Between the months of September and October lies National Drive Electric Week (NDEW), a week that is dedicated to further educating the public about the possibilities that electric vehicles (EVs) have to offer. This year, NDEW took place September 27 to October 6, 2024, and boasted over 200 events across the United States that brought together EV owners, enthusiasts, fleet managers, and transportation professionals. The Clean Transportation team at the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC), held three events to recognize NDEW that took place at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and Wake Forest University (WFU).

On October 3, 2024, the team arranged to bring 25 electric or hybrid vehicles to NCSU’s Centennial Campus.

The afternoon was filled with conversations between EV owners and students eager to learn more.

This event was a “ride and drive”, allowing the public to drive a vehicle of their choice along a designated route. Many students took advantage of this opportunity and enjoyed the chance to experience EV driving in person.

A number of organizations and dealerships attended to support this event, including BMW of Raleigh, eBike Central, Crossroads Ford Apex, NC State Transportation, Duke Energy, Town of Cary, Johnson Alfa Romeo, TEVA, Hendrick Automotive, Johnson Subaru of Cary, and the City of Raleigh.

The team held the next NDEW event two days later on October 5, 2024, during the NCSU football game tailgate. Another slew of vehicle owners and dealerships brought their EVs, with models including an Acura ZDX, Rivian R1T, Tesla Roadster, Chevrolet Blazer, BMW X5i PHEV, Ford Mach-E, and Hyundai IONIQ 5.

This event was an EV showcase rather than ride and drive, which allowed around 100 individuals to stop by and learn about the various vehicles present.

Among individual owners, several dealerships including Hendrick Automotive, Westgate, Sir Walter Chevrolet, MLS Electric, and Johnson Hyundai contributed to bringing EV or hybrid vehicles.

For the final event, the team traveled to Winston-Salem to hold another EV display at the WFU football game tailgate.

North Point CDJ, Parkway Ford, and Volvo of Winston-Salem brought several vehicles to be on display. 

Passersby enjoyed connecting with NCCETC’s Clean Transportation team along with EV owners who were excited to share their knowledge.

The Clean Transportation team looks forward to hosting NDEW each year, with the goal of bringing the most innovative vehicles to share with the public. NCCETC would like to thank all of the supporting organizations, dealerships, and individual owners who contributed to the success of the 2024 NDEW events!