No smog, no noise at an all-electric truck showcase in South Natick

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At Lookout Farm, the Bollinger was one of 10 electric trucks on display as state officials seek to encourage fleet owners to convert from diesel in order to reduce emissions that cause climate change and air pollution. The state had planned to begin requiring minimum sales of electric trucks this year, but
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A man walks past an e-truck for sale at a zero-emission vehicle showcase at Lookout Farm in Natick on May 20.
Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
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Jennifer Kritzler, deputy director for Calstart's Northeast Regional Office, said the showcase was designed to demonstrate the variety of electric models suitable for many different jobs. About 100 people, including both commercial and municipal truck users, signed up to attend the showcase.
'There's no obligation to buy a vehicle,' Kritzler said. 'We really want to just get the information out there that electric vehicles are available for purchase and that they can do the duty cycles that you need.'
Alongside the Bollinger and a few other medium-sized cargo trucks, the showcase also included a mustard yellow Rivian pickup truck and a couple of futuristic electric vans from
'We're a local company, so we like to just basically keep the vibe local,' Cory Byrnes, Indigo's director of operations, said. 'On a nice pristine farm like this, why would you want a diesel engine running around when you could have a quiet electric vehicle.'
Potential buyers attending the showcase had many questions about range, cost, and carrying capacity.
Gustavo Teza uses his phone to document an Indigo Tech EV delivery van at a zero-emission vehicle showcase at Lookout Farm in Natick on May 20.
Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
Tom Morahan, general manager at Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant, the town's electric utility, examined several of the larger models on display.
So far, the limited driving range and lack of charging stations plus higher prices of electric models have deterred a purchase, he said. 'The infrastructure is not there for charging at this point,' Morahan said. 'We're waiting for the market, just waiting to see what's going to happen.'
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Calstart's Kritzler mingled with the attendees, answering questions. Under a state-funded program, the nonprofit will help up to 200 truck fleet owners plan for transitioning to electric by identifying specific models, costs, and charging needs.
'A fleet that's well educated is more likely to make a transition to a zero emission vehicle,' Kritzler said.
Aaron Pressman can be reached at

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Before you buy stock in Nio, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Nio wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $664,089!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $881,731!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 994% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Volkswagen Ag. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 3 No-Brainer EV Stocks to Buy Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

San Francisco Chronicle​

8 hours ago

• San Francisco Chronicle​

I want to lease an EV, then buy it out. How do I get the best deal?

A lot of car companies are offering substantial rebates if you lease an electric vehicle. I've never leased a car before and would probably want to buy it out as soon as possible after signing the lease. Which lease terms should I focus on in order to get me the best and quickest buyout? The classic car-buying wisdom from personal finance pros is to buy a used car and then drive it into the ground. But the COVID pandemic upended the used-car market, and those prices have only just begun to stabilize. Many dealerships are offering appealing deals on EV leases right now, so it makes sense to compare and see whether the math works out in your favor. It seems like you're trying to get the best of both worlds: a substantial discount on a lease and then a quick buyout so you own the vehicle outright. But I spoke to some experts who say you might be thinking about this the wrong way. There are a few reasons you can get such a good deal leasing an EV right now, Barry said. 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And some people who've bought or leased EVs in the past few years as the market has grown have decided they don't like driving them for one reason or another, which means more used models are on the market, leading dealers to offer better lease incentives to make new models more attractive. So, yes, you should try and get a good deal on your lease, and there are plenty out there. But there's no need to buy it out right away. When you are negotiating a car lease, there are a few terms you can haggle over. There's the down payment, the monthly cost, your allotted yearly miles, maintenance and residual value — the price you'll pay to buy out the car. Of these things, residual value will have the least wiggle room, Moody said. Those prices are often set by the manufacturer or the dealership's financing department. If you are getting a car with a three-year lease term, look at identical models from 2022 and see what they're selling for now to get a ballpark idea of what your car might be worth when your lease is up. Put as little money down as possible, Barry recommended, and find a monthly number that fits your budget. Moody said negotiating additional miles upfront will make them a lot cheaper than having to pay after you've driven them. Your lease will spell out the overage penalty, which usually falls in the ballpark of 15-50 cents per mile over the average annual allowance of around 12,000 miles. That works out to $750-$2,500 in fees if you went over by 5,000 miles. Some dealerships will throw in things like oil changes and even car washes, which are nice perks. Some ways to learn more: Leasehackr's Rate Findr tool, available with a monthly subscription, lets you look up crowdsourced data on residual values, financing rates and other terms to make sure the deal you're getting is competitive. Kelley Blue Book offers a free lease calculator to see what cars are in your price range and compare monthly prices to buying. All three experts recommended negotiating a deal you're happy with, and then riding out the length of the lease and deciding at the end whether it's a car you really want to keep forever. If you buy out the car, it's entirely possible the technology will advance further, Barry said, and you could be hypothetically stuck with a 3-year-old car you can't sell because every newer car has a better range. You might also learn you don't like driving an electric vehicle. Some people don't enjoy the way the acceleration and braking feel. And some people think they'll have enough access to a charger, and then they have to move or change jobs, and suddenly they don't. Let the car dealership take on those risks while you do an extended test drive before committing for the life of the car. If you've got the principal to buy it burning a hole in your pocket, stick it in a high-yield savings account. When your lease is up, if you decide you like the car, compare the buyout cost with what identical models are going for on the used market. You might have a great deal sitting in your driveway, or you might be able to offload it back to the dealership and get the same car for a lot cheaper somewhere else. Leasing gives you that flexibility.