EVADC Hosts Ride and Drive at the National Mall
A very special National Drive Electric Week event took place Saturday, September 30th. The EVADC, along with the Sierra Club’s DC Chapter, Moms Clean Air Force, and Plug-In America hosted a ride and drive on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. With about 30 vehicles, an all electric bus provided by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Better Bus initiative, and even an electric bike, the event garnered big crowds and attention throughout the city. In addition to ride and drives and educational exhibits presented by members of the groups listed above, the event included many speakers, including:
Scott Wilson, VP of the Electric Vehicle Association of Greater Washington DC
Dr. Quinta Warren, the Associate Director of Sustainability Policy for Consumer Reports
Michael Litt, Clean Transportation Chair for Sierra Club DC Chapter
Sasha Tenenbaum, Senior Manager for Media and Public Engagement from Moms Clean Air Force
Thomas Bartholomew, Branch Chief for Renewable Energy and Clean Transportation for the District of Columbia's Department of Energy and Environment
Rachel Healy, Director of Sustainability from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
All of the speakers reiterated the push for electric vehicles and the public had the opportunity to talk to EV owners, clean transportation advocates, and city leaders about zero emission vehicles as well as federal and local clean cars policies that will clean up our air and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks that contribute to climate change. The event had 18 car models, one E-bike, and one electric motorcycle.
Much of the public interaction was organic; those who just happened to be on and around the National Mall or were attending the nearby World Cultural Festival, which helped introduce EVs to people who may have never had the opportunity to experience one before. These events are some of the most effective at helping everyday Americans convert to EVs as they get first hand exposure in a no pressure environment where the goal is to educate. Scott Wilson said “For my remarks, I wanted to state the purpose of why we were all there, namely to educate the “EV curious” and show them that regular folks are happily incorporating EVs into their lives. My remarks covered how NDEW started as National Plug-In Day, and how the advantages usually fall into three buckets: energy security, in which you are no longer subject to fluctuating unpredictable gas prices, GHG reduction, in the sense that the cars get cleaner as the grid gets cleaner, and cost reduction, in which I compared my daily driving cost of 4 cents/mile to 15+ cents/mile driving on gas.” Former CNN journalist and reporter Jill Dougherty just happened to be in attendance as well!
Special thanks to all listed above and the team at EVADC for helping and organizing this incredible event!
Also a special thanks to Athel Rogers for the incredible photos as well!
