Electric car ownership up

"Electric is the future" is what some were saying at an electric car demo held in Burlington Saturday.

Drive Electric Vermont and Burlington Electric teamed up to to bring electric vehicles (EV's) from all around Vermont, New York and Canada. This was just one of over 270 events around the country in support of National Drive Electric Week.

EV owners were able to educate perspective buyers and answer any questions they had about efficiency and adorability.

"When I was a kid, I knew I wanted to drive electric." said South Burlington resident Martin Maitner. He's owned multiple electric cars over the years. "I want to do what I can for the environment and it's good on my pocket too" he said.

Wyatt Markus owns an electric car as well, but is in the market for another with more storage. His main reason for switching to electric is due to the high maintenance costs of his diesel truck.

"An oil change is $225, the transmission service is just under $500, it requires all of these additional chemicals to keep the emissions down, just the cost of owning one is ridiculous." Markus said.

As of July 2017, over 1,700 plug in vehicles were registered in Vermont, a 41% increase over the last year according to a joint press release from both companies.