FORT COLLINS, Colo. – To commemorate Earth Day, Northern Colorado Clean Cities (NCCC) invited electric vehicle (EV) drivers, EV enthusiasts and intrigued local and regional residents to attend an EV Ride and Drive Event on Saturday, April 23.
Sustainable Driving
EVs dating from 2012 to 2022 were represented at the event with over 14 EVs to review, ride and drive.
“Driving electric, using public transit and biking to work is something that individuals can do every day to live more sustainably as transportation makes up 30% of emissions in Colorado,” Executive Director of NCCC Diego Lopez said.
At the event, NCCC helped consumers, local government officials and business owners learn about EVs, charging units, maintenance and performance as well as grants such as Charge Ahead Colorado and rebates from local utilities.
“I just love driving an electric car. I like the whole experience from regenerative braking,
the handling, it’s great in the snow. I’ve only spent $5 on electricity so far this month to
charge it. How can you not like that?” said community attendee and EV owner, Craig
Hibbard.
The ride and drive had several brand new EV models from local dealerships, some of the crowd favorites were:
- BMW: The Electric Driving Experience of the 2022 BMW iX | BMW USA
- Kia EV 6: Park | AR Head-Up Display | The 2022 All-Electric Kia EV 6
- Volkswagen ID.4: Better for Your Family | ID.4 Electric SUV
Sustainable Learning
NCCC witnessed enthusiasm and aspiration for more unbiased educational resources and events to help adopt sustainable transportation.
Educational campaigns are key to solving the ongoing climate crisis and the information gap surrounding sustainable transportation.
“The cost was the equivalent or cheaper than other ICE options, and then the biggest reason was a really nice turn radius that would also fit my dog in the back – we bought this car for our dog. We’re not kidding, ” Matt and Amelia, Chevrolet Bolt owners, pictured to the left, said. “Also, there are chargers everywhere. There are free chargers everywhere, and most people don’t even know about that. So we went with an electric car instead of a hybrid just because it fit well.”
Educational campaigns and events in the future should have deeper themes surrounding EVs such as:
Implementing climate educational opportunities prepares the community to feel confident in the future, resilient from the unknown, connected to their communities and capable of making sustainable choices.
- Community EV Station Development – Equipping our community with knowledge on where infrastructure is being implemented is needed. Showing a larger picture on how mobility solutions solve the climate crisis and protect our natural environment.
- Workforce Development – Education institutions should provide support to help teachers and students adapt to a sustainable energy and transportation industry.
- Equity Development – New information, resources, technology, transportation and energy systems must be available for everyone at every level of income, regardless of their ethnicity, age, sex, or social status. Understanding the connection between sustainability, mobility, and development is the first step towards increasing public health and ensuring environmental justice.
NCCC is committed to helping Coloradoans transition to more sustainable transportation solutions. As part of the Recharge Colorado program, NCCC provides coaching services for EVs and infrastructure development in Grand, Jackson, Larimer, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld and Yuma counties.
