Tri-County EMC and the Milledgeville-Baldwin Chamber of Commerce are hosting EV19 at Central Georgia Technical College’s Milledgeville Campus on April 26. This is an opportunity to test drive an EV, learn the basics of the industry, the benefits of EV and your business, the future of the mechanic profession and learn safety tips for first responders.

“The only way to really understand the hype about electric vehicles is to drive one yourself,” said Greg Mullis, vp of corporate services at Tri-County. “EVs have the perception of being glorified golf carts, but they are anything but that.” 

One of the hurdles of the EV industry for buyers is fear of the unknown. “The challenge with EVs is that they come with a learning curve,” said Jonathan Stewart, energy services representative at Tri-County. “Instead of miles per gallon, you have to think about miles per kWh. It’s a new way of thinking, but you quickly adapt. Range anxiety was a fear at first, but know I know to plan my trips by mileage and map out available chargers along the way.”

While there is additional planning involved driving an EV rather than a gasoline powered car, there is less maintenance. No need to change the oil, fan belts, air filters, timing belts or spark plugs. Just tire rotations, replacing the wiper blades and other minimal maintenance.  And the savings from maintenance and gas can quickly add up. “It takes about $4.80 to ‘fill the tank’ of Tri-County’s Leaf,” said Stewart.  “And it has a range of about 150 miles, so you definitely are ‘paying less at the pump’ so to speak.”