Drive Electric Week

[ErikL]

Sorry if this is a duplicate thread, but I didn't see any threads on this topic that were recent.

I am working with a group in the Binghamton NY area to put on a Drive Electric Week event. For anyone who's not sure what that is, it's essentially an electric car show where we try to show off the latest in EV's and PHEV's and get people into the cars for test drives or ride alongs.

My hope with this post is that other DEW city captains can post in this thread and we can attract some Tesla (or other EV drivers) who would be interested in coming to a local event and showing off their vehicles.

If you are in the Binghamton area and would be interested in coming to the event as a presenter, please let me know, or register on the link below.
National Drive Electric Week Event - Binghamton

 

[ajay]

Hi ErikL!

Oh wow, September is coming awfully soon... National Drive Electric Week is September 10-18 this year. I will probably start a separate thread for Massachusetts NDEW events if one doesn't appear on its own soon. As everyone else can probably figure out easily enough, you can type in your zipcode here to find an event near you. I highly recommend checking one out. Some locations are new, and some have been hosting an event for years. Last year, WPI's SAE brought their EV1 to the Worcester event! The Model S is hugely popular, of course, so it's nice when multiple Model S owners can make it. Obviously roadsters are popular, too, and a Model X would be a huge deal. I've seen owners talk a lot about their cars and open them up where other cars have little signs that say "do not touch," so you can decide how actively you want to take part or how tolerant you want to be of fingerprints and/or people sitting in your car.

 

[David29]

I signed up for the WPI event. Last year there was one at the Larz Anderson Museum of Transportation in Brookline, as well. But I see nothing on the Larz Anderson schedule nor is one listed on the Drive Electric event list. Too bad.

 

[3PHASE]

These events are a lot of fun. From experience, you want to try to put them near people, and not on an "island" where you might only get other owners. The second year of the event we did one at a park & ride, which was not the best place, although we had a decent crowd of about 100 people (owners and others). It was near a mall, so we probably got a handful of interested people who saw our signs.

This year we are doing one again at the Mushroom Festival, which will have thousands of people. We're also joining an event in Poolesville, MD with a pre-event meetup where we are going to try to see how many EVs we can get on a ferry to the event (that should be interesting-at least we should get a nice photo).

Try to do something unique or invite an interesting speaker. At our first event, we invited the local fire department to talk about how they handle EVs that have been in an accident.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

South Portland, ME will (again) be at the South Portland Community Center on Sunday September 11th 2016.

I'll be helping to run the ride and drive. That's for dealer-supplied vehicles only, but owners showing can always do their own ridealongs.

Tesla owners are definitely welcome.

There will apparently also be an event in South Paris, ME on Saturday, September 10th.

 

[ajay]

David29, based on past years, most events don't show up on the calendar this far ahead of time. Check again at the beginning of September. Last year I didn't even start posting about it until the end of August, and even more events popped up the week before NDEW!

Here's a map of 2015 events to give you an idea of how many events there might be. If I had to guess, there will be more events this year, not fewer (knock wood).

[ETA: oh, rats! We *just* missed the American Day lawn event at Larz Anderson, which is a perfect time and place to show off Teslas. ::shakes fist at sky::]

 

[ChadS]

Ajay is correct - a lot of events show up late. That's because they are all put on by volunteers.

It can be hard to put on a full-blown event. But if you just want to park a few cars in a parking lot and answer questions from passers-by...it is VERY easy to organize your own event. All organizers are volunteers. If you don't see one near you...create one!

 

[Jurnimon]

We will have an event in Belmont, MA as the city makes a big push to drive up EV adoption. I'll post more when the details solidify.

 

[ajay]

FYI: There will be an event at Larz Anderson!
Saturday, September 17, from 9:00am - 12:00pm
You can sign up here.
So far there are 8 vehicles registered, including one Model S and one Model X.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Bumping the thread and giving a bit more detail and a link for the

National Drive Electric Week event at the South Portland Community Center in South Portland, ME on Sunday September 11th, 2016 from 12pm to 4pm.
National Drive Electric Week Event - South Portland

There is a Model S and Model X signed up, but we always welcome more. These events are a good opportunity to share your experience of plug-in vehicle ownership to EV-curious visitors, as well as meet other owners of plug-in vehicles.

 

[figers]

FYI: There will be an event at Larz Anderson!
Saturday, September 17, from 9:00am - 12:00pm
You can sign up here.
So far there are 8 vehicles registered, including one Model S and one Model X.

Wish I could bring my model X, but it won't arrive in time and I live right near Larz Anderson... I plan on stopping by...

 

[Evergreen25]

Hi All - There are a few celebrations planned in the Burlington, Vermont area for National Drive Electric Week on 9/11, 9/13 and 9/14. Details and sign-up available at the links below. Would love to see some Teslas at these events!

Williston Hannaford Drive Electric Week Event
Sunday, 9/11, 10:00am-1:30pm
Event info:https://www.facebook.com/events/1189463894430016/
Register to attend:https://driveelectricweek.org/event.php?eventid=617


Burlington Electric Department Drive Electric Week Event
Tuesday, 9/13, 3:30pm-6:30pm
Event info:https://www.facebook.com/events/1609784755986962/
Register to attend:https://driveelectricweek.org/event.php?eventid=835


University of Vermont / Vermont Clean Cities Coalition Drive Electric Week Event
Wednesday, 9/14, 11:00am-2:00pm
Event info:https://www.facebook.com/events/321525714856812/
Register to attend:https://driveelectricweek.org/event.php?eventid=822

 

[ajay]

Massachusetts NDEW Events
as of 8/30, in calendar order:

Walpole - Big Y
Sunday, 9/11, 12:00pm - 5:00pm

1111 Providence Highway US1
Walpole, MA 02081-4232​

There are two level 2 chargers at the Big Y (I think that deserves encouragement), and as yet, no Teslas registered.
More info/register here.

Worcester - WPI Higgins House Lot
Tuesday, 9/13 3:00pm - 6:30pm

100 Institute Rd
Worcester, MA 01609​

10 different EV models (including a Zero motorcycle) are registered, 18 cars total. Last year, SAE brought out their EV1!
More info/register here.

Amherst - Jones Library
Thursday, 9/15, 4:00pm - 9:00pm

Woodbury Room
43 Amity Street
Amherst, MA 01002​

This event will include video shorts, discussion/Q&A, and test rides. No cars registered yet (nudge).
More info/register here.

Brookline - Larz Anderson Auto Museum
Saturday, 9/17, 9:00am - 12:00pm

15 Newton St
Brookline, MA 02445​

13 models plus a Zero Motorcycle, 32 vehicles registered. Last year there were some custom conversions, too!
More info/register here.


Many thanks to Evergreen for listing the VT events!

 

[ajay]

New Massachusetts event

Westfield - Westfield Shops
Saturday, 9/17, 10:00am - 12:00pm

475 E. Main St
Westfield, MA 01085​

"Check out Westfield Gas + Electric's fleet cars and EVs from BMW of West Springfield."
More info/register here.

Nobody's registered yet, but as with the above post, that tally should be inaccurate soon.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

On Sunday, there'll be an event at the South Portland, ME Community Center.
There's a ChaDeMo charger there. However, there have been reports of it malfunctioning (overheating). A contractor will reportedly come to fix it before the event. But if there are any Leaf owners or Tesla S/X owners with a ChaDeMo adapter, it would be much appreciated if you could head over and check it out on Saturday to see whether it's been fixed.

 

[ajay]

Moar Massachusetts Events!

Braintree - Braintree High School
Saturday, 9/17, 9:00am - 12:00pm

128 Town Street
Braintree, MA​

"Join BELD and Mayor Sullivan to launch Braintree Drives Electric with a town wide ride'n'drive event! BDE highlights the benefits of driving electric vehicles and connects residents to rebates, incentives, and free EV test drives"
More info/register here.

Reading - Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD)
Saturday, 9/17, 10:00am - 2:00pm

230 Ash Street
Reading, MA 01867​

"Plug-in vehicles from local automobile dealers will be available for test rides-and-drives."
More info/register here.

Springfield - The Springfield Museums
Saturday, 9/17, 9:00am - 3:00pm

220 State Street
Springfield, MA 01103​

The event will be taking place along with the Museum's “History on the Move” showcase, which features very old vehicles, some made in Springfield.
More info/register here.


There's also an event in South Paris, Maine, happening as I type this!

 

[David29]

I attended the event at Walpole, MA, yesterday (Sunday Sept. 11). It was fun -- up to a point. There were a dozen or so EVs there -- a good mix of Nissan Leafs, Chevy Volts, one Ford Focus EV (totally electric, not a hybrid), at least one Honda modified hybrid, one pickup truck with an electric conversion (and built-in solar panels!) and 3 Tesla Model S. There were also two BMW hybrids from a dealer -- an X5 and an i8. The i8 got considerable attention, naturally, and was used for many test drives throughout the event. Drinks and snacks were provided by the organizers.
When I say it was fun up to a point, eventually I realized that the EV owners were mostly talking to each other. There were only a few non-EV folks who dropped by. I suspect one reason is that we were in a supermarket parking lot. People go to supermarkets on a mission -- to get the groceries and go home. So even if they saw us, most people who likely not investigate who was there and why. (Just my theory.)
One interesting point was that the two Tesla owners (besides me) had each had their car only about a month. It was good to see new owners engaged in an event like this.

 

[Nikxice]

I attended the event at Walpole, MA, yesterday (Sunday Sept. 11). It was fun -- up to a point. There were a dozen or so EVs there -- a good mix of Nissan Leafs, Chevy Volts, one Ford Focus EV (totally electric, not a hybrid), at least one Honda modified hybrid, one pickup truck with an electric conversion (and built-in solar panels!) and 3 Tesla Model S. There were also two BMW hybrids from a dealer -- an X5 and an i8. The i8 got considerable attention, naturally, and was used for many test drives throughout the event. Drinks and snacks were provided by the organizers.
When I say it was fun up to a point, eventually I realized that the EV owners were mostly talking to each other. There were only a few non-EV folks who dropped by. I suspect one reason is that we were in a supermarket parking lot. People go to supermarkets on a mission -- to get the groceries and go home. So even if they saw us, most people who likely not investigate who was there and why. (Just my theory.)
One interesting point was that the two Tesla owners (besides me) had each had their car only about a month. It was good to see new owners engaged in an event like this.
View attachment 194151

NDEW events can be a hit or missed opportunity. I think it comes down to how much promotion is given outside of EV circles by individual organizers.

I'd already planned to be in CT last Saturday, so I signed up for the Middletown event along the CT river. A good showing of enthusiastic owners with their vehicles, but not too many from the general public. Still a fun event. Later in the afternoon a dedication took place at a nearby municipal parking lot for twelve Level 2 chargers that were recently installed. On Sunday we attended the NDEW Expo in New London, NH. A relatively small town, yet the event was so well organized that I wouldn't be surprised if it takes top spot this year for attendance in New England. With an excellent venue, the area locals vastly outnumbered EV owners.

A fellow TMC member and Roadster owner also made an excellent point yesterday. Some of the best shows to attend are the ones that are not EV specific. Whether it be Cars 'N Coffee or Gillette Stadium, EVs, especially any Tesla, are crowd magnets.

 

[ajay]

When I say it was fun up to a point, eventually I realized that the EV owners were mostly talking to each other. There were only a few non-EV folks who dropped by. I suspect one reason is that we were in a supermarket parking lot. People go to supermarkets on a mission -- to get the groceries and go home. So even if they saw us, most people who likely not investigate who was there and why. (Just my theory.)

I suspect some of this is a factor of volunteer run events - not everyone has a lot of experience with putting this sort of thing together. At a previous event, someone pointed out that there needed to be sufficient signage for people to realize the event was 1) happening, 2) open to the public, and 3) FREE. The trick is reaching both those who planned to attend and Joe and Jane Public who maybe didn't know about the event but might wander over to check it out. My hope is that as events become annual things, each location will learn more about what works and hopefully share with other organizers.

I also strongly concur with Nikxice's point by proxy: it'd be great to go to general events, too. Imagine if a bunch of Teslas showed up for the Larz Anderson American Car lawn event! It's already happened this year, alas, but it'd be good to check the calendar for the lawn events when it comes out next spring.

 

[David29]

In contrast to the event at Walpole I described above, the event at WPI yesterday attracted more cars and a much bigger crowd. There was even a reporter from the Worcester newspaper! (WPI is Worcester Polytechnic Institute, for non-locals who might read this.) This was the third year for the WPI event. There were several vendors represented, and public officials including a person who (I think) was introduced as the Mass. (state) Secty of Energy. I met the guy who heads up the program to pay the Mass. rebates. Many test drives were given, mainly by BMW but also by others. Electric bicycles got lots of attention. There was even an EV-1, one of 40 still in existence but disabled by GM when they donated them to various institutions when the program ended. A student told me that they plan to try to re-power the car. Here are a few snaps of the scene.