Washington State Receives First Electric Taxis Under New Low-Speed Laws

Kate Dwyer and Myron Gauger of PTeRider recently received the state's first electric shuttles to be used locally as shared taxis in the waterfront town of Port Townsend. The nostalgic bright red electric taxis feature a retro look with polished Model-A headlights, chrome grille and bumper, and six-spoke rims. Although the couple expects to hire drivers in the future, right now there's a daily fight to see who gets to pilot the eye-popping street legal electric vehicles.

"It has attracted so much interest," said Gauger. "It's cool seeing how many people smile when you come by."

PTeRider has regularly prescribed routes to downtown, Uptown and Fort Worden. The Fort Worden route provides passengers with a scenic cruise past Happy Valley. A service zone map is posted on the pterider.com website. Passengers can call 774-3803 for pickup in the Port Townsend area or flag down any of the companies electric taxis on the street. According to the owners, the stylish mode of transportation can be also be hired for special events, such as weddings, proms or recreational outings.

"Depending upon the load," said Brett Jackrel of Moto Electric Vehicles. "Each vehicle can travel up to 60 miles on a single six-hour charge. We designed the taxis for easy side access with rain flies that can be lowered on wet days."

The owners are both well known local artist. Dwyer's paintings accent the use of interesting media highlighted by a reverse effect of paint surfaces and Gauger specializes in woodcuts and photography. Dwyer has also donated her time over the years to develop and maintain the Adams Street Park garden in downtown.  Both were instrumental in getting the State's laws changed to allow electric vehicles to travel on state highways within the city limits.

 "Like many southern states, Washington's Governor Jay Inslee and the Jefferson Transit have recognized the environmental advantages of allowing street legal electric vehicles to operate in low-speed environments," added Jackrel. The Governor had signed the bill changing the state's electric vehicle laws just a month before PTeRider took possession of the bright red electric taxis.  If you would like discuss the laws in your low-speed neighborhood, call MotoEV toll-free at 855-339-8555.