March 13, 2008 issue
Green Vehicles Galore at Mast General Store
From Fleet Vehicles to Personal Cars, Mast General Store Is Changing the Way It Drives
Story by Sam Calhoun
As longtime supporters of the community and stewards of the environment, the employees and owners of Mast General Store use their high-profile stature in the region to lead by example—in this case, by buying green vehicles.
In an effort to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, Mast General Store now uses two Toyota Prius Hybrids for corporate vehicles. In addition, a Mast General Store employee recently converted her car to all-electric and another traded in his 6-cylinder pickup truck for a Honda Civic Hybrid.
Fleet Vehicles
Two years ago, John Cooper, owner of Mast General Store, decided that his company’s corporate vehicles were wasting too much gas and contributing too much pollution to the environment. Cooper replaced his company’s Dodge Caravan and Subaru with two Toyota Prius Hybrids—the most fuel-efficient car in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“We thought it was the right thing to do,” said Cooper, who added that his wife Faye also drives a Prius. “We chose vehicles that do the least amount of damage to the environment.”
Mast General Store bought a four-wheel drive Subaru for a third corporate vehicle to get around on snow days, but the Toyota Prius Hybrids get the most use, said Cooper, as they are used to run errands between the nine locations of Mast General Store.
Cooper said the hybrids are averaging 50 miles per gallon of gasoline.
Around the same time that Cooper bought the new fleet vehicles, he also implemented a new program for his employees that gives rewards for using alternative transportation. If Mast General Store employees walk, bike or use a transit system to get to work, they get more money in their paycheck. Mast General Store managers keep a tally of how many days during the month employees use alternative transportation and then give a certain amount of money for each day on their paycheck at the end of the month.
Cooper said that many of his employees already used alternative transportation before the incentive program started.
“Those people were very happy, but [the incentive program] has created an even larger number of employees that use alternative transportation,” said Cooper.
Electric Conversion
Mast General Store Human Resources Manager Paula Finneron and her husband’s primary car was already a Toyota Prius Hybrid, but that, apparently, wasn’t green enough.
Two years ago when the couple was planning to replace their minivan, they stumbled on an issue of Green Mother News with a story on “How To Build An Electric Car.”
Although the Finnerons didn’t want to build one themselves, the idea of owning an electric car interested them and they started looking online for places that could handle the conversion. They found Ampmobile Conversions in Lake Wylie, S.C.
Founded by Mike and Paula Moore in 2005, Ampmobile Conversions converts gas-powered cars and trucks to totally electric. In 2005, the business focused on gathering information on electric vehicles and organizing the information on its website www.ampmobileconversions.com. In 2006, the business went from working part time on conversions to full time, and added more research and development for better electric vehicle products. From 2007 to the present, the business has been focused on finding better batteries and more efficient ways to convert and use electric cars in the hope that soon the company can start offering motorcycle conversions.
“We strive to help people help themselves and better the environment,” the Moores wrote on their website. “By converting gasoline-powered vehicles to totally electric we will reduce tons of air pollution per year and dependence on foreign oil. At the same time we are recycling unusable vehicles into useable modes of transportation.”
According to Finneron, Ampmobile Conversions can convert any gas-powered car or truck to electric. The smaller the better, but Ampmobile Conversions has converted pickup trucks and minivans to electric.
Finneron, however, found a Pontiac Firefly—a small foreign car that uses the same frame as the Suzuki Swift and Geo Metro—in Yadkinville and sent it down to Ampmobile Conversions.
Ampmobile Conversions completed the conversion in less than two weeks at a cost of $8,000 that included both parts and labor.
“They just pulled the engine out and popped in the battery,” said Finneron. “Now, the car is completely electric.”
Finneron plugs her car into a regular household electrical circuit whenever it needs a charge. She can drive her electric car 35 miles between charges, so because she works and lives in Valle Crucis, one charge lasts for one week of driving to and from work. A gauge on her dashboard—installed by Ampmobile Conversions—tells Finneron when her charge is getting low.
“We’re very happy with how it turned out,” said Finneron.
Finneron had no problem getting the car inspected and registered in Watauga County.
“It seemed like the right thing to do, so we did it and it worked out great,” said Finneron.
For more information on how to switch gas-powered cars and trucks to electric, click to www.ampmobileconversions.com.
A Switch To Hybrid
J.D. Dooley, Mast General Store’s manager of e-commerce and company photographer, searched long and hard for a replacement for his 6-cyclinder pickup truck. Dooley travels 20 miles to and from work each day and is also a soccer referee, a job that requires travel to all points in the state on a regular basis. Dooley was looking for a car that could save money on gas.
When hybrids first came out years ago, Dooley said, they were great for the environment but not as great economically—that is, hybrids were expensive and gas prices had not yet skyrocketed. But with gas prices at an all-time high and the price of hybrids starting to plateau—especially used hybrids—Dooley took another look. What he found was that a monthly payment on a used hybrid—roughly $200—was around the same price he paid for gas each month in his 6-cylinder pickup truck.
“That was not true five years ago when hybrids first came out,” said Dooley.
So Dooley set out to find used hybrids. He discovered that now many people want to buy a used hybrid, making the cars hard to find in the immediate area. A friend, though, tipped him off to a used 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid at Cars Plus in Lenoir and Dooley went to check it out.
He drove the car and loved it.
“I didn’t feel like I was sacrificing power or room,” said Dooley.
Dooley bought the car and couldn’t be happier. The car gets 48 miles per gallon in the city and 47 miles per gallon on the highway. The highway mileage is slightly less because the vehicle uses more gas at higher speeds.
Community Interest
News & Notes
Events
Arts & Entertainment
