Here’s a report on our February 12 EV Parade in Hilo. The event was a success – we had wonderful weather, a good show of EVs (and their wonderful owners), a good turnout (thanks to the front page coverage that Karla, the Chevy Bolt, and our event received).

Several of us gathered at the Prince Kuhio mall to prepare for the rally. Cody ensured that we were energized with a box of coffee from Starbucks (thanks, Cody!). We spent some time checking out our newest EVs – Robert and Karla’s Bolt and Julie’s Tesla Model X and ‘decorating our windows’ (our best attempt at being LOUD).

At around 9:30, we started the parade. With hazard blinkers on, we slowly drove to Banyan drive and Liliuokulani Park where a ‘doggie event’ was taking place. It was good to share some of the attention with our 4-legged friends. We proceeded towards the Hilo Downtown area, looped around on Waianuenue, Kino’ole, Lanikaula, and Kilauea to reach our meet-up location (parking area at WikiFresh).

At around 10:30, the public began to converge on our location.  Several called to confirm location and event detals (the paper had our number). Many came to see the Chevy Bolt.  Robert and Karla shared their experiences with the vehicle and allowed people to check out their car. They very likely convinced several people to move forward with their purchase decision (Robert and Karla – THANK YOU!). Chuck and Kelly saw for the car for the first time up close (their Bolt is on the way from California).

After the event, several of us met at WikiFresh for lunch. Jan reserved a table and provided complimentary chips and salsa (thank you, Jan!). It was great to exchange ideas and stories. Out of town guests (Steve and his family) joined us.  (Steve is a BIEVA member who is based in Connecticut. His car sports one of our BIEVA stickers.) We also had the pleasure of chatting with Mike Kane (Plug-In America founder) – he has a wealth of EV knowledge and is an early adopter.

Events liks this one educate others about the benefits of EVs and help to mitigate a major adoption barrier for sustainable transportation. To all of our BIEVA leadership and members who supported our event  – thank you for your support and for helping to progress our mission.

Here’s the gallery: