National Drive Electric Week
Kalamazoo, MI
Sep 13, 2017
Kalamazoo, MI
Sep 13, 2017
| Day: | Wednesday, September 13, 2017 NOTE: this event has already happened, find current-year events on the Attend page. |
| Time: | 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM |
| Location: | Western Michigan University Physical Plant Parking Lot 425 Stadium Drive Kalamazoo, MI 49008 |
Event Report
IT GETS BIGGER EVERY YEAR!
About twice as many EVs and twice as many interested people flocked to this year's Kalamazoo drive-and-ride as we had for our first event in 2015. We also branched out this year, answering calls from folks in Hastings and South Haven to come show them what this growing electric-car excitement is all about.
The news media is taking notice, too! A few days before we kicked off National Drive Electric Week with our drive-and-ride in Hastings, Rebecca Thiele of WMUK radio interviewed Ben Brown. Then Jim France of South Haven appeared with Ben on WWMT Newschannel 3's Lori Moore Show. At our drive-and-ride next to Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo on Wednesday, Ben got interviewed again. So did Mike Walenga of the Kalamazoo Electric Vehicle Association.
Special thanks to Barbara Haywood at the Hastings Library and to Jim France at the South Haven Library for inviting us and for doing such a fantastic job organizing and publicizing! Thanks also to Western Michigan University's Office for Sustainabilty for their help in promoting our work.
photo by: Bruce Brown for Sierra Club Southwest Michigan Group This photo shows less than a quarter of the vehicles that took part in our Kalamazoo demo rides. In this shot are two Teslas, a Chevy Bolt, a Chevy Volt, two or three Nissan Leafs and, down at the far end, three Zero Motorcycles. |
Event Description
Sierra Club Southwest Michigan Group and Kalamazoo Electric Vehicle Association will celebrate National Drive Electric Week 2017 with three big Southwest Michigan events September 9, 11, and 13.
Be in Kalamazoo Wednesday evening, September 13, to see why the whole wide world is joining the inevitable transition from gasoline-powered transportation to electric.
Driving electric isn't just for the golf course anymore! Electric cars like this 2015 Nissan Leaf belong on our streets and highways - and in your driveway!If you haven't been plugging your car in and driving on electricity instead of gasoline, you're paying way too much for fuel and for routine maintenance. And you're missing out on all the clean, quiet power. And you're not having enough fun! Electric car owners are treating the planet and themselves better!
Join us at 5:00 PM Wednesday evening, September 13, at Western Michigan University's physical plant parking lot, 425 Stadium Drive, next to Waldo Stadium. Learn why electric cars are right for the planet and right for you, and take a FREE DEMONSTRATION RIDE!
If you can't be in Kalamazoo on the evening of Wednesday the 13th, maybe you can make it to one of our other celebrations.
Hastings Public Library
On Saturday, September 9, 11:00 AM, at Hastings Public Library, 227 East State Street, KEVA members Paul Pancella and Mike Walenga will explain why electric car ownership makes sense for you. FREE highway-capable electric vehicle rides will follow the presentation.
The restaurant parking lot was full of electric cars! It was a KEVA/Sierra Club planning session for Kalamazoo Drive Electric Week 2017. Photo: Paul Pancella for SWMG/KEVA.South Haven Memorial Library
Our special presentation Monday, September 11, 5:00 PM, at South Haven Memorial Library, 314 Broadway, will explain why electric car ownership makes sense for you. Then we'll treat you to FREE highway-capable electric vehicle demonstration rides leaving from the South Haven Farmers' Market parking lot next to the library.
Come to any or all three of our celebrations to get in on all the electric-car excitement!
Support the transition to plug-in electric vehicles.
Please sign the Plug In America petition. Send this message to our elected leaders: "You have the power to support smart policies for EVs at the federal level. I urge you to support innovation and the future of transportation!"
This was the scene at last year's Kalamazoo electric vehicle demonstration.
Winning the global fight against climate change depends on speeding the transition to clean energy. The transition begins at home, and everyone has a role. You can make an enormous difference by switching to clean, emission-free driving. Come learn how easy it will be for you to make the switch, and how much money you'll save on maintenance and fuel, and how much fun you'll have driving past the gas stations in your electric car!
Guaranteed - you'll LOVE leading your family, your friends, and your neighbors in the clean-energy transition when you switch to emission-free driving!
National Drive Electric Week, September 9-17, 2017, is a nationwide celebration presented by national sponsors Plug In America, the Electric Auto Association and the Sierra Club to heighten awareness of today's widespread availability of plug-in vehicles and highlight the benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid-electric cars, trucks, motorcycles, and more. They are fun to drive, are less expensive and more convenient to fuel than gasoline vehicles, are better for the environment, promote local jobs, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
Are you considering going electric? Come talk to owners who already have and LOVE it!
Quicklinks:
- Kalamazoo Electric Vehicle Association
- Last year: Kalamazoo Drive Electric Week 2016
- See also: our blog posts on electric cars and related topics.
Registered Attendees
There are currently 71 attendees registered.
Owners of These Vehicles Have Registered To Attend
| Vehicle | Registered |
|---|---|
| Nissan Leaf (2011-2017) | 6 |
| Tesla Model S | 6 |
| Chevrolet Volt | 3 |
| BMW i3 | 1 |
| BMW i3 REx | 1 |
| Chevrolet Bolt | 1 |
| EV Conversion | 1 |
| Fiat 500e | 1 |
| Ford Focus Electric | 1 |
| Ford Transit Connect Electric | 1 |
| Mitsubishi i-MiEV | 1 |
| Tesla Model X | 1 |
| Tesla Roadster | 1 |
| Zero Motorcycle | 1 |
| 14 Models | 26 |
Registered attendees report 556,209 electric miles driven.
In the News…
- Drive Electric Week Shows How Electric Cars Have Changed
- Fresh Energy: Electric Cars & Buses
- How our plug-in electric car changed our life
- Going Backwards — Driving A Gas Car For 1 Day After 2 Years In A Nissan LEAF
- Electric Vehicles for All: An Equity Toolkit
- Unlocking Savings, Emissions Reductions, and Community Benefits of Electric Vehicles
- Electric Cars Need a Boost. Electric Utilities Can Provide It.
- Plug-in Electric Vehicle Cost-Benefit Analysis: Michigan
- Electric Cars: Defining Battery-Electrics, Plug-In Hybrids, Range-Extended & More
- Ford could go ‘all-in’ on all-electric vehicles under new leadership
- Electric Vehicle Guide
- Free electric car ride & drive demonstrations at WMU September 13
- Hey Mr. Green! What's Greener, an EV or My Geo Metro?
- Record Number of Cities To Take Part in 7th Annual National Drive Electric Week
- How much does it cost to charge an electric car with solar power?
- Electric vehicle event to be in Hastings September 9
- National Drive Electric Week in Southwest Michigan Needs You!
- Kalamazoo Drive Electric Week 2017
- A Celebration! Drive Electric Week 2017
