Each year, Plug In America presents the Drive Electric Awards to people and organizations that are leading the electric vehicle movement.
Nominations are submitted by Plug In America supporters, and the winners are selected by a committee comprised of Plug In America board members. The winners are presented with an award at the Drive Electric Awards Reception in the fall.
Award categories
Linda Nicholes Lifetime Achievement Award
This award recognizes an outstanding pioneer in the EV movement. This person has been working to further EV adoption through policy, technology or outreach for at least 15 years.
Individual Award
This award recognizes an individual that has contributed significantly to the EV movement in areas including, but not limited to, technology development, policy / advocacy or education / outreach.
Organization Award
This award recognizes an organization that has contributed significantly to the EV movement in areas including, but not limited to, technology development, policy / advocacy or education / outreach.
City Captain Award
This award recognizes an outstanding event organizer for National Drive Electric Week and/or Drive Electric Earth Day. Considerations include years of service, number of events produced, size and reach of events, number of ride-and-drives, innovation, and other outstanding attributes.
Advocate Award
This award recognizes an individual that has advocated for or influenced policies that benefit the electric vehicle movement.
Student Award
This award recognizes a full-time student that has contributed significantly to the EV movement in areas including, but not limited to, education / outreach, policy / advocacy, or technology development.
EV City Award
This award recognizes a city that has been a leader in the EV movement and taken significant action to increase EV adoption.
EV Marketing / Awareness Award
This award recognizes outstanding achievement in increasing awareness of EVs and their features, attributes, or benefits. Examples of considered work include websites, social media, videos, music, advertising, or other communications. Nominated works may be professionally or independently produced.
Utility Award
This award recognizes a utility that demonstrated outstanding support of the EV movement and facilitated EV programs to increase the adoption of EVs.
Nomination process
Any current Plug In America donor may submit nominations for the Drive Electric Awards. The deadline for nominations is June 30, 2023. Self-nominations are welcome. The selection committee comprised of Plug In America board members and EV advocates will select the winners from among the nominees. The committee reserves the right to modify the final awards to name more than one winner or no winner for individual categories, move an entry to a different category, and add categories depending on the nominations received. Text and materials collected in the nomination forms may be used for public outreach purposes. Winners must participate in the awards presentation in Los Angeles in person or by submitting a video message.
