National Drive Electric Week

National Drive Electric Week
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
Contact the event organizers, which took place in 2020.

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

More photos from this event.

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.

In the News…

Presented By

Plugin America logo
Electric Vehicle Association logo
Sierra Club logo
EVHybridNoire logo
Drive Electric USA logo

All NDEW 2024 sponsors support Plug In America's coordination of National Drive Electric Week.

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