This weekend, people can test drive and ride along in different electric vehicles at Bush’s Pasture Park.
The event, part of Portland General Electric’s free series on electric vehicles, will give people the chance to learn more about electric transportation options. It will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12.
The first 75 people to test drive an electric vehicle at the event will get a lunch voucher. To drive or ride along in an electric vehicle, register online.
Funded by the Oregon Clean Fuels Program, the events are designed to allow people to try out electric vehicles in a “relaxed, fun and pressure-free” space, PGE spokesperson Amber Weyers said in an email.
“By promoting electric vehicle adoption, PGE is not only helping to advance Oregon’s decarbonization goals but responding to an increase in our customer demand,” Weyers said.
Oregonians outpace the national average for adopting electric cars.
A 2023 study showed that Oregon had a rate of 12.43 switch to electric per 1,000 vehicles, making it the sixth fastest U.S. state changing to EVs. California ranks first, and Washington fourth.
The switch to electric is not just for personal vehicles, but also public ones.
Recently, the city of Salem announced its new electric street sweeper, which will hit roads later this fall. The city is taking name suggestions, puns encouraged. The sweeper will produce no carbon emissions and can operate for 10 hours before needing to be recharged.
The Salem Area Mass Transit District, or Cherriots, is close to having a fully electric bus fleet driving up and down Northeast Lancaster Drive. The Cherriots fleet chose the route along Lancaster, route 11, to reduce carbon emissions in a lower-income area.
To handle increasing energy demand from electric vehicles, PGE conducts regular studies to shape plans for infrastructure changes to increase grid capacity. That comes as power grid managers worry about growing power demand fueled in part by the increase in data centers in the western U.S.
PGE’s plans call for more efforts to generate small amounts of power across the grid, though smaller scale solar and other renewable generation, as well as using technology to better distribute and transmit power locally.
Distribution is key to electric vehicles as it ensures energy resources are available locally, like vehicle charging stations.
The utility has three other upcoming electric vehicle test drive events in the Portland area.
Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].
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Madeleine Moore is working as a reporter at Salem Reporter through the University of Oregon’s Charles Snowden internship program. She came to Salem after graduating from the University of Oregon in June 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
