Electric vehicle drivers and advocates gather to tout benefits
Mary Palmer Rosenau can show easily show the benefits and efficiency of electric vehicles. A map in front of her Volkswagen ID.4 SUV illustrated just how much she can accomplish with her vehicle, a few stops, and a little extra planning.
Rosenau in August drove her SUV across country more than 2,500 miles from Birmingham to Niagara Falls with stops in New York and Boston. The trip there cost about $150.
“People think driving electric is going to be this giant to-do and this giant change in their lives and, really and truly, it’s not,” she said.
Rosenau joined electric vehicle enthusiasts Saturday at Pepper Place in Birmingham to display the vehicles and tout their practical use during Drive Electric Alabama EV Showcase.
This is the third time Rosenau has participated in recent Drive Electric Alabama EV events. Birmingham’s event also coincided with National Drive Electric Week.
Rosenau made her trek with a longtime friend she made while a student at Mountain Brook Junior High School.
“We had the time, and it is very cheap to travel with an elective vehicle,” said the Birmingham native who now lives in Pensacola, Fla. “My friend and I had never been to New York before and we were both turning 30 this year, so we decided we were going to take this giant trip.”
Drive Electric Alabama has sponsored four EV showcases in the last eight days including activities in Birmingham and Huntsville on Saturday.
“A majority of Alabamians have never sat inside an EV, much less driven one,” said Michael Staley, president of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, which helped plan the four EV showcases. “It’s always refreshing to talk to EV owners, because they’re clearly the best source of information about EVs and how they help save money and provide the same functionality as gas-powered vehicles.”
Electric vehicle enthusiasts gathered at Pepper Place in Birmingham Sept. 30, 2023 to display the vehicles and tout their practical use during Drive Electric Alabama EV Showcase. (Photo courtesy of Drive Electric Alabama)
Alabama’s NDEW events continue strong momentum for EVs. In August, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) announced its third round of state grants to fund construction of electric vehicle charging stations, totaling $1.2 million. That is in addition to previous rounds of grant funding totaling $4.1 million in 2021 and another $2.45 million in 2022 to construct EV charging stations within Alabama’s borders.
Nearly 300,000 all-electric vehicles were sold in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2023. That represents a 48.4 percent increase when compared to the second quarter of 2022.
In addition, Alabama auto makers Mercedes-Benz builds all-electric luxury SUVs in Tuscaloosa, and Hyundai builds its electric Genesis GV70 and the hybrid version of the Santa Fe SUV in Montgomery.
“Driving an EV is super fun and more convenient than you think it is,” Rosenau said.
Read more: Hyundai’s plant in Montgomery rolls out 1st electric vehicle