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Electric car ushers in town’s green initiative

Date: 9/25/2014

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Town officials seek to establish West Side as a green community. The purchase of an electric car was the first step towards that goal.

The town now owns a 2014, fully electric, Ford Focus that was purchased for $35,865. A grant of $7,500 from the Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Incentive Program helped offset the total cost of the car. In addition, the town is eligible for a grant of up to $10,000 for the installation of a charging station and was granted another $10,000 for the purchase of two plug-in hybrid vehicles ($5,000 per car).
   
A timeframe for the addition of the station and the purchase of the two hybrids has not been set.
   
According to Michael Pattavina, Waste Management Coordinator for the Department of Public Works (DPW), the battery has an 80-mile range before it needs charging. The car also has a rear camera for assistance with backing up. For part of the day, the water meter reader will use the car and then town officials will use the car for official business.
   
“What’s really nice about the car, it’s an ambassador for us to go green,” Pattavina said. “We wanted to showcase our support to become a green community. The Commonwealth is really trying to promote a green initiative.”
   
Mayor Edward Sullivan said, “We want to improve our carbon footprint and save money,” He added that the town is encouraging other locations around town to install charging stations, noting that the Riverdale Shops are one area already interested in doing so.
   
Pattavina noted that the town wants to create “a network of charging stations” and hopes to install one on the Big E fairgrounds. He stated that the Nissan dealership already has its own charging station. He said the town is “slowly but surely” developing that network.
   
“You don’t even know it’s on,” Pattavina said of the new car, who drove the car for its debut in the Big E parade on West Springfield Day, Sept. 15. “It was received very well. People really seemed to like it,” Pattavina added.
   
Pattavina explained that the DPW is also assessing energy-efficient options for its heavy duty vehicles that are not available in a hybrid or electric model. He said the DPW wants to use propane to power vehicles since it is cheaper and burns more efficiently than diesel fuel.
   
He said that once the town is designated as a “green community” by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, it will be eligible for more grants including energy efficient building components, street lights and public education programs.