Electric Vehicle Day brings out 15 different models for test drives
If one of the 20,000 employees of the giant Northern California utility, PG&E, was interested in taking advantage of the federal, state and company incentives to buy a plug-in vehicle, a recent program gave them a chance to have some hands-on experience to figure out which vehicle they might want. A recent Electric Vehicle Day program drew representatives from almost all of the companies with pure electrics and plug-in hybrids on the market, giving employees a chance to test drive vehicles and learn more about how they work.
A PG&E spokesman said more than 1,000 employees had already taken advantage of the company’s vehicle purchase incentive program and 315 had booked appointments midday on a Friday to take a look at the more than a dozen different vehicles, either as a new buy or replacement.
Almost all EVs where there
At the Fair, in alphabetical order, were the:
- Audi A3 e-tron
- BMW i3
- Cadillac ELR
- Chevrolet Volt
- Fiat 500e
- Ford C-Max Energi
- Ford Focus Electric
Ford covered a broad spectrum of options - Ford Fusion Energi
- Kia Soul EV
- Mercedes-Benz B250e
- Nissan Leaf
- Smart ED
- Tesla Model S
- Tesla Model X
- Volkswagen e-Golf
Tesla was out in force, bringing eight vehicles, while other manufacturers brought one to four models to drive or display. The program was busy for its duration of almost four hours. PG&E holds several similar events each year as it encourages its employees to “walk the walk” of automotive energy consciousness.
PG&E has a plug-in truck
PG&E also brought out one of their own electric vehicles, a modified Ford F-550 heavy-duty work truck that had been converted into a plug-in hybrid by Efficient Drivetrains Incorporated (EDI) of Dixon, CA. PG&E has added 10 of those trucks to its fleet, using them most recently when supporting communities affected by forest fires, where it was used to power evacuation camps.
The truck, which retains its powerful diesel engine to keep things charged up, is capable of supplying enough electrical power to keep the lights on in 100 homes. In addition, it has charge ports so electric vehicles can use it for Level II (240-volt) charging and also has ports to charge personal electronics. The truck itself can also plug in to recharge its battery, which is capable of exporting 120 kW of power to the grid. It’s also capable of running more than 30 miles on EV power only. The company also has deployed similar hybrids that use electric power to run auxiliary operations like buckets and booms.
In recognition of its far-flung service territory (PG&E’s area of service covers 70,000 square miles, a land area larger than all but 16 states), PG&E is in the process of changing out its CNG-
powered light-duty vehicles for plug-in hybrids like the Chevy Volt and Ford C-Max Energi. The company also offers charging at most of its facilities (it has installed 451 charging points at company sites according to its spokesman) for what it says is the equivalent of $1/gallon gasoline.
Related Stories You Might Enjoy:
Clean Fleet Report has driven and tested most of the vehicles mentioned in this article and will be updating many of those tests soon.
Road Test: Audi A3 e-tron
Road Test: BMW i3
Road Test: Cadillac ELR
Road Test: Chevrolet Volt
Road Test: Fiat 500e
Road Test: Ford Focus Electric
Road Test: Ford Fusion Energi
First Drive: Kia Soul
Road Test: Nissan Leaf
Road Test: Volkswagen e-Golf
