This year’s National Drive Electric Week event, EVs@thePavilion, was another roaring success attracting over 350 attendees including staff and volunteers. We counted 1,500 conversations, primarly led by 55 volunteers, who showed vehicles, answered expert questions, and managed registration, prizes, and surveys, as well as set up and take down. We attracted Mayor Lucas Frerichs (see Justin Schafer’s article for the mayor’s perspective on electric vehicles), a booth and representative from our regional Air Quality Management District, and support from Yolo Federal Credit Union, offering financing options, and the outreach team from our local clean energy provider, Valley Clean Energy.

Notably, we gathered one of the most diverse and complete collections of EVs seen in Northern California this year:

  • 37 total electric vehicles
  • 27 battery electric or plug-in hybrid cars
  • 4 electric trucks
  •  3 electric bikes
  •  2 electric motorcycles
  •  1 electric bus
  • 27 different electric vehicle models

So many makes, models

  • Newest and interesting EV models – Hyundai Ionic 5, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model X, Kia Niro EV, Chevrolet EUV, Volvo XC40 Recharge, and VW ID.4
  • New electric trucks. F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, and Ford e-Transit cargo van
  • Exotic EVs – Tesla Model S Plaid, Tesla Roadster and e-converted Triumph Spitfire
  • Affordable EVs – Chevrolet Bolt EV, Hyundai Kona, Nissan Leaf, Kia Niro PHEV, and Fiat 500e
  • Great used EVs – Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf, Toyota RAV4 EV, and Chevrolet Bolt EV
  • Electric Bus – Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE® – UC Davis Unitrans new electric bus
  • Electric motorcycles – Zero DSR motorcycle and Energica EsseEsse 9 motorcycle

Volunteers made it happen!

What really makes these show and tell events so effective is our EV owners who volunter to bring their vehicles and answer a multitude of questions from attendees. Among the most popular questions are: how fun is it to drive your EV, how do you charge it, what’s the range and and how much range is enough, and, of course, what are the costs?

We had some new volunteers at our expert information tables, plenty of veterans at our registration tables, and scores of helpers to make set up and take down happen, including two of our new Sacramento Valley College Corp Fellows, who pitched in and learned a lot about EVs that day. DEVA, Cool Davis, SacEV, and all our hosts thank our amazing volunteers for making this event possible!

Read an exciting narrative with quotes and details about the event by one of our newest volunteers, Justin Schafer.

Access our original materials:

Visit our Drive Electric campaign webpage

Get the newest Plug In America Electric Vehicle guide

Checkout the full photo gallery on our Facebook page