Electric Vehicle Rally Zips Through Evanston

A dozen electric vehicles drove through Evanston Friday, retracing the route of the nation's first motor vehicle race as part of this year's Chicago Auto Show.

Nearly 200 people turned out to see the cars in the Electrified Vehicle Rally, which followed the path of the 1895 Chicago Times-Herald motor race, according to city officials. 

Vehicles in the rally included a Chevrolet Volt, Fisker Karma, Ford C-max Energi, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, Tesla Roadster, Toyota Prius, Toyota Prius C, Toyota Prius PHEV, Volkswagen Passat TDI, VIA Motors EREV Silverado and a Smith Electric Delivery Vehicle.

“We whole-heartedly support electric cars as one of many tools we can use to lower emissions so much that Evanston has been working to bring three electric car charging stations to the city - hopefully some time before this summer," Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl said in a press release.

The city's fleet currently includes 38 flex fuel vehicles, which run on a blend of gasoline and ethanol, 139 trucks fued by bio-diesel and one hybrid vehicle, according to city spokesperson Eric Palmer. All new cars purchased since 2010 operate with selective catalytic reduction or exhaust gas recirculation, technologies that reduce emissions to water vapor, Palmer said.