The APECL team held a Ride and Drive educational event in the Save A Lot parking lot of Wartburg, TN on Sunday, February 19^th from 10am to 1pm Eastern. The event was advertised via mass email listing, flyers with QR codes, Eventbrite page, and the Morgan County news. The team brought the lab’s two Chevy Bolt EUVs and Ford F150 Lightning for display and participant drives.

The number of participants for this event totaled 15 individuals, with three being from our internal team. It is estimated that over 100 individuals were exposed to the event via the major roadway passing in front of the parking lot.

Most participants approached the team with a generally negative view of EVs and their infrastructure, but the team was happy to interact with these individuals and help improve their outlook on the electric vehicle ecosystem as a whole. Most were willing to listen and learn, especially about the new F150 Lightning and its impressive performance.

All participants garnered valuable information on the vehicles’ performance and capabilities, as well as how to charge EVs at home and in public. Overall, this event is considered a success for improving community EV outlook in Wartburg and establishing our team as a reliable source of information for those that do not understand the benefits of adopting EVs or think negatively of them.