Upcoming Events: National Drive Electric Week
National Drive Electric Week is coming up soon on September 14-22. Now in its ninth year, there are a whopping 275 NDEW events slated to take place, primarily in the U.S. and Canada. These events are a chance for EV owners to show off their own cars and inform the public about their real-world experiences living with EVs. Some events feature EVs from new car dealers as well. Both 100% electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles are shown. Many events will feature information booths or other resources relating to EVs, and all of the events are FREE. Learn more about NDEW at the official web site, DriveElectricWeek.org.
Here is a brief rundown of the NDEW events happening on or near Route 66 this year, plus the Las Vegas, Nevada event that we will be attending. I hope that you will be able to attend an event, whether you own an EV and want to participate, are interested in learning about EVs, or just want to check out some cool cars!
Chicago, Illinois
September 17, 11 AM - 2 PM
Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St.
This event is an unusual one - due to insurance constraints it will not feature private vehicles, but instead have dealer vehicles and information, plus local owners on hand to discuss EVs.
Chicago Event Page
Several other Chicago-area events are also happening that will feature owner vehicles:
Arlington Heights, IL, Sep. 14
Portage, IN, Sep. 19
Northbrook, IL, Sep. 22
Naperville, IL, Sep. 22
Bloomington, Illinois
September 14, 12 PM - 3 PM
Green Top Grocery, 921 E. Washington St.
Just a few blocks off Route 66, the Bloomington event has 14 personal vehicles officially registered to attend so far. Bloomington Cycle will be providing electric bikes for test rides, Illinois State University will be bringing their solar car, and there will be new car test drives from Chevy and Nissan.
Bloomington Event Page
St. Louis (Brentwood), Missouri
September 22, 11 AM - 3 PM
Metro Lighting, 929 Hanley Industrial Ct.
The St. Louis-area event has 27 personal vehicles officially registered so far, from historic vehicle conversions up to current vehicles, with test-rides and EV information planned.
St. Louis (Brentwood) Event Page
Jenks, Oklahoma
September 21, 11 AM - 2 PM
The Riverwalk, 300 Riverwalk Terrace
The Tulsa-area event has 13 personal vehicles officially registered so far, plus ride-and-drives planned from local car dealers.
Jenks Event Page
Arcadia, Oklahoma
September 14, 10 AM - 1 PM
Pops, 660 West Highway 66
The iconic Pops Soda Ranch roadside attraction, located right on Route 66 in Arcadia, will be hosting the Oklahoma City-area event. Sponsored by the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, there are 34 personal EVs officially registered to attend so far, plus more from dealerships.
Arcadia Event Page
Santa Fe, New Mexico
September 14, 10 AM - 3 PM
Santa Fe Place Mall, 4250 Cerrillos Rd.
The Santa Fe Place Mall is located alongside 1930s Route 66, and this event at the east entrance has 25 personal EVs officially registered so far, as well as solar companies planning to attend. The event will also be shared with the Southside Wheels Car Club, with many non-EV classic and modern cars and motorcycles!
Santa Fe Event Page
Las Vegas, Nevada
September 14, 10 AM - 2 PM
Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd.
Although not on Route 66, Las Vegas is a popular side trip for Route 66 travelers. But more importantly for Electric Route 66, it is the event we will be attending! There are 49 personal EVs officially registered so far, and we will be there with both of our vehicles: Sparky Sparky Boom Car (Chevy Spark EV) and The Blue Spirit (Tesla Model 3). The Springs Preserve is a great location with solar canopies over the parking area, and last year there was a lot of information on offer and dozens of EVs - Tesla, Chevy, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Fiat, Ford, custom conversions and more.
Las Vegas Event Page
San Bernardino, California
September 22, 10 AM - 2 PM
Inland Center Mall, 500 Inland Center Drive
Located about a mile south of Route 66's original route through downtown San Bernardino, this event will include private owners, informationa and vendor booths, and dealer test drives as well. There are 30 personal EVs officially registered so far.
San Bernardino Event Page
Los Angeles, California
September 14, 10 AM - 3 PM
Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center, 1700 Stadium Way
Just outside Dodger Stadium only a short distance from multiple alignments of Route 66, the Los Angeles event called Charge Up LA will be MASSIVE; with nearly 300 personal EVs officially registered, accounting for virtually every production plug-in vehicle type ever made! There will be booths from local utilities about rebates and incentives, test drives from car dealers, food trucks, games, and much more.
Los Angeles Event Page
If you are in Las Vegas for our local event, be sure to stop by and say hello! Here are some images from last year's Las Vegas event.
If you are not near Route 66 for any of these events, please take a look at the events page at the National Drive Electric Week web site to see if there is another event near you. The EV owners who bring their cars to these events are enthusiastic about showing them to attendees, and talking about their experiences.
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| Last Year's NDEW event in Las Vegas |
Here is a brief rundown of the NDEW events happening on or near Route 66 this year, plus the Las Vegas, Nevada event that we will be attending. I hope that you will be able to attend an event, whether you own an EV and want to participate, are interested in learning about EVs, or just want to check out some cool cars!
Chicago, Illinois
September 17, 11 AM - 2 PM
Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St.
This event is an unusual one - due to insurance constraints it will not feature private vehicles, but instead have dealer vehicles and information, plus local owners on hand to discuss EVs.
Chicago Event Page
Several other Chicago-area events are also happening that will feature owner vehicles:
Arlington Heights, IL, Sep. 14
Portage, IN, Sep. 19
Northbrook, IL, Sep. 22
Naperville, IL, Sep. 22
Bloomington, Illinois
September 14, 12 PM - 3 PM
Green Top Grocery, 921 E. Washington St.
Just a few blocks off Route 66, the Bloomington event has 14 personal vehicles officially registered to attend so far. Bloomington Cycle will be providing electric bikes for test rides, Illinois State University will be bringing their solar car, and there will be new car test drives from Chevy and Nissan.
Bloomington Event Page
St. Louis (Brentwood), Missouri
September 22, 11 AM - 3 PM
Metro Lighting, 929 Hanley Industrial Ct.
The St. Louis-area event has 27 personal vehicles officially registered so far, from historic vehicle conversions up to current vehicles, with test-rides and EV information planned.
St. Louis (Brentwood) Event Page
Jenks, Oklahoma
September 21, 11 AM - 2 PM
The Riverwalk, 300 Riverwalk Terrace
The Tulsa-area event has 13 personal vehicles officially registered so far, plus ride-and-drives planned from local car dealers.
Jenks Event Page
Arcadia, Oklahoma
September 14, 10 AM - 1 PM
Pops, 660 West Highway 66
The iconic Pops Soda Ranch roadside attraction, located right on Route 66 in Arcadia, will be hosting the Oklahoma City-area event. Sponsored by the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, there are 34 personal EVs officially registered to attend so far, plus more from dealerships.
Arcadia Event Page
Santa Fe, New Mexico
September 14, 10 AM - 3 PM
Santa Fe Place Mall, 4250 Cerrillos Rd.
The Santa Fe Place Mall is located alongside 1930s Route 66, and this event at the east entrance has 25 personal EVs officially registered so far, as well as solar companies planning to attend. The event will also be shared with the Southside Wheels Car Club, with many non-EV classic and modern cars and motorcycles!
Santa Fe Event Page
Las Vegas, Nevada
September 14, 10 AM - 2 PM
Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd.
Although not on Route 66, Las Vegas is a popular side trip for Route 66 travelers. But more importantly for Electric Route 66, it is the event we will be attending! There are 49 personal EVs officially registered so far, and we will be there with both of our vehicles: Sparky Sparky Boom Car (Chevy Spark EV) and The Blue Spirit (Tesla Model 3). The Springs Preserve is a great location with solar canopies over the parking area, and last year there was a lot of information on offer and dozens of EVs - Tesla, Chevy, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Fiat, Ford, custom conversions and more.
Las Vegas Event Page
San Bernardino, California
September 22, 10 AM - 2 PM
Inland Center Mall, 500 Inland Center Drive
Located about a mile south of Route 66's original route through downtown San Bernardino, this event will include private owners, informationa and vendor booths, and dealer test drives as well. There are 30 personal EVs officially registered so far.
San Bernardino Event Page
Los Angeles, California
September 14, 10 AM - 3 PM
Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center, 1700 Stadium Way
Just outside Dodger Stadium only a short distance from multiple alignments of Route 66, the Los Angeles event called Charge Up LA will be MASSIVE; with nearly 300 personal EVs officially registered, accounting for virtually every production plug-in vehicle type ever made! There will be booths from local utilities about rebates and incentives, test drives from car dealers, food trucks, games, and much more.
Los Angeles Event Page
If you are in Las Vegas for our local event, be sure to stop by and say hello! Here are some images from last year's Las Vegas event.
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| Inside a custom-built EV sports car. |
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| The Springs Preserve is a great place for this event. |
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| The Blue Spirit's first car show, just one week after we took delivery. |
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| L to R: Chevy Volt, 1st gen. Nissan Leaf, 2nd gen. Leaf, Chevy Bolt, Mitsubishi i-MiEV. |
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| Many different EVs and even an electric motorcycle were in attendance last year. |
If you are not near Route 66 for any of these events, please take a look at the events page at the National Drive Electric Week web site to see if there is another event near you. The EV owners who bring their cars to these events are enthusiastic about showing them to attendees, and talking about their experiences.
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