Voinovich Research Scholar alumna authors American City and County article about electric vehicle adoption

American City and County, a journal for government officials, recently published an article by Alex Slaymaker, a 2014 Ohio University graduate and Voinovich Undergraduate Research Scholar alumna, on how Columbus built the country’s largest electric vehicle test drive program.

Slaymaker is currently smart mobility adoption manager at Smart Columbus, a public-private initiative working to overhaul the region’s transportation and electric infrastructure in the context of climate change.  

In the article, “How Smart Columbus built the largest EV test drive program in the U.S.,” Slaymaker discusses an initiative to introduce Columbus-area residents to electric vehicles: the Smart Columbus Ride & Drive Roadshow. This series of events -- hosted at corporate campuses, universities, hospitals and government facilities, among others – was designed to allow participants to, “test drive EVs of all varieties in a low-pressure, convenient, fun and educational environment,” Slaymaker wrote. 

During a Roadshow, participants signed up to test drive electric vehicles – up to 14 models per event loaned by manufacturers and dealers – with a product specialist who explained the model features and answered questions. As they waited for their turn, participants heard about caring for an electric vehicle as well as public transit, cycling and other smart mobility options. 

Halfway through the program, Smart Columbus allowed drivers to bring co-workers along on the trip. “Since many people spend just as much time with their coworkers as they do their families, we found that they were comfortable riding with others and asking questions when the test drives were held in a workplace setting,” Slaymaker wrote. 

By the time the Roadshow program ended in October 2019, Smart Columbus had organized 120 road shows that included nearly 12,000 test drives. Based on surveys of Ride & Drive Roadshow participants, the program led to more than 950 EV purchases over the last two years, Slaymaker wrote. That figure is likely to grow: The percentage of participants who are planning to buy a vehicle in the next three years increased by more than 60 percent.a  

“What we’ve been able to do is just the beginning in educating our region about EVs,” Slaymaker wrote. “As the next five years promise to see an uptick in EV interest in the U.S., it is essential that cities of all sizes take a part in understanding the benefits of amplifying EV culture.”