New England EAA chapter members work hard doing it their way.

New England Electric Auto Association President Jesse Rudavsky likes to say that his chapter does things a little differently than might other chapters.

“With outreach events, we always include hybrids in addition to plug-in-hybrids and pure electric vehicles (EVs),” Rudavsky explained. “People will disagree with me, and that’s fine. But a lot of folks live in apartments or condos with no available chargers and don’t go to a workplace with chargers either.”

“We can’t just flick a switch and have everything change overnight,” he continued. “It just makes sense to show-off a wide range of possibilities. And if not for hybrids, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

The NEEAA chapter engages in educational outreach an average of three times a month during non-COVID times, attracting at least 70 EVs and their owners to gatherings in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Events are promoted on social media, as well as through notices in local newspapers, announcements on local TV stations, and by posting flyers at town halls and other public spaces. 

While Rudavsky singles out car shows as the most effective venue, the chapter also sets up in parking lots at libraries, churches, state parks, public tennis courts, shopping malls, farmers markets, festivals, and charging stations. 

“We try to be close to a highway so we can give the full test driving experience,” he said. “We also educate new drivers by setting-up at high schools during lunch hour.”

“I’m in a veterans parade this coming Saturday,” Rudavsky continued, explaining that he has arranged to borrow an e-tron from a local Audi dealership for the Brockton Rolling Holiday Parade. “They’ve given me cars for a number of chapter events,” he said of the Norwell, MA dealership. “They’re fine if I take the cars out for the whole weekend.”

During the pandemic months, the chapter has turned to “cruise night’ events where “We drive around and we just set up wherever there’s adequate space and people will show up,” he added. 

Promoting through ride shares

Rudavsky owns four hybrid vehicles, including a 2016 Toyota Prius, a 2008 Nissan Altima hybrid,  and two Honda Civic hybrids, an ‘05 and an ‘09. 

“I drive Uber and Lyft, and I like to rotate my cars,” he said. “Driving hybrids for a ride-sharing service is another great way to spread the word about driving electric. I get all kinds of questions; it’s amazing how little the public really understands about electric cars, even now.”

“I’ve had passengers who live in apartment buildings tell me they were thinking about buying a hybrid but ended-up with a gas car instead because they thought the hybrid would need to be charged. And a lot of folks who live in houses don’t realize that EVs can be charged at home. They think they’d have to find a charging station.” 

Rudavsky also spoke of state employees assigned to PHEVs who never charge-up because they are unaware of how to request reimbursement for electricity use.  “All of this is why education is so important,” he said.

Tight-knit despite the numbers 

Over 1300 New England EV enthusiasts, all from very different backgrounds, correspond and get together through NEEAA events. 

“New England is a very politically and socially diverse area,” explained Ed Fanjoy, NEEAA’s Director of Communications. “Our chapter definitely represents that diversity.”

“Some of our members go back to the chapter’s founding in 1967. They’re the guys who like to tinker, to put things together,” Fanjoy continued. “They talk a lot about the old days when they were converting gas cars to electric, and some of them are still doing that. The newer members, they’re more sophisticated, more educated. They’re more likely to talk about the price of Tesla stock.”

Representatives from both contingents participate in chapter events. “It’s a very intimate, friendly organization,” Fanjoy said. In non-pandemic times, “We always go out to dinner together after our events. We’ll have 20 to 30 people at a restaurant.”

According to Fanjoy, the  NEEAA’s Facebook page is where the participants meet most often, with an average of 45 postings per month. “You never know what people will go for,” he said. “We had a post about a Hyundai dealer in Connecticut that got 10,000 likes, and we had 9000 views on a video we filmed of a BMW dealer in New Hampshire disassembling an i3 battery pack.” 

More than just a test drive

Fanjoy also mentioned the popularity of Rudavsky’s EV reviews, posted on both the Facebook page and the chapter website.

“Jesse’s reviews are very in-depth,” said Fanjoy. “He doesn’t just test a car for 20 minutes, he takes it for the whole week-end.”

“I do a freeway test, a low-speed test… I test the range and I drive aggressively,” explained Rudavsky. “I want our membership to know exactly what they’re getting themselves into with each different vehicle.”

“I’m unbiased, I don’t pay attention to anything but the facts,” he continued. “I’m not going to say, ‘this vehicle sucks’, but I’m not going to sugarcoat anything either. I tell it like it is.”

Rudavsky says that his knowledge of vehicles coming to market has been very helpful when he speaks at public events. “Our outreach is by far the most critical thing we do as a chapter so it’s important to be well informed,” Rudavsky said. “And we don’t just limit it to EV education. We make a point of including charging station installers and reps from solar companies so the potential buyers can get the whole picture.”

“These events not only spread the word about driving electric, they’re a great opportunity for the public to check out these vehicles away from the typical dealership setting where they may be under pressure to buy,” he concluded. “Electric is the future. How fast we get there depends on how much we educate.”