Two electric vehicle forums Saturday in county
MONROE COUNTY — Electric vehicle owners, auto dealers, utility representatives, EV experts and state and local government officials will be at two public EV Forums March 16 in Monroe County.
The first forum will take place from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Bedford Branch Library, 8575 Jackman Road in Temperance. For more information, call 734-847-6747. The second forum will take place from 1-3 p.m. at the Ellis Library and Reference Center, 3700 S. Custer Road in Monroe. For more information, call 734-241-5277. To register for the sessions, visit bit.ly/bdellisev.
DTE is tentatively slated to participate at Ellis. Melody Harvey, media and communications director for the Michigan Electric Vehicle Alliance, is slated to participate at the Bedford forum. MEVA is an advocacy organization that addresses transportation-based health concerns, climate and pollution issues.
Some electric vehicles will be available to view.
"Friendly Ford will have two EVs for attendees to drive at both the Bedford and the Ellis events," said event organizer Tom Adamich, EV awareness coordinator at MCCC. "We requested that the Tesla Owners Group bring some vehicles along with those from our local dealer brands (Ford, GM, Nissan, Jeep/Dodge, etc.), but we aren't designing this as an EV show like our October event, which is slated to be held again this fall on the MCCC campus. Former legislator Bill LaVoy is planning to share his EV ownership thoughts, and Nicole Ernst from Friendly Ford will offer feedback on the ownership experience and what people can expect from local dealers to address EV issues and offer owner support."
Both forums are hosted by Monroe County Library System, Monroe County Community College, City of Luna Pier and the City of Monroe.
“The forums were my idea to give people a chance to share their thoughts about EVs and learn more about them at the same time,” Adamich said. "I've been involved in forums like this for other topics, but not for EVs or the concept of electrification."
Adamich said a recent survey found that local people are mixed on EVs.
Results: Locals share EV views on a new survey
"Monroe Mayor Bob Clark came up with the good idea for the survey, and I think it really gives a window to the general sentiment about how Monroe County citizens feel about EVs in general at this point,” Adamich said "Nearly 36% of the Monroe County EV Survey respondents are likely to purchase a plug-in and/or hybrid electric vehicle in the next few years. An equal number of respondents (also 36%) indicated they are unlikely to purchase a plug-in and/or hybrid electric vehicle during the same time period."
Adamich recently published the 28-page EV booklet "EV-101: An Introduction — Vehicles, Charging, Power Generation," which is available at tinyurl.com/298muy95, at MCCC and at some MCLS branches. The booklet covers the basics of EV and micromobility vehicles, charging, e-recreational vehicles, the EV Jobs Academy, e-bikes and charging, EV and internal combustion engine vehicle comparisons, utilities and MCCC’s EV curriculum.
"The book really reflects our goal to share a balanced view of today's EV landscape (pros, cons, developments, etc.) and allow people to become informed and make the best transportation decisions for their individual and family needs, both today and in the future," Adamich said.
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The cities of Monroe and Luna Pier are implementing a federal Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Planning Grant from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments to provide program and advocacy support for electric vehicle planning and EV charging infrastructure in Monroe County, Adamich said.
Last February, MCCC also hosted virtual EV presentations with Karl Bloss from Consumers Energy.
— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Two electric vehicle forums Saturday in county
