Transcript:
People in Appalachia can now test drive an electric vehicle for two weeks for free.
The test drives are available in parts of West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, and Tennessee through the Rural Reimagined program, which partners with local groups to bring EVs to Appalachian communities.
Pingen Chen, an engineer at the University of Tennessee, leads the program.
He says two weeks behind the wheel let drivers experience how and where they’d charge an EV and how much they’d spend on electricity.
Chen: “We truly believe this experience is going to help the rural community have a very, very best understanding in that: Is electric vehicle an option for them or not?”
Chen says that although public chargers are limited in some rural areas, EVs can also be plugged in at home.
And in Appalachia, electricity is often cheaper than in other areas, and people tend to drive a lot, so savings can add up.
Chen: “People in rural Appalachia can actually save a lot of money when they are owning electric vehicles.”
Chen says most test drivers said they were now more likely to buy an EV or recommend one to a friend.
So the program is steering Appalachia toward an electric future, one test drive at a time.
Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media
