Avid cyclist Lou Thompson didn’t think much about it when he entered the E-Bike drawing at the PECO booth during the 2024 Philadelphia Auto Show, assuming that the odds against him were high. Imagine his surprise when his name was selected from nearly 700 entries as the winner of a brand new SPE23 Specialized Globe Haul ST E-Bike!
“I have never won anything before, so this is a real treat! Normally I am the one taking pictures of people winning something, so this is really nice, and thank very much to PECO!”
Lou Thompson
PECO sponsored the promotion during the Auto Show to encourage visitors to stop by the booth and learn more about available incentives and programs for customers who choose to drive electric. While the term EV is most closely associated with cars, micro-mobility solutions like electric bikes and scooters are important tools to reduce emissions and traffic congestion, particularly in urban areas. As an added benefit, Lou also received a complimentary one-year membership with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, which is dedicated to promoting cycling and bike safety.
Store manager David Essom from Philly Bikesmith took the time to walk Lou through all the features of the bike, which has a maximum range of 60 miles and can carry more than 130 pounds on the rear rack for hauling groceries, a child seat, or countless other accessories. After downloading the companion app, Lou was excited to hop on and give it a try!
During the Auto Show and year-round, PECO works to educate customers on EVs, providing easy-to-access information on electric vehicle options, home, and business charging options, and on public charging network locations and availability. The company’s EVsmart Program features an interactive, online EV toolkit that allows customers to research the environmental and financial benefits of owning an EV.
As an added highlight to the 2024 show, PECO was proud to exhibit its first-ever all-electric utility bucket truck. This new addition to the company’s fleet underscores PECO’s Path to Clean commitments to reduce operations-based emissions and bring cleaner air to the region. The vehicle has numerous advantages over traditional diesel-powered vehicles, including zero tailpipe emissions, ultra-quiet operation that benefits communities and improves safety for employees, and greatly reduced fueling and maintenance costs. PECO currently operates more than 160 plug-in vehicles, through a combination of fully electric vehicles, vehicles with plug-in idle mitigation units, and hybrids.
