When they attended Diverse Power’s Annual Meeting in May, Cornelius and Marilyn Wallace didn’t know their electric cooperative’s routine event would result in a life change for them, but it did. Because of a display and the helpful people there, the Pine Mountain Valley couple purchased an electric car the very next day.

“We’d attended Annual Meeting the year before and enjoyed ourselves, so we planned to go again and make a day of it,” says Marilyn. “The first thing we saw after we registered was the Nissan Leaf display, so we went over and spoke with the fellows there.”

Conversations with LaGrange Nissan sales associates Brian Moushan and Adam McGhan and Cornelius Willingham of Nissan U.S.A. led the Wallaces to test drive a Nissan Leaf. The test drive led the couple to schedule an appointment at LaGrange Nissan the next day, and that meeting led them to purchase their first electric car.

“Both my husband and I are concerned about global warming and thought the electric vehicle was a good idea,” says Marilyn, admitting it was a “spontaneous purchase” but one backed by their environmental concerns and a desire to decrease dependence on gas and oil.

It seemed only natural that they were introduced to electric vehicles at Diverse Power, according to Marilyn. “It goes hand-in-hand with the electric cooperative,” she says. “It was a great idea to have the car displayed and to be given opportunity to talk with the sales representatives.”

Moushan commends Diverse Power for “creating awareness” about electric vehicles.

“If you establish an electric car as part of your lifestyle, it can save you a lot of money,” he says, noting that he pays an average of only $16 per month to power his own Nissan Leaf.

“We always try to stay ahead of the curve, and this is another way we can help our members,” says Diverse Power Marketing Services Coordinator Scott Sawyer. “We try to provide the best lifestyle we can by enhancing the lives of our members with different electricity options, and we feel electric cars certainly have viability.”