More details HERE. (The last few years, this event was called National Plug In Day). This national event is orchestrated by Plug In America, the Electric Auto Association, and The Sierra Club.
In the past, many City Captains had good reasons to hold events on neighboring dates; given that and the ever-growing number of cities, we are making it a full week this year. Drive Electric Week is dual-purpose: it's a time for plug-in owners to get together, celebrate, compare notes, etc. It's also a time for non-owners to be able to see several cars without having to go to dealers, and to ask questions of owners (as we know, owners typically answer questions better than dealers - and even if they give the same answer, owners are more trusted). Reports from dealers, manufacturers and the CA rebate program numbers show a very significant bump in sales following the event. There's no better way to sell plug-in vehicles than for owners to show them off!
While some cities have very elaborate events (parades, food, music, porta-potties, dignitaries, games, contests, etc) some are just a few local owners in a parking lot, and that's fine. The key is that this is a GRASSROOTS event; every city is organized by a volunteer (actually in many cities it is 2-6 people acting as a committee). The more cities are involved, the better we meet both of our goals.
So please take a look at the MAP of scheduled events. Nothing near you yet? Create your own and be a City Captain! All you need is a parking lot (a mall is great - lots of people with spare time walking by, and they will often let you gather free hoping you'll do some shopping) and a few electric-driving friends. There is a lot of helpful information for organizers on the web site; and we also have email, webinars and a forum where you can talk to other city captains. If you can't organize one, do you know a local owner that might want to? It's important to get cities registered early; last year many registered at the last minute and a lot of owners and non-owners alike missed out because the event was not registered when they checked the site. Plus we even had a couple of cities where more than one group was planning an event without registering it. Register your event, and other interested people can sign up as volunteers to help.
In the past, many City Captains had good reasons to hold events on neighboring dates; given that and the ever-growing number of cities, we are making it a full week this year. Drive Electric Week is dual-purpose: it's a time for plug-in owners to get together, celebrate, compare notes, etc. It's also a time for non-owners to be able to see several cars without having to go to dealers, and to ask questions of owners (as we know, owners typically answer questions better than dealers - and even if they give the same answer, owners are more trusted). Reports from dealers, manufacturers and the CA rebate program numbers show a very significant bump in sales following the event. There's no better way to sell plug-in vehicles than for owners to show them off!
While some cities have very elaborate events (parades, food, music, porta-potties, dignitaries, games, contests, etc) some are just a few local owners in a parking lot, and that's fine. The key is that this is a GRASSROOTS event; every city is organized by a volunteer (actually in many cities it is 2-6 people acting as a committee). The more cities are involved, the better we meet both of our goals.
So please take a look at the MAP of scheduled events. Nothing near you yet? Create your own and be a City Captain! All you need is a parking lot (a mall is great - lots of people with spare time walking by, and they will often let you gather free hoping you'll do some shopping) and a few electric-driving friends. There is a lot of helpful information for organizers on the web site; and we also have email, webinars and a forum where you can talk to other city captains. If you can't organize one, do you know a local owner that might want to? It's important to get cities registered early; last year many registered at the last minute and a lot of owners and non-owners alike missed out because the event was not registered when they checked the site. Plus we even had a couple of cities where more than one group was planning an event without registering it. Register your event, and other interested people can sign up as volunteers to help.
Last edited:
