An alternative to rising fuel costs

The escalating price of gasoline has not affected Ted Lowe.

He hasn't filled his gas tank in about four years.

In fact, his yellow Chevrolet F-10 pickup doesn't need gas to run.

Lowe says he's seen a jolt recently in interest in the electric car movement.

"People are starting to see the writing on the walls as far as oil goes," he said. "This is a valuable part of the solution."

Lowe, 50, is the president of the Fox Valley Electric Auto Association in Wheaton. He will be at an alternative fuels fair from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today at the St. Charles Public Library, 1 S. Sixth St.

Representatives from the The Field Museum in Chicago will be there to show off their Renewable Energy Vehicle, which runs on solar energy and vegetable oil.

Lowe has driven an electric vehicle for seven years.

In 2004, he got rid of his gas-burning car and started driving his electric truck exclusively. And he's been spreading the word at numerous fairs, parades and celebrations throughout the suburbs, including Naperville, Schaumburg and Elgin.

"I feel like I'm doing something to help people," he said. "I feel much more of a kinship with my country because of this."

This is the fair's first year, and it's part of a program called Green Ideas that aims to educate people about green living.

"The purpose behind Green Ideas is to present ideas for people to consider while making the effort to change their habits toward preserving the earth," said Valerie Verscaj, a youth services librarian in St. Charles who helped organize today's event.

Among those ideas are vehicles that run on renewable energy, such as solar power or waste vegetable oil.

Johanna Thompson has been involved with the Renewable Energy Vehicle since its launch in October.

"The whole idea is to educate," she said. "We don't need people believing in us and the idea as much as the idea of an alternative. But we're trying to demystify this particular fuel."

The Field's vehicle, a Dodge van, has two tanks - one is a 5-gallon tank that holds biodiesel in warm weather and straight diesel fuel during the cold; the other is a 17-gallon tank filled with waste vegetable oil. It also has a solar panel on top.

Thompson said the idea is not to push the group's beliefs on others, because that way of education is unproductive.

"People are going to learn something when they are ready to learn it," she said. "There are a lot of resources in the world for us. We have to be smart as we use them."

Lowe's truck can go as many as 50 miles on a charge. He stresses that such vehicles are mission-specific.

He's been stranded a couple of times when his batteries died, but it's no different from a normal car running out of gas.

Fairs like today's give Lowe a chance to change people's thinking on gasoline and introduce the electric car as an option for those who are fed up with the high cost of fuel, which is nearly $1 a gallon more than a year ago.

"We want to help them free themselves from the pump," he said. "More people have more interest (in electric cars) than they would have just a couple of years ago because of gas prices."

The Fox Valley group has started offering electric charging stations to several cities in the area. The group's vice president, Todd Martin, said there are seven stations in the area.

Lowe said he hopes this is just the beginning.

"It's going to be huge," Lowe said. "Not only the organization, but the whole movement."