Ride and drives are effective events for increasing electric vehicle awareness and adoption in communities with low EV penetration. They provide a hands-on experience for consumers and insight into how to grow the EV industry. Successful ride and drives require planning partnerships, marketing, and ensuring a positive experience for participants. The document provides guidance on organizing ride and drive logistics, developing audience-specific messaging, and optimizing the consumer experience.

1. Ride and Drives:
Get your community
Going electric
Steven Alaman, Program Manager
August 2019

2. • Areas of EV adoption are localized
due to a variety of factors
• Ride and Drives directly increase EV
awareness to communities with low
adoption rates with a hands on
experience
• Ride and Drives offer opportunity to
gain valuable information from
communities and consumers that
offer insight to how to grow the
industry
Why Do We Need Ride
and Drives?
6/8/2019
EV adoption map from 2017
Current EV adoption map
EV adoption maps from Torquenews.com
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3. The Basics Of A Ride and Drive
And Why They Work
• Ride and Drives events
provide consumers a fun
brand natural EV
experience.
• Consumer expectations
are higher than ever and
Ride and Drives are often
the first EV experience for
many consumers so
making their experience
easy, exciting and
memorable is key
component to increasing
EV adoption.
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4. Understanding the goal of your Ride and
Drive is key
Where is your Ride and Drive going to be located?
What audience do you want to connect with?
How can you best reach this audience?
What is the charging infrastructure look like in that
area?
Are EVs readily available at local dealerships?
How can this community benefit the most form EVs?
Planning A Ride And Drive:
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5. Different messages for different audiences
Businesses
-Fleet electrification
-Work place charging
-Charging infrastructure
Communities
-Urban (Typically less commute time
and more EV
availability/transportation options)
-Rural (Longer commutes and often
limited charging stations)
-Suburban (Short daily commutes on
average)
Connecting With The Community
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6. 6/8/2019 6
Put Yourself In The Consumer’s Shoes

7. 6 Months prior Determine location and apply for permits to secure the
site
3-4 Months prior reach out to partners, local EV groups and Dealerships
2-3 Months prior Begin promoting the event through flyers, social media
and if necessary paid promotion
1 Month prior Post a online pre-registration link, draft test drive routes and
submit routes to all local authorities stakeholders
2 Weeks prior Up until the day of the event continue to send reminders or
schedule check ins with partners, dealerships, volunteers and continue to
promoting the event
Timeline
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8. Permits and Insurance
At a minimum your organization will want to acquire:
• Liability coverage that will cover up to $2,000,000 for each accident
• Workers compensation coverage that covers up to $1,000,000
• Indemnity waivers that will protect both your organization and the site
hosts (Review these documents with your insurance provider)
You may also need to acquire:
• Street or parking space closure permits
• A public assembly permit
• Vendor contracts
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9. 6/8/2019 9
Partnerships
• Reach out to all partners as early as
possible
• Include partners in the planning process
(shared resources can cut down event
costs by a lot)
• Make sure that the roles and
responsibilities of each partner is clear
• Include local business
• If you are coming from another location
make sure to consult the local partners
as much as possible
• Be appreciative of the resources
partners are able to share
Best practices

10. Dealerships
• Reach out early
• Ride and Drives are a win
win
• Don’t just check websites for
inventory
• Make sure to call or visit
• If you can drop off a
physical flyer that will help
• Be appreciative!
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11. Volunteers And EV Enthusiasts
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12. Know You’re Audience
• To get from ‘early
adopters’ to ‘early
majority’, we have to be
willing to adapt our
strategies to fit the needs
of each community
• Find ways to play on
consumers emotional
reasoning
• It’s just a car, keep it
simple
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Photo by Dylan Vanweelden
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13. Simplify the Conversation
WHAT’S AN ELECTRIC CAR?
Powered by a rechargeable battery instead of a traditional, gas-burning engine,
electric cars are simply a better way to drive. They accelerate faster, delivering a
quick, quiet ride, and they eliminate the need to ever visit a gas station again.
Charging stations are installed at homes and offices and are becoming readily
available on roads everywhere. The dashboard display includes speed and
mileage like your gas-powered car, but instead of a gas gauge, a range
monitor lets you know how far you can drive before needing a new charge.
And the pedals work just like they do in your gas-powered car.
How is it different
from a hybrid?
Drivers today have lots of options. Traditional
hybrids like the Toyota Prius use both a
battery and a gasoline engine to improve
overall mileage, but they always burn gas.
Other cars, like the Chevy Volt, can drive up
to 50 all-electric miles on a charge but then
start burning gas if you need to drive further.
We can help you pick the technology that
works best for you.
Why should I choose an electric car?
EV 101
Everything you need to know
about driving electric
0 to 60 in seconds
When you accelerate in an
electric car, the power goes
directly from the battery to
the tires, creating some of the quickest
acceleration times possible.
A cheaper drive
In the Pacific Northwest, electric
car drivers pay $0.99 to drive
the same distance as a gallon
of gas in a conventional car. They’re cheaper
to operate, with almost no maintenance
costs. Just rotate your tires regularly and add
fresh wiper fluid!
Top-of-the-line technology
The electric car dashboard
display shows your battery’s
range, your current driving
efficiency and navigation—all the must-have
technology for today’s driver.
Turn down the radio
The next time you’re in a
conventional car, take a
listen. We’ve all gotten used
to the engine noise as part of the driving
experience—but electric cars are nearly silent
at all speeds.
No more gas stations
You’ll never have to stop for gas
ever again. Charge your car at
home overnight just like your
phone, or at work if your employer offers
workplace charging.
Benefits for the economy
and the environment
Electric cars are oil-free,
produce 85% less carbon
emissions and no smog, and can be
powered by renewable energy sources like
solar and wind.
• Use easy to understand language
• Avoid terms like ‘CHAdeMO, CCS,
J1772, kWh, etc.’
• Know how to answer the critical
questions, simply
• Have collateral ready to help explain
more complex questions
• Walk them through how to find a
charging station
• Keep in mind that everyone has a
different situation so one pitch likely will
not work on everyone
Always remain positive
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14. • Incentives such as cash prices
or even discounts on EV
purchases often increase the
amount of test drives
• Reach out to partners to see if
they have prizes to raffle off
• For many consumers offering
a cool EV experience is
enough
Incentives

15. DEI and Ride and Drives
• For low income households,
transportation is often the number
one expense
• Used EVs offer more affordable
deals and low cost of ownership
• Understand the barriers:
-Language/culture
-Affordability, charging,
banking
• Charge ahead rebate $2,500 off a
new or used EV
https://www.oregon.gov/deq/aq/
programs/Pages/Charge-Ahead-
Rebate.aspx
6/8/2019EV Deals from Waterhouse motors and Platt Auto 15

16. Marketing
• Social media
• Utility mailers
• Press releases
• Pre-registrations
• Event flyers for local businesses,
community organizations and
dealerships
• Community outreach through
tabling
• Promote incentives and available
models
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17. Equipment and Expenses
Estimated Costs as a percentage of the total budget
• 20-40% Event Site Registration and permits
• 25-35% Staff time (This may also include the cost of hiring flaggers or additional event
security)
• 10% Signage and safety equipment (At least 2 A-Frames, Branded banner, Safety vests and
traffic cones
• 5% Tent, tables, chairs, clickers for recording, I pads for surveys and Wifi hotspots
• 5-15% Food/drinks for dealers, staff and public
• 10-20% Marketing -- Handouts (This can be much higher if print/online advertising is used. This
estimate assumes most marketing is done for free, via partners and social media.)
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18. Route Planning
Different routes for different Evs
2019 Prius Prime plug in hybrid: For this vehicle ideal route will be kept under 2
miles to conserve EV range.
2017 Chevy Bolt: For this vehicle you can get creative with your route by
including hills to show off the regenerative breaking
2019 Nissan LEAF: For this vehicle taking folks on the highway can be
beneficial to explain how the dynamic cruise control and lane assist features
work
Routes at large events: Ride and Drives at large events in busy areas may
require that you plan a route for all test drive vehicles and submit the route to
local authorities
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19. Having An Awesome Team Always Helps
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20. Thank you!
Steven Alaman
StevenA@forthmobility.org
Forthmobility.org
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