Test drive the newest electric vehicles on the road at the eighth annual Los Angeles National Drive Electric Week Ride-n-Drive event, Charge Up LA! at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s historic John Ferraro Building in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, Sep. 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

(photo courtesy of LADWP)

Representatives from lead sponsor Los Angeles Department of Water and Power along with EV advocacy organizations are hosting Charge Up LA! to promote awareness of EVs, plug-in hybrid-electric cars and motorcycles, as well as the benefits they provide.

“Charge Up LA! is a fun opportunity for Angelenos to experience the clean, quiet ride of many different electric vehicles and to learn about incentive programs that can help make them affordable to purchase and own,” DWP General Manager David Wright said.

These programs include the EV charger rebate that reimburses up to $500 for residential charger installation and up to $5,000 for commercial chargers, and the new used EV rebate program that can knock $450 off the price of a used EV.

“Los Angeles’ National Drive Electric Week event, Charge Up LA!, is a signature event activity in this year’s nationwide celebration of the availability and benefits of electric cars,” Plug In America’s Joel Levin said. “With nearly 200,000 EVs sold in the U.S. last year, events like this are more important than ever to raise awareness that EVs are easier to maintain, cheaper to fuel and great to drive, no matter what the brand. Consumers are responding to the innovation we’re seeing in the EV market.”

In Los Angeles, EVs also have local significance, according to the city’s Chief Sustainability Officer Lauren Faber O’Connor.

“Cities are leading the EV transition and through Mayor Garcetti’s Sustainable City pLAn and LADWP we are helping anyone who wants to go electric get there. Electrifying transportation is a key step to meeting the Mayor’s climate goals while making our air cleaner and our economy stronger,” she said.

DWP’s goal is to have 10,000 chargers in the city of L.A. by 2022.

To support this goal, the department has already supported the installation of hundreds of publicly accessible chargers at various locations throughout the city.

The John Ferraro Building is located at 111 N. Hope St. For information, visit ladwp.com/ev.