There are currently 52,691 registered electric vehicles in Connecticut, an increase of 45 percent in just 12 months. This is the kind of data Barry Kresch and Bruce Becker, the president and the chairman respectively of the EV (Electric Vehicle) Club of Connecticut, love to hear— as proud EV owners, they want to share what they’ve learned with fellow and potential enthusiasts. The Club itself was founded by Westporter Leo Cirino in 2009, with the goal of connecting Westport-based EV owners. Barry, also a Westporter, has been “plugging in” since 2012, and he joined the club not long after. “When they installed four public EV charging stations with solar panels at the Metro North Depot, I went,” he says. “That's where I met Leo and first got involved with the club.” A few years later, Barry and Leo organized a road rally event, which attracted Bruce, a Westport-based architect who has long felt a responsibility to ensure his personal and professional projects are eco-friendly. “I really enjoyed meeting people who shared an interest in EVs,” says Bruce.
The club has become a great outlet (pun intended) for EV drivers, renaming itself in 2018 to better serve its goal of encouraging more residents state-wide to go electric. There are now about 600 members, who do everything from interacting with potential buyers at EV showcases to advocating for EV-friendly legislation to tracking and analyzing EV adoption in the state to serving as a resource for folks looking for more information about the cars. “People often reach out asking for information about purchase incentives, or installing a charger in their home, or how fast the vehicle will charge,” says Barry. “We try and have a presence at as many EV showcases as we can-- it’s a great way to meet and talk to people and answer their questions.”
They also host events of their own, like the annual Northeast Electric Vehicle Symposium, a two-day event with an EV showcase, ride-and-drive opportunities, and panels, says Barry. “We also have club meetings, which will sometimes have informational speakers, either in-person or via Zoom— we recently had someone from the Consumer Reports Auto Test Lab do a review of eight of the recent EVs that they've tested.” For prospective and current owners alike, the club provides tons of education about these investment vehicles. “There's lots of reasons to like EVs,” says Bruce. “They're more economical to operate and don't require the kind of maintenance that a gas car would require. They’ve got better acceleration. They've come a long way.”
For more information about the EV Club of CT, visit evclubct.com