Penfield unveils first electric car charge station | Business

Rising gas prices have forced many drivers to think twice before hitting the road this year. Many drivers went as far as to trade in their cars for a more affordable  option.

Those who went the electric route have been faced with the dilemma of not having many places to charge up. That is, until now.

Dozens of people spent the afternoon at the Penfield Community Center for the first annual electric car show.  With no sight of gas prices lowering more drivers in the area are exploring electric options.

Penfield Town supervisor- Tony La-Fountain says they are the first in the region to install a brand new charging station. This is something he believes will benefit residents, and bring outsiders in.

Chevy volt driver, Jon Allen, has had his electric for a couple of years now and says that “itsaves him up more than $300 a month and the fuel is almost free compared to gasoline, which has turned out  to be very expensive.”

Owning an electric car these days is also pretty simple. To Charge the vehicle you simply back it up and plug it in. The only hard part is the wait.

Allen says he has had to perform “no maintenance” and that for three years he’s done nothing to it.

At first there were only a few electric cars available, but now several are available in different shapes and sizes.

Drivers say “the cost is a negligible amount of money.” And that “it's less than a penny a mile to drive all over Rochester.”

People admit that charging the battery is not a quick task, taking up about three to four hours. However, the charge station is at the community center which is close to the library and other places to help with the wait.