Growing environmental awareness and rising gas prices have driven the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) to an all-time high, yet opportunities to test drive and experience EVs first-hand are few and far between. The Transportation Electrification Activator (TE Activator) is committed to equipping Arizona residents with the information they need to make educated decisions that will accelerate transportation electrification in the region. Therefore, the TE Activator was excited to partner with Electric Car Insider to provide Valley residents with the opportunity to test drive and experience over 10 different EV models at a two-day Electric Car “Ride and Drive” event on April 2 and 3.
Arizonans were given the opportunity to test drive EVs and learn about them directly from their owners.
At the Ride and Drive event, more than 200 attendees were able to test drive and learn about owning an EV directly from the car owners. Nearly 500 test drives were completed from a variety of popular EVs that included the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model Y, Volkswagen ID.4, Tesla Model 3, Jaguar I-Pace, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Polestar 2, Tesla Model S, and Chevrolet Bolt. The Ride and Drive also had a selection of static displays available for participants to explore that included the Fisker, Porsche Taycan, Hyundai Kona, and the Solo from ElectraMeccanica, a locally based EV manufacturer.
SRP staff and other TE Activator members were available to offer insight into EV charging, SRP customer programs, and common questions about EV ownership.
TE Activator members were present to provide information about the TE Activator partnership, regional climate action plans, EV charging options, and SRP’s EV residential customer programs and price plans. Several local representatives also attended the event to show their support of EVs, including Mesa Mayor John Giles and council members from SRP, Tempe, and Mesa. Attendees indicated that they appreciated the “no-pressure environment” in test driving an EV, leaving with a better sense of the day-to-day realities of EV ownership. The TE Activator was proud to facilitate a successful and informative Ride and Drive event and we look forward to hosting future educational opportunities that will help with the advancement of transportation electrification in the region and ties to the TE Activator’s vision of making the EV transition accessible to all Arizonans.
