National Drive Electric Week
Drive Electric Alabama National Drive Electric Week EVent
Birmingham, AL
Oct 01, 2022
| Day: | Saturday, October 1, 2022 NOTE: this event has already happened, find current-year events on the Attend page. |
| Time: | 8:00 am - 12:00 pm CDT |
| Location: | The Market at Pepper Place - Birmingham, AL 2930 3 rd Ave South Birmingham, AL 35233 |
Event Report
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Oct. 1, 2022) –
Laura Craft couldn’t pick just one benefit when asked to name the best thing about
driving an electric vehicle.
“It is fast, it is convenient and
it’s everything I could ever want a car to be,” she said. “It’s powerful and
practical. It’s the best of both worlds.”
Craft joined more than two dozen EV
owners who put their vehicle on display at The Market at Pepper Place in Birmingham for Saturday’s EV showcase,
which is part of National Drive
Electric Week. The EV owners
greeted hundreds of visitors and answered questions about EV cost, range,
technology and other topics unique to EVs.
A variety of EVs were on display
Saturday, including Craft’s Ford Mustang Mach-E. Other models at Saturday’s
showcase were from Chevrolet, Kia, BMW, Tesla, Genesis, Volkswagen and Rivian.
The two full-sized Rivian trucks drew plenty of attention.
Some owners raved
about the cost savings associated with owning and driving an EV, especially as
gas prices soared during the last year. Even as gas prices have lowered in
recent weeks, EV owners still save on regular maintenance such as skipping periodic
oil changes.
Others EV
owners talked about the ‘wow factor’ of driving an EV, because the vehicles’
instant acceleration can transform a normal drive feel into a roller-coaster
ride.
“The overall driving experience,
you won’t want to go back to gas,” said EV owner Jesse Budraitis, standing next
to his BMW i3.
Saturday’s event is one of many National Drive Electric Week events
happening across the country. In Alabama, Drive Electric Alabama has
been involved in several similar showcase-style events in the last month –
Sept. 3 in Mobile, Sept. 19 in Auburn and Sept. 25 in Huntsville.
“Everyone who has dealt with sky-high gas prices throughout 2022 has
probably thought about the possibility of buying an EV,” said Michael Staley, President of the Alabama Clean Fuels
Coalition and one of the state’s foremost experts on EVs. “Here in Alabama, we
have less than 10,000 EVs on the road, so most people just don’t know much
about them. That’s what makes these EV showcases so important. EV owners can
separate fact from fiction and explain what it’s like to own and drive an EV
every day.”
EV sales have accelerated throughout
the country, setting a new sales record during the second quarter of 2022 as Americans bought
nearly 200,000 all-electric vehicles.
In Alabama, the first
all-electric luxury SUVs rolled off the assembly line at the Mercedes-Benz
plant in Tuscaloosa earlier this year, and Hyundai
announced plans to build its electric Genesis GV70 and the hybrid version of the Santa Fe at its Montgomery factory.
With more EVs on the road
and the state’s auto manufacturers producing EVs, consumers are searching for the
latest information about them. EV owners are the most trusted source for that
information.
“I want to show people just
how awesome EVs can be,” Craft said.
The event at The Market at Pepper
Place was hosted by Drive Electric Alabama and
the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition. Other sponsors include UAB Sustainability, Alabama Power Company, the City
of Birmingham, The Market at Pepper Place and the Zero Emissions Owners Group.
photo by: Josh Bean, Direct Communications Overhead of EVs at Pepper Place |
Event Description
One of the best ways to learn about
electric vehicles involves talking to motorists who already drive one.
That’s exactly the opportunity
available at the Drive Electric Alabama EVent scheduled in Birmingham. Electric vehicle owners will be on-hand to
answer questions while promoting electric vehicle awareness, technology,
affordability and other EV merits.
A wide selection of electric vehicle
manufacturers and models will be on display, providing everyone with an
up-close look at the fun vehicles that are affordable, cheaper to maintain than
conventional gas-powered cars, better for the environment and help create Alabama
and American jobs. Wherever you are going, Electric gets you there!
“Anyone thinking about buying a new
vehicle has to consider electric,” said Mark Bentley, Executive Director of the
Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, an owner of an EV and one of the event’s
sponsors. “Many people still have great questions about EVs, and the people who own
and drive them have the answers. This is an easy way to learn more about these
electric vehicles that give off zero
emissions, are economical to drive and contribute to the creation of
high-paying jobs right here in our state.”
Registered Attendees
There are currently 25 attendees registered.
Owners of These Vehicles Have Registered To Attend
| Vehicle | Registered |
| Kia EV6 | 3 |
| Tesla Model 3 | 3 |
| Nissan Leaf (2018+) | 2 |
| Tesla Model Y | 2 |
| Nissan Leaf (2011-2017) | 1 |
| Rivian R1T | 1 |
| 6 Models | 12 |
Registered attendees report 219,881 electric miles driven.
