World EV Day is a simple yet effective concept: “Celebrating EV ownership, worldwide.” And we all know it seems like there’s a “day” for everything — it’s also National Teddy Bear Day today, too (seriously) — but World EV Day could really make a difference. This is the very first annual World EV Day. So what’s going on around the world to mark it?
What’s happening on World EV Day
Since 2020 World EV Day, which was created by UK sustainability media company Green.TV, is a largely social media-led campaign to engage consumers around the sustainability benefits of EVs. Let’s take a look at what’s going on on Twitter.
First off, Drive Tesla in Canada gets in on the fun:
British consul general Toronto and deputy trade commissioner North America Jenny Young hopped on the EV bandwagon in Toronto as a new EV owner:
Nissan has built its 500,00th Leaf at its Sunderland facility in the UK:
Swiss-Swedish tech company posted a how-to video on installing AC chargers at home:
Good Energy talked about how to make paying for EV charging simpler with Zap-Map in the UK:
And Tata Motors weighed in from Bangalore, India, about Nexons:
The UK government used the occasion to actually implement initiatives.
The UK’s Department for Transport will deliver a £12 million funding package that will enable a series of EV technology competitions. It’s also considering policy recommendations put forward by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) that are meant to speed up EV adoption. This includes more chargepoints, more signage, and painting EV spaces green.
Further, Highways England has launched a £9.3 million scheme that will allow businesses to try EVs for free before they buy. They will work with local authorities to offer businesses with diesel van fleets a free trial of electric vans for two months.
And it’s not pegged to World EV Day, but in May, French President Emmanuel Macron announced an €8 billion ($8.8 billion) plan Tuesday to revive the country’s auto industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasing production and sales of electric vehicles is central to the plan.
(And if you know of any other governments who did the same today, please let me know below!)
Electrek’s Take
This is one of those “days” that could really make an impact in the long term. (Unlike National Cheese Pizza Day, on September 5. And I like cheese pizza, but it’s not going to change the world.)
Hopefully World EV Day will quickly gain momentum, bring more EVs more into the mainstream at a faster pace, and help boost support for better motoring and for a cleaner environment.
If more people put demand on automakers for EVs, then the automakers would have to prioritize what their customers want. With such government support as incentives and charging infrastructure, this can happen even faster and more efficiently.
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Author: Michelle Lewis
Source: Electrek
