The University of Notre Dame is teaming up with the City of South Bend, Michiana Area Council of Governments and South Shore Clean Cities to present an Electric Vehicle Expo as part of National Drive Electric Week and the 15th Annual Notre Dame Energy Week, organizers announced Monday.
Attendees will have a chance to get behind the wheel, experience electric vehicles firsthand and hear from local owners about the benefits of the vehicles. The event is free and open to the public.
“The Center for Sustainable Energy at Notre Dame and Notre Dame’s Office of Sustainability are thrilled to partner with the City of South Bend, Michiana Area Council of Governments and South Shore Clean Cities to showcase the multiple benefits of electric vehicles,” said Peter C. Burns, Massman professor of civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences and director of ND Energy. “The expo will highlight the economic and environmental advantages of driving electric vehicles, introduce visitors to university and city members who have already embraced this technology and will assist them in getting the information they need to make the switch as well.”
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 and charging infrastructure for homes and businesses, such as the new IM Plugged-In program from Indiana Michigan Power.
The Electric Vehicle Expo will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25 in the parking lot at Notre Dame’s Innovation Park, 1400 E. Angela Blvd. across from the main campus. All-electric vehicles scheduled for display include the Chevrolet Bolt, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Nissan LEAF, Smart fortwo electric and Tesla Models S. Scheduled plug-in hybrid vehicles include the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, Kia Niro, Honda Clarity, Toyota Prius Prime, Toyota RAV4 Prime and more.
The event is part of the annual Notre Dame Energy Week, which has been hosted by ND Energy since 2007. This annual event is designed to create awareness and educate the campus and broader communities about critical energy-related issues and topics, offering a wide range of activities suitable for everyone. Learn more at https://energy.nd.edu/outreach/2021-energy-week/.
The electric vehicle expo is also taking place as part of National Drive Electric Week, a nationwide celebration Sept. 25 to Oct. 3 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 the national sponsors. For a complete list of National Drive Electric Week events, visit www.driveelectricweek.org.
