Only 50 or so electric cars are on Arizona’s roads,
but the Tucson Electric Power Company has opened eight free
charge-up stations in the city. General Motors says it chose
Tucson, Phoenix, San Diego and Los Angeles as test markets because
the cars perform better on flat terrain and in a warm climate. The
EV-1, which sells for $33,900, has a 60-mile range in the city and
can go 90 miles on a highway before needing a recharge. Boasts Lisa
Thomas, a GM specialist in electric cars: The car goes from zero to
30 mph “faster than a Ferrari.” So far, however, GM has sold only
10 cars in the Tucson area, a paltry number Thomas blames on the
“stigma” associated with an electric car’s performance. These days,
she says, all it takes is a little retraining for drivers to enjoy
driving a car you can fuel in your own garage. Each car is powered
by 26 lead and acid batteries that together weigh 1,200 pounds; the
batteries take two-to-four hours to recharge, which is usually done
overnight. Thomas says GM helped Tucson Electric build the
recharging stations so drivers could feel more confident about
finding power for their cars. “It’s a safety net,” says Andrew
Meyer, Tucson Electric spokesman.
To find out
about Tucson-area charging stations, call Meyer at 520/884-3706.
For more information about electric cars, call Ford at
800/ALT-FUEL, or GM 800/25 ELECTRIC, or e-mail GM at
http://www.gmev.com
* Jason
Lenderman
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Just charge it.
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