Electric cars make power play at Worcester Common

WORCESTER - The possible future of transportation was on display on Worcester Common Monday, in the form of electric cars and bicycles.

For a few hours, Front Street was lined with new electric vehicles, available for people to test drive, part of the Mass Drive Clean Expo.

In an effort to promote the use of electric vehicles in Massachusetts, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs and partner organizations offered visitors a chance to take a ride in an electric car and learn more about a growing segment of the automotive industry. The course took drivers from Front Street to Foster Street, over to Myrtle Street, up Main Street and back to Front Street.

The e-vehicles included cars from several manufacturers, including Nissan, Toyota and BMW. There was also a representative of Fifield electric bicycles.

Linda Benevides of the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs said Massachusetts is working to encourage people to purchase more environmentally friendly vehicles, including those that run on fuel cells.

"There are a number of incentive programs," she said.

The state is also encouraging employers and garages to install charging stations for the cars.

Ms. Benevides said the batteries are still expensive to produce, but to bring costs down, the state is offering $2,500 rebates to buyers. Twelve companies are selling electric vehicles in the state. The prices range from $23,000 to $82,500, before rebates. She said some cars, including the Chevrolet Bolt and the Tesla, get more than 200 miles between charges. She said the state is putting in fast charging stations on heavily traveled routes.

"We have four on the Massachusetts Turnpike," she said.

There are also some on other major highways.

The state is also working with Volkswagen to use some of the money it paid in penalties for emission issues to pay for clean energy transportation initiatives.