If you’re tired of ballooning gas costs, you’re curious about those nifty new electric car-charging stations installed at your grocery store or office — or you live in one of these 10 states, it might be time to get serious about plug-in electric vehicles. This weekend, Sept. 28 and 29, you can do just that at National Plug In Day, a series of free events happening in more than 90 cities around the country.
Now in its third year, National Plug In Day was created by by Plug In America to boost public awareness about the benefits of driving electric cars. The Sierra Club and the Electric Auto Association are partners in the events, which will include rallies, tailgate parties, charging-infrastructure demos, and EV-readiness awards, along with opportunities to test drive electric cars like the Tesla Model S, Nissan LEAF, Chevy Volt, and more.
Nissan gave away free gas in Atlanta yesterday to promote the event. The Oregon Tourism Board has created several range-anxiety-free scenic drives for EV owners — each route has public charging stations every 25 to 50 miles. And other cities are hosting events alongside other community events, giving away prizes and incorporating kids activities into the day. Here’s a complete list of events: pluginday.org/events.php
It’s been an encouraging year for electric vehicles — interest is growing, lower prices have spurred sales, the Tesla Model S was named Motor Trend Car of the Year — and National Plug In Day has grown as well. In 2011, it started with 26 events; it now boasts 93 events that span two days.
At Sustainable America, we’re working to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil for transportation, and fueling more cars on electricity is one piece of that puzzle. But aside from that, electric vehicles make a lot of sense for individual drivers, If you’re curious about how one could work for you, this is a great weekend to find out.
