Electric Vehicles Gain Traction in Area

South Bay residents are warming up to the idea of electric vehicles, according to an article published Wednesday in the Beach Reporter.

According to data from the South Bay Cities Council of Governments' Local Use Vehicle (LUV) project, most destinations for South Bay drivers are less than five miles from home.

With the electric vehicles, the SBCCG aimed to provide an alternative to people who would normally keep a second or third car at home.

The LUV project's seven cars were equipped with a GPS tracking system and didn't travel faster than 25 mph.

"Individual drivers are using the LUVs for 46 percent of all miles they're driving," Jacki Bacharach, the executive director of the SBCCG, told reporter Annie Lubinsky. "They're using (the LUVs) for 72 percent of their round trips, mostly within three to five miles of home, taking the kids to school, going shopping or to the gym, the kinds of little errands they're doing all the time."

The LUVs aren't the only electric cars on South Bay streets, however. General Manager Keith Geiger told Lubinsky that he's seen a Nissan Leaf and a Chevrolet Volt plug into the mall's electric vehicle charging station.

According to Bacharach, the SBCCG plans to study optimal locations for additional charging stations.

• Full story: Electric Vehicles Welcomed in the Beach Cities [Beach Reporter]

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