CARBONDALE, Colo.: Electric-car advocates staged a rally on scenic western Colorado highways in an effort to show that the technology is practical for mountain travel and sightseeing.
The Electric Vehicle Rally of the Rockies featured several vehicles starting from Aspen, Grand Junction, Snowmass Village and Vail and converging on Carbondale. They stopped at charging stations along the way.
The rally wrapped up with a party at Colorado Mountain College in Carbondale.
The purpose was to demonstrate that electric cars can cover long distances in western Colorado because of a growing number of free public charging stations, said Kathy Portner, neighborhood services manager for Grand Junction, which supported the rally.
Portner said 25 public charging stations are operating in 16 western Colorado communities, with at least seven more planned through 2015. Clean Energy Economy for the Region, a Carbondale nonprofit, was an organizer of the rally.
“The EV Rally of the Rockies will show that electric car travel and tourism is now possible in western Colorado, and a lot of fun,” said Matt Shmigelsky, an energy adviser for the clean energy group.
Other sponsors and supporters included Colorado Mountain College, Fuoco Motor Co., Mountain Chevrolet and Alpine Bank, a western Colorado banking group.
Fuoco sells the Nissan Leaf and Mountain Chevrolet sells the Chevrolet Volt, both electric cars.
Grand Junction supported the rally as part of its goal to become “The Most Livable Community West of the Rockies” by 2035.
David Miller of Grand Junction, Alpine Bank’s vice president for business development, drove his Volt in the rally.
Miller said his car can reach the summit of Vail Pass with a small charge left, and the trip down the other side recharges the battery to half-capacity through regenerative braking. -AP
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