National Drive Electric Week
Huntsville Drive Electric Car Meet
Huntsville, AL
Sep 25, 2022
Huntsville Drive Electric Car Meet
Huntsville, AL
Sep 25, 2022
Day: | Sunday, September 25, 2022 NOTE: this event has already happened, find current-year events on the Attend page. |
Time: | 1:00 - 5:00 pm CDT |
Location: | Stovehouse 3414 Governors Dr Huntsville, AL 35805 |
Event Report
– Electric vehicle owners
gathered by Holtz
Leather Company in Huntsville for
Saturday’s North Alabama Drive Electric Earth Day EVent.
The EV owners spent
about three hours greeting visitors, showing off their cars and answering
questions about EV ownership.
Some owners
touted the cost savings associated with owning and driving an EV, such as no
longer having to pay for gas, oil changes or other routine maintenance.
Others focused on
the excitement associated with driving an EV, thanks to the vehicles’ instant acceleration when compared to conventional
gas-powered cars and trucks.
“The performance, first of all,
is over anything I’ve ever had,” said Madison resident Rae Millen, who brought
his Porsche Taycan to Saturday’s event. “Of course, there’s the savings on gas,
especially with these prices. I might pay 40 or 50 dollars more on my electric
bill every month, and you can’t get a single tank of gas for that right now. I
was filling up four or five times a month before.”
A variety of EVs were on display Saturday, including models from
Rivian, Tesla, Ford, Jaguar, Chevy, Nissan, Volvo, Porsche and Hyundai.
Visitors were especially interested in the full-sized Rivian truck.
In addition, Alabama A&M University provided an all-electric
bus from its fleet for display, and Alabama A&M Director of Transportation
Marshall Chimwedzi said the electric buses have cut fuel costs by more than
half and led to other maintenance savings. He added students now see the
electric buses as “cool.”
“We discovered quickly that EVs have power,” Chimwedzi said. “Our
university campus is filled with hills, and the electric buses have more torque
than buses we had before. That’s one of the things we really liked.”
Saturday’s event is one of many Drive Electric Earth Day events happening across the
nation. A similar event is scheduled for Saturday, May
14, at The Market at Pepper Place in Birmingham
The Huntsville event was hosted by Drive Electric Alabama and the Alabama Clean
Fuels Coalition. Other sponsors include HuntsVolt, City of Huntsville,
Huntsville Utilities, Energy Alabama and Holtz Leather Company.
“Anyone who has felt the pain at the pump as gas prices rose this spring
has probably thought about an EV,” said Michael Staley, president of the
Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition. “But a majority of Alabamians have never even
sat inside an EV. That’s why today’s EV Showcase is so important, because we
have real EV owners talking about how they use these vehicles every day.”
EV sales soared
72 percent during the fourth quarter of 2021, and another recent study by J.D.
Power found 27 percent of likely auto shoppers indicate they would consider
purchasing an EV in the next four years.
In addition, Hyundai recently
announced plans to begin building its electric Genesis GV70 and the hybrid version of the Santa Fe at its Montgomery factory. Mercedes’
all-electric SUVs are also expected to roll off the assembly line at the
company’s Tuscaloosa facility later this year, too.
As Alabamians see more EVs
on the road and the state’s auto manufacturers produce EVs, consumers are
looking for more information about them. EV owners are the most trusted source
for that information.
Trush Patel, president of
the North Alabama Drive Electric Alabama chapter, said he was pleased with the variety
of EVs on display at the group’s first official event.
“As the charging
infrastructure develops, EVs will bring change and that will affect the U.S. as
a whole in a very positive way,” he said.
photo by: Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition Great signage greeted public visiting to see EVs |
Event Description
Registered Attendees
There are currently 55 attendees registered.
Owners of These Vehicles Have Registered To Attend
Vehicle | Registered |
---|---|
Tesla Model 3 | 5 |
Rivian R1T | 2 |
Chevrolet Bolt EUV | 1 |
Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid | 1 |
Ford F-150 Lightning | 1 |
Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid | 1 |
Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid | 1 |
Nissan Leaf (2018+) | 1 |
Tesla Model Y | 1 |
Zero Motorcycle | 1 |
10 Models | 15 |
Registered attendees report 413,160 electric miles driven.