Get your EV questions answered at Drive Electric Week, continuing thru Sunday
Drive Electric Week kicked off last Saturday with nearly 200 online and in-person events celebrating electric vehicles, and it continues this weekend with events through Sunday, October 6.
Drive Electric Week is an annual event organized by Plug In America, the Electric Vehicle Association, EVHybridNoire, Drive Electric USA, and the Sierra Club. This is the event’s 14th year. It started in the US as National Drive Electric Week, but for the last few years, some events have been hosted in other countries as well.
These events are an opportunity for prospective EV buyers to talk directly with EV owners about the experience of owning an electric car, and EV owners to network with each other and share tips. The dealership experience is not ideal for many EV shoppers, so unfiltered conversations with EV owners can be a great way to learn.
Each event is organized by local EV advocates, and they range in size from small parking lot meetups and local EV parades to large festivals with lots of booths from nearby car dealers and green businesses. Be sure to check each event page to see what your local events will look like and what types of EVs might be in attendance.
Drive Electric Week has a map and list of events happening this weekend. Several already passed last weekend, but there are some still upcoming. Most events are in-person, but there are some webinar-style online events that you can attend to hear about various topics related to electric vehicles. You can also search for events near you.
The first weekend has already passed, with many events happening. I attended some local events in Southern California, like the Irvine event used as the featured photo for this article. And Jo went to Chicago Drives Electric and saw a sneak peek at the upcoming Charger Daytona EV, which media haven’t even gotten to drive yet.
But here’s a sample of some of the events still to come this weekend:
- 4 separate Hawaiian islands are having their own events on Oct 5, in Koloa on Kauai, Aiea on O’ahu, Kahului on Maui, and Hilo on the Big Island.
- The sole event in Mexico is in Guadalajara on Oct 5 from 9am-4pm CST, and will take place at Oscar Casillas Karting Track, where there will also be a race of student-built electric karts alongside the EV exhibition and test drives.
- Canada’s largest event will be in Waterloo, Ontario on Oct 5 from 11am-3pm. it was a pretty big event last year with lots of EVs on display, and a GM Brightdrop electric delivery truck (made at GM’s CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario) will be there too.
- Schenectady, NY is hosting the New York Capital District’s event on Oct 6 from 10am-2pm at Schenectady City Hall with test drives, live music and food trucks. Over 100 vehicles and 41 models are registered for the EV display, which means this might be the biggest event in the country (here’s a video from last year’s event).
- Fort Worth, TX has a wide variety of exhibitors confirmed for its Oct 6 event from 10am-2pm. You’ll see solar cars, golf carts, wind energy providers, local dealerships and Harley’s Livewire electric motorcycle, among others.
- Ventura, CA will host an EV Showcase at the Ventura Harbor on Oct6 at 12:01-4:30pm. Last year was quite well-attended and it looks like this year will be too.
Not all the events are large or hosted in big cities. There are also smaller events happening in town centers, church parking lots, and so on, often with just a handful of EV owners who are typically happy to stand around and have a frank discussion with members of the public about what it’s like to own an EV, or to network with other local EV owners.
During the peak years of the COVID-19 pandemic, events went to an all-online format, and when in-person events came back, they were a bit more muted than the days of yore. There were a few online events earlier this week, but all have passed at this point.
But attendance is now growing back to its former glory, and most are outdoors anyway, so it’s a great way to enjoy a nice weekend day before the cold comes back (though we’re not too worried about that part here in sunny Southern California).
If you’d like to attend these events, either to show your vehicle, to volunteer to help run the event, or just to show up and look around, you can go to each event’s page to find more information. Remember to click the “RSVP” or “Volunteer” links near the top to register your interest (or register at the links mentioned in the event description).
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Tesla (TSLA) has officially obtained a permit in California to operate an internal fleet for a ride-hailing service, but it’s not for robotaxi yet.
In fact, the automaker hasn’t even applied for an autonomous driving permit yet.
A few weeks ago, it was reported that Tesla had applied for a ride-hailing permit in California.
Even though many linked it to Tesla’s Robotaxi effort, it was specifically for the right to operate an internal fleet of vehicles with drivers to offer a ride-hailing service.
Tesla had already disclosed that it was offering such a service to its employees in the Bay Area.
Now, the CPUC has confirmed that it has approved Tesla’s application (via Reuters):
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said it approved Tesla’s application for a transportation charter-party carrier permit (TCP), a license typically associated with chauffeur-operated services, allowing the company to own and control a fleet of vehicles and transport employees on pre-arranged trips.
After Tesla’s stock crashed 5% today, the automaker’s stock went up 1.3% in aftermarket trading on the news.
The speculation is that this is in anticipation of Tesla launching its “robotaxi service”, but a CPUC spokesperson confirmed that the permit doesn’t allow Tesla to do that and that the automaker has yet to apply for a permit that would enable such a service.
Last year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed that Tesla would launch “unsupervised self-driving in Texas and California in Q2 2025.” That’s within the next 4 months.
However, we suspected that this would not be “unsupervised self-driving’ in customer vehicles like Tesla has been promising since 2016, but an internal fleet with teleoperation support in a geo-fenced area for ride-hailing services, much like Waymo has been doing for years.
Sure enough, Musk confirmed last month that this was the plan for Austin in June. We describe this as a “moving of the goal post” for Tesla.
With the focus on Austin in June, Tesla stopped talking about California, which was announced to happen at the same time as Texas last year.
Currently, the prediction market Polymarket puts the odds of Tesla launching robotaxis in California in 2025 at 29%:
Electrek’s Take
As I previously stated, I believe Tesla will use this permit to expand its existing ride-hailing test program in California to non-employees.
It will use that to iron out the ride-hailing system while it continues to work on its self-driving system, which is obviously the hard part to solve.
That said, I wouldn’t be completely shocked if Tesla launched a “robotaxi” in California this year. It just won’t be what Tesla has been promising for years: customer vehicles built since 2016 would be capable of self-driving at a robotaxi-level (4-5 SAE levels).
Instead, it will be an internal fleet with teleoperation support in a geo-fenced area, much like Waymo has been offering in California, Arizona, and Texas for years.
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GE Vernova is going to supply more than 100 US-made wind turbines to renewables developer RWE for 308 megawatts (MW) of wind projects in west Texas.
RWE is repowering its 127 MW Forest Creek wind farm near Big Spring, Texas, and will kick off construction of the 181 MW Honey Mesquite project in fall 2025. These two projects will deliver 308 MW of clean energy with 109 of GE Vernova’s 2.82 MW wind turbines.
Construction is now officially underway at Forest Creek, bringing some big upgrades that’ll extend the wind farm’s life, which was commissioned in 2006, by another 30 years. The original wind towers, turbines, and other gear are all being decommissioned, and 45 new GE Vernova turbines are each getting fresh foundations. Forest Creek is set to be back online by the end of 2025. RWE is teaming up with Wanzek Construction (part of MasTec Renewables) to recycle or repurpose the old blades, rotors, and nacelles.
Repowering is becoming big business – GE Vernova’s onshore wind business announced in January that it received orders in 2024 to repower over 1 gigawatt (GW) of wind turbines in the US.
RWE’s new wind farm, Honey Mesquite, in Glasscock County will begin construction later this year and is expected to come online in late 2026.
Together, the two projects will create hundreds of construction jobs and bring in millions in new economic activity to the region. RWE, the US’s third-largest renewables company, says it’s invested $9 billion in Texas since 2007 when Forest Creek first began operations.
Scott Stalica, executive director of North American commercial operations at GE Vernova, said, “These projects are another example of how wind power can support the country’s growing energy needs while creating US jobs and bolstering energy security.”
Texas generates more wind power than any other US state. In 2023, Texas led the US in utility-scale wind-powered electricity generation, producing nearly three-tenths of the country’s total, according to the EIA.
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The world’s first electric muscle car, as Dodge calls it, is now arriving at dealerships in a new “Bludicrous” color. Dodge also launched a new virtual experience that lets you create the Charger you’ve been dreaming of right on your phone. To sweeten the deal, Dodge is offering hefty discounts of up to $12,500 on the new Charger Daytona EV.
Dodge launches Charger EV Virtual and big discounts
After the first electric Chargers began arriving at dealerships in January, Dodge introduced a fun, interactive new way for you to create a custom Charger from home.
Since the electric Charger is “loaded with new tech and performance features,” Dodge wants to give you the chance to experience it before you visit the dealership.
The new Dodge Charger Virtual Experience allows you to learn more about the electric muscle car’s performance, technology, design, and more. You can access it by scanning a QR code (shown below).
You can create your own Dodge Charger Daytona R/T or the 670 horsepower Scat Pack model, choosing from the different colors, interior themes, and package options available. The interactive experience even lets you open and close doors, fold the second-row seats, activate exterior and interior lights, and more.
The Dodge Charger EV has eight exterior color options, including the new “Bludicrous” blue, which costs an extra $795.
You can choose from After Dark, Destroyer Grey, Diamond Black, Peel Out, Redeye, Triple Nickel, and White Knuckle. Dodge said the new color will also be offered on the upcoming four-door Charger and gas-powered SIXPACK models later this year.
With up to 670 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque, the Scat Pack model has “SRT-like performance,” including a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 3.3 seconds. It starts at $73,190.
The Dodge Charger Daytona R/T starts at $59,995 with up to 496 horsepower. If you’re looking for a deal, Dodge launched a $7,500 National Consumer Cash rebate on all 2024 Charger Daytonas.
| Dodge Charger Daytona EV trim | Horsepower | 0 to 60 mph time | Starting price |
| Dodge Charger Daytona R/T | 496 hp | 4.7 seconds | $59,995 |
| Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack | 670 hp | 3.3 seconds | $73,190 |
Combined with a $3,000 National Dodge Performance Days Combo Bonus Cash and a $2,000 conquest cash offer, you can save up to $12,500. Other offers include 0% interest for 72 months and a $3,000 Bonus Cash Allowance or monthly leases as low as $519.
Ready to test out the electric muscle car in real life? We’re here to help you get started. You can use our link to find offers on 2024 and 2025 Dodge Charger EV models at a deal near you.
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