The featured topic at Wellesley’s Green Collaborative will be “Are You Ready to go Electric?” on Thursday October 24, 2019, 9am – 11:15am in the Wakelin Room at the Wellesley Free Library.

Featured speakers will discuss whether the Town’s fleet of vehicles can further electrify and if electric school buses in Wellesley could become a reality, among other topics. Several Wellesley EV owners will bring their EVs to the event and will also be on-hand to participate in an informal Q&A.

Featured Speakers:

Anna Vanderspek, Electric Vehicle Program Director of the Green Energy Consumer Alliance
The non-profit’s “Drive Green” program includes an electric vehicle discount program and outreach to educate consumers interested in vehicle electrification.

Benjamin Hartford, National Accounts Sales Representative of XL Fleet
XL Fleet provides electrification solutions for Class 2-6 commercial and municipal vehicles. XL equipment improves vehicle fuel efficiency by 20 – 50%. Thousands of vehicles with XL technology have driven nearly 100 million cumulative miles. These vehicles have saved over one million gallons of fuel.

Kevin King, School Bus and Transit Sales Manager of Lion Electric
Several years ago, first-generation Lion Electric school buses were part of a pilot program in Concord, Amherst and Cambridge. Reports indicate that the latest generation of Lion’s product offerings have benefited from the lessons learned in these pilots. Given the cost of diesel fuel, the economic model for electric bus purchases can be more compelling than for other EVs. With these economics, the bus sector is going electric faster than any other.

Kevin Kennedy of Wellesley’s Facilities Management Department
Kennedy will provide an update regarding the progress of the Town Hall Annex project that would be the Town’s first truly Net-Zero Energy facility and a subject of the FY20 Annual Town Meeting in March 2019.