World EV Day 2021 was a huge worldwide success. It was a remarkable day of global engagement at all levels. This ranged from grassroots rallies to communicating with large businesses, governments and key players in the electric vehicle sphere, who all got behind the day to encourage the change to electric mobility for a cleaner and more sustainable future.
World EV Day highlights and promotes the role of electric vehicles (EVs) in the move to net-zero and decarbonisation. It’s the brainchild of Ade Thomas and his team at green.tv who also deliver the hugely successful EV Summit.
This year’s World EV Day was led by the White House in the USA. Gina McCarthy, the White House National Climate Adviser, serving under US President Joe Biden, celebrated World EV Day as a day of change driving electric vehicle adoption and the US’s commitment to electric mobility.
Speaking about World EV Day, Gina McCarthy, said: “The exciting thing about today [World EV Day] is that I don’t spend a lot of time dealing with climate deniers, we can see climate change happening in front of our eyes.
“The great thing is that we have solutions to these things that actually are terrific. We know the future of vehicles is electric.
“There is no question about it. I know it, not just because I think I’m really smart and because President Biden says so. I know it because every automaker that we deal with is saying exactly the same thing.”
Ade Thomas, Green.TV Media and World EV Day founder, said: “We’ve created a real institution for global change with World EV Day, with the support of our international partners.
“World EV Day has engaged media, car companies, charging infrastructure companies and governments, worldwide. It’s a super powerful platform to deliver sustainable transport change.”
The UK’s Cabinet Office, the Prime Minister’s office, are deploying World EV Day to communicate the UK government’s commitment to the COP26 climate goals, as the host government, this year.
The Department of Transport launched a free app called EV8 Switch, backed by £2.7 million of UK Space Agency funding, on World EV Day.
The app calculates how much money UK drivers could save by switching to an EV compared to their current petrol or diesel vehicle, along with details on the carbon dioxide (CO2) savings and air quality improvements they could achieve.
Grant Shapps, UK Secretary of State, said: “This World EV Day, I want to not only provide easy access to the tools that people need to feel confident about making the switch, but also to make sure that chargepoints are accessible, affordable and recognisable.
“That’s why we have already committed £1.3 billion to accelerate the rollout of charging infrastructure up and down the country. And as we look forward to COP26 and beyond, our vision is that the UK is at the forefront of the zero emission transport future, creating thousands of green jobs in the process.”
Grant Shapps also got behind World EV Day on LinkedIn with a video of him addressing parliament. During the address, he talks about the day celebrating electric vehicle ownership and that the UK is one of the best places to drive an EV.
Grant Shapps, UK Secretary of State, said on LinkedIn: “Our extensive (UK) network has 25,000 publicly available chargepoints. This means that we have more rapid chargers for every 100 miles of key strategic road than any other country in Europe.
“And we’ve made progress with over half a million electric vehicles on our roads. Just last month one in six cars sold in the UK had a plug on the end of it.”
Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, also got behind World EV Day and took to Twitter to celebrate the day. He talked about an innovative and cleaner future, as well as mentioning the EV8 Switch app.
Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, said on Twitter: We’re accelerating the transition to zero-emission vehicles. As we mark World EV Day, it’s fantastic to see our bold and innovative plans in action across government and industry to make it easier for people to go electric and get the country building back greener.”
Rachel Maclean, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Transport Decarbonisation and Future of Transport, joined World EV Day for the BP panel on powering EV panel.
Rachel Maclean MP, Minister for the Future of Transport and Decarbonisation, said: “Driving is woven into the fabric of our everyday lives, and as we prepare for the mass adoption of electric vehicles, driver awareness and knowledge of zero emission vehicles is a crucial part of the transition.
“Our vision is to have one of the best infrastructure networks in the world for electric vehicles, and we want chargepoints to be accessible, affordable and secure. That’s why we have announced £1.3 billion to accelerate the rollout of charging infrastructure.”
The Department for Transport and Electrifying.com also launched a new guide called the Beginners’ Guide to Going Electric on World EV Day to help people understand the truth about electric vehicles and help car buyers explore making the switch to an electric vehicle (EV).
The video below shows an interview that Ginny Buckley, Electrifying founder, did with Rachel Maclean, who is an electric car driver, to celebrate World EV Day:
Ade Thomas, Green.TV Media and World EV Day founder, concluded: “In creating World EV Day, Green.TV Media has played a small, but significant part in shifting the sustainability dial by helping to create, what I call, the ideas infrastructure.
“With huge levels of global engagement, and political support right up to the White House and the UK’s Prime Minister, we have created a super powerful institution for change.”
Partners for the World EV Day 2021 include ABB, ALD Automotive, AutoTrader, bp, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Climate Group, Electrification Coalition, EV Summit, EY, Hyundai, Leaders for Clean Air, LeasePlan, LinkedIn, Motability, Parker Lord, Polestar and SSE Energy Solutions.
