National Drive Electric Week is back! To celebrate, Cool Davis and DEVA are partnering with SacEV to host the second annual EVs@theMarket event adjacent to the Davis Farmers Market. Take a slight detour from your normal market route, and find out what driving electric is all about! (Check us out first, then bag your groceries later.)

When: Saturday, September 15, 2018, 9am to 1pm

Where: 4th Street between C & D Streets (just east of Farmer’s Market)

Electric vehicles on site:

  • 20+ electric vehicles and their owners for Show & Tell (evolving list of makes/models below)
  • 10+ vehicle dealers with electric models you can test drive on the spot (Ride & Drive)(list below)

Added bonus: Take a test drive and get a gift card reward  (150 available) courtesy of PG&E. That’s right, you take a free test drive and you get paid. Thank you PG&E for your generous support of this EVent!

Workshops and information for the EV curious (two sessions on each topic):

  • Which EV Is Right for You? (9:30am and 11:00am)
  • Driving on Sunshine (10:00am and 11:30am)
  • Buying a Used Electric Vehicle (10:30am and 12:00pm)

Workshop rewards: Workshop participants who complete a survey will also receive incentives!

EV owners and local dealers on site

More EV owners and lessees than you can imagine generously bring their personal vehicles for folks to inspect and try on for size (but not test drives). Owners/drivers hang out by their vehicles to tell their stories, answer questions, and serve as resources for neighbors thinking about going electric.

Vehicle dealers also bring vehicles for test drives, just like a test drive at the dealership, so remember to bring your driver’s license.

The list of vehicles available on site includes:

BMWi3, BMWi8, Chrysler Pacifica (mini-van), Fiat 500e, Chevy Bolt, Chevy Volt, Honda Clarity, Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius Prime, Mitsubishi Outlander, Tesla X, Tesla S, and Tesla 3.

Many of these will be available for test drives.

Local dealers planning to attend: Niello BMW, Hanlees Nissan, Hanlees Chevy, Shottenkirk (formerly University) Honda, possibly Tesla (for test drives), with more in the works. In addition to EVs and PHEVs (plug in hybrid vehicles), a GEM car distributor plans to bring along a couple of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs). Thank you to all our dealers!

What’s so great about this event? Everything!

What’s so great about EVs@theMarket? Community member Marsha Baird (and Cool Davis Database Diva) bought her first electric vehicle right after last year’s event. “I had been wanting an EV for the longest time. We were waiting for the Bolt to come out for the distance that it could give so we could take day trips to San Francisco without worrying.”

Davis Electric Vehicle Association (DEVA) member Katrina Sutton is excited to get the opportunity to drive various makes and models in one spot. “I might have four friends with a Volt but no one has a Clarity.” Plus, Katrina likes to “talk with owners and nerd out together.”

As Chris Granger, Executive Director of Cool Davis, explained last year, “Not all dealers have all the cars and often they sell fast. So if you’re interested in an EV, it can be hard to get a chance to actually drive one. Here we have 10 different vehicles to drive, then you can compare and consult with actual owners. There is no better way to help people make this choice!”

Last year’s event featured displays of 21 EVs and 10 test drive cars, and resulted in 119 test drives and 759 conversations. Workshops provided information on EV charging methods, solar panels, and the future of autonomous vehicles. You can learn more about last year’s event on the Cool Davis news roll.

ebikes on hand for test drives, too

EVs@theMarket will feature more than just your standard, freeway ready electric vehicles. ebikes will also be available for inspection and test drives. Exhibitor Ken Bradford of Ken’s Bike-Ski-Board wants folks to “come out and try the ebikes, the most efficient electric vehicles.” Jennifer Donofrio, Bike and Pedestrian Coordinator for the City of Davis, adds that “I love my ebike and I hope that everyone tries one.”

Jump Bike, those bright red bikes you’re seeing around town as part of our new regional bike share program (Sacramento and West Sacramento), will be offering free test drives with 5 ebikes on site.

Come test drive an ebike if a full blown electric vehicle is more than you need.

Family bike lifestyle meetup and electrified bikes show and tell

What else is at the starting line on September 15th? Families thinking about a getting out of their car and on to a “family bike” or families that have already switched gears and want to share their experiences are invited to a Family Bike Lifestyle meetup to be held at the EVent near the Davis Community Church school playground from 9am to 10am.  Newbies can learn the ins-and-outs of family bikes and how to ride with kids, cargo, and more.  There will be family bikes to test ride at the event, and families with electric bikes are welcomed to join.

From 10am to 11am there will be a second gathering, an Electrified Bikes Show and Tell meetup, also near the Davis Community Church school playground. Electric bike owners can come to show them off a bit and chat with those thinking about getting an electric bike. Come and learn from the experts: people in our community who own ebikes.  Questions like how fast they go, how an electric bike can replace vehicle trips, and how you can convert your existing bike to electric power will be answered. There will be electric bikes to test ride at the event including some made available by regional bike share system operator, JUMP Bikes.

EV&Me blog launch

In collaboration with the UC Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment, and the Economy, Cool Davis will be assisting in the launch of a new blog for the EV curious and enthusiast alike, dubbed EV&Me. The blog will highlight stories of EV owners from the serious to the sublime. The blog launched Friday, September 7, the first day of National Drive Electric Week, and will publish a new story each weekday during National Drive Electric Week, with plans to follow up with regular monthly postings in the future.

Partners and exhibitors

Exhibitors like Breathe California and Yolo Solano Air Quality Management District (also a sponsor) will be on hand because EVs dovetail with their missions. Lauren White of Breathe California knows that EVs improve air quality and advance their mission of clean air and lung health. Jenny Tan of YSAQMD wants residents to be aware of “how EVs are helping to improve air quality and sending out less greenhouse gases. We try to engage people in different ways and one of those ways is EVs.”

  • Yolo Solano Air Quality Management District
  • Breathe California
  • JUMP Bike
  • Ken’s Bike-Ski-Board (featuring ebikes)
  • UC Davis Plug-In and Hybrid Electric Vehicle Center
  • California Clean Vehicle Rebate Program managed by the Center for Sustainable Energy

Local sponsors

  • PG&E
  • SacEV
  • Yolo Solano Air Quality Management District
  • Davis Community Church (our facility host)
  • City of Davis
  • National Drive Electric Week/Plug-In America

Volunteers needed

The Davis Electric Vehicle Association (DEVA) invites you to volunteer for this year’s event. If you would like to help before, during, and/or after the EVs@theMarket event, please send a message to deva@cooldavis.org.

This event is locally hosted by Cool Davis, the Davis Electric Vehicle Association (DEVA), and the Sacramento Electric Vehicle Association (SacEV), with support from the City of Davis. National level partners include Plug In America, the Sierra Club, Nissan and, obviously, National Drive Electric Week.

For more information about electric vehicles, visit the Cool Davis Drive Electric web page.

To learn more about the Davis Electric Vehicles Association, visit their web page on the Cool Davis site.

Check out photos from last year’s event below or visit our Facebook photo album for more