National Drive Electric Week 2016 & #BeatFlorida

[bollar]

National Drive Electric Week 2016 is coming up again and we have a great opportunity to raise electric vehicle awareness right as we prepare for the 2017 Texas Legislative Session. Here's the idea - Texas came in third place to California and Florida in attendance in 2015. It would not be difficult for us to drive record attendance and #BeatFlorida to come in second.

High attendance gets us publicity and visibility we'll be able to put to use next year! There are 7411 EVs registered in Texas as of June 15, 2016 according to TxDOT - over 2500 are Teslas. Wouldn't it be great to have a huge Tesla showing?

Here are the 2015 NDEW attendance stats:

# Vehicles 2015
California: 924
Florida: 331
Texas: 259

Texas 2015
Event State Attendees Vehicles E-Miles Driven
Dallas-Fort Worth TX 466 125 2,312,577
San Antonio TX 216 37 573,274
Austin TX 158 42 657,861
Houston TX 110 38 552,242
Katy TX 36 17 255,600

DFW did well last year and came in as the largest event outside of California in terms of attendees and miles driven - and this was despite torrential rain. Also, because of last year's success, State Representative Giovanni Capriglione will join us as the guest speaker.

Here are the Texas NDEW events. Please join us!

Austin: National Drive Electric Week Event - Austin
Dallas/Fort Worth: National Drive Electric Week Event - Grapevine
Houston: National Drive Electric Week Event - Houston
San Antonio: National Drive Electric Week Event - San Antonio

 

[bollar]

We did well over the weekend and added thirty Teslas to the count.

Would love to add other manufacturers. Do you know any EV clubs that we can contact? You can either share the details or drop me a PM and we'll take care of it.

 

[L.Robinson]

There is an event in Rockwall also. Has 3 Leafs signed up so far. Not sure I'll make it to either but I'll see closer to the date.

National Drive Electric Week Event - Rockwall

Their web page.

 

[bollar]

There is an event in Rockwall also. Has 3 Leafs signed up so far. Not sure I'll make it to either but I'll see closer to the date.

True and the three Leafs have been there since the event was created. The organizers haven't responded to emails from the DFW event's organizers, so I'm not sure what's going on there. To avoid disappointment, I'd recommend attending the event in Grapevine. It'll be great fun! Hope you join us.

 

[bollar]

We're making great progress! Registrations are ahead of this point last year, especially in Austin & Dallas/Fort Worth.

Austin - 37
DFW - 76 (Plus Rockwall - 3)
Houston - 25
San Antonio - 12

Total: 153

Join us! National Drive Electric Week 2016 - Events

 

[wart]

I just registered for the San Antonio event.

Note that the San Antonio event has moved to Saturday the 10th of September, and is in the Pearl Brewery area.

 

[bollar]

I just registered for the San Antonio event.

Note that the San Antonio event has moved to Saturday the 10th of September, and is in the Pearl Brewery area.

Yikes, that's good to know. Thanks for the update!

 

[bollar]

San Antonio is tomorrow! We are well on track to #beatFlorida

Current Stats:

Austin: 52
DFW: 92 + Rockwall 4
Houston: 34
San Antonio: 17

Total: 195

 

[radelman601]

Just finished spending my morning at the Pearl Farmer's Market fostering appreciation of EV. So of the 17 Tesla's that registered to participate, there were only four there - red "classic" Model S, red "refreshed" Model S, "refreshed" Blue Model S and a white Model X. The two red cars (mine was one) gave quite a few rides to some really interested folks.

 

[bollar]

Just finished spending my morning at the Pearl Farmer's Market fostering appreciation of EV. So of the 17 Tesla's that registered to participate, there were only four there - red "classic" Model S, red "refreshed" Model S, "refreshed" Blue Model S and a white Model X. The two red cars (mine was one) gave quite a few rides to some really interested folks.

Great to hear it!

What other cars came?

 

[wart]

Great to hear it!

What other cars came?

Mine was the blue Model S. It's not a refresh though; it's a spring 2015 car with the original nose and autopilot. The white X was Cattledog's.

Being at the Farmer's Market worked out well for us. Lots of people who are receptive to Tesla's message. I talked to a few people who have Model 3 reservations already, and a few more who might be interested.

 

[bollar]

Mine was the blue Model S. It's not a refresh though; it's a spring 2015 car with the original nose and autopilot. The white X was Cattledog's.

Cool - what cars were there other than Teslas?

 

[wart]

One BMW i3, one Leaf, one ELR. Zero Motorcycles sent two of their bikes. And a converted Triumph Spitfire.

 

[Boourns]

Can someone who has been to the Grapevine event in the past describe the vibe? I am likely going, but I'm wondering whether I should come alone or bring the family. Is there stuff to do that would entertain my wife and 2-year-old? Or is it mostly a bunch of Tesla/EV geeks talking in a parking lot?

 

[bollar]

Can someone who has been to the Grapevine event in the past describe the vibe? I am likely going, but I'm wondering whether I should come alone or bring the family. Is there stuff to do that would entertain my wife and 2-year-old? Or is it mostly a bunch of Tesla/EV geeks talking in a parking lot?

Last year was our first event at Grapevine Mills. It's true that there is a lot of EV geekery going on - what's special about NDEW is that there are lots of non-EV owners, so the conversations are different than our normal "when will be be able to drive to Fort Stockton" questions.

The organizers do have some activities for kids - last year, they had face painting, corn hole and some other events.

New this year are invited speakers, State Rep Giovanni Capriglione and others.

If all else fails, Grapevine Mills is just 100 feet away and sure to keep most people occupied for an hour or two.

 

[Boourns]

Awesome, thanks. I'll be bringing the whole fam, then!

 

[docBliny]

I'm waiting with fingers crossed that our Model X delivery happens tomorrow as scheduled. If it does, we'll be signing up for the Austin event next weekend - mostly likely with two separate EVs.

//TB

 

[bollar]

Now that we're coming up on just a few days until the largest events, registrations are increasing rapidly:

Austin - 64
DFW - 105 (Plus Rockwall - 4)
Houston - 38
San Antonio - 17

Total: 228

Also, FYI, here's the latest next on NDEW DFW:

The big day is upon us! THIS Saturday, September 17th is the DFW National Drive Electric Week Event! Join us from 10am-2pm at Grapevine Mills Mall in the parking lot between Saks OFF 5th and Neiman Marcus -- right next to the electric vehicle charging stations!

Here's what to expect:

10:00am -- Event Opens, Registration: If you've registered online, great! You'll be in the "express lane" to just check off your name and receive the items you'll need for the day.
11:00am -- Elected Officials Remarks: State Representative Giovanni Capriglione and Regional Transportation Councilman Mike Taylor will be saying a few words about the positive impact of EVs on air quality and the Texas economy.
11:20-11:30 -- Official EV Count! Help us beat last year's record of 116 EVs in one place!
1:15 -- Raffles: By visiting our many exhibitors throughout the day and receiving the necessary number of stamps on your stampcard, you can be entered to win AMAZING prizes. Up for grabs this year? A weekend with a BMW EV, a weekend with a Chevy Volt, a weekend with a Nissan LEAF, and 24 hours with a Tesla Model S! Attendees must be present to win, so make sure you stick around!

Who will be there?

This year's exhibitors include:

Carvana
Chargepoint
City of Lewisville
Classic Chevrolet of Grapevine
Classic BMW of Plano
Natural Awakenings
Nissan North America
North Texas Electric Auto Association
North Texas Renewable Energy Group
Telefonix
Tesla Motors

PLUS, make sure to stop by for Pokey O's Cookies & Ice Cream!

What else will you find?

Activities for all ages, friendly and knowledgeable EV owners, a SnapChat filter especially for NDEW2016, and a Poke Stop in the mall (you never know what you'll find there)!

 

[bollar]

Tesla gave us some nice publicity on Facebook today. If you're on Facebook, please like and share!

The Texas Tesla Clubs are calling all Tesla owners to celebrate National Drive Electric Week 2016 this Saturday and raise awareness for EV’s. Bring your Tesla and your friends to an event near you #NDEW2016

Please join us on Saturday!

 

[bollar]

Tesla's help added ten cars and perhaps 100 registrations state-wide overnight! That's a bunch of people hoping to learn more about electric cars!