National Drive Electric Week
Birmingham, AL
Oct 03, 2020
Birmingham, AL
Oct 03, 2020
| Day: | Saturday, October 3, 2020 NOTE: this event has already happened, find current-year events on the Attend page. |
| Time: | 8 - noon |
| Location: | The Market at Pepper Place 2930 3rd Ave South Birmingham, AL 35233 |
Event Report
On October 3rd, owners displayed EVs from Nissan, Porsche, Tesla,
Chevrolet, Mitsubishi and Jaguar, as well as a one-of-a-kind electric
motorcycle displayed by local resident Dan Morris, at
the only NDEW event in Alabama this year. The EVent was coordinated by the
Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition and co-sponsored by UAB
Sustainability, Alabama Power Company, the City of Birmingham and the Zero
Emissions Owners Group (ZEOG).
Over 500+ Pepper Place patrons – all wearing masks and
adhering to social distancing guidelines -- strolled by and talked to real-life
EV owners, who fielded questions about the cars’ range, cost and other comparisons
to gasoline-powered vehicles.
The EVent highlighted the diversity of electric
vehicles on the market – from an eye-catching Porsche Taycan sports sedan to a Chevy Bolt EV that was recently added to the City of Birmingham’s fleet of
vehicles to family-friendly SUVs from Tesla, Mitsubishi and Jaguar. The variety
explains why EVs
have emerged as the fastest-growing transportation vehicle segment.
Alabama, of course, is acknowledged
as one of the nation’s leading states for automobile manufacturing, and
Mercedes-Benz is leading the charge in Alabama with a $1 billion, 600-job expansion that includes all-electric vehicle
production and a state-of-the-art battery factory in Bibb County. DURA Automotive Systems announced in late August an investment of $59 million to open a manufacturing facility
in Muscle Shoals that will produce battery trays for electric vehicles.
The American EV market is expanding rapidly, with sales surging 86
percent in 2018, according to
a recent report from the Alabama Transportation Institute,
and one estimate suggests there could be 3 million electric vehicles on U.S.
roads by 2025. More than 1 million plug-in vehicles have been sold.
Alabama leaders have taken notice. In July, Gov. Kay Ivey announced the Alabama Electric Vehicle
Infrastructure Plan, which the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition and the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs
developed to set short and long-term strategies to guide expansion Alabama’s
network of electric vehicle charging stations.
Currently, there here are approximately 400 EV charging outlets at 149 different public charging stations within
Alabama’s borders.
“Not only are electric vehicles fun to drive, but
driving on
electricity is about five times cheaper than fueling with gasoline,” said
Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition Executive Director Mark Bentley. “All-electric
vehicles give off no tailpipe emissions, which improves air quality, and EV
expansion also helps create jobs right here in Alabama.”
Following is link to our Drive Electric Alabama Flickr photos of the EVent:
https://flickr.com/photos/189549571@N02/sets/72157716242015287
photo by: Mark Bentley, Executive Director, Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition Just a few of the 500+ folks that were on-hand and checked out the 20+ EVs at The Market at Pepper Place on October 3rd in Birmingham. AL |
Event Description
It's a GO! Again this year we will celebrate National Drive Electric Week in Birmingham featuring many types of electric vehicles along with their proud owners who are eager to share how they get a charge out of driving in the most fun, ecologically friendly and economically frugal way possible. The NDEW Showcase will take place from 8 a.m. until noon at The Market at Pepper Place on Saturday, October 3, 2020.
We have expanded the reserved parking in front of Bettola's Restaurant for EV's to maintain social distancing. Masks are required for all participants in keeping with NDEW, Pepper Place, state and national Covid-19 safety rules. Sanitary wipes and hand sanitizer will be readily available at each car and EVent station. See additional information at bottom of page.
All registered NDEW registered EV owners are asked to arrive by 7 AM. Owners will be directed to their reserved space that will provide maximum space around the vehicles for attendees to view and ask questions.
The Showcase is being hosted again this year by the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition (ACFC), UAB Sustainability, Alabama Power Co., the City of Birmingham and ZEOG – the Zero Emissions Owners Group. Electric vehicles from such automakers as Nissan, Chevrolet, Tesla, BMW, Toyota, Honda, Cadillac will be on display in the designated parking lot at Bettola’s Restaurant.
“Electric vehicle owners will be on hand to
show off their vehicles and answer your questions about the cost savings they have
enjoyed and their experiences driving plug-in electric vehicles,” said ACFC Executive
Director Mark Bentley. “Electric vehicles give off zero emissions, are
economical to drive and provide good, high-paying jobs right here in our state.”
WHAT: National Drive Electric Week Showcase
WHEN: Saturday, October 3, 8 a.m. until noon
WHERE: Pepper Place, parking lot at Bettola’s Restaurant at The Market at Pepper Place, 2930 3rd Ave. South, Birmingham
COVID-19 Considerations at NDEW in Birmingham
All event activities will be outdoors on the parking lot in front of Bettola’s, except for essential functions such as restroom use.
·
All staff and EV owners are required to wear face
masks at all times.
·
All attendees are required to wear face masks at all times.
·
Display signs to discourage physical contact by staying at least 6
feet apart will be posted.
·
No-touch trash cans will be provided.
·
Routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces including tables,
door handles, steering wheels, pens, tablet screens, etc. is required
·
Disinfect surfaces that may be contaminated with germs after
cleaning. See this guidance
from the CDC.
·
EV owners please come prepared to wipe down vehicles (front seats,
steering wheel, touch panels and buttons, and inside and outside door handles)
and an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol will be
provide to every driver. See this guidance
from the CDC specifically for disinfecting vehicles.
Registered Attendees
There are currently 48 attendees registered.
Owners of These Vehicles Have Registered To Attend
| Vehicle | Registered |
|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 | 5 |
| Tesla Model Y | 3 |
| Nissan Leaf (2011-2017) | 2 |
| Tesla Model X | 2 |
| BMW i3 REx | 1 |
| Chevrolet Bolt | 1 |
| Chevy Spark EV | 1 |
| EV Conversion | 1 |
| Nissan Leaf (2018+) | 1 |
| Tesla Model S | 1 |
| 10 Models | 18 |
Registered attendees report 380,505 electric miles driven.
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