Tomorrow morning at 10:30, the city of Denver will be allowing Denverites to test drive electric cars tomorrow at the Denver City and County Building in attempt to encourage residents to consider electric vehicles as an option for them — and the first 100 residents to show up will get a free lunch from one of the food trucks located right across the street at Civic Center Eats.
The attempt to change Denver's transportation landscape has been a focal point of for Mayor Michael Hancock, and increasing the number of electric vehicles is in step with the city’s mobility action plan as well as the city’s 80x50 Climate Action Plan. The city believes that getting people into electric vehicles would foster a cleaner environment and strengthen our transportation sustainability over time.
“Climate change puts our residents’ health, our environment, and our economy at risk; that’s why our goal is to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050,” Hancock said in a press release. “We’re one of just a few American cities with an action plan to get us there, and a major part of our plan involves electric vehicles, including aiming for 100 percent of light-duty vehicle registrations here in Denver to be electric vehicles. It’s vital to a sustainable future.”
Electric vehicles can reduce the adverse effects of compounds like nitrogen oxides, which are the number one pollutants of the ozone, by up to 63 percent, the city says. Owners of electric vehicles are eligible for up to $12,500 in tax credits for their car in the state of Colorado, and the city also noted that electricity is half of the price of gasoline.
The City and County Building is located at 1437 Bannock St.
