Electric Car Dealership Debuts in Little Rock
With prices hovering right around $3 per gallon for regular unleaded gas, there's really no way to get around the pain at the pump, unless you avoid it altogether. A new company is trying to convince Arkansas car buyers to go electric.According to the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration, the average American drives 26 miles a day. That's about a gallon and a half of gas or about $5 a day. Some brave new entrepreneurs in Little Rock are counting on drivers turning that cost in for one that costs closer to $0.50 a gallon.It’s a brand new venture for owner David Bevans at ETA, Electric Transportation Arkansas located downtown. It is the first all electric car dealership in the state."It's not farfetched, it's just new," Bevans says. “Arkansas is the Natural State. It's time we start living up to our reputation of being natural, and more natural."The fleet of electric cars is small now. An electric scooter goes for $3400, the electric car equipped with train horn will cost you $10,000"I saw the place was open and I came in purely out of curiosity," says Mike Dardin.Dardin is one of the first to check out the electric fleet on day one."I'm allergic to ozone, this could help," Dardin says.A big question for customers may be speed. These all go 35 miles per hour. But in a couple of weeks something like this, an SUV will be available in Arkansas. Top speeds, 75 miles per hour.Bevans is counting on Arkansans wanting to go electric. At $0.02 a mile, he thinks now is the time.“We are taking a risk. We're taking a risk that people are sick of paying for gas," Bevans says.The low speed vehicles are targeted at people who live and work close together, perhaps in the downtown area, the Heights or Hot Springs Village. But with the addition of a high-speed SUV they hope to grow the presence of electric cars statewide. Low speed cars will go 60 miles before requiring a recharge. The soon to be released high speed model can go 110 miles before needing to be plugged into a standard wall outlet.
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