The Verona Senior Center in Verona, WI recently purchased one of the newest weapons being deployed in the war on gas prices and pollution-the neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV).

The board of directors had been considering such a vehicle as a means to deliver meals and run errands for Verona seniors, and senior center director Diane Lanaville was anxious to move that conversation forward as the transportation needs of older adults became more difficult with increases in gas costs and decreases in transportation services provided by the county.

"We rely on volunteers using their own vehicles at their own expense to help seniors complete errands and tasks to remain living independently," Lanaville says. "The rising cost of operating a traditional motor vehicle was restricting what our volunteers were willing or able to do. We found many seniors were downsizing to one vehicle and no longer had a vehicle available during the day for volunteer activities. We wanted to find more efficient ways of meeting needs, and the NEVs seemed to be one very promising way."

The vehicle was purchased with donations from Verona senior citizens and a substantial grant from a local community philanthropic organization. The original cost of $16,000 included a special "truck" style with a hard-shell cover for transporting meals, wheelchairs, and other items for older adults. The original investment is mitigated by very minimal ongoing expenses. A two-year state license is just $25, and a battery, expected to need replacing after two years, will cost about $2,000. The vehicle travels approximately 50 miles per charge, or nearly 200 miles for $4 of energy. The NEV is entirely electric and uses no fossil fuel, has no emissions, and is virtually silent as it runs.

Together with RSVP of Dane County-an agency also considering NEVs to deliver meals and transport seniors-the Verona Senior Center created a training curriculum for all volunteers interested in using the electric car. Although it has a simple operating mechanism, the NEV does handle differently than an automobile, and the center wanted to ensure that both passengers and drivers were safe when using it.

The Verona Senior Center will not focus on transporting people with a NEV, Lanaville explains, but on helping with small errands and delivering home-delivered meals around town. Transporting seniors may be a possibility in the future. Right now, serving the needs of caregivers by running errands on their behalf, freeing up some of their time and helping to reduce their stress, is one of the primary goals of the program.

"We want to facilitate caregivers being able to spend less time running and more time in meaningful activities with their care recipients, or in taking care of their own needs," says Lanaville.

Currently the center's county-subsidized van is the only public transportation in town for seniors and available only limited hours during the week. Equipped with a mechanical lift, that vehicle is kept busy transporting individuals to the center and to appointments around town. The NEV will be readily available, permitting the senior center to create a much more flexible schedule.

"We understand there are limits on where a NEV can travel and what we might be able to accomplish with one, but it is an exciting additional resource for us," Lanaville says. "We are very high on this 'Meals on Electric Wheels' and other expanded transportation solutions." State and local statutes permit electric cars only on roadways posted at 35 miles per hour or lower.

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