The Most Rewarding 25,000 Miles I've Ever Traveled

I recently rolled past the 25,000 mile mark and had time to reflect about what I thought of my ActiveE and driving an EV.  After a year and a half, simply, I'm loving it!!

So many thoughts and words come to mind but I have to say it is the overall experience, it just feels right.  I currently drive 80 miles round trip daily and I'm not dreading it.  I look forward to hopping into my ActiveE and driving, I enjoy taking longer routes home, if only there were some public charging stations along my route I'd drive a little extra.

People coming up to the car and asking about it never gets old and showing the car off at events is awesome.  Speaking of events this has been a very busy summer for them, nearly one event after another and its not over.  How much do I enjoy showing the car and talking and spreading EV luv....see below....

Long Valley NJ Green Festival
8.17.13

 Prepping for the event

I eventually squeezed my up into the action on the grass - much better.  Nobody heard me sneak in

Cars and Croissants - Chatham NJ
8.10.13

 A bit of red here

Always fun to park adjacent to a classic

Cars and Coffee - Ridgewood NJ
8.14.13

I was their first EV, great turn out.  That's a pre-production M6 Gran Coupe next to me...good to know peeps at BMW

Tesla Owners Club Meet-Up - Paramus NJ
8.14.13

 Right after Cars and Coffee I rolled on down and crashed the Tesla Users Meet-up - Well...I was invited

 Nice to get attention, we don't compete - all EVs are amazing and compliment each other - this gave folks a chance to see other EVs that are on the road or coming and talk shop. 

These Model Ss look like they are going to take a bite out of my rear

Not staged...we really had to push an ICE vehicle for a rolling start at the Tesla Meet-up - nice ZR1 though 

Getting a boost at Bergen Community College before my next adventure 

Cars and Croissants - Hacklebarney State Park
7.27.13

On the way to Cars and Croissants Hacklebarney Park, Long Valley  - was hoping to recruit this guy to join me...no dice 

We had 2 Honda Fit EVs join us - awesome 

A very good turn out and 4 EVs in total 

This is really a great event, all cars welcome

We are usually the last to leave 

Offered my Fit EV friend a boost before he headed home - wow these Fit EVs charge fast!


NJEAA SmartED Ride and Drive - Wagner Farms
6.30.13

A full review of this event can be found at InsideEVs

We had two SmartEDs (Electric Drives) to toss around

 We brought a few other EVs show up - Mitsubishi iMiEV, Tesla Roadster, Tesla Model S, Ford Focus EV, BMW ActiveE and the Chevy VOLT

 This was a fun little EV - very stable

Something you don't see very often - an EV chasing other EVs



Cars and Croissants - Chatham NJ
6.29.13

Forming our EV row - a SmartED joined us

 The Honda Fit EV always draws attention

 The SmartED was the crowd favorite

Father's Day Cars and Croissants - Summit NJ
6.16.13

The biggest Cars and Croissants to date - 500 cars

Yes that really is a potato and a few visitors really thought we got a boost

 We had a lot full of EVs - 2 Tesla Roadsters, 1 Tesla Model S, 1 BMW ActiveE, 1 Honda Fit EV, 1 Nissan LEAF, 1 Chevy VOLT, 1 Prius Plug-in and 1 Zero S motorcycle

 Group shot

Metuchen Cruise Night
6.6.13

 On main street - joined by a Nissan LEAF and a Zero S motorcycle

The ActiveE was very popular

Charge Up and Eat Up

Ever wondered what restaurants there are that have EVSEs for customer use?  It would be so convenient to be able to get a bite to eat while you charge up your EV in an EV friendly place.  Unless you already know of those places you are probably out of luck since the EVSE locator apps don't let you search by business category.

I figured I will do something about it, I'll build a map listing all the restaurants or food places that installed EVSEs for their customers.

The qualifications are pretty simple.  I'm looking for restaurants that installed EVSEs specifically for their customers.  EVSEs near a restaurant that the restaurant owner/management did not install don't count.  Hotels with restaurants count as long as the customer can plug in and eat but not have to stay the night. With that said I will also be including chains and franchises, specific locations, so if a McDonalds has an EVSE for customers to use it counts.

I'd like to call upon the EV community to help me populate the map.  Please submit locations you know of to myactivee(@)gmail(.)com (delete brackets) or post them in the comments section.

Please include the business name, full address, website and phone number if you have it, plus, any other details you think may help like where the EVSE is located.  I will verify each submission to be sure they have a working EVSE and it is for customers as well as what kind of EVSE it is and what fees if any.

If all looks good I'll add it to the map which you can find HERE (last updated 6.21.13)

I'm using Google Maps to plot the locations

Thanks in advance for the help....check back often for updates.


Since I live in NJ let me share the three that are here.

Nauna's Bella Casa

148 Valley Rd, Montclair, NJ

(973) 744-3232

Google Maps Link

Centrally located and within 15 miles of NYC as well as easy access to other parts of Northern NJ is Nauna's.  Tom Moloughney, owner and friend on mine as well as a passionate EV advocate (he drives an ActiveE) installed two Level 2 chargers in his restaurant parking lot.  You will find one from ChargePoint and one from Ecotality (Blink).  There is also a bike rack.

Juicing up at Nauna's

This is a very busy EV location and you will often see another EV charging up there.  When you go in ask for Tom, you will have a great EV conversation and get additional inside scoops on the industry, don't forget to visit his blog here

Restaurant Details:

• Website: http://www.naunas.com/
• Food: Italian
• Family friendly: Yes
• Liquor License: No

Note: Their calzones are huge and the staff extremely friendly. 

EVSE details:

• Two marked parking spots near the front entrance. Pull into parking lot and turn to your right.  The ChargePoint is on your right and the Blink is on your left, both at the end of lot.  
• The ChargePoint is a dedicated EV space, the Blink is not.  If both EV spots are taken and you need a boost go inside and ask for Tom.  If he is there he can help you out.
• ChargePoint Level 2 and Level 1 - ChargePoint Network card required - Charging is free
• Ecotality (Blink) Level 2 - Blink Membership card required - there is a $1 fee per hour to charge

Mrs Riley's Publik House

4-6 Main St, High Bridge, NJ 08829

(908) 638-8382

Google Maps Link

In the Western part of NJ along Rt. 78 is Mrs. Riley's which has two Level 2 chargers from AeroVironment.  John and Denise Hickson, the owners, drive a Nissan LEAF.  Mrs. Riley's was actually the first charge-up spot for Men's Health Electric Car Challenge in 2012 - a drive across the US - read about their visit here

The front of Mrs. Riley's - Chargers are around back from Center St.

4-6 Main St High Bridge, NJ 08829 is the address. My GPS can't do 4-6 so I entered 4 and was fine.

Plugged in around back

Restaurant Details:

• Food: American
• Family friendly: Yes
• Liquor license: Yes

Note: They have a huge selection of good beers on tap and bottled and the customers there are always excited to see another EV

EVSE details:

• Chargers are accessible in the restaurant lot behind the building on Center St. - pull in and they are all the way to the back left.
• Two AeroVironment Level 2 EVSEs and one Level 2.  
• No network card needed, just plug in - free charging
• This is a gravel lot so there are no marked EV spaces.  If blocked walk in and talk to the staff, they will help you out.

Smokey's Brick Oven Tavern

2 Vernon Crossing Rd, Vernon Township, NJ

(973) 764-2600

Google Maps Link

I've have not been to Smokey's yet but it is located up in Northern NJ near the boarder of NY and has two Level 2 Chargepoint EVSEs.  According to ChargePoints site they are solar powered and from pictures I saw online they have a Nissan LEAF that they make deliveries in.

Restaurant Details:

• Website: http://www.smokeystavern.com/
• Food: Italian
• Family friendly: Yes
• Liquor license: Yes

EVSE details:

• It looks like they have the stations near the entrance along McAfee Glenwood Road - go in and they should be to your right
• Two ChargePoint Level 2s - ChargePoint Network card required - Charging is free

With the locations of these restaurants Northern NJ is covered.  You can shop, take a drive with the family and explore the pretty country and small towns and charge up your EV while you charge up yourself or family with a bite to eat.  I hope Southern NJ is not far behind.

All of Northern NJ is pretty much fully accessible with an EV

Not New Jersey but the owner used to drive a Mini E and now he drives a Think!

Cliff's Elbow Room

1549 Main Rd, Jamesport, NY

(631) 722-3292

Google Maps Link

I have not eaten there but I see his posts on FB and the food looks amazing.  They have one Clipper Creek Level 2 EVSE.  Their website is http://www.elbowroomli.com/ and FB page is https://www.facebook.com/cliffselbowroom

A final note but a very important one.....please be responsible and use Charging Etiquette.  The restaurants listed above have all installed these chargers on their own dime and in most cases charging is free for you.  The owners believe in EVs so please be courteous and stop in for some food if you are using their chargers and say hello.

Getting The Word Out

The other day I had the opportunity to do what I like doing best, showing off my EV.  This time it was to a newspaper, The Daily Record.  I've done interviews before and this time I got the chance to take the reporter for a quick spin in my ActiveE.  What better way to convince the reporter that EVs are real cars then to give her a ride in mine.

We took a couple back roads then I jumped on the highway for a few miles then back to where we started, a quick 15 miles and more than enough to show what and EV can do and how comfortable they are.

The outcome was great.  The reporter did a fantastic job on the story, she really did her homework.

Check out the link below for the full online article with video...

http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20130516/grassroots/305160006/morris-drivers-revved-up-electric-cars

...to top it all off I landed on the front page and with the connection to Sustainable Morristown group (we have an event with them in a few days) and me being a member of the NJEAA (New Jersey Electric Auto Association) we got a two page spread.  Again this was a really well written article and a great boost to the adoption of EVs

A photo of the paper the article appeared in 5.16.13 

I mentioned above we had an event coming up which was part of the article.  It was the Morristown Festival Earth and unfortunately the rain never stopped but that did not dampen the enthusiasm of the EV drivers that showed up.  We had decent foot traffic even on this very wet day.

6 EVs from the NJEAA joined us - 2 BMW ActiveEs, 2 Chevy VOLTs, 1 Honda Fit EV and 1 Nissan LEAF

The benefit of driving an EV is not just the driving thrill or being green, it is the whole experience

Cars and Croissants - Dawn of the EV

I attended my 4th 'Cars and Croissants' this past weekend and so did a few more EVs.  We had some great weather today and other than the amazing cars that turned out - probably 75 cars- we had 3 ActiveEs including mine. They were joined by a Chevy Volt and a Prius plugin.  At this rate we will need our own EV section soon.

I arrived early and the ActiveE is already attracting attention 

Tom Moloughney joined us for the first time, passing 21,000 miles in the process.  Yes you read that correctly, Tom has 21,000 miles on his ActiveE already - not a drop of gas.  We were also joined by Michael and his ActiveE, his first time at Cars and Croissants too.  Mark brought his Chevy Volt and another newcomer drove up with his brand new Prius Plugin.  This was a fantastic EV turn out.

A 2nd ActiveE joined by a Chevy Volt 

As usual people came up to ask us questions.  Cars and Croissants is such a great event because the drivers and guests are all car people, they love them.  They are as interested in the exotics as they are in the EVs.  In fact, many are open to getting an EV and some were even on the list for the ActiveE.

The ActiveE is a 1 series and gets lots of compliments, stripes included, of course I show them pictures of the new i3 and more often than not at this event it gets a luke warm reaction.  I'm usually asked when will BMW build a 1 series EV they can buy....hear that BMW?

Anyway - it was great talking EV talk and cool car talk...check out the pics.

Prius Plugin -  interesting how the EVs all have their hoods up

That is a lotus in the middle - not a Tesla.  No Tesla today

Tom shows up and is immediately swamped with questions - having 3 ActiveEs surprised everyone

 A 1956 Ferrari 250 - the owner told me it took him 10 years to restore it - he did the restoration!

Another look down the row 

I'm a big muscle car fan - used to restore these back in the day 

 This is the 2nd set of cars

A real beauty and for sale

Interesting plates 

You don't see one of these everyday

Nor one of these Porsche GT3 RS 4.0 - only 600 made and 126 in the US

Looking up the line 

There was lots of American muscle today (new and old) - really great to see 

As a couple of EVs left I shifted over to bunch up

The event is winding down - it was so great to see everyone

If you are in the Northern NJ area and you drive an EV please come to the next event....you will be pleasantly surprised at how much interest there will be in your EV as well as the equally amazing cars that surround you.  Since dates and location change often, sometimes the day before, I'll post here and to the ActiveE facebook group when the next one is - but next tentative date is August 25th 8:30 to 11 at the Chatham NJ HS parking lot - they are usually every 2 weeks.