The Community Environmental Council (CEC) presents Driving Electric in the Goleta Goodland, an electric car show in honor of National Drive Electric Week. The show takes place near the Farmer’s Market at Camino Real Marketplace in Goleta from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20.
By gathering local electric vehicle drivers to share their stories and answer attendee questions, CEC’s car show helps community members get unbiased information about how a plug-in electric vehicle could fit into the their life.
“In the coming years, electric vehicles are going to play an increasingly critical role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Cameron Gray, CEC’s Energy Program associate. “Few people realize that, in California, transportation accounts for 37 percent of our state’s greenhouse gas emissions — more than any other area of the state’s economy. More people driving electric is also a clear path to cleaner air for our community because pure battery electric vehicles produce zero tailpipe emissions.”
While this is the third annual electric car show that CEC has put on at this location, this year the setting is particularly fitting and demonstrates the growth happening in electric vehicle infrastructure.
In March, the City of Goleta installed its first publically available DC fast charger in the Camino Real parking lot.
A DC Fast Charger can recharge an electric vehicle’s battery in approximately 30 minutes — far less time than the more common version of chargers, Level 2, which require between 3–8 hours for the same amount of charge.
“We’re seeing a lot of very exciting developments with electric vehicles, including more DC Fast Charging stations coming online and an increasingly diverse offering of electric vehicles for consumers to choose from more diverse options,” stated Gray. “This is critical, as greenhouse gas emissions from gasoline-fueled cars destabilize our climate, contributing to issues that we are experiencing firsthand in the Central Coast region.”
While all the electric vehicles on display on September 20 save energy (electric engines are 3.4 times more efficient than conventional gasoline or diesel vehicles) the group saving the most energy are those who are “driving on sunshine.”
These car owners not only conserve energy by driving electric; they go one step further by powering their cars through the solar panels on their home.
All community members are encouraged to attend, from those who have never before considered purchasing an electric vehicle to those who want help determining the best EV to fit their needs.
CEC also encourages attendees to bring their reusable bags to visit the neighboring farmers’ market to pick up locally-grown fruits and vegetables.
Local EV owners who wish to participate by answering questions, sharing experience or bringing a vehicle to show should contact Cameron Gray at 805.963.0583 x111 or cgray@cecmail.org.
Attendees can show their support at CEC’s event page on the National Drive Electric Week website or they can join the Facebook event.
Learn more about driving electric at cecsb.org/choose-electric.
— Cameron Gray is the Energy Program associate at Community Environmental Council.