Making Sparks: GCEA's EV Blog

Thursday, May 17, two employees took the Bolt on a trip to Lake City to pick-up the Nissan Leaf a member had been driving for the week! Gunnison to Lake City is about 55 miles. Gunnison's elevation is 7,700 and Lake City sits at 8,661. There was an elevation gain of 961 on the way to Lake City. We started the trip from the Gunnison Headquarters with an estimated range of 232 miles. When we arrived in Lake City there was an estimated range of 161. We arrived back at the Gunni son Headquarters with an estimated range of approximately 136 miles. No charge was necessary in Lake City! How awesome is that! The Leaf made it back to Gunnison with a little bit of range left as well. The Leaf did need a full charge before heading back to Gunnison. The weather was beautiful and did not play a factor in range. Come demo drive the Bolt at the Gunnison Headquarters or loan the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Spark for a week!  

Hello,  As some of you might know, over the past couple years, Gunnison County Electric Association in Gunnison, Colorado developed an electric vehicle (EV) program. In 2015 we started providing public EV charging. In 2016, GCEA bought a used 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV (Spark-e) to provide a driving experience for members. Studies suggest that exposure to electric vehicles increases acceptance. Over the last two years, GCEA introduced the electric vehicle concept by sharing the Chevy Spark within the local communities. We held an EV rally, attended the local car show and simply drove it around town.  Our most recent idea, and as a way to further introduce and educate people about EVs, is to loan Spark-e out for a week at a time. This has been such a hit with our members that there is a waiting list.  In March of 2018, GCEA bought a 2018 Chevy Bolt to continue growing the electric vehicle program. The Bolt program will be different from our Spark-e program because we will o