National Plug In Day is Saturday

by Beth Lawton

The third annual National Plug In Day, meant to heighten awareness of the benefits of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, is Saturday, Sept. 28.

The day, designed to heighten awareness about electric cars, is sponsored by the Nissan Leaf electric car and Schneider EVlink electric car charging stations.

“They are fun to drive, are less expensive and more convenient to fuel than gasoline vehicles, are better for the environment, promote local jobs, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” according to www.pluginday.org.

You can learn more about electric cars at two official Plug In Day events in Northern Virginia — one from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at MOM’s Organic Market in Herndon, and another from 2 p.m. – 9 p.m. Saturday at the Bad Wolf Brewing Company in Manassas.

Electric cars are becoming more popular — the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt both set sales records this summer — but many consumers still have concerns about the range of travel in electric cars that do not have a gasoline back-up system.

Do you have an electric car or are you considering buying one? There aren't any charging stations in Annandale, but there are a few in nearby Falls Church, Fairfax and Springfield. Here are a few of them from the Alternative Fuels Data Center of the U.S. Department of Energy:

• Koons Nissan, 1051 E Broad St., Falls Church, level 2 charging
  
• Skyline Shopping Center, 5203 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, level 2 charging
  
• Passport Nissan, 150 S Pickett St, level 2 charging
• Walgreens, 3050 Nutley St., Fairfax, level 2 charging
  
• George Mason University (Shenandoah, Mason Pond, and Rappahannock), 4400 University Dr., Fairfax, level 1 & 2 charging
• Sheehy Nissan Springfield, 6727 Loisdale Rd., level 2 charging