Hartford Business Journal

8 Hartford Business Journal • October 9, 2017 • www.HartfordBusiness.com FOCUS: Construction & Transportation By Matt Pilon mpilon@HartfordBusiness.com I n recent years, Hoffman Ford Lincoln general sales manager Billy Genereux has sold and leased from his East Hart- ford show room an increasing number of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can run on both electricity and gasoline. "We've been ordering a lot more the last couple years," said Genereux, noting that Ford C-Max and Fusion Energi have been the most popular brands with customers. For every electric vehicle, or EV, Hoffman moves, the state pays the dealership $300. For buyers, the incentive is much higher — as much as $3,000 for a qualifying plug-in hybrid or battery electric vehicle, depend- ing on the model, and $5,000 for a fuel-cell electric car. Combined with a federal rebate of as much as $7,500, buyers can reduce the cost of an EV significantly. "It makes it really appealing," Genereux said. The Hoffman dealership isn't alone in moving more electric vehicles in recent years. The number of EVs sold annually in the state has skyrocketed of late, grow- ing nearly 14 fold since 2011 to 1,512 sales in 2016, according to data provided by the Auto Alliance and R.L. Polk & Co. There are currently 5,565 electric vehicles registered in Connecticut. In addition to the government incentives, the surge is being driven by falling car prices, better cars and the buildout of more than 300 public charging stations around the state, which have reduced "range anxiety" for more buyers worried about running out of juice. But even with the recent sales uptick, some worry it won't be enough to help the state achieve its environmental goals. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Connecticut. Reducing the sector's emissions is seen as vital to the state hitting a legal mandate of reducing overall emissions 80 percent below 2001 levels by 2050. In a 2013 pledge with a group of other states, Connecticut committed to putting 150,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2025, a number it's not on pace to hit. "I think we all understand that we need more electric vehicles," said Emily Lewis, a policy analyst at the Acadia Center, a clean energy advocacy nonprofit. "It seems like we all know what we need to do, so let's just do it." Acadia wants Connecticut to expand its electric-vehicle incentives and implement other policies that would encourage more residents, companies and government enti- ties to purchase EVs. As of September, 1,670 residents had taken advantage of the state's CHEAPR rebates, which provide incentives for more than 30 hybrid or fuel cell electric vehicles. Acadia is pushing the state to be more am- bitious in its five-year energy plan that will be issued by year's end, calling for programs such as EV rebates for low-income households and a new pricing mechanism that would make it cheaper to charge electric vehicles overnight. Dealerships would also like the rebates to stick around. "I think CHEAPR is absolutely the best way to move the market," said Jim Fleming, president of the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association. The Department of Energy and Environ- Driving Growth Electric car sales accelerate, but advocates worry not enough for CT to achieve environmental goals Hoffman Ford Lincoln sales GM Bill Genereux under the hood of a Ford Fusion electric vehicle in East Hartford. Genereux says a state tax credit has been crucial in helping dealerships sell more EVs in recent years. PHOTOS | STEVE LASCHEVER

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