The weather was gorgeous, the foot traffic was plentiful, and the atmosphere was fun and electric! On Saturday, September 16, approximately 300 attendees visited the Winona State University campus to see EVs, e-bikes, e-scooters, and exhibitors from across the sustainability field. Many attendees came upon the event serendipitously, just being out and about in Winona that morning.
Representatives from Dahl Toyota showing the BZ4X before taking it out on a test drive
With 7 vehicles available to test drive and 2 more as ride alongs, we were able to complete more than 60 ride and drive experiences over the course of the four hours! Attendees expressed their enjoyment of the whole event, noting how fun it was to drive the cars. Adventure Cycle and Ski had four e-bikes available to ride and counted 125 rides on those, while the Bird scooters rep was equally busy throughout the day.
Attendees enjoyed talking with EV owners, taking test drives, and trying out e-bikes and e-scooters
One of the most notable aspects of the event was the closeness of the community. Attendees, exhibitors, and volunteers alike greeted each other with smiles, waves and hugs. We heard conversations about how people were neighbors or knew each other from church or whose kids were on teams together. It was absolutely wonderful to see how connected the Winona community is.
The success of the event can be attributed to the dedication of the steering committee, who championed the event across town. Many thanks go out to the City of Winona and Visit Winona, as well as to Winona State University for hosting, and to energy partners MiEnergy Cooperative, Champion Solar and Xcel Energy.
