• Monday: At our kickoff event, City of SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon talked about the City's Climate Action goals in the transportation sector and her experience using her e-bike as her primary source of transportation.  The owner of Foothill Cyclery described the different types of e-bikes on the market and explained how they work. Several e-bike users also shared their experiences with their bikes. The recording can be found at:
  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/jbeED5A_h1EnYRuZC4YGI85WwqYzBxNBlYab8rsuubYUBeADTt_9LuITmk-mXk-N.KV8NIvLI8Pz2saxY
  
• Tuesday: We did a virtual test drive in a Chevy Bolt provided by a local dealer. The first half has in English and the second half hour in Spanish.
• Wednesday: Our Zoom Webinar theme focused on how government and industry are adopting policies, providing financial incentives, and rolling out new technology to make it easier and more convenient to own and operate an EV. Panelists included Chris Read, Sustainability Manager at the City of SLO, Jackie Mansoor. Air Quality Specialist at the SLO County Air Pollution Control District, Dan Bertoldi, Programs Director at Central Coast Community Energy, Alex Economou, Coordinator, Central Coast Clean Cities Coalition (C5), and Heather Hochrein, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at EVmatch.
• Thursday: Our Zoom Webinar featured 5 local EV users sharing the joys and challenges of driving electric. The panelists owned a variety of EVs, including a 2012 Leaf with a replaced battery, a Tesla Model 3, a Prius Prime, a Kia Niro EV, and an electric bike. The recording can be found at https://youtu.be/Ajs-3Cc_KR4
• Friday: Our EV 101 presentation was a tri-county collaboration hosted by the Community Environmental Council of Santa Barbara and co-sponsored by the SLO Climate Coalition, SLO County APCD, the Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance, and EV Advocates of Ventura County.
• Saturday: Our grand finale consisted of 6 half-hour Virtual Test Drives from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. At the top of each hour we test drove a different car, starting with the 2020 Nissan Leaf, followed by a 2020 Honda Clarity, a 2019 Kia Niro EV, a 2017 Chevy Volt and ending with a 2015 Nissan Leaf.

Exciting changes to our event this year! Drive Electric Week SLO is going online due to the ongoing pandemic. In place of our usual Ride & Drive event, we will be hosting a five-part series of events we call our "EV Hours of Power" from Monday 9/28 to Friday 10/2 at noon each day. We’ve also just added a grand finale event on Saturday 10/3, featuring 6 hours of virtual test drives. We have an awesome lineup of speakers, panelists, and regular EV users sharing news, views and experiences related to driving electric. The schedule is listed below:

• Monday: City of SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon will host our kickoff event sharing her experience with e-bikes and talking to other e-bike riders and the owner of Foothill Cyclery, a local e-bike retailer.

• Tuesday: We can't offer an in-person test drive this year, but we can take you on a virtual test drive with Jonathan Crabtree, a salesperson at Alfano Motor Cars who specializes in EVs by Chevrolet and Mercedes Benz. The second half hour will be a Spanish language version of the test drive.

• Wednesday: Join in on a Zoom Webinar discussing how government and industry are adopting policies, providing financial incentives, and rolling out new technology to make it easier and more convenient to own and operate an EV. Panelists will include representatives from the City of SLO, the SLO County Air Pollution Control District, Central Coast Community Energy, Central Coast Clean Cities Coalition (C5), and EVMatch.

• Thursday: Zoom in on a live discussion with EV users from SLO County. Alex Economou of C5 will moderate the discussion as EV users share the joys and challenges of driving electric. Open to both existing EV users and those who are thinking about getting an EV.

• Friday: If you missed our four previous events, don't be dismayed. EV 101 will cover everything you need to know about driving electric. This presentation by the Community Environmental Council of Santa Barbara is co-hosted by the SLO Climate Coalition, SLO APCD, the Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance, and EV Advocates of Ventura County in a tri-county collaboration to promote clean green transportation.
  
  
• Saturday: Virtual Test Drives from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Every hour at the top of the hour, join us for a test drive of a different plug-in vehicle. Final Schedule:
  
  • 10:00 AM: 2020 Nissan Leaf
  • 11:00 AM: 2020 Honda Clarity
  • 12:00 PM: 2019 Kia Niro EV
  • 1:00 PM: 2017 Chevy Volt
  • 2:00 PM: 2020 Tesla Model Y
  • 3:00 PM: 2015 Nissan Leaf

All events will start promptly at noon, last one hour, and will include time for Q&A. Please RSVP to attend to receive a link to join the events.

Registrants who attend events will be eligible to win prizes! The more you attend, the better your chances of winning. The grand prize is a one-night stay for two at the Madonna Inn. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must participate in 3 or more of the events.

In addition to our local events, a number of national events have also been organized on a variety of EV related topics. You can browse the list and register to attend at https://driveelectricweek.org/events-list