SmartColumbusRide&DriveRoadshow

Project To-Date:

• Events Held: 69 / 58%
• Test Drives Given: 7,647 / 64%

Average Driver Satisfaction: 4.7 stars

Research shows that one of the most powerful ways to encourage car buyers to consider an electric vehicle (EV) is to have them test drive one. A test drive experience enables drivers to feel how powerful the torque is, hear how quiet the drive is, and experience just how fun it is to drive an electric vehicle.  

One of the ways that Smart Columbus plans to grow electric vehicle adoption 5X by 2020 is to provide opportunities for people test drive electric cars of all varieties in a low-pressure, educational environment.We have developed the Smart Columbus Ride & Drive Roadshow with the goal to put 12,000 people behind the wheel of an EV by 2020.

We’ve hosted more than 7,000 test drives, and we survey our drivers before and after each one. After driving, more than 16% of participants say they’re likely or very likely to purchase an EV for their next car, and the number of people who say an EV is "for me" has gone up 46% from pre- to post-drive.

We’re working to host more EV test drives than any organization of our kind, and are making all of our surveys, educational materials and staff trainings available to peer organizations along the way.