When I got my first plug-in vehicle, back in August 2012, I looked for ways to learn more about our new cars. My wife, Bonnie got her first one two months later.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), which was holding public meetings where they shared what was going on, regarding EVs in Texas. Even more importantly, they were asking the public for our opinions!
The DFW chapter of the Electric Vehicle Association was holding meetings where members shared presentations about their EVs. Back then, most members were converting internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to electric drives, so most of what they were talking about was waaaay over my head. Although I attended fewer of their meetings than those NCTCOG were putting on, I stayed in touch with the organization, including their Houston chapter and the national organization.
About a year into EV ownership, I read about events being held around the country for something called “National Plug-in Day.” I called the salesperson who sold us our two Chevy Volts and asked him what the dealership was planning for that day. He didn’t know what I was talking about. I pitched the idea of the dealer inviting their Volt owners back to the dealership and letting us share our Volt experience with their customers. They didn’t do that, but they did ask me to speak to their sales team about why I thought the Volt was important to GM and our country.
After the meeting, I was invited to stick around and help the sales staff discuss the Volt with potential customers. I helped sell one that day, including taking the client on their test drive. I had a blast and a week later, I changed careers and became an automotive salesperson, specializing in EVs & PHEVs. On my first day on the job, my manager asked me what title I wanted on my business cards, since they’d never hired someone to focus on electrics before. I came up with “EV-angelist” and renamed my blog to match. I worked there until the end of 2019, when I retired. (or so I thought…)
Over the years, “National Plug-in Day” became “National Drive Electric Week.” In the DFW area, NCTCOG hosted the annual gatherings and I became a regular exhibitor, bringing vehicles from the dealership and sharing my experiences with the public.
This year, the event has changed again. It has become National Drive Electric MONTH! (NDEM)
On the website for the events, you can find an event near you and even sign up to display your EV and do some EV-angelizing yourself, if you want. I highly encourage you to attend. It’s a fun, high energy festival and I’ve always had a great time.
This year, on Saturday September 13th, the DFW event will be held in cooperation with an event in Denton Texas called, “Arts & Autos.” “Arts & Autos” will be the venue for the NDEM event in North Texas this year. There will be classic cars, hot rods, trucks and motorcycles. On top of that, there will be live music, local artists, and food trucks.
What is really exciting though is Texas EV, NCTCOG and Charge Across Town worked together to create something new called “Electric Avenue.”
In the Electric Avenue display on Denton’s West Oak Street, you can explore the future of transportation from electric cars to innovative e-bikes and more. To help you get the full EV experience, we recruited local auto dealers to provide test drives of EVs on the streets of Denton.
There will be experts on hand to answer your EV-related questions, including questions about the federal incentives. Those incentives, of up to $7,500 for a new EV or $4,000 for a preowned EV, will expire at the end of September. Don’t worry though. Actual delivery can occur later (see details).
This year, the event is especially crucial. The ending of the federal government’s incentives happens just 17 days after Arts & Autos.
If you’ve been wondering if an EV will work for you, this is the perfect event to attend to get the answers you need to make an informed decision (and get a huge discount). You could even follow the dealership’s salesperson back to his office, after the event, to buy one if you want. Three families followed me back to my dealership to buy their first EVs after the 2019 event!
I hope to see you there. If you see me in my red sequined blazer, please stop and say hi!
