The following is a message from the Michiana Area Council of Governments, in collaboration with South Shore Clean Cities, Inc. and the City of Goshen:
The City of Goshen’s Department of Environmental Resilience is teaming up with the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) and South Shore Clean Cities to present an Electric Vehicle Expo as part of the annual National Drive Electric Week, organizers announced Wednesday.
Attendees will have a chance to get behind the wheel to experience electric vehicles firsthand and to hear from local owners about the benefits of the vehicles. The event is free and open to the public.
“The expo will highlight the multiple benefits of driving an electric vehicle, introduce members of the community who are already embracing this technology and assist attendees in getting the information they need to make the switch as well,” said Aaron Sawatsky-Kingsley, director of the Department of Environmental Resilience. “Access to charging stations locally has really improved since we last held this event in 2018. The city has installed a free public charging station and two more are coming soon to the Goshen Public Library and the public parking lot near Goshen Brewing Company, thanks to the Volkswagen settlement.”
South Shore Clean Cities representatives will be on hand to provide details on what electric vehicles are available locally, how and where to find electric vehicle charging stations and what incentives are available for purchasing vehicles or providing charging infrastructure for homes and businesses.
The Electric Vehicle Expo will take place from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1 at the Goshen City Hall parking lot at 202 S. 5th street in Goshen. Scheduled vehicles include the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt, Nissan LEAF, Tesla Models S, 3 and Y and the plug-in hybrid Chrysler Pacifica minivan.
The City of Goshen included transportation electrification in the recently approved Climate Action Plan for municipal operations, which included the goal of reducing emissions from light-duty vehicles by 25 percent by 2026 through the improved fuel efficiency of hybrid vehicles and the switch to cleaner electric vehicles. The city received the regional MACOG Partners for Clean Air award in 2021 in part for leadership in sustainable transportation related to piloting electric and hybrid vehicles and installing the charging station at City Hall.
The electric vehicle expo is taking place as part of National Drive Electric Week, a nationwide celebration from Sept. 25 to Oct. 3 designed to heighten awareness of the widespread availability of plug-in vehicles. The event also highlights the benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid-electric cars, trucks, motorcycles and other modes of transportation. More than 300 National Drive Electric Week events are taking place this year throughout the U.S. Plug In America, the Sierra Club, the Electric Auto Association and EVHybridNoire team up with local groups to organize the events. Nissan and Wells Fargo are national sponsors. For a complete list of National Drive Electric Week events, visit www.driveelectricweek.org.