City officials test out Old Town’s new electric cars

OLD TOWN, Maine — Thursdays are generally a quiet day around the Old Town City Hall. Inside you’ll find Travis Roy, the assistant city manager at his desk, or Finance Director Danielle Berube quietly working away. 

But this past Thursday, work came to a screeching halt so city workers could check out three of the four new electric Hyundai Konas the city is adding to its municipal fleet for the next three years.

Through rebates offered by Efficiency Maine and Hyundai, the city was able to negotiate a deal to get the cars with all expenses paid — aside from the cost of electricity, Roy said Thursday. 

“We did a ton of research, asked all the questions and poked under all the rocks to figure out what all the catches are — there aren’t any,” Roy said. 

The City Council approved the leasing of the four cars during its June 7 meeting. 

As employees examined the cars, Director of Public Safety/Chief of Old Town Police Department Scott Wilcox and Deputy Chief of the Fire Department Chris Baker quietly slipped into one and turned on the ignition. 

OLD TOWN, Maine — (June 24, 2021) — Tim Caron of Rowe Hyundai (left) and Old Town Code Enforcement Officer David Russell (right) inspect one of Old Town’s new Hyundai Konas in the city office parking lot, June 24, 2021. (Sawyer Loftus | The Penobscot Times)

As the two backed out of a parking spot, Wilcox yelled to his colleagues. 

“Hey, I’m going to drive it like I stole it,” he said. 

Wilcox and Baker said they were skeptical about the cars, neither having ever driven an electric vehicle. But as Wilcox pressed the accelerator ,he was greeted with a punchy response propelling the car down the road. 

Wilcox and Baker took the car to the Old Town Airport to safely test out the vehicle’s capabilities. 

As Wilcox increased the speed, he said he liked the car. Comfortable, but different to drive, he said. 

After a quick look under the hood, Baker and Wilcox swapped seats so Baker could give it a go. 

Baker pressed on the gas, sending the tires squealing. 

“It’s got a little torque,” he said. “Squeaky tires — I got to tell you, I’m impressed.” 

Although Wilcox and Baker took one of the city’s cars on a little test ride, Roy said the cars will be shared by city employees who regularly drive their own vehicles while on city business. 

Right now, the city pays about $10,000 in mileage reimbursement to employees and these cars will hopefully cut down on that. They’re also a great way to see if moving toward more electric vehicles could work for the city, he said. 

Three of the four cars were delivered from Rowe Hyundai in Westbrook and the fourth will be delivered during the first week of July, Roy said.