EV LIVE, which took place 7/8 May at Blenheim Palace, was a huge success and saw over 5,000 visitors. The unique event allowed those attending to get behind the wheel and test drive their favourite electric cars in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside around the World Heritage Site. Over 500 electric vehicle (EV) test drives took place over the weekend.
This is great news because at ElectricDrives we believe one of the best ways of helping people make the transition to electric cars is by allowing them to drive them. People soon see how easy and fun they are to drive. Add the cheaper running costs, less need for servicing and the obvious zero emissions, and it’s a perfect way of converting people.
Ade Thomas, Green TV and EV Summit founder, said: “The inaugural EV LIVE at Blenheim Palace was an off the scale success. It was structured around education and driver experience.
“On the latter, across the two days of EV LIVE, all of the vehicles were fully booked out on test drives. Next year, working closely with Blenheim Palace, we’ll be going big and into a primetime slot in mid-July.”
Both visitors and exhibitors had a fabulous weekend in the sun at EV Live with many of the motor industry’s biggest names electric cars at the inaugural event.
This included Ford with its Ford Mustang Mach-E electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) that gained lots of interest as did Hyundai’s Kona Electric SUV and IONIQ 5 electric crossover.
MG were also present and impressed many with their more affordable models, including the MG ZS EV electric SUV. Nissan were also busy all weekend with its iconic Nissan LEAF and upcoming ARIYA models. Inchcape Toyota were also there to demonstrate the new BZ4X electric crossover and a selection of electric Proace vans.
BMW and MINI were represented by William Morgan Group, while Eden provided vehicles from Vauxhall, Hyundai, Mazda, Peugeot, MG, Fiat and Suzuki, and Waylands were representing Kia, MG and Volvo.
John O’Hanlon, Waylands CEO, said: “Waylands were delighted to attend the inaugural EV Live Event at Blenheim Palace. We understand the challenges that consumers face when choosing their next car at this time of great change. We believe that events like this are incredibly important in helping customers make informed and educated decisions for themselves.
“The event was incredibly well organised by Ade Thomas and the team at Green TV and we are already helping a number of customers from the event with their next vehicles. We are looking forward to being involved in EV Live for many years to come.”
The RAC brought a team of electric experts to talk people through the full journey to electric, from home charging and insurance to business leasing and electric vehicle-specific breakdown cover.
For those looking for used electric cars and vans, Go Green Autos were unhand to offer advice. Tisto’s environmentally friendly, high-performance electric motorcycles and scooters, offered a different form of electric mobility at the event.
When it comes to electric vehicles one of the biggest barriers we hear is the price of new cars. Electric Zoo and LeasePlan were there to explain that the transformation to zero-emissions vehicles can be affordable by monthly leasing plans rather than purchasing.
Neill Emmett, LeasePlan UK head of marketing, said: “EV Live at Blenheim Palace provided a dazzling backdrop for a full weekend of test drives. Getting behind the wheel of an EV and experiencing how it feels on the road is so important for prospective EV drivers and we were delighted to facilitate this for so many people.
“From our research, we know that the majority of drivers would prefer to try an EV before committing to making the switch. Only 1 in 10 drivers have first-hand experiencing of driving an EV, which is why it’s so vital that we give people the opportunity to see how it could work for them. Once you’ve had your first electric moment, you never look back.”
Zaptec, the Norwegian electric vehicle pioneers, who are bringing the best charging technology from Norway to the UK, provided information about charging, and the options they offer for homes, workplaces and commercial parking.
Charlotte Stowe, Zaptec UK Marketing Manager, said: “We were looking forward to showcasing our Zaptec EV chargers at the first ever EV Live event at Blenheim Palace, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
“Seeing such a broad spectrum of society excited to transition towards electric was encouraging and motivating for the industry and our fight to cut emissions in the UK. If we are going to hit our targets as a country we need to make EV adoption simple and easy for as many people as possible and we are excited to be able to play our part in that.”
We are already looking forward to seeing a bigger and better event in 2023 at Blenheim.
