State environmental and auto industry officials on Tuesday praised a longstanding New Canaan business for its vision and commitment by way of touting a recently launched rebate program that promotes low-emissions electric vehicles.
Karl Chevrolet President Leo Karl III and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Robert Klee stand near a 2016-model Chevy Volt, an electric vehicle, during a discussion of the new ‘CHEAPR’ rebate program offered by the state, on July 29, 2015. Credit: Michael Dinan
Since it launched in June, the “Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Vehicle Purchase Rebate” or ‘CHEAPR’ program has seen more than $200,000 in rebates paid out, spurring the purchase or lease of more than 100 vehicles, state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Robert Klee said during a press event held on the showroom floor of Karl Chevrolet on Elm Street.
Standing beside a not-yet-available 2016 Chevy Volt model that was shipped in especially by GM, Klee—his own state-owned Volt charging at the dealership’s own station alongside the building—noted that Leo Karl III, president of Karl Chevrolet, has led efforts across a wide swath of lower Fairfield County to see electric vehicle charging stations installed. The CHEAPR program offers cash rebates of up to $3,000.
“It is really this sort of visionary leadership at this level that we need around the state to really drive home” the advantages of driving electric vehicles, Klee said.
A 2016 Chevy Volt at the showroom floor of Karl Chevrolet on Elm Street. Credit: Michael Dinan
Those advantages amount to this, according to Karl: “It’s an amazing experience to drive an electric vehicle.”
They’re quite, handle well and have great safety ratings, Karl said, adding that the 2016 model builds out on the successful currently available Volt.
“The bottom line is that an electric vehicle may not be the perfect vehicle for 100 percent of the drivers, but it’s the perfect vehicle for a really a majority of drivers,” Karl said.
Addressing those gathered in the showroom—powered since August 2011 by solar panels on its roof— Karl said prior to the Chevy Volt, he’s “never seen a car where virtually 100 percent of the owners that currently drive it absolutely love the car.”
Karl underscored that the Volt distinguishes itself from so-called “hybrid” vehicles because it’s not powered by a combination of gasoline or relying on electricity as a back-up system—rather, it runs on electricity and, when the battery is depleted, uses gas only to run a generator enough to power that battery so a motorist can get where he or she wants.
“We were founded in 1927 by my grandfather, and we’ve been here since as a representative of Chevrolet, and we’ve seen lots of models come and go, but the Volt definitely was a groundbreaking vehicle when it was announced and we sort of embraced the idea that our transportation was going through a period of change, where we will see lots of different modes of transportation.”
Jim Fleming, president of the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association, praised Klee and state officials for developing a successful program in CHEAPR.
“This program is successful because the government sector sat down with the private sector and said, ‘How do you think we can make this work?’ and pretty much modeled it on what manufacturers do when they try to sell cars and that is: Put the money under the hood and offer a small incentive to people that are trying to sell vehicles,” Fleming said. “This first-in-nation program is off to a great start.”
During his comments, the DEEP commissioner also relayed appreciation sent directly by First Selectman Rob Mallozzi, unable to attend the press briefing because he’s nursing a broken leg.
“The Karl family’s strong and longstanding efforts on behalf of consumers and the environment really set the perfect backdrop for outlining this important rebate program,” Klee said.