The electric vehicle transition is underway.
Experience with EVs is strongly correlated to increased interest in purchasing or leasing one. To help with the transition, the Biden administration has made electric vehicles a central part of their strategy to mitigate the climate crisis. Automakers are finally coming onboard, although their transition to only producing all-electric vehicles needs to be much faster in order to deliver cleaner air and tackle the climate crisis.
Because public interest in EVs is high across racial groups, one of the best ways to promote electric vehicles is to spread awareness about them through events that get people together to interact with electric cars, bikes, and buses in their local spaces. Historically, peoples’ experiences at car dealerships have been mostly unhelpful in selling EVs, as our 2019 nationwide dealership investigation showed (we’re updating this investigation right now). This gets to the purpose of National Drive Electric Week (NDEW), which we just celebrated 12 years of with our national partners at Plug In America, the Electric Auto Association and EVHybridNoire this fall.
During NDEW, anyone curious about EVs has an opportunity to connect with EV drivers in their own communities, get their questions answered, and get behind the wheel themselves to try them out. It’s an unlearning and learning process to get acquainted with a new technology, especially one as embedded in American society as the gas car.
Sierra Club volunteers and staff from all over the country, including 10 of our chapters, organized or participated in more than 270 NDEW events this year. The events were hosted by local community members who own and drive their own EV and are eager to share their experiences.
At the NDEW event in Buffalo, close to 300 people attended, including 40 vehicle owners who showed off 20 different vehicle models!
Videographers: Bradley Krahl & Kyle Krahl; Video Production: Bradley Krahl
But cars are not the only type of electric vehicles, and for good reason: Expanding electric bike use is one of the best ways to replace car trips. Advocates are hard at work – and also having a lot of fun zipping through their neighborhoods – making e-bikes cheaper and ensuring that neighborhood infrastructure supports safe cycling.
During NDEW this year, the Sierra Club North Star Chapter hosted its 25th Annual Bike Tour, an event that focused on the challenges and victories of equitable transportation in environmental justice neighborhoods of North Minneapolis.
The power of NDEW is in its community-building aspect. It has been a joy to see the size of NDEW expand over the last decade as local city captains get more and more confident in their yearly events and organizers learn from one another, getting inspired to host their own events. We look forward to NDEW’s continued growth for years to come!