Time to shake-up EV outreach?

The Southern Oregon chapter tests new ways to spark interest

Jim Hartman with his Nissan LEAF in front of solar trackers

The leaders of the Southern Oregon Hybrid and  Electric Vehicle Association (SOHEVA) do not rest on their laurels when it comes to convincing the public to drive electric. Just in the past few years, they have taken several novel paths toward raising electric vehicle (EV) awareness.

“We’re very excited to be teaching at Ashland’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) this fall,” said Jim Hartman about the chapter’s latest endeavor to reach their fellow Oregonians. “That’s the local college extension program at Southern Oregon University (SOU), and we’re co-sponsoring a class on EVs.”

‘Should I Buy an Electric Car?’ will be team-taught by Hartman, a retired high school biology teacher, and fellow SOHEVA member Bruce Borgerson, a veteran technical writer. They will present material and take questions over two 90-minute sessions, set a week apart in September.   

“OLLI has been telling us to expect 70 students,” Hartman said. “We believe that a good majority will be serious potential EV drivers.” 

Curriculum based on another chapter-sponsored project

Hartman and Borgerson designed the curriculum along with a third chapter member,  Pete Jorgensen, partly  basing the content on Borgerson’s Rogue Valley Plug in Buyer’s Guide, a 16-page document co-published by SOHEVA that is constantly updated to give potential EV drivers a snapshot of the current EV market, rebates, and tax credits. It is downloadable on the chapter’s website and is available for $3 in hard copy form. 

“I already had the background and the database. I volunteered to extend it into this OLLI class,” Borgerson said.  

OLLI in Ashland offers approximately 60 classes per year to Southern Oregon residents, many senior citizens who pay $50 each for unlimited access. Most of the learning opportunities come at the OLLI facility in Ashland, but because of space limitations, some are held in other SOU locations.

In synch with the calendar 

In the first session, participants will study the differences between EVs  and Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles, as well as the environmental benefits emerging from those differences.

In the second session, “We’ll offer guidance on how to make the right decision in buying an EV,” said Hartman. “It’s a big decision, and we’ll be delivering critical information in a concise way.”

“What’s cool is the timing,” Hartman continued. “The class will conclude just before National Drive Electric Week, when we’re planning a special event with 20 EVs at a site in Ashland. Of course, we’ll invite the students in our class, and we’ll  give them the chance to get inside an EV and hopefully to take a test drive.”

Passion leads the way

“I’m definitely an impassioned teacher,” said Hartman, who taught Advanced Placement Environmental Science at Ashland High School and was responsible for the development of a climate science class there. “Bruce is very passionate, too. We’ve got different skill sets, so we ‘re a great team.”

“The buyer’s guide has been very valuable for the people of Rogue River Valley,” Hartman continued about Borgerson’s efforts. “Bruce has studied this subject forwards and backwards, and he’s had some awesome ideas. He’s very open to dialogue and suggestions, and is always improving the guide.  It’s evolved into very high quality content.”

Bergerson launched his publication before he joined SOHEVA because “I saw the need for guidance on how to buy a car based on available greenhouse gas initiatives,” he said. “At that time, I included hybrids and some high mileage ICE vehicles. But now, in this last edition, it’s just EVs and plug-ins.“

EV cyber matching

In addition to the buyer’s guide, the SOHEVA website features a number of other impressive capabilities, most due to the diligence of Jorgensen. 

“I’d been in charge of the Ashland Lions Club website for many years and I learned quite a lot about what you can do through Wordpress,” Jorgenson said. “We’ve been lucky in that our local internet provider has given us free hosting, including the ability to send mass emails.”

Among the site features is Chat with a Local Driver, giving potential EV owners the ability to connect with chapter members and others who drive the vehicles that interest them. The connection can lead to an email chat, phone call, and in some cases, a meet-up.

“It’s just a great resource,” said Hartman. “This is prime territory for driving electric—Ashland has the highest per capita ownership of EVs in Oregon—and this is just another way for us to lend our support in keeping the ball rolling.”

More direct advertising

In another effort to extend outreach, the chapter is distributing SOHEVA stickers and magnets to be displayed on the side or rear of electric vehicles.

“We wanted something that would direct people to our website when they notice an EV,” explained Hartman. “We’re giving the stickers away for free—we’re paying for them entirely out of our chapter fees—and we’re subsidizing the magnets. They cost us $33 each to produce, and we’re asking folks to pay $15 each.”

The chapter makes the stickers available at monthly meetings, where various speakers are featured, as well as at outreach events, now making a return from pandemic restrictions.

“We recently did a ‘cars and coffee’ event at a local coffee shop. We offered free coffee and we chatted with the customers” said Hartman. It’s great to have these events up and running again.”

Launched by EV hobbyists 

The idea to establish SOHEVA  grew out of EV shows organized as Ashland Lions Club fundraisers. Longtime SOHEVA leader James Stephens, who recently moved south to Mount Shasta, California, was one of several enthusiasts who added their conversions to the EVs on display.

“I had two conversions at these shows,” Jorgensen remembered. “I had an MG Midget with a DC motor, and a Nash Metropolitan with an AC motor. After three years of participating in these events, we decided to form the chapter, and eventually joined up with the Electric Auto Association.”

Along the way, SOHEVA has been very involved in sustainability policy in the Southern Oregon area. This has included participation in developing the Ashland Climate & Energy Plan, as well as the co-sponsorship of a separate entity, Electric Vehicles Ashland (EVA).

With  EVA, the chapter worked with the Ashland Chamber of Commerce to offer rebates to  local businesses for investing in EVs and chargers. By the time the program was suspended at the start of the pandemic, three Ashland restaurants had utilized the rebates to purchase EVs for their delivery services.

“We’ve been fortunate to have so many great people working on our chapter initiatives,”  Borgerson said. “We’re very proud of the progress we’ve made, but we’re always asking ourselves  ‘Where do we go from here?’ Right now, we’re  enthusiastic about the OLLI class.”

And of course, SOHEVA members continue to do one-on-one outreach.

“We all continue to flog our friends and neighbors about driving electric,” Borgerson concluded. “You can never let up on that.”

SOHEVA swag

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