Two of the four finalists in this year's Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest, run by a state business group, are electric vehicles.
They aren't cars you can find at a dealership. Instead, these EVS are made for two very different markets—the very serious world of fire-fighting, and what you might call the market of fun.
During a recent visit by WUWM to the Columbia Vehicle Group factory in Reedsburg, a worker who gave her name as Amber installed the safety glass windshield of the Tomberlin E-Merge Beachcomber. It's a four-wheel vehicle that looks a little like a golf cart—only better. It's taller and longer, with headlights, a front grill, a soundbar, automotive-grade paint and seats for six people.
Business Development Director Greg Breckley pointed to the under the back seat battery system.
"So, it's a 210 amp hour lithium pack, which gives it about 100 hours of range, depending on terrain and operation. That's our own bespoke lithium pack that is made just for us. We charge that with a standard 110-volt outlet," Breckley says.
Breckley says there's enough juice to power the Beachcomber at lower-speeds along ocean and lake beaches, and on low-traffic streets in places like resorts and retirement communities.
A few blocks away at Columbia's office, Breckley makes the case for the Beachcomber being the coolest thing made in Wisconsin this year.
"It gives you the ability to kind of have a lot of fun in a tight little package. It's one of the most cost-effective ways to get into the recreational vehicle space. But it doesn't sacrifice anything on the fun side. It's got all day run time. So, the party goes wherever this vehicle is," he says.
Breckley says the E-Merge Beachcomber, and other battery-powered industrial vehicles the company makes, fit the growing electric micro-mobility market.
"Whether it be the way your food is delivered to you these days, or the way you get to work, or the way you get from public transit to your destination, there's this big last mile problem in a lot of communities across the United States. It's one Columbia believes they can have a hand in solving," Breckley says.
The other EV finalist in the contest also promises a look ahead.
The product is the Volterra Pumper, an EV fire truck made by Pierce Manufacturing of Appleton. About seventeen months ago, Pierce, a longtime fire engine maker now part of the Oshkosh Corporation, donated a Volterra to the Madison Fire Department. Assistant Madison Fire Chief Scott Bavery says the EV has been on about 1,300 EMS and fire-fighting calls. He says it's cool because in the first twelve months alone, the Volterra was a big saver on fuel costs and on carbon dioxide emissions.
"I think it was like $13,000 in diesel fuel, which may sound like a lot or little to some because the cost of the engine is more. But what's really cool about it is, it saved over 50,000 pounds of CO2 from going into the environment," Bavery says.
Bavery acknowledges that in the world of fire-fighting, where reliability and safety are essential, Pierce agreed with a department request to put a back-up diesel engine into the Volterra. But Bavery says the battery system hasn't failed.
"There are definitely days when we might get it down to 65% or 50% because we're running multiple calls. But typically after a run, it's down to maybe 70-80%. Within 15 minutes it's charged back up and ready to go," Bavery says.
That's thanks to a super-fast charging unit donated by a utility, Madison Gas and Electric.
Pierce also sent a Volterra Pumper to Portland, Oregon, this year, and on Tuesday announced a third test city of Gilbert, Arizona.
The other two finalists in this year's Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest are a real-time test for COVID-19 or flu, made by the Plexus Corporation of Neenah, and a huge crop harvesting cart made by H & S Manufacturing of Marshfield.
Online voting in the contest continues until noon Wednesday, when a winner will be being announced at a luncheon in Madison.
