Cliff's Offers Customers Free Charge

Hankering for a taste of the signature marinated steak or a bowl of steaming clam chowder on the menu at in Jamesport?

Now, customers can fill up with a satisfying dinner -- and recharge their batteries, literally, at the same time.

That's because Cliff Saunders, owner of Cliff's Elbow Room on Main Road in Jamesport and Cliff's Rendezvous on East Main Steet in Riverhead, has taken a major step toward sustainability and now offers a place for patrons to recharge their electric cars for free at the Jamesport location.

Saunders offers a level 2 EVSE @ 60 amps with a J1772 connector "that will get you back on the road in no time" according to the business' Facebook page.

Originally, Saunders said, he leased an electric vehicle for two-and-a-half years and was provided with a charger for the car. Once the lease ran out, he turned the car back in but still had a charger, which had a non-standard plug.

Next, Saunders bought himself a Think electric car and also purchased a retrofit kit to transform his non-standard charging plug to a standard type. "It was just sitting there, so I thought, 'What the heck?' If anyone wants to charge I'm I'm more than happy to let them. Maybe I'll lure in a few new customers that way," Saunders said.

Saunders listed the address of his eatery on a number of websites to help electric car users find locations to recharge, including PlugShare and Recargo; the sites are also apps that can be loaded onto iPhones or Androids.

"It's another way to give ourselves a shameless plug," Sauders laughed.

And, he added, it's a forward thinking way to think green. Driving an electric car for a year is "probably the equivalent of leaving a 475 watt bulb on for the same amount of time." His electric car, Saunders said, has a 24 kilowatt battery pack and there are 37 kilowatts stored in a gallon of gasoline.  The car, he said, uses less energy than what's in a gallon of gasoline. "And it will go 100 miles for $2," he said. 

Saunders added, of detractors, that individuals who drive electric cars are not impacting the electrical grid; "plenty of capacity" is avaialble.

Electric car drivers are welcome anytime to charge up and enjoy a great meal, Saunders said. "Spread the word," he added.