FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 7, 2018
Contacts:
Lyz Hoffman, Public Information Officer
Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, (805) 961-8819
Cameron Gray, Transportation & Climate Specialist,
Community Environmental Council, (805) 963-0583 ext. 111
Electric Car Shows for National Drive Electric Week
Santa Barbara, Calif. – The latest electric cars will soon be on display in communities throughout Santa Barbara County for National Drive Electric Week, which runs September 8-16. The car shows will provide the opportunity to meet local drivers of electric vehicles and learn more about various makes and models of plug-in electric vehicles on the market. Attendees can also learn more about cash rebates, tax credits, and DMV stickers for driving in carpool lanes.
The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) and Community Environmental Council (CEC) will be on hand at the following car shows:
Solvang Electric Car Show
Saturday, September 8
10am-3pm
City Parking Lot 1
470 Alisal Road
UCSB Drive Electric Workshop
Thursday, September 13
10am
Bren Hall 1414
Main Campus
Santa Maria Electric Car Show
Sunday, September 16
12pm-5pm
Santa Maria Town Center West
225 Town Center West
APCD staff will also be on hand at the following event:
Lompoc Electric Car Show
Sunday, September 16
11am-2pm
Lompoc Chamber of Commerce Parking Lot
111 South I Street
“These car shows are a great chance to check out the variety of zero-emission cars on the market, and to hear from local car owners about their experiences. Whether it’s driving range, maintenance costs, or overall driver satisfaction, talking with local drivers is a great resource to assist anyone who is interested in purchasing an electric vehicle,” said APCD Director, Aeron Arlin Genet. “Vehicles and transportation fuels continue to be a major source of air pollution in Santa Barbara County, and driving an electric car is a great step for people to take to help improve air quality.”
“CEC is deeply engaged in creating communities that are resilient to climate change, including finding solutions that help reduce our carbon footprint,” stated Sigrid Wright, CEO/Executive Director of CEC. “Since transportation is responsible for the largest percentage of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, educating the public on the ways electric vehicles are both economically and environmentally sensible solutions is a key component of our work to move to clean-fueled cars and reach state climate goals.”
There are currently 421,000 electric vehicles on the road and 4,500 public charging stations in California. In Santa Barbara County, approximately 2,200 people own or lease electric cars, and have 100 public charging stations accessible to them. APCD’s Electric Vehicle Charging Station program has helped pay for the installation of 25 stations countywide. Green transportation has been a central focus of CEC for nearly 20 years, and they have helped bring more than 360 public charging stations to the 805 region. In 2018 alone, CEC has worked with 15 school districts, major employers and apartment complexes to install new charging stations. For a map of local charging stations that are available to the public, visit https://www.plugshare.com/.
APCD and the CEC, with other partner agencies in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties, have been collaborating on planning efforts to make it convenient to drive electric cars in the region. The group is currently working together on a California Energy Commission grant project to identify locations with the greatest need for charging stations, and to increase awareness of the many benefits — including being fun to drive, affordable, easy to maintain, and great for air quality — that come with driving an electric car. To learn more about opportunities to support increased access to electric vehicles and charging stations in our region, sign up for notifications and updates from Electric Drive 805: http://www.electricdrive805.org/
For more information on National Drive Electric Week, visit https://driveelectricweek.org/.
For more information on the APCD’s program, see Electric Vehicle Charging Station Program.
For more information on CEC, visit http://www.cecsb.org/.
