The Way of the Future: Organizations partners to host EV display

Nita Johnson, The Sentinel Echo, London, Ky.
·2 min read

Aug. 3—Unpredictable gas prices.

Rising costs of oil and maintenance.

These are the issues that vehicle owners face today.

But hope may come with more electric vehicles that eliminate the costs of gas, oil changes and the maintenance to keep a vehicle operating.

Yet vehicles generated by electricity are commonly misunderstood, so Somerset Community College, the London Rotary Club, Evolve KY and the Laurel County Public Library recently hosted an event to inform the public.

The Laurel County Public Library jumped in on the event, hosting a petting zoo for children attending along with local food vendors and information booths about upcoming events.

The Drive and Ride event on July 20 featured electric vehicles from Tesla, Porsche, BMW and Ford. Camping World displayed a solar camper while Wildcat Harley Davidson displayed an electric motorcycle.

Travis McQueen, Director of the SCC's Laurel campus, said the event was focused on electric vehicles and their efficiency.

"Electric cars is the future," he said. "We teamed with different organizations to inform the public on electric vehicles and renewable resources. This event shows the pros and cons of electric cars."

While most new vehicles feature a screen that allows for backing up and displaying information, the screens on electric cars are a larger style with the same voice activation as gasoline vehicles. However, there is no gear shift, no key or no engine in these vehicles of the future.

While the prices of the electric vehicles are somewhat elevated from gasoline engines, the savings in gas and oil could easily balance out for the additional payment options of investing in the electric models.

Evolve KY member Carl Sisti said electric vehicles would easily travel over 200 miles before needing another charge and the high-tech screen displays how many miles remain before needing charged. He added that the command center would display charging stations along the route as well.

As for prices, the Ford Mustang Mach E begins in the "mid $50's" (thousands) and goes upward.

While all the vehicles displayed were popular, the Ford F150 Lightning Platinum — a quad cab model — was a huge hit, fully decked out with the latest technology. According to Evolve KY, that model ranged around $96,000.

"It's the future, but it's now," Sisti said.