Electric vehicle owners, vendors to gather in Wooster

April is Drive Electric Earth Month, with events all over the country showcasing and sharing information about electric vehicles. On Saturday, April 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Local Roots Market and Café in Wooster will host the largest event in Ohio. Electric vehicles and vendors will be in the parking lot and on the street at 140 S. Walnut St. in Wooster. The event is free to attend. Registration is not required but appreciated to help with planning.

This will be the seventh year Local Roots has participated in presenting a Drive Electric Day.

“We’re expecting our biggest show yet,” said Kate Frichtl, the Local Roots community engagement coordinator.

Event Capt. Ryan Leeper said the Wooster event draws participants from a wide area, usually within about an hour’s radius, with one past participant coming from Lima and others from Pittsburgh.

Leeper started the event in 2019 after attending one in Akron.

“My wife and I had a great time and learned a lot about EVs from owners,” he said. “We wanted to attend one closer to Wooster, where we live, but none existed, so we started one, and Local Roots was gracious enough to host.”

The event founder explained why his family is so interested in electric vehicles.

“Regardless of political leaning, electrification just makes sense,” Leeper said. “Electric motors are, on average, three times more efficient than gasoline engines. Upward of 95% of the energy makes it to the wheels instead of being converted to heat. The efficiency gains are very important financially for the individual. I save about $3,000 yearly on fuel costs with my two EVs. No tailpipe emissions impact the air my family breathes. Electricity is also fuel agnostic. I can charge my EV with solar, wind, nuclear or fossil fuel. The difference is that as the grid gets cleaner, my cars get cleaner. Looking at AEP’s own chart, it is getting better every year.”

At the time of this writing, there are 39 vehicles across 23 models planning to attend. Leeper said they always get a lot more participants as the date draws near. Last year there were 55 vehicles including cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles and more. The vehicles already signed up include the Volkswagen ID. Buzz.

The vehicles are all owned by individuals on hand.

“They can give you firsthand information and experiences on owning an EV,” Leeper said. “Lots of misinformation is spread by people who have never ridden in, much less owned, an EV.”

Several owners will offer ride-alongs, and Millersburg’s Windy Hill Auto and Truck Sales will offer test drives. There will be a variety of vendors and a kids table. Local Roots Café will serve breakfast sandwiches from 8-11 a.m., Boo Bears coffee shop will have beverages and Big D Soul-B-Q will serve lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event organizers are seeking corporate sponsors, participants (both car owners and vendors) and volunteers. Help is always needed with setup, teardown and coordinating during the event.

Visit driveelectricearthmonth.org/event?eventid=4660 or email kate@localrootswooster.com.

“In the movie ‘What About Bob,’ Bill Murray’s character says, ‘There are two types of people in this world: those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don’t.’ Channeling that sentiment, I like to say there are two types of people in the world: those who like EVs, and those who have never driven one,” said John Higham, a member of the board of directors of the Electric Vehicle Association.