Going electric might be a good idea
We have to hand it to Saco’s City Hall administration for its efforts to stay dynamic and forward-looking.
In the same tradition as the curbside recycling program, the administration has, in the past year, worked with every manager and department to reduce electricity consumption, become energy efficient, and find ways to get off the grid.
Currently, nearly every refrigerator has been replaced with energy efficient models, light bulbs have been switched from regular to fluorescent, and a windmill has been operating near the sewer treatment plant, creating power, and testing the area’s potential to have more turbines.
So this week, when two diminutive yet powerful cars arrived from Falmouth for “test drives,” it came as no surprise that they would create quite a spark.
The Zenn vehicles are fully electric. For mere pennies on the dollar (about 2 cents a mile) the cars can run for dozens of miles (at a brisk 25 mph) after just being plugged into a normal electrical outlet. Instead of pumping fuel, the owners of the tiny cars pump amps and volts.
The obvious benefit of using such vehicles for more routine services, such as code enforcement inspections or other inter-city errands and activities is that no gasoline is consumed, and no harmful greenhouse gases released.
Instead of Code Enforcement using former police cruisers to check businesses and residences, burning gallons of gasoline in vehicles designed to chase criminals at high speeds, the officers can zip from one place to another quietly, without gas, without emissions.
The amount of money the city can save in fuel and maintenance costs alone are immense.
But going electric is more than just saving taxpayer dollars, it is openly admitting that we, as a society, need to recognize that business as usual when it comes to global warming and fuel consumption is unacceptable.
And who better than our government to show us the way, since government often lags behind the private sector when it comes to ingenuity and innovation.
Gasoline last year at this time was in the $2.50 range. Heating oil cost around $2.19. Now the costs have risen beyond many people’s wildest nightmares, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for families to keep the heat on, and food on the table.
Reducing costs for property owners, then, should be the main goal of the government.
Imagine if all towns and cities in York County reduced the carbon-emitting vehicles in their fleets, replaced by electric cars. We don’t imagine fire engines or police cruisers being replaced by small electric cars, but other options remain.
Also imagine the populace sharing such cars in a cooperative manner. Entire neighborhoods could reduce the carbon footprint by ride-sharing with electric vehicles.
We hope that the City Council invests in at least one of these vehicles, and rids the city of one former police cruiser in codes enforcement, for example. Let’s keep track of how much is saved in a year, and hope that everyone quickly sees being green is better than spending green.
