EV equity on the Rio Grande
Diverse EVA chapter spawns at the U.S.-Mexican border
EV from local utility company at the RGEAA National Drive Electric Week event
The Rio Grande Electric Auto Association (RGEAA), was formed in 2020 tasked with a difficult job: convincing the majority Hispanic populations of El Paso, Texas, and Las Cruces, New Mexico, to drive electric.
“We’re a multi-regional, multi-ethnic chapter,” said Jonathan Macias, RGEAA’s founding president who was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the national EVA and then as secretary of the organization. “We’re located where Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico come together. Our membership is approximately 60% Hispanic.”
“In our community, the adoption rate of electric vehicles (EVs) has lagged behind other areas,” said Angie Rodriguez, the chapter’s vice-president who is also on the Board of Directors of the national EVA. “We think it is due to lack of customer awareness of benefits of driving electric vehicles and lower income levels than in other areas of the country”.
‘We as Hispanics don’t tend to be early adopters, partly because we can be risk-averse when it comes to auto loans and other bank products that can be needed to purchase an EV,” Macias explained. “This dates back to the lack of confidence in the banking system in Mexico.”
Numbers going up
Both Macias and Rodriguez are very encouraged by a recent uptick in EV adoption, including last year’s remarkable increase from approximately 500 plugin vehicles in El Paso County to 1,600.
”Education is key,” said Rodriguez, pointing to the chapter’s outreach partnerships with organizations including local municipalities, auto dealerships, EV owners, and local electric utilitIes.
“EV adoption also increased when Tesla opened an El Paso showroom,” Angie added. “That generated a lot of curiosity and higher demand.”’
Infrastructure improvements helping, too
El Paso’s first public Level 2 chargers were installed 15 years ago but unfortunately were not maintained or frequently utilized.
Now, there are approximately 100 charging stations in multiple locations in Las Cruces, El Paso, and Van Horn, Texas combined, which Rodriguez credits at least in part to an upsurge in advocacy work.
Support from local utility companies has furthered the EV cause, with Rodriguez helping to drive that agenda from her project manager position at the El Paso Electric Company’s Emergent Technologies and Innovations Department.
Both El Paso Electric and RGEAA were sponsors of the National Drive Electric Week (NDEW) event in Las Cruces last October. “It was held at the weekly farmer’s market, which is quite extensive and very well attended,” Rodriguez said. We focused on explaining home charging options as approximately 80% of EV owners typically charge at home.
“The NDEW event was a huge success, agreed Macias. “We had constant foot traffic. A lot of folks weren’t even aware EVs existed. They saw us and they were able to learn all about them.”
“We were able to get a small grant to have a charger on site,” he continued. “That worked incredibly well because once people understand the infrastructure, once they see convenience, it all starts to solidify in their minds. They realize just how much sense an EV can make.”