know more about getting an EV when their current car gives up the ghost. The Green Team provided handouts on makes, prices and ranges. For those who wondered about traveling long distances in an EV, such as to visit family, Green Team chair and primary EVent organizer John Lippert explained about EV charging networks, apps available to identify charging station locations and typical charging times. EV owner Marc Neveu noted, “EVs don’t have to be expensive, and you don’t need your own driveway to have one. Since we got a parking spot next to our home, we’ve been charging it on a regular 110-V plug which gets you 50-60 miles overnight. I was surprised to see how many different models there are these days, something for everyone: hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs, [even] pickup trucks.”
One woman driving a Chevy Bolt asked about chargers for her new BEV. Lippert provided the information and explained the federal and state incentives available. Several Greenbelt Homes, Inc. residents wondered how to charge an EV given the location of their parking spaces in relation to their houses. Green Team member Jane Young explained possible solutions, such as plugging the car into an outside outlet; using existing charging stations at Schrom Hills Park, Springhill Lake Recreation Center and Roosevelt Center; working with GHI to get electricity in garages and parking spaces near EV owners’ homes; installing one’s own charging station; or sharing a neighbor’s charging station.
Said EV driver Joseph Ralbovsky, “Installing an EV charger at your home is usually very doable, and typically costs about as much or less than one year of gas savings.” Ralbovsky appreciated Mayor Emmett Jordan’s well-informed questions and “was delighted by just how much fact-based information [the mayor] knew about electric cars.”
Lippert hopes to plan more EVents and to promote the recommendations in the report titled Electric Vehicle Infrastructure: A Plan for Greenbelt, accepted by the city council in 2021. The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Planning Group is composed of members of Green ACES, the Greenbelt Green Team, the city’s Advisory Planning Board and other Greenbelt residents.
Prince George’s County has registered 2,955 BEVs and 1,609 plug-in hybrids, according to Lippert’s flyer for the EVent. Lippert said EVs are quiet, exciting to drive and quick to accelerate. According to Consumer Reports, EVs cost less to fuel and are cheaper to repair and maintain than comparable gasoline-powered models. And, many owners are glad to help combat climate change.
