New Haven Independent
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Paul Wessel glided along Shelton Avenue and Thompson Street in his 2024 Kia Niro EV to illustrate the ease of electric-vehicle driving.
“Somebody was just saying she liked the color. Her kid was in the backseat. He was very impressed with how quiet and smooth the ride was,” Wessel remarked.
Wessel and other members of Clean Transportation Communities of Southern Connecticut offered several Newhallville residents test rides in EV cars and e‑bikes on Sunday to spread electric vehicle awareness during National Drive Electric Vehicle Month.
The event was also part of the nationwide Sun Day, a clean energy day of action. It took place at the Learning Corridor on the Farmington Canal Trail in Newhallville. Clean Transportation Communities of Southern Connecticut and Community Placemaking Engagement Network planned the festivities with funding from Plug In America.
“Electric Vehicles are better for the air that we breathe and fighting climate change,” said Wessel. ​“And they’re fun. People don’t talk about that enough.” 
He pointed to the specific torque feature in electric vehicles that produce instant acceleration. ​“It’s like driving a spaceship,” said Wessel.
Wessel said roughly 150 people attended Sunday’s event. Seventy-two people tested electric cars, from Tesla to Vinfast to Hyundai and Subaru. Forty attendees tried out New Haven bike share e‑bikes.
Wessel leased his first electric car in 2017. ​“The first time I got into one it was like moving from a PC to a Mac,” said Wessel. He paid $5,000 for his current lease after shaving off $10,000 from the car’s original price with a federal subsidy of $7,500 and a state subsidy of $2,500.
He got the deal just in time before President Donald Trump moved to end the federal tax credit in his Big Beautiful Bill Act. The federal subsidy is set to expire on Sept. 30. But the Connecticut Hydrogen & Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate continues on. New Haven residents can save up to $5,000 for used electric vehicle purchases. 
While the mining process in battery production does create a significant carbon footprint, electric vehicles still provide a more sustainable transportation option than gasoline-powered cars by reducing fossil fuel emissions and air pollution during usage. 
Unhealthy air quality causes asthma and cancer at disproportionately high rates in low-income communities of color. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America included New Haven in the 2024 ​“Asthma Capitals” list. In 2025, New Haven County received a failing grade for high ozone days and particle pollution from the American Lung Association. 
Offering more clean energy transportation options is one way to lower asthma rates in historically disinvested communities. 
In Newhallville, ​“we are always advocating for better access,” said event organizer and Community Placemaking Engagement Network founder Doreen Abubakar. ​“I said, well, we can use my space, we can invite church people, and that’s the way we make sure we have Black and Brown people at the event.” 
Ten years ago, urban environmentalist Abubakar turned the formerly labeled ​“mud hole” into the green-space Learning Corridor for Newhallville community programming. Dozens of people flocked to her revitalized plot on Sunday to eat free hot dogs, learn about electric vehicles, and enter a raffle for a free e‑bike.
“I’m really excited to be out here in this event,” said Sunrise Movement Lead Coordinator Takeira Bell, who lives two blocks away from the Learning Corridor greenspace. Bell uses an e‑bike daily thanks to the Ride New Haven bike share program, which has a standard rate of $20 a month and an ​“equity membership” model of $4 per month for qualifying riders.
Organizations such as Ride New Haven, Sunrise, and Sierra Club set up booths along the grass to share resources with Newhallville residents. 
“For a lot of folks it’s scary. You know what a gasoline vehicle is like. You know what a diesel bus is like, but you’ve never driven or ridden in an electric vehicle. And so this is a way to introduce people to it,” said Wessel.
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