Photos and article by Mary Alice Murphy

"Two entities came together to make this charging station possible," Bruce Ashburn of PNM said. "The town of Silver City and PNM worked together."

He introduced PNM President and Chief Executive Officer Pat Vincent Collawn.

"We are happy to be here to dedicate this Charge and Go station," Vincent Collawn said. "Electric vehicles are fun. The newer ones have absolutely no lag when they take off. EVs are about cleaning up our environment. Regular vehicles are our highest polluters."

She said by 2025, it is expected that upwards of seven million electric vehicles will be on the road. "We will need five million charging points. Make sure your visitors know you have a charging station. I want to thank Alex Brown (Silver City town manager) and James Marshall (assistant town manager) and Gillis Lang (of Linograt EV Charging Stations) for getting the stations up and running. It's an exciting day for us."

Ashburn said another exciting program is that PNM, in partnership with Nissan, from May to September this year, will launch a program for the Nissan Leaf. "PNM customers will get a $3,000 rebate and still have the potential for the federal rebate of $7,500."

Silver City Mayor Ken Ladner said: "As the mayor, I'm the official welcome person. You mentioned the key people. We have one of the best city managers in the state in Alex Brown. He runs the city smoothly and also does the finances. Assistant Manager James Marshall is also key to the running of the city. We appreciate the partnership with Bruce. Partnering can make great projects. For instance, right now, we are partnering with Western New Mexico University President Joseph Shepard on the College Street Project."

Ashburn also introduced Ron Darnell, who is PNM senior vice president for public policy. He did not speak.

Gordon West, representing the Southwest New Mexico Green Chamber said: "I'm Cissy McAndrew (president) today. She had car trouble and was stuck in Roswell. I'm very happy to see this."

Sen. Howie Morales said: "We do much work in Santa Fe, but I wanted to make sure I was here to welcome those who are here from PNM. I congratulate them for today and the future. We get people coming in and we want them to know us as forward-thinking. This is a step in the right direction."

Derrick Ratcliff, Silver City-Grant County Chamber of Commerce board chairman, welcomed attendees and thanked West for helping with the ribbon cutting.

Vincent Collawn spoke to the Beat and said: "Your downtown is really nice and charming. It has a personality. It's a small town that cares and takes care of itself. As an industry as a whole, we are trying to put in electric vehicles to replace combustion engines, which are now No. 1 for emissions. It helps us and helps our community. Visitors with electric vehicles check where there are charging stations before heading somewhere. Without the stations, it's tougher to get people to pass through or stay."

Ashburn said electric vehicles are also important to the local economy in Grant County, because they have three times as much copper in them as standard combustion engines. "So, they are good for our community and our state."

Vincent Collawn said also important are the distances in New Mexico. "Regenerative braking works well in town, but we're far apart. The electric sector has gotten cleaner. By 2040, our emissions will be down at least 80 percent from today. Every form of energy generation leaves a footprint, but we are trying to minimize it."

To a question about birds and wind turbines, she said turbine builders and the National Renewable Labs are working on designs to prevent birds from flying around them, perhaps using sound. "Before wind turbines are installed, the migratory paths of birds must be determined." PNM has a large wind farm in southeast New Mexico. "The technology is getting there on our systems and the batteries are getting better."

Vincent Collawn said PNM can work with anybody on the Public Regulations Commission, "as long as they are willing to listen. The job of the commissioner is to balance customers' needs with the company's needs."

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