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EVA VP Terri Kirsch helps lead 2 EV orgs

EVA VP Terri Kirsch test drives a Rivian in the Northwest

There’s no doubt that EVA Vice-President Terri Kirsch lives electric vehicles (EVs) 24/7.  Previously serving as the election commissioner, treasurer, and secretary of the EVA, she spends even more time and energy in her role as Vice President of Business Development with Electric Car Insider (ECI).

Kirsch’s primary focus in both organizations has been on educating the public about driving electric. In fact, when contacted for this profile, Kirsch was test driving a Rivian through the mountains of Oregon and Washington in anticipation of the display of the vehicle at ECI’s events in Portland and Eugene. 

“I’m taking feverish notes so I can talk intelligently about the Rivian at the event,” she said. “It seems no matter where I go, I’m always talking about driving electric, whether it’s to a hotel manager, a waitress, or anyone who might be curious.”

First, a serial entrepreneur

Kirsch joined ECI in 2017 soon after retiring from her career at the last of her many successful business endeavors, a special effects company. “I came out of retirement to work with ECI, and through ECI, I met the EVA team,” Kirsch said. 

“As I typically do, I just jumped in. I have a volunteer spirit for philanthropic work.”

With the EVA, Kirsch became involved in special projects before taking on the election commissioner role. With ECI, she served as the National Tour Director for the organization’s Electric Car Guest Drive US tour, traveling around the country to help fulfill the organization’s website self-description of “We bring the cars, the educators, the event staff, and the gear. You invite the guests!”

Now in her role as Vice-President of Business Development, Kirsch occasionally travels to what she calls “elevated ride and drives.”

“It’s still very exciting for me,” she said. “I love attending events around the country connecting with attendees, our presenters, networking with our sponsors, and educating folks on what it’s like to own electric.” 

Professionalism goes a long way

“While many of our presenters are EVA members, they are not volunteers. They are well-vetted, paid subject matter experts educating invited attendees about their EV experience and what it’s like to be an owner,” Kirsch said. “It’s a highly coveted assignment. Not all fit the bill. We accept only the best.”

“That’s why we have a 30% conversion rate from gas to electric, which is very high,” Kirsch continued. “We generally have 250 to 300 people register and attend these events with approximately 125 of them actually driving… others are passengers and many back-seaters are convinced, too.

This interface with potential customers is very critical to the spread of EVs, Kirsch maintained. “We’re not selling the cars. We’re owners explaining what ownership is like. And that’s an entirely different experience than visiting a dealership. Our invited guests truly appreciate no sales pressure.”

Evolving education

Kirsch pointed out that in the EV educational world, ECI is also involved with activity framework software, educational displays, surveys, and Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment mobile exhibits.

“I find it fascinating that no matter how many years I’ve been in the industry, the education is still so needed,” Kirsch remarked. “Of course, the content is always evolving and the questions are changing. Now, conversations with people are less about ‘if you will buy’ and more about ‘when will you buy.’”

Kirsch’s advice in the present climate is to “Order your car now even if your present lease isn’t up yet,” she said. “It could take a while for delivery, so just plan at this point. Think about where you will charge, how long you’ll need to charge, your lifestyle requirements…learn as much as you can before your car arrives. The EV ownership experience will be a positive one if you know what’s ahead.”

“There’s a great demand right now,” Kirsch continued, pointing to her own experience after ordering a 2022 Tesla S.  “I contemplated so long to the point that I was thinking I truly didn’t need a new car. There was literally nothing wrong with my 2017 Model S.”

Just when Kirsch was about to cancel the order, “I was notified that the car had unexpectedly arrived and soon I had two red Teslas in my driveway,” she explained. “I put my older car on the market, 40 people wanted it, and it sold in 3 days. Because there’d been two price increases since I’d ordered the new car, and my older car sold at such a high price, I actually made money on the deal. That is unheard of when purchasing a new car. I was very fortunate.”

Terri, an avid pilot, in the cockpit

Loving the drive

Even with the sale of the 2017 Tesla S, there are still six EVs in Terri’s family, including her first Tesla, now driven by her 86-year-old father. She has loved driving all of her EVs around the streets of San Diego and distant locations. This includes trips with EVA president Elaine Borseth. “We’ve done our fair amount of road tripping together,” Kirsch said, citing adventures  to the Pacific Northwest and Arizona. “The first trip we took together was from Kansas City to Orlando. Elaine’s car was carried on a car hauler for an ECI event we did in Kansas City. Then we hopped in the car and drove to Florida for our next event in Orlando. After that, up to New York we went. Recently, Elaine and I went to Kauai and rented a Model 3 while visiting the local EVA chapter. What fun that was!”

“We’re out there showing that women take road trips, too, even EV road trips, never skipping a beat,” Kirsch said. “This is all a paradigm shift, after all. Everything has to change, everyone has to think differently. Everyone. That’s why what the EVA and ECI do is so important. Educating folks on what ownership means is just so critical to a positive EV owner experience.”