Georgia Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols, accompanied by a caravan of electric, propane and natural gas-powered vehicles, made a stop in Savannah on Thursday as part of his third annual Georgia Alternative Fueled Vehicles Road Show hosted by Savannah Technical College.
Various organizations showcased a variety of alternative-fueled vehicles ranging from the fully electric-powered Nissan Leaf to a Chevrolet Silverado 2500 that operates on compressed natural gas.
“The Public Service Commission had a role in expanding natural gas fueling a couple of years ago,” Echols said. “And so, through that, I had a chance to buy a natural gas car and drive it for two years and experience the benefits of using an alternative-fueled vehicle.
“As a result of driving that car I created a road show that travels around to educate consumers about the different types of alternative-fueled vehicles available for them.”
Echols stressed the importance of Georgia building a strong workforce to support the explosion of developing vehicle technologies.
Savannah Tech recently launched its new alternative fuels program, which teaches students how to repair and maintain electric and hybrid-model vehicles. The United States Department of Labor estimates 17 percent job growth in the automotive-technology sector over the next decade.
Automotive Technology department head Matthew White said professionals who know how to work on these vehicles will be in high demand and should expect wage premiums that exceed those whose expertise are limited to traditional vehicle models.
“There is a huge demand for technicians,” he said. “I can guarantee anybody that goes through my program a job working on these things because nobody out there wants to learn how to work on them.”
Many key players in the alternative-fuels industry joined Echols and provided information on unique ways to generate large returns on investing in alternative fuels.
Echols’ main vision focused on the ports switching from diesel to natural gas to fuel their operations.
Georgia Ports Authority is undergoing projects at its Garden City Terminal seeking to make the switch to cleaner energy through an electrified crane system that will reduce dependency on diesel. It also recently updated the entire facility to use more efficient lighting and are testing the efficiency of converting many of the vehicles on site to alternative fuels.
“We try to determine what the best technology is to be efficient and be the No. 1 port in the U.S.,” said GPA’s director of engineering and facilities maintenance, Christopher Novack
For Echols, promoting the use of alternative fuels that are cost-effective and clean for the environment is more about common sense than about party
“I am a Republican. I am an evangelical. I have seven kids. So, I am very conservative,” he said, adding those evangelical roots drive him to be a better steward of resources.
“By using natural gas or electricity in your car, you not only save money yourself, but you provide for a cleaner atmosphere and you really help lower the cost for everyone else.
“If people can figure out how to conserve and how to use less power, it helps their neighbors and everyone else across the state not to have to pay a disproportionate amount for peak energy use.”