Judging by the crowds that gather around their new vehicle, the Corders have not only found that fuel efficient alternative, but have piqued the curiosity of others looking to travel the same path.

That’s the kind of attention and interest that comes with a street legal all-electric car and the tremendous savings in gas costs it brings.

It’s just what Sandy had hoped for.

“We saw one that some friends had over at the coast,” said Sandy. “We loved it and thought it was just a great idea. For where we live, it’s perfect. Almost every street in Canby is 25 miles per hour.”

The Corders received their 2002 Ford Think about two weeks ago and since its arrival, people have taken notice.

According to Sandy, when the couple goes out to eat or run errands around town, invariably a crowd gathers around the parked car.

People want to know what it is, what it would save them and how to get one.

“It’s all electric and will run for two to two-and-a-half hours on one charge,” she explained. “Then it takes about 20 minutes to fully charge again. Ninety percent of my running around would be in Canby, so it’s perfect for that.”

Corder estimates she saves $50 a week on gas, something that was a huge lure for getting the car.

“My thoughts are the same as everybody’s — gas prices are going up and up and up,” she said. “For driving around town it works wonderfully.”

The electric cars are gaining a greater following, thanks to skyrocketing gas costs. There are companies who do nothing but acquire the specialized cars and rebuild or repair them. The Corders found one of those in California and waited four months for delivery of their Ford Think.

The wait, and subsequent savings, have been well worth it.

“We’ve been stopped many times by people since we got it,” said Corder. “As gas prices go up, they want to learn more about it.”

The rebuilt all-electric cars cost between $6,000 and $8,000. With more and more people looking at alternatives to gas, the waiting list for cars is already growing.

“It’s really fun to drive,” said Corder. “We have the plastic sides and back on it now because of the weather, but those will come off when it’s nice.”

Getting the car was one thing, getting it registered took a little ingenuity. Seems that when the Corders went down to Woodburn to the Department of Motor Vehicles, there was a hitch in the registration process.

“We were careful to have all the paperwork we needed because we didn’t want to have to come back,” said Corder. “The lady there said it was all fine and good, but she had to see the car. Well, we can’t drive it on 55 mph roads, so as it turned out, we had to go back home, rent a trailer and haul it down to Woodburn so they could look at the VIN number.