Electric Scooter Test Drive

Scoot USA presents a "Sustainable Transportation" demonstration and discussion at F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick on Thursday, July 9 at 6 pm. eGo electric scooters will be available for test rides, followed by a discussion of fossil-fuel-free personal transportation options. The event is free and open to the public. The discussion will take place regardless of weather conditions; a rain date for riding the electric scooters will be scheduled if necessary.

"Scoot to commute!" says Jeff Cooper, Director of Fun for Scoot USA. "Years ago I selected electric scooters for my own use for the ease of maintenance, no gas or oil to deal with. Little did I know that gasoline would touch $5.00 per gallon!"

Cooper is known as an innovator, taking what seems ordinary and seeing a higher potential, whether a business concept, an activity, or a product. In addition to his Scoot USA business, Cooper owns Slot Car Junction in Brunswick and H2Outfitters Sea Kayaking Adventures in Harpswell. The original idea for Scoot USA came about because of the need for reliable transportation on Orr's Island where his kayaking business is located. After several months of research back in 2004 he settled on the eGo scooters based upon reliability, balance, and ease of operation. But the biggest attraction for use on the island was the ease of maintenance.

The demonstration on Thursday will start at 6 pm, one hour earlier than the regular monthly talks at F.W. Horch, to allow attendees to test ride the electric scooters. Following the test rides, the discussion will take place inside. Space is limited, so those interested in attending are encouraged to call the store at (207) 729-4050 to reserve a seat.

This event is part of the F.W. Horch series on sustainable living. Each monthly event is held at the F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods & Supplies store, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick, Maine, on the second Thursday of the month.

For more information about the F.W. Horch sustainable living series, please call (207) 729-4050 or visit www.FWHorch.com.

Electric Car Test Drive

F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies, 56 Maine St., Brunswick, will host a "Meet the Electric Car" test-drive and educational event with Maine Electric Vehicles from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Thursday, June 12th.

Maine Electric Vehicles will have two different models of "Neighborhood Electric Vehicles" on hand for test-drives on Maine Street in Brunswick -- the Miles Automotive ZX40 four-door mini-SUV model (www.MilesAutomotive.com) and the Zenn Car -- a two-door sporty model (www.ZennCars.com). These low-speed electric vehicles are federally regulated to go 25 miles per hour maximum. Electric vehicles are especially well suited as a first car for a teenage driver, or a second "around town" car for busy households. Electric vehicles are clean, quiet, reliable and affordable -- at a cost of less than a penny per mile.

In addition to the vehicles, representatives of Maine Electric Vehicles will be on hand to talk about the current and future state of this up-and-coming technology. With highway-speed electric cars due to be available soon, consumers will have a real choice when it comes to meeting most of their driving needs without reliance on petroleum fuels.

Topics to be covered will include a side-by-side comparison of electric vehicles compared to conventional internal combustion engines and gas-electric hybrids, a look at American driving patterns and vehicle use, the environmental impact of electric vehicles, and the state of the electric car industry.

The owner of F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies, Fred Horch, will be on hand to discuss the state of the sustainable products movement.

Maine Electric Vehicles is Maine's first electric car dealership which took shipment on its first electric cars in 2007. It currently shares space at Portland Saab on Route One in Falmouth. Please call Marketing Director Kal Rogers at 233-9970 for any further direct inquiries.

For more information, please call 729-4050 or visit www.FWHorch.com.

Fossil Fuel Free

On May 22, 2008, crude oil hit $135 per barrel. The next day, gasoline reached a record U.S. national average of $3.88 per gallon. Will our American way of life soon be unaffordable?

Nope--we'll just use less fossil fuel.

Consider life in the United States in 1856. Our modern conveniences depended on oil. We used it to light our homes, lubricate our clocks, and keep our trains running. But it wasn't petroleum--it was whale oil.

What happened? In 1857, a commercially viable kerosene lamp was invented. Within four years the market for whale oil had collapsed.

You probably find it hard to believe that we'll give up fossil fuel as easily, right?

Well, here's my family's plan to be free of fossil fuel without waiting for a magic "kerosene lamp":

1. We're becoming energy efficient. We switched to energy-efficient lights and appliances and now use just 10 kilowatt hours of electricity per day. If we were designing a new home, we'd choose passive solar heat, built tight and super well insulated. But we like to walk or bike to work, school and shopping, so we decided to stay in our in-town 1828 federal-style house. We did an energy audit, then installed weatherstripping, added insulation, and upgraded from forced hot air to radiant floor heating.
   
   
2. We'll use electricity and solar heat instead of oil or gas. We'll install solar hot water for showers, dish washing, etc. We're planning to replace our oil boiler with a solar-assisted electric heat pump. Before too long we hope to trade in our gas minivan for an electric model (we're excited to have Maine Electric Vehicles at our store for a talk on June 12).
   
   
3. We'll generate our electricity without fossil fuel. Today for about 21 cents per kWh, we can choose "green electricity" from hydropower dams and wind farms instead of the "standard offer" from fossil and nuclear fuel. For about $3 per day, we could generate our own electricity with solar panels, as Bill and Debbi Lord do at the Maine Solar House.

Fossil fuel won't disappear entirely from our lives, just like whale oil didn't disappear completely. (Did you know the last bottle of whale oil in the U.S. was sold in 1978?) But the high cost of fossil fuel will disappear from our budget, as we choose better alternatives.

Related Information and Resources

• www.EnergyStar.gov - energy efficient appliances
• hes.lbl.gov - home energy audits
• www.RevisionEnergy.com - solar hot water
• www.MaineEV.com - electric vehicles
• www.EnergyMaine.com/mresignup/ - green electricity
• www.SolarHouse.com - Maine Solar House