Drive Electric Earth Month
Drive Electric Alabama - Earth Day EVent
Huntsville, AL
Apr 23, 2022

Event Report

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Electric vehicle owners gathered by Holtz Leather Company in Huntsville for Saturday’s North Alabama Drive Electric Earth Day EVent.

The EV owners spent about three hours greeting visitors, showing off their cars and answering questions about EV ownership.

Some owners touted the cost savings associated with owning and driving an EV, such as no longer having to pay for gas, oil changes or other routine maintenance.

Others focused on the excitement associated with driving an EV, thanks to the vehicles’ instant acceleration when compared to conventional gas-powered cars and trucks.

“The performance, first of all, is over anything I’ve ever had,” said Madison resident Rae Millen, who brought his Porsche Taycan to Saturday’s event. “Of course, there’s the savings on gas, especially with these prices. I might pay 40 or 50 dollars more on my electric bill every month, and you can’t get a single tank of gas for that right now. I was filling up four or five times a month before.”

A variety of EVs were on display Saturday, including models from Rivian, Tesla, Ford, Jaguar, Chevy, Nissan, Volvo, Porsche and Hyundai. Visitors were especially interested in the full-sized Rivian truck.

In addition, Alabama A&M University provided an all-electric bus from its fleet for display, and Alabama A&M Director of Transportation Marshall Chimwedzi said the electric buses have cut fuel costs by more than half and led to other maintenance savings. He added students now see the electric buses as “cool.”

“We discovered quickly that EVs have power,” Chimwedzi said. “Our university campus is filled with hills, and the electric buses have more torque than buses we had before. That’s one of the things we really liked.”

Saturday’s event is one of many Drive Electric Earth Day events happening across the nation. A similar event is scheduled for Saturday, May 14, at The Market at Pepper Place in Birmingham

The Huntsville event was hosted by Drive Electric Alabama and the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition. Other sponsors include HuntsVolt, City of Huntsville, Huntsville Utilities, Energy Alabama and Holtz Leather Company.

“Anyone who has felt the pain at the pump as gas prices rose this spring has probably thought about an EV,” said Michael Staley, president of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition. “But a majority of Alabamians have never even sat inside an EV. That’s why today’s EV Showcase is so important, because we have real EV owners talking about how they use these vehicles every day.”

EV sales soared 72 percent during the fourth quarter of 2021, and another recent study by J.D. Power found 27 percent of likely auto shoppers indicate they would consider purchasing an EV in the next four years.

In addition, Hyundai recently announced plans to begin building its electric Genesis GV70 and the hybrid version of the Santa Fe at its Montgomery factory. Mercedes’ all-electric SUVs are also expected to roll off the assembly line at the company’s Tuscaloosa facility later this year, too.

As Alabamians see more EVs on the road and the state’s auto manufacturers produce EVs, consumers are looking for more information about them. EV owners are the most trusted source for that information.

Trush Patel, president of the North Alabama Drive Electric Alabama chapter, said he was pleased with the variety of EVs on display at the group’s first official event.

“As the charging infrastructure develops, EVs will bring change and that will affect the U.S. as a whole in a very positive way,” he said.

photo by: Josh Bean, Direct Communications setting stage for successful EVent

Event Description

Registered Attendees

There are currently 30 attendees registered.

Owners of These Vehicles Have Registered To Attend

Registered attendees report 299,114 electric miles driven.