Dayton EVA Hosts Aptera CEO at EVs Under the Stars

Dayton EVA chapter, Drive Electric Dayton held its first EVs Under the Stars on Saturday, Oct. 14! EVs Under the Stars brought about 65 people and EVs together in a beautiful space that is Hisey Park, a dark sky area between Dayton and Cincinnati in southwest Ohio.

The idea for the event came over lunch with Knoxville EVA members during one of their events in July, where chapter President Rap Hankins and Vice President Chris Celek discussed astronomy (an interest many of them share). Since four of the nine board members of the Warren County Astronomical Society drive EVs, Rap said “we should do an EV under the stars event!”

DED and WCAS collaborated to organize the EVs Under the Stars event. Members of both groups shared presentations about solar projects to fuel their cars and homes. A naturalist from the park district talked about how solar power is utilized for energy and to establish a protected pollinator field for bees. The amateur astronomers were prepared to share views of the sun with special telescopes and night sky views of the planets and deep space objects. Their home base, the Fred Bay Observatory, is located in the park. The weather unfortunately did not cooperate, but WCAS members provided a virtual night sky tour.

The keynote speaker was the CEO of Aptera Motors, Chris Anthony. He appeared via a live video call for a Q&A session with about 65 attendees. Chris provided updates on the progress of development of the solar-powered EV. He also answered questions about Aptera’s innovative technologies, right to repair, and sustainability.

Among the attendees were four Ohio residents who are Aptera reservation holders. Jim Kelly, the DED treasurer, is a reservation holder and investor; he’s also an Aptera brand ambassador and set up a tent display to talk with visitors about Aptera’s solar-powered EV.

Chapter leaders, along with partners at the Warren County Astronomical Society and the Warren County Park District, are looking forward to having another EVs Under the Stars! They plan on doing it again in September, when the Ohio weather is typically warmer with clear skies.