Denville Scout gets Tesla thrill ride

DENVILLE –

Maxwell Edison Halkenhauser's Eagle Scout service project to bring the first electric-car charging station to the downtown district accelerated from zero to 60 Wednesday when a professional racing-car driver showed up at Town Hall and took him for a ride.

Max, a township resident and 16-year-old student at the Morris Hills Academy of Math and Science, has been working with Denville officials since last year to establish a charging station at the Church Street public parking lot. Other than at a few car dealerships, office parking lots and hotels, public charging stations are a rarity in Morris County

Wednesday, he was manning the same project display he brought to the Denville Rotary Festival a few weeks ago to drum up more public support when a sleek, black Tesla P85 pulled right up next to him on the sidewalk, and out popped a young woman dressed in a NASCAR-style uniform.

"Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I hear there's an electric-car hero around here named Maxwell," said Leilani Münter, a professional racing-car driver and nationally-known clean-energy advocate who was recruited to take the Troop 118 Scout by surprise.

"I'm here to take you for a ride in the coolest electric car on the planet," she said. "Are you in?"

"Oh yeah," he said, smiling ear-to-ear. And off they went, peeling out of the town hall parking lot at a rate of acceleration that hinted at the Tesla's potential to go from zero to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, while Max's parents and Mayor Tom Andes gulped just a little.

"He's an outstanding young man," said Andes, recalling meetings that included Max, Council President Christopher Golinsky and Administrator Steven Ward. "We thought it was a great idea, but of course we had to find a way to pay for it. But within weeks after we met, our township grant writer sent us a blast about this grant that might be available, and we thought this might have some possibilities. Long story short, we got the grant."

The $10,000 grant from Sustainable Jersey will pay for most of the cost of the two-spot charging station. With Max providing some of the preparation work and support, the utility installation is already underway and hopefully will be completed some time this summer.

Max is prepared to launch fund-raisers to complete whatever final costs are not covered by the grant, and hopes to continue to bring more charging stations to Morris County to support the infrastructure needed to support electric-vehicles.

"You can start with something small and really make an impact on your community, the rest of the state and our country," Max said. "So I thought we could start this movement with chargers and extend it past Denville."

He's got other supporters as well, including nonprofit groups that support electric vehicles and clean energy.

"When we heard about what Maxwell was doing, that on his own he basically got a public charger to be installed, I came up here to meet him," said Chris Neff, board member of the New Jersey Electric Auto Association, which was instrumental in arranging for Münter's surprise appearance.

"We talked about (electronic vehicles) and he really knows his stuff. He did his homework. He knows where the clean energy is coming from and where the dirty energy is coming from. I got back to some of the people I know and said 'We really have to support this guy,' " Neff said.

Max recruited another supporter at the Denville Rotary Festival — U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-Morris.

"I was impressed with young Mr. Halkenhauser's enthusiasm," Frelinghuysen said through a spokesperson. "A very smart and determined Scout with a bright future."

The nonprofit Solutions Project also was at Town Hall with a video documentary crew to interview Max — and capture the visit from Münter.

"It was a big surprise," Max said.

So was a second ride with Münter in another Tesla, model P85d, capable of zero to 60 in 3 seconds flat.

Asked how fast Münter drove on their private road tests, a slightly dazed Max said "As fast as it would go ... almost. The acceleration was just insane."

Münter left him with a hug and thanks for making the world a cleaner place.

"I think you will probably be in the first generation of people, when they get a car for the first time, it's going to be electric," she told him. "Thank you for doing what you are doing for electric cars. I don't think you realize how important it is."

Then she pointed to the top of town hall and said, "Now, if we can just get solar panels up there, and we're all running on sunshine."

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-428-6627; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.