We’re proud to host this year’s 2024 Drive Electric Awards in one of the nation’s biggest hubs of EV adoption—Los Angeles. Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Lindsey Horvath is here to tell you all about this year’s event and the exclusive insider knowledge you’ll get as an attendee. Join us in celebrating the community leaders driving the EV movement, seeing the latest innovations, and so much more.

The basics

When: Thursday, Nov. 21. The presentation starts at 3:30 p.m., with a networking reception to follow
Where: Gilbert Lindsay Plaza, 1201 Figueroa Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Who will be there: This year’s winners, all the movers and shakers in the automotive and EV space, and the dynamite Plug In America team

The details

To attend, you must purchase a ticket on Eventbrite. Tickets give you entry all day to AutoMobility LA, the Los Angeles Auto Show’s Media and Industry Day; the awards presentation; and a networking reception with beverages, hors d’oeuvres, and entertainment. Buying a ticket to the Drive Electric Awards is the only way for the general public to get access to this day reserved for the press and industry insiders.

Sponsors

2024 Award Winners

Linda Nicholes Lifetime Achievement Award

Jennifer M. Granholm is serving as the 16th United States Secretary of Energy. From advancing clean energy technologies to defending policies on transportation electrification to creating millions of clean energy jobs, Secretary Granholm has led the Department of Energy since 2021 to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. As a fierce advocate of electric vehicles, she has stood before Congress and industry stakeholders to advocate for an equitable clean energy future. Before her appointment, she served two terms as Michigan’s 47th governor, during which time the state’s auto industry strengthened while adding emerging sectors, such as clean energy, to the state’s economic portfolio. After her time in office, she led a national campaign for clean energy policies as an advisor to Pew Charitable Trusts’ Clean Energy Program.

Advocate Award

Robert (“Bob”) Blake is a member of the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota and the executive director of Native Sun Community Power Development, a native-led nonprofit working towards advancing energy efficiency, renewable energy, and equitable energy transition. The organization and its partners are working to equip Tribal communities across Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota with EVs and essential charging infrastructure through an initiative called the Upper Midwest Inter-Tribal EV Charging Community Network. He is also the founder and CEO of Solar Bear (pronounced Gizis-o-makwa in Ojibwe). This solar installation company includes implementing EV charging stations and energy storage services while participating in community initiatives that teach about renewable energy to young and adult tribal members. Bob’s efforts have shown a new avenue for EV deployment and EV infrastructure in remote and rural areas by bringing independent, sustainable, cost-effective sources of electricity.

EV City Award

The City of Schenectady has become a regional destination for EV drivers. Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy has collaborated with stakeholders throughout the city to improve EV infrastructure, support both public charging and fleet electrification, and educate communities on the innovative changes in EV technology. The city has 60 charging stations, including its libraries, downtown areas, college, parks, and more. Schenectady has also been a longstanding participant of National Drive Electric Week (NDEW) events since 2017 and is home to one of the largest NDEW events in the country. In 2022, Schenectady was recognized by Electric Vehicle Association as City of the Year. It has also been recognized for its Climate Smart Community certifications from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and as a Clean Energy Community by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). As a part of the Justice 40 initiative, the City of Schenectady also strives to use resources that ensure the community has access to cleaner and more efficient transportation.

Organization Award

Isles is a community-based organization in Trenton, New Jersey, which has been living up to its mission of fostering sustainable and self-reliant communities since 1981. Among the various pathways the nonprofit takes to improve the community’s quality of life, its staff has spearheaded a multi-partnership car-share and ride-share program called Go Trenton to provide affordable and clean transportation. The program was born out of a need to address transportation insecurity in 2021 and has served as a model for the State of New Jersey’s community-centered electric shuttle service. Isles was one of the first organizations to join statewide initiatives advocating for the electrification of transportation in 2016.

Headquartered in Cason City, Nevada, Redwood Materials is a pioneering startup in lithium-ion battery recycling and refinement for electromobility and electrical storage systems. The organization is committed to creating a circular supply chain for batteries. Its innovative and sustainable methods are meant to reduce reliance on conventional mining and reduce the cost and environmental impact of lithium-ion batteries and the electric vehicles and sustainable energy storage systems they power. The organization is on track to produce enough battery material to support production for 1.3 million electric vehicles annually by 2025 and five million by 2030. Today, Redwood Materials recycles more than 70 percent of lithium-ion batteries and production scrap in North America annually. Its impact has translated into significantly reducing electronic waste from landfills and increasing resource conservation. Redwood’s partnerships with major automotive OEM’s including Ford, Toyota, VW Group, BMW Group, Volvo, Polestar, and cell manufactures such as GM’s Ultium Cells and Panasonic, have created pathways for others to make their supply chains circular and drive down the overall environmental impact of EV battery end-of-life management.

EV Awareness Award

Elected Officials Protecting America (EOPA) is a network of current and former bipartisan elected officials working to transition to a clean energy economy by educating and training lawmakers through storytelling and national programming. They focus on implementing solutions to address the climate crisis and ensuring environmental justice. Among their initiatives is focusing on clean transportation, which includes electrifying the nation’s transportation system with large-scale public funding and EV charging infrastructure. From May 29, 2024, to June 26, 2024, they successfully launched the Electric Vehicles Tour, empowering veterans and frontline elected officials to build support for EVs by educating them on policy solutions and connecting them to EV drivers and their experiences.

The EVSA Ambassador Program from the City of San Antonio promotes planning and programming efforts for electric transportation while educating San Antonio residents on the benefits of EV ownership. This initiative has educated the community by giving space to EV owners to share their experiences, facilitating conversations around electric mobility, providing input to the city’s EV infrastructure, and more. In 2023, the program reached over 10,000 community members, informing people of all backgrounds and incomes about electric transportation solutions for everyone.

Utility Award

ComEd is the largest electric utility in Illinois, responsible for delivering power to more than nine million people in the Chicago metropolitan region and the northern third of Illinois. ComEd has committed to the transition to clean energy with one of the most reliable and resilient grid systems in the country to prepare communities for electrification and evolving needs as a result of climate change. Alongside this work, they provide education and resources to support for the sustainability goals of the people and communities they serve. Through the Beneficial Electrification Plan, ComEd is leading one of the largest electrification investments in the state, investing $231 million over three years with a focus on an equitable transition to EVs. As part of this effort, ComEd has introduced a wide range of incentives, tools, and processes to remove barriers towards electric vehicles and ensure that all its customers can benefit from these equitably. Through the launch of equitable rebate programs dedicated to expanding charging access and increasing EV fleet opportunities, they ensure that communities suffering from the largest impact of localized pollution and climate change can benefit from the transition to EVs while increasing access to low-income customers. ComEd is paving the way for other utilities to follow suit in how they think of and encourage an equitable transition to electrified transportation.

Individual Award

Vivian Rahwanji is the chief programs officer for the Community Housing Development Corporation (CHDC). In 2015, Vivian began expanding CHDC services to support low- and moderate-income residents’ access to transportation through the Driving Clean Assistance Program (DCAP) in partnership with the California Air Resources Board. Vivian designed, piloted, and scaled the regional needs-based program across 12 counties in the greater Bay Area that provided income-qualified residents a grant to purchase a new or used clean vehicle. In addition, she developed a critical partnership with Travis Credit Union to offer financial education and financing assistance in low-income and disinvested communities. She assists with the overall implementation and strategic management at CHDC, including the organization’s long-range business planning and program management.

City Captain Award

Caroline Nellis is the founder and a board member of Tri-State Creation Care (TSCC) and is best known for her extensive environmental work in the greater Evansville, Indiana area, for which she was awarded a 2020 Hoosier Resilience Hero award.  Since 2022, Caroline has organized an annual event hosted by TSCC.  This event, “EVs 4 EVVeryone,” is part of National Drive Electric Week and is intended to steer the metro Evansville community towards EV adoption and, in turn, honor TSCC’s commitment to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, combat its community’s notoriously poor air quality, and address climate change. “EVs 4 EVVeryone” includes a variety of activities for people of all ages while raising awareness of sustainability issues. During the event, key community members – such as the mayor, police chief, and county sheriff – plus other local influencers help promote EV usage to prospective buyers while attracting more attendees. To further engage the community and increase success, Caroline has developed an event planning committee that includes fellow TSCC board members, other sustainability nonprofits, the Evansville Climate Action Director, and representatives of local businesses advocating and selling electric and battery-powered equipment and transportation.

Student Award

Diya Kandhra is a full-time undergraduate student at the University of California-Berkeley who has collaborated with the EV Charging for All Coalition and the Transportation Sustainability Research Center of the Institute of Transportation Studies. Under the supervision of Dwight MacCurdy, Diya has conducted research to address some of the steepest barriers to EV adoption and critical gaps in EV advocacy. Part of her research has highlighted cost discrepancies in public EV charging rates and their implications for multifamily home residents in disinvested communities. She has also conducted research for the development of the EV Building Codes Toolkit, which serves as a resource to aid EV advocates and decision-makers in adopting equitable EV readiness building codes across the US. Her work has served as a resource to policy writers and advocates to spur several jurisdictions and adopt policies that ensure more equitable and affordable rates.