Dozens of Ride & Drives Hosted in Midwest during National Drive Electric Week, Sept. 8-16

7-state Midwest EVOLVE project gets people behind wheel of EVs for test drives

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Aug 29, 2018, 08:00 ET

SAINT PAUL, Minn., Aug. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Lung Association's seven-state Midwest EVOLVE project is serving as a catalyst to get people behind the wheel of plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles during National Drive Electric Week, Sept. 8-16.

The program, called Midwest EVOLVE, emphasizes the clean-air benefits, cost savings, and fun of plug-in electric cars. The vehicles are being showcased in seven Midwestern states: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota.

Nearly three dozen National Drive Electric Week events are being held in states that are part of Midwest EVOLVE – which stands for Electric Vehicle Opportunities: Learning, eVents, Experience – a partnership between the American Lung Association and Clean Cities coalitions throughout the Midwest to demonstrate the performance and environmental benefits of plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles.

At Midwest EVOLVE events, consumers, government officials, fleet administrators, and dealership personnel have an opportunity to learn about the advantages of electric and hybrid vehicles, and the ease of charging vehicles at home, at work, or at public charging stations.

"Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular, due to the large number of models available, their extended range, decrease in cost, and more charging stations," said Lisa Thurstin, coordinator of the Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition, who oversees Midwest EVOLVE. "There's no better way to experience the performance and clean-air advantages of electric vehicles than to get behind the wheel and experience them for yourself."

As a part of Midwest EVOLVE, the American Lung Association and the Clean Cities coalitions in seven Midwestern states are hosting events to educate consumers about electric vehicles. Events include ride and drives, workplace-charging seminars, and other events, at brand-neutral settings throughout the Midwest.

During National Drive Electric Week, dozens of events are being held in the Midwest, including:

Evanston and Naperville, Illinois
Milwaukee, Tomah, and Madison, Wisconsin
Edina, Elk River, Ramsey, and St. Paul, Minnesota
Fargo, North Dakota
Goshen and Portage, Indiana
Albany, Columbus, Dayton and Hillard, Ohio
Lansing, Michigan

"The Midwest is often overlooked as a market for electric vehicles," Thurstin said. "Sometimes new EVs are first available in California or New York, so as a consumer you have to be vocal that you want the latest and greatest technology to be available at a dealer near you.

"Our Clean Cities partners throughout the Midwest are working with automakers and local dealerships to line up vehicles for test drives, to make sure that consumers in the Midwest get a chance learn about their advantages and figure out what best fits their needs," Thurstin said.

Midwest EVOLVE launched in early 2017 with more than 60 partners, including Argonne National Laboratory, PlugInConnect, automakers, utilities, state agencies, municipalities, dealerships, and dealer associations. Midwest EVOLVE has had approximately 75,000 people attend more than 100 events since the program began.

Overall, more than 250 National Drive Electric Week events are taking place this year throughout the U.S. Plug In America, the Sierra Club and the Electric Auto Association team up with local groups to organize events. For a complete list of National Drive Electric Week events, visit: driveelectricweek.org.

The Midwest EVOLVE project is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), under Award Number DE-EE0007743. To learn more or locate Midwest EVOLVE events, visit MidwestEVOLVE.org or follow EVOLVE via Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

SOURCE Midwest EVOLVE