Whether it's the stress of gas prices rising up or the short-lived happiness of gas prices spiraling down at stations in Connecticut, Deep River may have found the answer to every gas-guzzler's problem: going electric.

The Deep River library hosted a special dedication of the newly installed electric vehicle (EV) charging station on June 9 at the library to celebrate the installation of the town's first electric vehicle service, as well as honor two local pioneers, Jack Gretta and the late Bob Rice, who built their own electric cars, according to Deep River Selectman Dave Oliveria, president of the New England Electric Auto Association (NEEAA).

"There are two EV pioneers who have paved the way for us to be here celebrating this new EV charging station," said Oliveria. "While many of us were still driving gas guzzlers over the last several decades, early pioneers like Jack Gretta of Deep River and Bob Rice of Killingworth were out there challenging the status quo of gasoline."

Charging at the station is free and, since it takes several hours to charge an EV, the benefit may extend past the savvy EV owner. Oliveria expects that the drivers will start the charge and then stroll Deep River's pleasant Main Street, shopping and dining while they wait for the charge to complete.

Oliveria said when introduced to a Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) employee by a friend, they struck up a conversation about electric vehicles, which is how the idea of possibly opening up EV charging stations in areas of New England came about.

"I was introduced to Dave Driver of CL&P and we began a conversation," said Oliveria. "He mentioned that CL&P has a program that provides free charging stations to municipalities to promote EV use. One thing led to another and 10 months later we are here to mark the installation of one of these chargers in Deep River!"

CL&P's Distributed Resources Project Manager Joseph N. Debs coordinated the charger installation program in Connecticut and Massachusetts, with a goal of installing 30 electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) units in that territory, according to Oliveria. Deep River has the first EVSE in the area.

"So far, four are installed in Massachusetts, with two more in process. The balance will be in Connecticut and so far there are approximately 20 operational units with the balance in process and hope to be completed within a month," Oliveria said. "Eight EVSEs were installed at municipalities and ours is the first in this area."

So who will actually use Deep River's EVSE? While hybrids are a familiar sight on the roads, plug-in EVs the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf were introduced only last year. Locally, however, there are a fair amount of vehicles converted to electric power, as demonstrated at the dedication ceremony. Four EVs participated in the June 9 dedication; a brand new Nissan Leaf, a Chevy Volt, an electric-converted Toyota Supra, and a converted Ford Ranger. The NEEAA helps members do conversions and keep up on new battery technology.

For more information about the EV charging station, call the Deep River Library at 860-526-6039 or visit www.neeaa.org.