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Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change

Electric Vehicles in Dane County

2022 Earth Day EV Parade - April 22, 2022 - Cancelled due to Rain

Graphic of people using electric vehicles

Dane County has more electric vehicles on the road than any other county in Wisconsin. The Earth Day EV Parade is an opportunity for EV owners--individuals as well as businesses--to show off their EVs. It is also an opportunity to increase community awareness of EVs.

Unfortunately, the 2022 Earth Day EV Parade scheduled for Friday, April 22 was cancelled due to rain and high wind forecasts for this afternoon.   Stay tuned for other EV events!

 

Participants will get advance information about the route and other details. 

The organizations helping to organize the 2022 parade include:

  • Drive Electric Wisconsin
  • Madison Gas & Electric
  • RENEW Wisconsin
  • Slipstream
  • Wisconsin Clean Cities

A number of local EV enthusiasts also help with planning. If you want to get involved in planning the parade, let us know!

There is no cost to participate in the parade. Participants are liable for their own vehicles and actions during the parade. 

 

Earth Day EV Parade: April 22, 2021 

 

In 2021 the Earth Day EV parade was April 22, 2021 (Earth Day).  More than 50 EV drivers participated in the 2021 event. During a parade through various areas of downtown Madison, vehicles sported EV flags (see right and below), balloons, and various other creative decorations.   

Electric vehicle with signage indicating it's powered by solar energy   Electric vehicles with individuals talking

 

Check out media coverage of the 2021 Earth Day EV Parade.  And read our blog about the parade. 

 

Earth Day EV Parade: April 22, 2020 

In 2020 locals organized the first Earth Day EV Parade, which went from Middleton to the Capitol Square and back to Middleton. Several dozen vehicles participated.

People and vehicles at 2020 Earth Day EV Parade

 

 

Hearing from EV Owners

Owner testimonials are powerful. You are more likely to pay attention when your friend or colleague recommends a particular product. Word-of-mouth advertising beats paid advertising every time. And that is why we encourage EV owners to talk about their EVs. If you drive an EV we hope you will show it off and talk about it--a lot. The more you share about your EV, the more likely you will influence others to choose electric too.

More, research shows that talking about your EV on social media can influence others to consider and even purchase an electric vehicle. So we encourage you to do some posts about your EV. Share something you like about your EV to friends or post a short video from the driver's seat of your (parked) EV. Please include the tag #DaneClimateAlly so that we can see, like and even potentially share your post. With your help, we can influence all kinds of people to go electric!

 

 

Let's Electrify Our Transport!
EVs are Next Sign

One of the ways we will reduce emissions in Dane County is to transition our vehicles from dirty fossil fuels to clean energy options. One significant clean energy option is electricity, which is getting cleaner all the time.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are clean, quiet and increasingly affordable. And, when powered by 100% renewable electricity, EVs emit no greenhouse gas emissions. 

More, there are more EV models available all the time

The Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change is involved in several efforts to accelerate the transition to EVs. For example, we collaborate with others to:

  • Organize the annual Earth Day EV Parade in the area
  • Showcase the benefits of EV ownership via Drive Electric Wisconsin, a statewide effort to work with consumers and auto dealers to support EV purchases
  • Encourage local EV owners to increase awareness of the benefits of EVs

If you want to get involved in our efforts to promote EVs, let us know.