Business & Tech

Video: Windsor Resident Leads Charge Towards Fuel Efficiency

Ken Nelson charged his new Chevy Volt in a ceremony celebrating The Hartford's installation of electric car charging stations on Wednesday.

It's not everyday that green initiatives attract crowds, but a ceremony at The Hartford on Wednesday did just that when the insurance company's CEO, Liam McGee, was joined by Governor Dannel P. Malloy to announce the installation of electric car charging stations in the parking lots of The Hartford's campuses in Windsor, Hartford and Simsbury.

Windsor resident and The Hartford employee Ken Nelson had the privilege of having his new Chevy Volt receive the ceremonial first charge in the parking lot of the company's Hartford campus, a convenience that will be afforded to employees who own electric vehicles, free of charge.

"It's tremendously important [to have the stations installed] because we need to have the infrastructure to keep up with the technology. They go hand in hand," said Nelson, who was admittedly intimidated by the charging aspect of his hybrid-electric vehicle upon purchase.

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While charging has become second nature to him, plugging in when he's working at The Hartford and while at home in Windsor, Nelson sees his company's green initiative to be the beginning of the process of making alternative fuel options available the car owners wherever they may travel.

"You should be able to charge at work. You should be able to charge at the mall, at the beach. Wherever you go, they should have a charging station there... It's a great first step to have a company like the Hartford install these stations," he said.

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Using the stations is a matter of swiping a card and connecting a vehicle to the station in a manner similar to inserting a gas pump into a tank. Green technology made simple, and available, is something McGee sees as an investment in the future.

"We're absolutely committed to doing our part to contribute to a clean environment for current and future generations," said McGee before a crowd of employees in Hartford.

"This is a momentous occasion. One which I hope will very soon, not be seen as very important... but that we will be doing this time and time and time again; that we will be moving rapidly towards a country that is less dependent on the use of fossil fuels to drive us," said Malloy.

"This is the right technology. We don't need to be polluting our environment and becoming more and more dependent on their stability or instability to make our market."

In addition to installing the stations, which are managed by the ChargePoint Network of electronic charging stations, The Hartford is bolstering its policy coverage by offering coverage of home-based electric vehicle chargers to home owners and additional coverage for the use of environmentally-friendly materials to make repairs.


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