First e-bookmobile takes to the streets

FORT COLLINS — Colorado’s first electric bookmobile has taken to the streets of Fort Collins and Larimer County.

Called “Evie,” the Ford F-350 transit van was converted to electric power by Lightning eMotors Inc. (NYSE: ZEV), the Loveland-based manufacturer of battery-powered light trucks and buses.

The bookmobile is a project of the Poudre River Public Library District and was financed in part by Larimer County using an Immediate Needs Grant through the American Rescue Plan Act. It will be used to reach areas of the county where residents don’t have easy access to library services.

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Evie is 11 feet tall and 20 feet long; it is powered by two 300 AH Lithium batteries, and three 175-watt solar panels on the roof to supply interior components such as outlets and a retractable awning. It can 

carry up to 1,000 pounds, plus about 1,500 books and audiobooks while traveling up to 80 miles on a single charge, the county said in a press statement.