JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Have you wanted to test drive an electric vehicle (EV) but haven’t had the opportunity? Now is your chance!
Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities (YTCC) was awarded a grant from Teton Conservation District to offer the EV Experience program, allowing Lower Valley Energy co-op members to test-drive an electric vehicle for free, to learn about the technology and determine if an electric vehicle fits their daily driving needs.
YTCC partnered with Lower Valley Energy (LVE) to host and develop the program as well as Energy Conservation Works to support program development and marketing efforts. Currently dealerships in Jackson and surrounding areas seldom have electric vehicles on the lot available for test-drives, therefore this program was developed to provide access to those interested in testing an electric vehicle.
“YTCC has provided electric vehicle education and awareness programs since 2012 but the missing piece has always been the ability for folks to get behind the wheel and simply take an electric vehicle for a spin. These test drives help provide the answer to many of the questions a potential EV owner may have. We’re very excited to help provide this resource to our community,” states Alicia Cox, executive director of Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities.
There are many questions a consumer rightfully has when considering purchasing an electric vehicle. Can I charge at home? How far can an electric vehicle go before I need to charge? Will there be charging stations located where I need them along my route? Is there anything tricky about driving an electric vehicle? How does it handle mountainous terrain? The EV Experience will help answer these frequent questions, through first-hand experience.
“As the local electricity provider, we are excited to participate in this program to help educate our membership on the benefits of electric vehicles,” says Amy Walton, conservation manager at Lower Valley Energy.
This free program allows individuals 1-3 days to try the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt with a range of over 250 miles and free charging at numerous stations provided by the Town of Jackson, Teton County, Teton Village Association and local businesses. This iteration of the program will run for three years.
“We are very excited to work with our great partners to offer LVE members access to an EV to see how it fits the Jackson lifestyle,’ added Phil Cameron, executive director of Energy Conservation Works. ‘We know these vehicles cost less to operate, and with our clean electricity mix, drastically reduce emissions. We’re excited to give more community members a chance to get behind the wheel.”
