Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Green Energy Consumers Alliance – CCE, EVs and Michelle Wu

By Eric Smalley

City councilor Michelle Wu delivered a bravura speech Monday night at the Green Energy Consumers Alliance’s fall meeting in Boston. She deftly connected the extreme urgency of ending fossil fuel use, the central role of state and local governments, and the need to restore trust in institutions and each other.

The nonprofit and Wu played central roles in the Community Choice Energy (CCE) campaign, which led Boston to adopt municipal aggregation for electricity purchasing. The city will soon purchase electricity for residents and small businesses rather than leaving Eversource to do the buying (though Eversource will continue to deliver it). This allows the city to choose a mix that includes more renewable sources without increasing costs. CCE is an important step in boosting the amount of renewable electricity generation in Massachusetts and New England.

Larry Chretien, Green Energy Consumers Alliance’s Executive Director, highlighted an important shift in the organization’s focus. With renewable energy generation successfully chipping away at the Massachusetts grid’s carbon emissions, transportation has emerged as the key sector needing our attention. Green Energy Consumers Alliance’s blog post Electrifying Cars, Buses, and Trains explains the need to focus on transportation.

The fall meeting also marked two years of the organization’s Drive Green program, which provides discounts beyond the federal and state incentives for people buying electric vehicles.

Becoming a new EV owner

By Eric Smalley

Kim and I were thinking about buying an electric car. But there was a crucial question: would my upright bass fit? We got an unequivocal answer on our second attempt. The bass fit in a Nissan Leaf with only the one-third split of the backseat folded down, leaving room for a driver and two passengers. On our first attempt we tried to fit the bass in a Chevy Bolt, with only middling results.

When we decided to go for a 2018 Leaf, we took advantage of Green Energy Consumers Alliance’s Drive Green program, which provides discounts in addition to the federal and state incentives for people buying electric vehicles. In the end our out-of-pocket came in under half the sticker price for the model, trim and packages we got.

Charging the car has been hassle-free. We tapped a local electrician to install a 240V outlet on the side of our house, and the in-dash navigation system makes it easy to find public charging stations. We’d been looking forward to the quieter ride EV’s provide, but I hadn’t anticipated how the low-noise and low-vibration environment makes for a much more relaxed driving experience. We’re also now paying less per mile and polluting a lot less than we were. The Union of Concerned Scientists has a nice chart that lets you explore those numbers in detail.

If you’re thinking about buying a car consider getting an EV, and make sure to check out the Drive Green program. While we’re talking about EVs, it’s also time to push for electric buses, both for the T and Boston Public Schools. Let’s put our transportation on a low- and ultimately no-carbon diet. Besides, we all deserve a cleaner, quieter commute.