Bowdoin’s Motor Pool Shop Leader Karl Perkins snagged the truck this summer when it became available at a local dealership. It’s the first electric vehicle for the College’s security officers, and it’s their first pickup truck.
Adam Talbot, assistant director of safety and security, said he was initially leery about investing in a truck with a battery range of 280 to 290 miles. Security officers work around the clock and need to have a reliable vehicle at the ready, he said.
Six months later, Talbot said everyone on his team is pleased. βItβs working really good, it’s great,β he said. βBesides the utilityΒ of having a truck, itβs a fun vehicle to drive, itβs really fast! It has a low center of gravity and does well in the snow.β Even through the recent cold snap Maine has been having, the battery range has been sufficient.
Security officers had wanted a pickup truck so they could be more efficient with tasks like setting up parking cones and hauling away abandoned bicycles, Talbot said. (They store the bikes for one year and then donate any unclaimed ones.)
When the Ford-150 Lightning became available from Casco Bay Ford in Yarmouth, the College jumped on the opportunity. The new truck joins three Ford Interceptor SUVs, which are standard police vehicles.
Though the electric pickup is handy to have around, it’s also in the rotation for regular campus patrols, Talbot said. βEverybody likes driving it,β he said, adding, βAnd itβs been a mission for the College to go this way.β
