National Drive Electric Week reaches all 50 US states for first time

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Plug In America recently announced that National Drive Electric Week, held Sept. 9-17, reached all 50 U.S. states for the first time in the event’s history.

A total of 276 coordinated events occurred in cities throughout the country, including electric vehicle displays in Cambridge, Massachusetts, informational electric vehicle financing events in Los Angeles, and an electric vehicle parade in Honolulu, Hawaii.

“At first, consumers may have been motivated by the fact that these cars are zero emissions. Now, we’re getting consumers who just know these are better cars—more fun to drive, lower maintenance and more responsive,” Joel Levin, executive director for Plug In America, said. “It’s an extremely exciting time to see the electric vehicle movement evolve, and see the hundreds of thousands of people who are not just fans of these cars, but dedicated to a better world.”

According to Plug In America, the week is based on the belief that today’s potential electric vehicle consumers need to hear straight from experienced drivers and see the benefits up close of quiet, clean, zero emission vehicles.

For 2017, more than 260 cities and six different countries held a variety of events, including first-ever events in Mississippi, Nebraska, and West Virginia. In total, more than 8,000 ride and drives were given throughout the week.

Ron Freund, chair of the Electric Auto Association, said that National Drive Electric Week was more than a week full of fun events. It was a rallying cry, he said, for the nation’s leaders and representatives to do more to take advantage of readily-available technology that makes auto and energy systems more sustainable and communities more resilient.