As the significance of a successful second National Plug In Day settled in (one ABC affiliate called it the start of a “new era” in their local reporting), several participants worked together on the following statement. Thanks to everybody who helped make National Plug In Day a tremendous success!
TENS OF THOUSANDS CELEBRATE SECOND ANNUAL NATIONAL PLUG IN DAY
An estimated 10,000+ prospective drivers were introduced to plug in electric vehicles over the weekend as the country celebrated the second annual National Plug In Day. Over 60 cities participated in the nation’s largest ever grassroots celebration of the wide range of plug in electric vehicles now available across the United States. Since their introduction almost two years ago, the over 50,000 plug in vehicles sold have logged an estimated 200 million electric miles.
Widespread enthusiasm for the cars was on display across the country, in part because plug in owners pay a small fraction of the cost to power the vehicles as compared to traditional models. The event was sponsored at the national level by Plug In America, Sierra Club, and the Electric Auto Association.”We were very gratified that so many companies, utilities, and government agencies joined excited and satisfied customers for National Plug In Day,” said Plug In America President Chad Schwitters.
Major manufacturers turned out to celebrate with their customers. “Our enthusiastic Nissan LEAF customers are the driving force behind bringing more people into the electric vehicle market,” said Brian Carolin, senior vice president, Nissan Sales and Marketing. “We were pleased to support National Plug In Day events across the country, including at our Tennessee headquarters, to recognize EV advocates and to help more consumers experience the fun of electric driving.” Britta Gross from General Motors, manufacturer of the Chevy Volt plug-in vehicle, added “Volt owners turned out in droves for National Plug In Day – we were thrilled to share the day with them and many potential new drivers.” David Patterson from Mitsubishi Motors North America, manufacturer of the all-electric i-MiEV, stated “we were proud to celebrate National Plug In Day and to power the Orange County event with the solar-powered EV charging stations at our headquarters the only location with a DC quick charger in Orange County.”
Plug in owners report that the cars provide an outstanding driving experience resulting from the high performance electric drive. The vehicles on the market have received a wide range of awards for quality and customer satisfaction and are now selling at a rate three times higher than standard hybrid vehicles when they were first introduced. “Utilities are ready to meet the electric moment for transportation,” said Edward Kjaer, Director Plug In Vehicle Readiness for Southern California Edison. “We’re delighted to have the promise of plug ins recognized on National Plug In Day.”
Companies like VIA Motors are demonstrating that trucks and large vehicles are strong prospects for electrification – “we were thrilled with the event and the support nationally. At the The Plugged In Music Festival and EV Drive in Salt Lake City, we gave continuous test drives for six hours with folks lined up to drive the new full size electric pick up truck,” said Alan Perriton President of VIA Motors. Motorcycle manufacturers have utilized electric drive technology to great advantage and are rapidly gaining market share. “Zero Motorcycles was very proud to participate in nine National Plug In Day events, including Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC and our home base in Santa Cruz. It was especially exciting to see our customers who own and ride our electric motorcycles get involved,” said Scot Harden, Vice President of Global Marketing for Zero Motorcycles. “These riders know that the electric drive is the premium drive – last weekend thousands more had the chance to see why!”
Plug in vehicles use electricity – stored in batteries which are recharged by plugging in to electric outlets ranging from standard to high capacity – to power electric drive motors. Advances in battery and electric drive technology, coupled with government incentives and strong engineering and design commitment from leading companies, have brought plug in vehicles to market in record numbers. Available models range from family passenger cars to motorcycles to trucks and heavy duty vehicles.
