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the Leaf by the courthouse, county employees would come out and thank him for using the charging station. In fact, the Leaf got Bolles invited to the local Earth Day celebration at the Ocmulgee National Monument. "It was me and a bunch of politicians. I was the only civilian there," he said. And the Leaf got a special parking place so attendees could give it a good look. He's had the car for a few months now and has gotten over worrying that he might get "squashed like a bug" if he was in an accident. "It actually gets very good crash-test ratings," he said. And even though he has the very base model of Leaf, it has bluetooth, XM radio and heated seats and steering wheel. He can also program the car to turn on its air conditioning, so it's cool when he gets in. "I am pleased when I get in the car and drive," he said. As far as highway impressions of the car, it has surprising pickup, merges easily onto the interstate and cruises capably at 70 mph. You also never have to worry about getting the oil changed. "There's a six-month inspection of the batteries, and I need to get my tires rotated," Bolles said. What does he miss about driving a "regular" car? "The worst thing is it's not my big Suburban," he said. "I miss the leather seats. I miss the big shiny wheels." But he doesn't miss shelling out big money at the gas pump. In fact, he has a spread sheet that he can plug in your car's gas milage and tell you "to the penny" how much you can save with a totally electric car. He hopes the city and county will add more charging stations, with convenient locations for commuters. That would in turn encourage more people to get plugged into their own electric cars. But, for now, maybe the best thing about owning an electric car, beyond the money you've saved, or the little dash light that lets you know how many trees you've saved that day by "driving green," is the fact that with a charging station located at the corner of Second and Mulberry streets and with so few plug-in cars being driven locally, when he needs it Bolles has what is essentially a guaranteed parking space downtown. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 Visit Us At Our New North Macon Office & Ambulatory Surgery Center 5400 Bowman Road, across from Mellow Mushroom Since 1977 we've provided comprehensive urologic treatment with a focus on patient care and cutting edge technology. Our trained team of professionals is ready to help with your urologic needs. • 25,000 square foot facility • CT Scan, X-Ray, Labs, Therapy, & Surgery • Ample free parking • 1/2 mile from I-75, Exit 172, Bass Rd. We are also pleased to introduce our new providers Jason O. Burnette, MD, PhD Frieda Underwood, RN, FNPC Lauren Adkinson, RN, FNP usofga.com 5400 Bowman Road | Macon, GA 31210 | (478) 745-6576 maconmagazine_ad_v2.indd 1 MACON MAGAZINE IPM 7/1/2013 1:29:02 31