Plug In America

Plug In America is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and advocacy organization focused on accelerating the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles. Its work covers battery-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and other vehicles that obtain a substantial share of their motive energy from electricity supplied by the grid or renewable generation such as solar power. The organization presents electrified transportation as a way to reduce petroleum dependence, improve air quality, lower greenhouse-gas emissions, and support a transition toward cleaner domestic energy. The organization grew out of the efforts of electric-vehicle owners and advocates who formed DontCrush.com to oppose the destruction of electric cars at the end of manufacturer lease programs. That earlier campaign sought to preserve vehicles including Toyota and Ford electric models and drew attention to General Motors' decision to discontinue its EV1 program. The movement was also featured in the documentary film Who Killed the Electric Car?, which helped broaden public awareness of the conflict surrounding the early modern electric-vehicle market. Plug In America formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2008, giving the advocacy movement a more durable institutional structure. Its activities combine public education, consumer assistance, policy advocacy, dealer training, and community events. Plug In America provides information intended to help drivers compare electric vehicles, understand charging requirements, evaluate incentives, and identify models suited to different lifestyles. Through ride-and-drive events and test-drive programs, it gives consumers and policymakers opportunities to experience electric vehicles directly. The organization has also worked with utilities, government agencies, automakers, environmental groups, and local communities to improve public understanding of electric transportation. Policy advocacy is a central part of the organization’s role. Plug In America has supported federal and state measures such as electric-vehicle purchase incentives, continued access to the federal EV tax credit, zero-emission-vehicle requirements, charging-infrastructure investment, high-occupancy-vehicle-lane access, and registration incentives. In 2009, supporters sent more than 50,000 messages to members of Congress, contributing to the inclusion of a federal credit of up to $7,500 for qualifying electric-vehicle purchases in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The organization has also promoted state-level EV legislation and hosted electric-vehicle ride-and-drive events for U.S. senators. Plug In America’s best-known public programs include National Drive Electric Week, created in 2011 with the Sierra Club and Electric Auto Association, and Drive Electric Earth Day, launched in 2019. National Drive Electric Week developed from a national day of events into a larger annual program featuring ride-and-drives, vehicle exhibitions, parades, press events, and presentations by public officials. The organization also operates PlugStar, a consumer and dealer-support initiative that offers vehicle comparisons, charging information, incentive guidance, and access to dealers trained in electric-vehicle sales. In 2019, it added an EV Support Program intended to give current and prospective drivers individualized assistance. Plug In America is not an automaker, charging-network operator, or vehicle retailer. Its brand is instead associated with independent consumer education, grassroots mobilization, public-policy advocacy, and practical support for the adoption of electric transportation. After operating largely through volunteers during its early years, the organization hired Joel Levin as its first executive director in 2015 and subsequently expanded its staff. Its present identity remains centered on promoting plug-in vehicles powered by clean, affordable, domestically available electricity.

Plug In America emerged from a grassroots campaign to preserve early modern electric vehicles. Before the organization was incorporated, electric-vehicle advocates associated with DontCrush.com opposed manufacturers' efforts to reclaim and destroy cars that had been leased to consumers. The campaign focused on keeping vehicles such as Toyota and Ford electric models in public use and publicizing the consequences of automakers withdrawing electric products from the market. The movement and its arguments received additional exposure through the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?, which examined the rise and retreat of battery-electric vehicles in the United States. The advocates formally created Plug In America as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2008. Its institutional mission was broader than preserving specific vehicle models: it sought to build sustained consumer, political, and commercial support for plug-in vehicles powered by electricity. The organization argued that electric transportation could reduce dependence on petroleum while improving air quality and reducing climate pollution, particularly as the electricity system incorporates more renewable generation. A major early policy effort came in 2009. Plug In America supporters sent more than 50,000 letters and other messages to members of Congress while federal economic-stimulus legislation was being considered. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ultimately included a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for qualifying electric-vehicle purchases. The organization continued to advocate for federal EV incentives and for policies that would make charging, vehicle access, and ownership more practical. In 2011, Plug In America worked with the Sierra Club and Electric Auto Association to establish the first National Plug-In Day. The event gave EV owners and advocates a coordinated way to hold demonstrations, public displays, ride-and-drives, and educational activities. It later became National Drive Electric Week, an annual September program involving events across the United States and, in some years, Canada and New Zealand. A 2018 edition reportedly included more than 185,000 attendees at 321 events in all 50 states, illustrating the organization’s shift from a small activist network toward a national public-engagement platform. The organization expanded its practical consumer and market-development work during the 2010s. In 2017 it partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy on ride-and-drive events in several regions, including the Northeast, Georgia, and San Diego. It also worked with Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power on events in the greater Los Angeles area. Its policy agenda included extending the federal EV tax credit, expanding California-style zero-emission-vehicle requirements, increasing charging access, preserving or expanding HOV-lane privileges, and creating registration incentives. In 2017, it mobilized supporters to contact Congress about preserving the federal credit and promoted legislation in multiple states. Plug In America also developed PlugStar to address the purchasing and dealership experience. The initiative combines online tools for vehicle comparison, charging-equipment information, tax-credit and incentive guidance, and connections with participating dealers. Dealer-training programs began as pilots in San Diego and Boston in 2017 and were later extended to Los Angeles and Sacramento. The training addressed EV ownership, utility rates, incentives, charging, and sales practices so that dealers could better answer prospective buyers’ questions. In June 2018, Plug In America released the AchiEVe toolkit, aimed at state and local officials seeking to design policies that support EV adoption. That year it also introduced the Drive Electric Awards to recognize contributions to the broader electric-vehicle movement. In 2019, the organization launched Drive Electric Earth Day as a spring counterpart to National Drive Electric Week, integrating EV education with Earth Day activities in the United States and other countries. It also launched an EV Support Program providing individualized assistance to current and prospective EV drivers. Plug In America hired Joel Levin as its first executive director in 2015 after eight years in which volunteers played the dominant operational role. By April 2022, the organization was reported to have eleven additional staff members. Its development reflects the maturation of electric-vehicle advocacy in the United States: it began with campaigns against the destruction of leased EVs, then expanded into federal and state lobbying, public events, consumer education, dealership training, and direct owner support. It remains an advocacy and educational nonprofit rather than a vehicle manufacturer or commercial mobility brand.

• 2019

  Drive Electric Earth Day and EV Support Program launched

  [1]Plug In Americaen.wikipedia.org

  The organization added a spring public-engagement program linked to Earth Day and introduced one-to-one support for current and prospective EV drivers.

• 2018

  AchiEVe toolkit and Drive Electric Awards introduced

  [1]Plug In Americaen.wikipedia.org

  Plug In America released a policy toolkit for state and local governments and held the first Drive Electric Awards.

• 2015

  First executive director hired

  [1]Plug In Americaen.wikipedia.org

  Joel Levin became Plug In America’s first executive director as the organization moved beyond its primarily volunteer-led structure.

• 2011

  National Plug-In Day created

  [1]Plug In Americaen.wikipedia.org

  Plug In America, the Sierra Club, and the Electric Auto Association launched the first coordinated nationwide plug-in-vehicle event.

• 2009

  Federal EV tax-credit advocacy

  [1]Plug In Americaen.wikipedia.org

  Supporters mounted a large congressional contact campaign during debate over federal economic-stimulus legislation. The resulting law included a federal credit of up to $7,500 for qualifying EV purchases.

• 2008

  Plug In America incorporated

  [1]Plug In Americaen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit after growing out of the DontCrush.com electric-vehicle preservation campaign.

Independent nonprofit educator and advocate for plug-in electric vehicles, combining grassroots campaigning, consumer support, dealer education, and federal and state policy work.

• Public education and community events · 2011

  National Drive Electric Week

  An annual public-engagement program developed from National Plug-In Day. Events include electric-vehicle showcases, ride-and-drives, test drives, parades, press conferences, and presentations by elected officials. The program is designed to let consumers experience EVs directly while connecting owners, advocates, policymakers, and local communities.

• Public education and community events · 2019

  Drive Electric Earth Day

  A spring campaign launched in 2019 that combines electric-vehicle education and demonstration activities with Earth Day programming. Events have been organized in the United States, Canada, and other countries, with an emphasis on the environmental and energy implications of driving electric.

• Consumer and dealer-support program · 2017

  PlugStar

  A program intended to make EV purchasing easier for consumers and improve dealership knowledge. Its online resources cover vehicle comparisons, charging equipment, tax credits, other incentives, and participating dealers. PlugStar also trains dealers on EV ownership, utility programs, incentives, charging, and effective electric-vehicle sales practices.

• Policy toolkit · 2018

  AchiEVe

  A policy resource released for state and local governments seeking to accelerate electric-vehicle adoption. The toolkit organizes policy approaches related to incentives, charging infrastructure, vehicle standards, and other mechanisms that can support the transition to plug-in transportation.

• Driver assistance · 2019

  EV Support Program

  A one-to-one assistance service introduced for people who already drive an electric vehicle or are considering one. The program reflects Plug In America’s effort to supplement general educational materials with individualized guidance for vehicle adoption and ownership.

• Recognition program · 2018

  Drive Electric Awards

  An annual recognition program created to honor individuals and organizations that have made contributions to the electric-vehicle movement. The awards extend Plug In America’s role from policy and consumer education into movement-building and public recognition.

• 2017Federal EV tax-credit protection campaign

  United States

  Plug In America mobilized supporters to send letters and make calls to Congress in support of preserving the $7,500 federal electric-vehicle tax credit.

  Source
• 2017State EV legislation advocacy

  United States

  The organization promoted electric-vehicle legislation and adoption policies in states including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

  Source
• 2011National Plug-In Day

  United States

  A nationwide series of events created with the Sierra Club and Electric Auto Association to promote plug-in vehicles through public demonstrations, owner participation, and test-drive activities.

  Outcome. The campaign evolved into National Drive Electric Week.

  Source
• 2000DontCrush.com

  United States

  The predecessor campaign organized electric-vehicle owners and advocates to oppose the destruction of leased electric cars and to preserve vehicles withdrawn by manufacturers.

  Outcome. The campaign helped prevent the destruction of some Toyota and Ford electric vehicles and provided the activist foundation from which Plug In America developed.

  Source

• 2019

  Add year-round public and driver supportStrategy

  Background

  Plug In America’s activities had centered heavily on advocacy and annual public events, while prospective and existing EV drivers also needed individualized assistance.

  Action taken

  The organization launched Drive Electric Earth Day and an EV Support Program.

  Aftermath

  Its public role broadened to include spring Earth Day programming and direct one-to-one help for EV owners and prospective buyers.

  Source

• 2017

  Expand from advocacy into the EV purchase experienceStrategy

  Background

  Consumers often lacked reliable information about vehicle choice, charging, incentives, utility programs, and dealership support.

  Action taken

  Plug In America developed PlugStar, combining consumer tools with dealer education and certification-oriented support.

  Aftermath

  Pilot dealer-training programs began in San Diego and Boston and later expanded to Los Angeles and Sacramento.

  Source

• 2011

  Create a coordinated national EV eventOther

  Background

  Electric-vehicle advocates needed a public-facing format that could connect local owners and supporters with consumers and policymakers.

  Action taken

  Plug In America partnered with the Sierra Club and Electric Auto Association to establish National Plug-In Day.

  Aftermath

  The event grew into National Drive Electric Week, with activities held across the United States and later in additional countries.

  Source

• 2008

  Formalize the electric-vehicle advocacy movement as a nonprofitStrategy

  Background

  The organization’s founders sought to build on DontCrush.com’s campaigns against the destruction of leased electric vehicles and to create a stronger, longer-term platform for plug-in-vehicle advocacy.

  Action taken

  Plug In America incorporated as a 501(c)(3) educational and advocacy nonprofit.

  Aftermath

  The organization expanded from vehicle-preservation activism into consumer education, public events, policy advocacy, dealer training, and driver support.

  Source

1. 1Plug In Americaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Plug In America official websitepluginamerica.org