Thomas College to be part of National Drive Electric Earth Day on April 27 Web Director | April 23, 2019

WATERVILLE, MAINE, April 2019 — Thomas College will be a host for the national Drive Electric Earth Day on April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Thomas College in Waterville. This event is free and open to the public. 

This nation-wide event will celebrate the environmental and cost-saving benefits of electric vehicles. Attendees are encouraged to stop by to check out an EV or to bring their own.  There will be opportunities to drive an EV.

This event is co-sponsored by Thomas College Club Green, Thomas College’s ‘Toward a Sustainable Society’ class, Sustain Mid Maine Coalition, and Central Maine Motors.  

According to co-organizer Steve Kahl, Professor of Science, his students start-out skeptical about EVs but after studying their impressive performance and low operating costs, they are amazed. 

“Consider that without a gasoline engine, EVs don’t need exhaust systems, oil changes, or cooling systems, and electricity is the equivalent of $1.35 dollars per gallon,” Kahl says. “That is why, for example, 46 percent of the cars sold in the country of Norway last year were plug-in vehicles.”

Thomas College has two level 2 EV chargers and two level 1 chargers on campus.  EVs already signed up to be present include Toyota and Chevy EVs complements of Central Maine Motors; several Teslas, as well as EVs from several private owners and solar companies.

For a chance to win $250, register to attend or participate and complete a short survey. To register, please visit https://driveelectricearthday.org/event.php?eventid=1753.

About Thomas College: Celebrating its 125th anniversary, Thomas College offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in programs ranging from business, entrepreneurship, and technology, to education, criminal justice, and psychology. Its Guaranteed Job Program, the first of its kind in the nation, is built on students’ academic, career, and leadership preparation. Thomas is also home to the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation and the Center for Innovation in Education. In 2017, Money Magazine ranked Thomas 23rd of all colleges and universities in the country for adding the most value to their degrees, and data reported by the New York Times ranks Thomas in the top 15 percent of all higher education institutions in the U.S. for upward mobility of its graduates. For more information, visit wwwold.thomas.edu or MacKenzie Riley Young at [email protected] or 207-859-1313.