Ukiah’s Earth Day Celebration Hosts First Electric Vehicle Showcase at Todd Grove Park

The following is a press release issued by Suzanne Pletcher:

In 2020, Ukiah City Councilwoman Susan Sher traded up from a Prius hybrid car to an all-electric 2019 Kia Niro. 

“The reason is very simple.  I wanted to walk the talk.  I could criticize fossil fuel use or do something about it.  I had a hybrid but I was still buying gas and I didn’t want to support the petroleum industry anymore,” she said.  

Sher and two other members of Ukiah City Council who own electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles—Juan Orozco and Mari Rodin—will bring their cars to the City of Ukiah’s first Electric Vehicle Showcase at Todd Grove Park on Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.  Electric vehicle owners are invited to bring their cars and join the line-up, which includes a wide selection of EVs and plug-ins ranging from small models like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt to midsize Tesla, Hyundai Ionic, and VW ID-4, to larger cars like Rivian and the bold new Tesla Cybertruck.  

“Anyone who is considering an electric vehicle can take a look at the models on display at the showcase and talk to their owners,” said Eileen Mitro, coordinator of Climate Action Mendocino.  “Owners are perhaps the best source of information about all things EVs, including cost, range, charging, trip planning, quirks and benefits.”

The EV Showcase is part of the City’s annual Earth Day celebration at Todd Grove Park, and cars will be shown on the west side near the summer stage.  Co-organizers of the EV Showcase are Climate Action Mendocino and North Bay Electric Auto Association, both of which will provide handout information about EVs and incentives.

Nearly 1.2 million new EVs were sold in the U.S. last year, and California passed the tipping point of early adoption in 2019 when seven percent of new cars sold were electric, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance in a recent Washington Post article.   Bloomberg’s senior associate Corey Cantor said that once sales top five percent, the trend is toward strong growth in sales as electric vehicle adoption becomes mainstream.  From seven percent in 2019, California sales of EVs rocketed to 25% of all new car sales in the first half of 2023, according to reported state data, though sales were weaker in rural areas. In Mendocino County, 4,000 to 5,000 new EVs were registered to residents in the 2022-2023 time period. 

Noting that “electric vehicles are rapidly becoming a standard choice for new and used car buyers,” the City of Ukiah developed a webpage of information and tools to help residents understand charging costs and incentives.

“The City Electric Department has been planning for the adoption of EVs for years,” said Electric Utility Director Cindy Sauers.  “We’ve made significant upgrades to our system to ensure we have the capacity and flexibility to add your new EV!”

Ukiah currently has 27 EV chargers shown on Plugshare.com, not all of them publicly available such as those for motel customers or Tesla owners.  Ukiah is evaluating new locations for a fast-charger and several level-2 chargers compatible with most if not all EVs.

Sher took advantage of a City of Ukiah rebate to install a home charger.  The City offers rebates of between $400 and $4,000 on Level 2 chargers, depending upon whether they are intended for home or public use. 

Ukiah City Councilman Juan Orozco plugs his 2020 Nissan Leaf into a typical 110-volt household electric socket and charges his car overnight during off-peak hours, which helps smooth electricity demand on the grid.  He uses the family hybrid car on weekends so the Leaf can stay plugged in for a full charge.  Orozco doesn’t notice an increase in his monthly electricity bill, he said, and it is cheaper to charge at home than at a public charger.

City Utility Director Sauers concurs.  City electric rates are “significantly lower” than rates charged by neighboring utilities, she said, so using city rebates to install a convenient charger at home “is a huge win for local EV owners.”

Orozco acknowledged that new car prices on EVs may seem high.  And most Americans, studies show, buy used cars.  Auto dealers Fowler Auto Center and Thurston Auto Plaza in Ukiah both have used EVs on the lot for sale.

Prices on used EVs have come down, partly because Tesla, the nation’s number one manufacturer of EVs, slashed prices on its new cars last year, and car rental company Hertz sold off 20,000 Teslas at steep discounts.  Couple lower prices with a $4,000 federal tax credit and state incentives, and the cost of purchasing a used EV can be a winner. Once the EV is purchased, owners can wave goodbye to high gas prices and most maintenance costs.

But price isn’t everything, said Orozco, who points out that EVs are a solution to curtail pollution from transportation, the number one source of climate-warming emissions in the U.S. Switching, he said, can literally save lives. 

“I think people should be thinking about other types of energy other than fossil fuels,” said Orozco.  “I’ll say this to our local Hispanic community and all citizens of Ukiah, don’t be afraid to explore other options.  You don’t have to be burning fossil fuels.”

For more information about EVs on the City Electric Utility website, visit https://cityofukiah.com/ev/.  To learn about the City of Ukiah’s rebates for EV chargers, visit https://cityofukiah.com/electric-utility/, scroll down and click the rebate menu.