Electric vehicle education campaign underway in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee
An ongoing campaign in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia seeks to educate the public about electric vehicles. (Department of Energy)
Clean fuels organizations in Alabama and two other Southeast states are driving a new campaign to update consumers and build greater knowledge and understanding about electric vehicles (EVs).
The Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, Clean Cities Georgia and Tennessee Clean Fuels have joined forces to launch the three-month education and awareness campaign to promote EV ownership.
Television and radio advertisements about the benefits of EVs have been running in the three states since December and will continue through mid-March. This month, the organizations began a series of free, virtual events to answer the most common questions about EVs. The lunchtime events run through April 5.
“A grant from Electrify America made it possible for us to launch this campaign to strengthen electric vehicle education and awareness efforts in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee,” said Michael Staley, president of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition. “We know the public has a lot of questions about electric vehicles, and we are excited to help get those questions answered.”
Alabama Broadcasters Association President Sharon Tinsley, and her counterparts in Georgia and Tennessee, said electric vehicles are a perfect topic for their Public Education Partnership (PEP) programs, in which the associations work with media to promote issues of community interest. “The EV campaign has generated more clicks faster than any of the other digital campaigns that we’ve run. That tells me there is great interest in electric vehicles.”
According to a news release from the three clean fuels organizations, market research shows many of the doubts people have about EVs are based on outdated information about early vehicle models. The ongoing campaign is designed to educate consumers about the latest EVs, which the organizations say are strong rivals to internal combustion engine counterparts in performance and costs.
“People have honest questions about vehicle range, performance and charging infrastructure,” said Frank Morris, executive director of Clean Cities Georgia, “and our virtual webinars will be great educational opportunities for the public to get honest answers from EV owners in their communities.”
Modern EV models range from economical sedans and full-sized SUVs to luxury sports and performance vehicles and pickup trucks capable of powering a jobsite or pulling a fishing boat to the lake, the news release said.
In addition to the grant from Electrify America, the coalitions are teamed up through a federal grant called DRIVE Electric USA. Each participating state has its own individually managed campaign. Alabama’s campaign is Drive Electric Alabama. Drive Electric Georgia and Drive Electric Tennessee are the campaigns in those states.
Alabama Power has been working with partners to support the Drive Electric Alabama campaign. Each state initiative has broad goals, including engaging with and educating consumers, utilities, utility regulators, local and state government officials, automobile dealers, current and prospective EV owners, fleet leaders and vehicle manufacturers.
“We are focused on removing electric vehicle adoption barriers and accelerating plug-in EV use in our states,” said Jonathan Overly, director of Tennessee Clean Fuels and lead project coordinator for DRIVE Electric USA. “We hope that people will visit our websites and sign up for one of the many upcoming virtual and in-person educational opportunities we are scheduling in 2022.”
To learn more about the virtual education events taking place in the coming weeks and to sign up, click here. To learn more about Alabama Power’s involvement in supporting and building awareness about electric transportation options, click here.
