Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
Noah Barnes, nbarnes@pluginamerica.org
Nationwide — The 10th annual National Drive Electric Week, a widespread celebration of electric vehicles (EVs), was held September 26–October 4 and hosted over 150 online events.
Since its beginning in 2011, National Drive Electric Week has been put on by national organizers Plug In America, Sierra Club and Electric Auto Association. Over the decade, the campaign has grown exponentially, reaching hundreds of thousands of people in the United States, Canada, and various countries. Local leaders typically host events in their communities to expand public education and connect EV owners to the EV curious to answer questions and bust misconceptions about the clean vehicles.
This year, National Drive Electric Week began with a virtual national kick-off event on September 24 that was streamed on Facebook Live and drew important connections between clean transportation, air quality, equity, and public health. The event, which received over 10,000 views, included appearances from TV personality Bill Nye the Science Guy, NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! host Peter Sagal, race car driver and environmental activist Leilani Münter, and Warren Dickson of 3rd Rock Hip Hop.
There are now more than 1.5 million EVs on the road in the U.S., and a recent survey by Consumer Reports and the Union of Concerned Scientists showed that over 60% of prospective car buyers in the U.S. are interested in electric vehicles. There are more than 40 models available in the U.S., with many of the newer models having a range of 250-400 miles.
“Transportation is the biggest source of climate emissions in our country -- but we have important solutions available today to clean up the sector and protect the health of communities, which include the electrification of cars, trucks and buses,” said Hieu Le, campaign representative with Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign. “The need to act is urgent. On the 10th annual anniversary of National Drive Electric Week, we commit to another crucial decade of advocacy to see bold action from policymakers.”
“For 10 years, National Drive Electric Week has highlighted the many benefits of electric vehicles—cleaner air, easier maintenance, cheaper fuel, and a better driving experience,” said Joel Levin, executive director of Plug In America. “We are thrilled that Americans across the country created and attended so many virtual events this year, continuing the movement toward an electric future.”
“National Drive Electric Week allows our 100 chapters and thousands of volunteers across the globe to act as a resource for local communities as they share the benefits of electric transportation,” said April Bolduc, president of the Electric Auto Association. “All neighborhoods deserve clean air and this is more important today than ever before.”
Online event highlights (you can view all event recordings here):
● Electric Vehicles and Equity: EVHybridNoire, the California Air Resources Board, and Plug In America discuss the challenges to equitable EV adoption and the progress being made to support EV adoption in all communities.
● Reunion of Early EV Activists: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX: In part one, attendees heard from Plug In America founders, race car driver Leilani Münter, Dr. Shelley Francis of EVHybridNoire, and others. In addition, the event virtuated an artistic Tesla Cybertruck created out of recycled plastic! In part two of the North Texas event, Dan Neil, the Wall Street Journal’s Pulitzer Prize-winning auto columnist, moderated a historic, first-time discussion, “Birth of the EV Movement–And Where We Must Go Now” that reunited Chris Paine, director of “Who Killed the Electric Car?”; Chelsea Sexton, the documentary’s main figure and one of the world’s top EV experts; and other early activists.
● EV Battery Recycling/Reuse: Attendees learned about how EV batteries are recycled and reused at the end of their life, hearing directly from lithium-ion battery recycling company American Manganese Inc. and ReCell Center, a national collaboration of industry, academia, and national laboratories working together to advance recycling technologies.
Nissan LEAF is the exclusive automotive sponsor of National Drive Electric Week. ClipperCreek and Electrify America are silver level sponsors. Enel X is a bronze level sponsor. EVgo and Edison Electric Institute are green level sponsors, and the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project is a silver level California regional sponsor.
To learn more about National Drive Electric Week and see event recordings from this year, visit driveelectricweek.org/events-playlist
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About Plug In America: Plug In America is the nation’s leading independent consumer voice for accelerating the use of plug-in electric vehicles in the United States. Formed as a non-profit in 2008, Plug In America provides practical, objective information collected from our coalition of plug-in vehicle drivers, through public outreach and education, policy work and a range of technical advisory services. Our expertise represents the world’s deepest pool of experience of driving and living with plug-in vehicles. We drive electric. You can too. PlugInAmerica.org
About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.8 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit sierraclub.org.
About the Electric Auto Association: The Electric Auto Association is North America’s leading volunteer organization that accelerates EV adoption through 100 chapters that talk neighbor-to-neighbor at virtual community events about the benefits of driving electric. This nonprofit is also the largest consumer-facing, grassroots organization with direct communication to both the EV curious and current EV drivers. For more information visit electricauto.org.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.8 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.