Fairfield Total Home & Garden Show to Host Free Electric Vehicle Test-Drive Event

“Experience Electric” Visits Fairfield April 16-17

Test-drive electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz, Fiat, Nissan and BMW with no sales pressure in Fairfield on April 16-17.

Credit

Karl Nielsen

OAKLAND, CA — Visitors to the Fairfield Total Home and Garden Show on Saturday, April 16 and Sunday, April 17 will be able to test drive some of the newest models of electric cars at the Specialty Event Center, located at 300 Chadbourne Road. The “Experience Electric – The Better Ride” campaign will offer free electric vehicle (EV) test drives both days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The ride-and-drive event will feature an EV from Mercedes-Benz, the Fiat 500e, Nissan LEAF on both days and the BMW i3 REx and 330e on Saturday only. Licensed drivers can try out these EVs on a first-come, first-served basis and feel the differences between driving with electricity versus driving a gasoline-powered car. Those taking test drives will receive Experience Electric souvenir sunglasses.

“Test-driving at a dealer’s showroom can be a bit intimidating, but there’s no pressure or sales hype at our events,” said Vanessa Minei, Marketing Manager with the Center for Sustainable Energy, a partner in the Experience Electric campaign. “We’ve all seen EVs on the road, but this is a chance to try one out, have some fun and feel the electric experience.”

Experience Electric is a joint initiative of MTC, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and a consortium of EV organizations including the Center for Sustainable Energy. The campaign’s goal is to increase EV adoption throughout the nine-county Bay Area. Accelerating EV use is a key strategy for state and local governments to reduce emissions from gas-powered vehicles, improve air quality and achieve goals for curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

To learn more about Experience Electric and future ride-and-drive events, visit www.facebook.com/thebetterride or www.energycenter.org/ExperienceElectric.

MTC is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is the agency chartered with protecting air quality in the Bay Area.