National Drive Electric Week 2015
Plans are underway for our fifth anniversary National Drive Electric Week to be held September 12-20, 2015.
Contact [sponsorship-2015 at driveelectricweek dot org] for national sponsorship opportunities.
National Drive Electric Week 2014
Attendance at National Drive Electric Week 2014 more than doubled that of last year’s celebration with over 90,000 people participating in 152 events in 150 cities in 39 U.S. states and in Italy, Canada and The Netherlands.
In 2013, roughly 35,000 people attended events in 98 cities.
"National Drive Electric Week organizers worked with local partners to expand our reach this year. Some organizers were able to stage their events at existing festivals and the like in order to attract passersby," said Tom Saxton, Plug In America chief science officer. "This contributed to attendance growing by an astonishing 150 percent. At the same time, the number of EV owners registered to share their driving experience with the public grew 148 percent to over 7,000, so clearly overall adoption of plug-in vehicles and the desire to communicate the passion is exploding, as well."
Drive Electric Week events, most staged by volunteers, collectively offered more than 5,500 EV test-drives or rides, a total also doubling last year’s number. Every plug-in vehicle on the road as well as several one-of-a-kind conversions was represented. Highlights included a Silicon Valley EV parade of battery electric vehicles that set a new world record: 507 vehicles in motion. A GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® judge delivered the news to a cheering crowd of thousands at Cupertino's event.
For the second consecutive year, California Gov. Jerry Brown marked National Drive Electric Week by signing six bills to encourage consumers to purchase EVs. Plug In America, national organizer of the event with the Sierra Club and the Electric Auto Association, worked to advance the bills supporting carpool-lane access for plug-in vehicles and access to charging stations at apartments and work places.
Mayors across the country issued proclamations naming Sept. 15-21, 2014 National Drive Electric Week in their cities. Other participants and sponsors included utilities, environmental nonprofits, municipal and state energy agencies, automakers, auto dealerships, solar and EV-charging equipment companies, air-quality management districts and academic institutions.
Elementary and university students alike participated in a new National Drive Electric Week initiative called Ambassador Schools. The pilot program seeks to raise awareness of EVs among youth with school lectures and other activities.
Plug-in vehicle sales typically rise after National Drive Electric Week and this year seemed to be following suit. “I already know of three people who have leased or purchased EVs,” said Woodland Hills, Calif. event organizer Eric Doroski. “I know of a couple who immediately went to a Fiat dealership and leased two 500e EVs. Similarly, a Ford dealership salesman staffing his own booth tried out a Pedego electric bike and promptly ordered one.”
September 20, 2014 Philip Robertson, a judge with GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS®, today pronounced a new world record for the most all-electric vehicles in a parade: 507. The record-breaking EV procession took place at the National Drive Electric Week event in Cupertino, California. More information is available in the press release.
Parade vehicles at the event at De Anza College prior to peeling off into parade. Parade vehicles in motion are shown on outer right edge and along the top of the image. The solar panels are De Anza College car ports. Photo credit: Frank Mokaya
Panoramic view by Bruce Southwick (8671x1249, 2.3 MB).
The Cupertino event was just one of 152 taking place in 5 countries, 39 US states, 6 Canadian Provinces and 150 cities in which owners of over 3,000 plug-in electric vehicles registered to share their electric driving experience with the public.
National Drive Electric Week, September 15-21, 2014, is a nationwide celebration 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.
Started in 2011 as National Plug In Day with the simple idea to hold simultaneous events across the country on the same day, by popular demand we are expanding to an entire week of events and changing the name to emphasize the thing we all want to do: drive electric. We expect National Drive Electric Week 2014 will again grow to include more events in more cities with more drivers reaching out to share the many advantages of driving electric with the public.
Each event is led by local plug-in drivers and advocates and typically includes some combination of EV parades, ride-and-drives, electric tailgate parties, press conferences, award ceremonies, informational booths, and more. Plug In America, Sierra Club, and the Electric Auto Association serve as the national team providing support to the events throughout the country. We are pleased to partner with the many other organizations and individuals working to bring National Drive Electric Week to communities across the country.
The Weather Channel did three segments promoting National Drive Electric Week just before the first events with Atlanta co-city captain Michael Beinenson. Kudos to the Weather Channel for great coverage of several of the most interesting plug-in vehicles on the market. Here's our favorite. See all three on our Media page.
| Event Photos From National Plug In Day 2013 |
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| Burlington, VT photo credit: State of Vermont |
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| San Diego, CA photo credit: Vanessa Minei |
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| Fresno, CA photo credit: Fiat of Fresno |
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| Las Vegas, NV photo credit: Stan Hanel |
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| College Park, MD photo credit: Lanny Hartmann |
Find An Event Near You
To find an event near you, visit the events page. If there's no event in your area, you can volunteer to organize an event. Learn more about how to host an event.
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For more info on 2014 National Drive Electric Week events, visit the Events page. |
National Plug In Day 2013
In September, 2013, events across the United States and other countries celebrated the third annual National Plug In Day. Hundreds of local volunteers organized 98 gatherings that reached out to over 36,000 attendees. Nearly 3,000 electric vehicles owners showed their cars at local events to show that driving electric is a viable alternative to being held hostage to gasoline prices. Local owners and car dealers together provided over 2,700 test rides or drives to attendees.
National Plug In Day had a noticeable impact on the market. Nissan reported that September marked a record month of sales for the LEAF; spokespeople for the California electric vehicle rebate project noted that rebate requests set a record immediately after the weekend.
Press CoverageEvent and Vehicle Statistics
Event Photos
Media Resources and Social Media Coverage
About Plug-In Electric Vehicles
You may have noticed that people who drive the new plug in electrics can't help smiling about it. We're celebrating Drive Electric Week because these new vehicles are so much better, and we want to share the news. Come join us for an event where you'll get to see and possibly drive an electric vehicle and learn from real drivers what they already know:
- Electric vehicles are fun to drive. They are smooth and quiet, and their high torque – even at low speeds – provides instant accelerator response, and also better performance in snow.
- Electric vehicles are easier and cheaper to fuel. Fuel for EVs costs much less than for gasoline vehicles. Fueling your car with electricity is about five times cheaper than fueling with gasoline. It is much more convenient to simply plug in when you arrive home than to stop by a gas station to fill your gas tank.
- Electric vehicles are cheaper to maintain. Maintenance for all-electric vehicles costs much less than for gasoline vehicles. They require no oil changes and have 10 times fewer moving parts than a gasoline-powered car. There's no engine, transmission, spark plugs, valves, fuel tank, tailpipe, distributor, starter, clutch, muffler, or catalytic converter.
- Electric vehicles are cleaner. Less gas means less pollution, even when taking into account the emissions from the generation of electricity.
- Electric vehicles are going mainstream. Electric vehicles are selling better out of the gate than did the first hybrids. Well over 100,000 plug-in vehicles have been sold, and the rate is accelerating as more cars come to the market.
- Electric vehicles are creating good American jobs. We are building advanced technology vehicles and components in at least 20 states, creating thousands of new, good jobs.
- Electric vehicles make for a more stable and secure United States. We need to stop feeding our oil addiction by sending nearly $1 billion overseas each day, often to governments unfriendly to US policies.
Come celebrate with us and get your own EV smile!
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