National Drive Electric Week
Bellevue • Sep 11, 2018
| Day: | Tuesday, September 11, 2018 NOTE: this event has already happened, find current-year events on the events page. |
| Time: | 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. |
| Location: |
Bellevue Downtown Park 10201 NE 4th ST Bellevue, WA 98004 |
Event Report
Despite Weather.GOV's Monday forecast for lightning and thunderstorms right in the middle of our Tuesday event hours, over two-thirds of the event's pre-registered, intrepid northwesterners ignored the predicted bad weather. They showed up to celebrate their plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) driving experiences as well as share them with the general public at Bellevue's fabulous Downtown Park. In true local weather fashion, the day turned out to be mostly sunny in the comfortable high sixties. The park, "Bellevue's front lawn," was filled with activity. The pleasant weather encouraged many unsuspecting park users to become celebration drop-ins and learn about PEVs.
Those who pre-registered represented over 3/4 million miles of PEV driving experience, 225 metric tons of CO2 NOT created in the past and 190 metric tons of CO2 which will NOT be created annually going forward into the future.
At the event, there were eleven Tesla PEVs representing all models including one original roadster and a half dozen Model 3s. There were also 4 each of Chevrolet Bolts and Nissan LEAFs including 2 of the newly redesigned 2018 LEAFs.
Also of note:
A youthful first-time car buyer, Andrew Munsell, displayed his brand new, mineral gray, 2018 BMW I3 REx. Andrew mentioned that he had been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to acquire his first-ever car which he wanted for a long time to be a plug-in electric. Yea youth!
Jay Hamlin brought his crowd pleasing, beautifully restored, and now electrified 1964 VW bug.
The Seattle Electric Vehicle Association held its regular monthly meeting at City Hall imediately following the celebration in the park.
Several local elected officials attended the celebration. Bellevue Mayor John Chelminiak spoke about the city's support for PEVs and its National Drive Electric Week proclamation. Bellevue City Councilmember Janice Zahn and Mercer Island City Councilmember Wendy Weicker were also in attendance.
photo by: Grace Reamer It was a great turnout despite threatening weather reports. |
Event Description
Thank you to everyone who attended. We all had a great time and learned that EVs are actually practical for today's personal transportation needs.
Come celebrate the benefits of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) with the people who drive them every day. Learn the latest information about PEVs from those who know about the exciting advances. It is the 2nd year in which the City of Bellevue has made its beautiful Downtown Park available for the gathering. There is plenty of room for people to bring their PEVs for display in this fabulous, family friendly location in the heart of downtown Bellevue. Don’t miss this event!
Registration is FREE to display your PEV in the park by registering as an attendee and then using the "comments" box to list the year and model of the PEV you want to display.
Volunteer (select Washington - Bellevue) to help with the evening’s activities or just sign-up as someone planning to attend the event so you can receive updates on activities scheduled for the event.
Seattle Metro Area’s Eastside has one of the highest rates of PEV registrations in the nation.
At this FREE event, you will be able to:
- Speak with the owners of more than a dozen different electric vehicle makes and models here in Washington including the new Tesla Model 3. These drivers can give you the low down on more than a million miles and many years of PEV ownership/driving experiences,
- Ask representatives from the following organizations about their programs in support of adopting electric vehicle technologies:
Western Washington Clean Cities
Puget Sound Energy
Lime (electric bicycle test rides)
SemaConnect (PEV charging)
Seattle Electric Vehicle Association
Plug In America
- Learn about the City of Bellevue's commitment to accelerating the adoption of zero emission vehicles,
- And more!
Registered Attendees
There are currently 74 attendees registered.
Owners of These Vehicles Have Registered To Attend
| Vehicle | Registered |
| Tesla Model 3 | 9 |
| EV Conversion | 5 |
| Chevrolet Bolt | 4 |
| Kia Soul EV | 4 |
| Nissan Leaf (2011-2017) | 4 |
| Tesla Model S | 3 |
| BMW i3 REx | 2 |
| Chevrolet Volt | 2 |
| Fiat 500e | 2 |
| Nissan Leaf (2018+) | 2 |
| Other Plug-In Vehicle | 2 |
| Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid | 1 |
| Mitsubishi i-MiEV | 1 |
| Smart fortwo electric drive | 1 |
| Tesla Model X | 1 |
| Tesla Roadster | 1 |
| Toyota RAV4 EV (2012 and later) | 1 |
| 17 Models | 45 |
Registered attendees report 739,555 electric miles driven.
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