2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final ReportFinal Report. fi˛˝˙ˆˇ˘ ˙ ˇ ˙ ˙ ˇ ˙ ˘ ˙ ......
13
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report
Transcript of 2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final ReportFinal Report. fi˛˝˙ˆˇ˘ ˙ ˇ ˙ ˙ ˇ ˙ ˘ ˙ ......
2019 Drive Green New Jersey
Final Report
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 2
BackgroundLate 2018 saw the conceptualization design and launch of the New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protectionrsquos Drive Green New Jersey pilot plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) test drive and showcase campaign
The four-event campaign - aimed at increasing consumer awareness and adoption of electric vehicles
throughout the state - builds on the commitment made by Governor Phil Murphy in May 2018 when New
Jersey officially joined eight other states in signing the Multi-State Zero-Emission Vehicle Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU)
The multi-state ZEV MOU outlines the statesrsquo commitment to the multi-state ZEV task force in support of
ZEV deployment and the reduction of greenhouse gases through transportation Collectively these states
are committed to reaching a goal of at least 33 million ZEVs operating on their roadways by 2025 with New
Jersey committing to 330000 alone
The 2018-2019 pilot PEV test drive campaign consisted of four events including two workplace and two
public community locations The events exposed over 110000 Garden State residents to the benefits of
driving electric including the availability of incentives and infrastructure throughout the state
Goals for the campaign include
bull Produce at least four ride and drive events at targeted locales across New Jersey
bull Target two workplace and two community events
bull Conduct at least 200 test drives (50 test drives per event) and
bull Demonstrate the efficacy of PEV test drive work in achieving New Jerseyrsquos PEV utilization goals
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 3
Campaign highlights include
bull Delivered 356 safe PEV test drive experiences (average of 89 test
drives per event) - 56 higher than the campaign goal
bull Reached at least 110000 residents with information about Drive
Green New Jersey
bull Delivered a 98 positive experience to participants
bull Included ten different PEV models offered by six manufacturers
bull Provided a first-ever PEV test drive for the overwhelming majority of
participants and
bull Produced an 8 conversion to PEV purchase full stop
Drive Green New Jersey events included a pre and post-test drive
survey to document changes in consumer attitudes toward PEVs as
a result of the test drive experience In addition a six-month trailing
survey was administered in November 2019 to further document
changes in consumer attitudes and behaviors including conversion
to PEV adoption The custom-tailored events are offered to hosts as
a no-cost opportunity through the Drive Green New Jersey program
The campaign was made possible through support from New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to Plug In America
Additional campaign partners include NJ CAR and Sustainable
Jersey The campaign was designed and professionally produced by
REACH Strategies
At least
83
reported it was their first experience driving
a modern PEV
8
conversion rate to PEV purchase
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 4
Pre Survey Post Survey
No prior experience test driving an electric vehicle 83
Have family friends or acquaintances who drive an electric vehicle 46
Prior awareness of the available state rebate and tax incentives 42
Participants who had a positive test drive 98
EVs being more fun to own when compared to traditional gasoline
vehicles38 66
Drivingperformance of EVs better than traditional gasoline vehicles 30 61
Overall quality of EVs better than or the same as traditional gasoline
vehicles43 70
Overall value of EVs better than or the same as traditional gasoline
vehicles37 57
Cost of purchasing and EV is better or the same as traditional gasoline
vehicles35 65
Finding a charging station on the road is not a barrier to the purchase of
an EV14 28
Charging vehicle at home is not a barrier to the purchase of an EV 37 56
Driving range of battery not a barrier to the purchase of an EV 27 42
Time it takes to recharge vehicle is not a barrier to the purchase of an EV 24 42
Average mile range an electric vehicle needs to have to satisfy needs 847 282
If purchasing a vehicle within the next two years it would be an EV 81 92
2019 NJ DEP Survey Results (406 Pre 213 Post)
Survey work corroborated the significance of this outreach
This data may in fact be higher due to confusion among consumers regarding hybrid
Top three aspects of interest in regards to EVs Pre
Performance Technology Environmental
56 54 47
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 5
47 of participants test drove
a pure electric vehicle
43
of participants test drove a
plug-in electric vehicle
10
of participants test
drove both
Of the available models
Top three aspects of interest in regards to EVs Post
NJDEP Follow Up Survey Survey administered to a pool of 380 Responses received from 36 respondents - a 9 response rate
Yes No
Purchased a PEV 8
Leased a PEV 100
Visited a PEV dealership in person 25 75
Done further research on available incentives 47 53
Looked online for information about PEVs 75 25
Spoken with family or associates about PEVs 92 8
Did the experience of test driving a vehicle positively impact your
decision to purchaselease an PEV100
If you were to purchaselease a vehicle in the next two years what
would you say are the chances it will be an PEV
81DefinitelyLikely
Three vehicles were purchased two Tesla Model 3s
and a Nissan LEAF
Performance Technology Environmental
65 53 43
81 surveyed said they would definitelylikely to purchaselease a PEV vehicle in the next two years
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 6
Barriers To EV Adoption
Additional Barriers Noted by Respondents
Limited acceleration Towing capacity Battery fires
during accidents
Lease commitment
Finding a charging station
on the road
Charging a vehicle at my home
Vehicle will run out of
electricity on the road
Limited driving range
Cost of an EV
Time it takes to recharge
Other
6389
3056
2778
4444
4444
2778
5556
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 7
356 Test Drives
+ =Total EV Experiences By the Numbers
136 Passengers
492 EV Experiences
351 Unique Drivers
Seacaucus Green Fair
Bristol-Myer Squibb Lawrenceville
Bristol-Myer Squibb Princeton-Pike
Sustainable Princeton Green FEST
54
88
131
83
Seacaucus Green Fair
Bristol-Myer Squibb Lawrenceville
Bristol-Myer Squibb Princeton-Pike
Sustainable Princeton Green FEST
30
36
32
38
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 8
2019 Partners
2019 Hosts
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 9
Media Report Of the four PEV test drive events two were held at community
gatherings the Secaucus Green Festival and Princeton GreenFEST
These events received attention on social media on Facebook and
Twitter as well as news outlets such as the New Jersey Patch
Between news and social outlets promotion for the Secaucus
Green Festival on May 4th produced impressions estimated
in the millions Social media promotion responsible for over
65000 impressions included the Town of Secaucus Facebook
event page where 1000 people registered as ldquointerestedrdquo in
attending Other social posts include the NJDEP Air Quality
Energy amp Sustainability Facebook page NJDEP Twitter posts
Natural Awakenings Magazine promotion on Facebook as
well as posts from the North Jersey Transportation Planning
Authority and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities News
coverage responsible for impressions in the millions included
at least two mentions on New Jersey Patch and NJcom The
event could also be found on third-party websites including the
Environmental Protection Agency
Social promotion for Princeton GreenFEST on May 11th totaled
an estimated reach of 30500 The test drive was promoted
on Facebook and Twitter by Princeton Magazine Town Topics
Princeton Online and a Princeton Public Library Facebook
event page Follow up posts included a thank you from
Sustainable Princeton on Facebook News coverage with a
reach of over 250000 included an InsiderNJcom blog on
Sustainable Princeton and an article in Princeton Online The
event could also be found on websites such as Eventbrite
Princeton University Sustainable Princeton Stand Central NJ
Princeton Primer and the Princeton Library
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 10
DealershipVehicle Participation amp Representation Throughout the course of the 2019 campaign seven individual dealers participated Of those three dealers
attended multiple events The vehicles featured across the four events included ten models offered by six
manufacturers
Volvo XC90 T8
Audi e-tron Ford Fusion Energi Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid
Nissan LEAF Tesla Model 3 Tesla Model S
Tesla Model X Volvo S60 T8 Volvo XC60 T8
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 11
Reviews amp Feedback
Key Takeaways
Charging InfrastructureFuture campaigns will benefit from the opportunity to incorporate more in-depth educational resources
on the availability and functionality of various charging infrastructure options Survey data from the events
underscore that vehicle range and charging infrastructure are top barriers to PEV adoption
Of all the participants 72 stated that finding charging infrastructure on the road was a
barrier in purchasingleasing an EV while 58 state recharging time and range of the vehicles
was a barrier in the purchaselease of an EV after their test drives]
Considerations for future campaigns include
1 Partnering with NJDEP-approved EV infrastructure providers to attend events and provide
demonstrations
2 Developing a large-scale map of the charging infrastructure throughout the state to be displayed at
events
3 Developing an interactive activity in which participants are able to go on a ldquoroad triprdquo via PlugShare
and are able to explore various routes with access to charging and
4 Adding a lunch and learn educational session to the workplace event structure
Obtaining VehiclesDealer EngagementOne of the most difficult obstacles the implementation team faced during the campaign
was engaging local dealerships For the final event the production team called upon NJDEP
partner New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR) to assist in confirming
dealers though one of the confirmed NJ CAR dealers was a no-show on the day of the event
Outreach efforts across all four events resulted in a total of twenty six dealers being contacted
Of those twenty six dealers 23 confirmed 50 were unresponsive - even after multiple
attempts to contact via phone and email - and 19 declined due to a variety of reasons
Another 7 of dealers ultimately did not arrive onsite after previously confirming participation
ldquoI canrsquot think of another way to make this Ride amp Drive more
successful Fabulous job with the best impact I could imaginerdquo
Jenny Ludmer
Sustainable Princeton (Host)
ldquoIt was great to have an opportunity for our residents to test drive electric and plug-in vehicles at our Green Festival Our residents loved the opportunity and my team and I were grateful for the chance to work with
the REACH team to make it all happenrdquo
Amanda Nesheiwat
Town of Secaucus (Host)
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 12
Reasons offered for declining to participate included staffing constraints lack of inventory
and lack of interest in attending events Although the dealership outreach portion of pre-
event logistics is often the most time-consuming for the Drive Green New Jersey campaign it
proved especially true and often required multiple points of contact to connect and confirm
participation
Nevertheless after participating in the Drive Green New Jersey events many dealers
became significantly more enthusiastic about participating in future events As with other
regional campaigns additional education experience and customer success resulting
from participating in the campaign will help foster greater involvement from local dealers
Future campaigns would greatly benefit from including a dealer engagement and education
component such as the PlugStar program
Vehicle AvailabilityOf the vehicles that were present at the events five models were plug-in hybrid and another
five were pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) Beyond dealer reluctance to participate in
events campaign staff encountered a lack of BEV inventory throughout the state Due to the
varying needs of each attendee it is important for attendees to experience a wide variety
of both pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Continued efforts to spur greater
vehicle variety will help address the range of options made available After attending events
many dealer representatives stated how they were interested in attending more events and
found the experience beneficial for not only the dealership but for further vehicle exposure
By continuing programs such as Drive Green and NJ CAR New Jersey residents will be able to
familiarize themselves with the technology and increasing the adoption rate of PEVs full stop
Follow-up Survey Response RateOf the 380 potential respondents the follow-up survey was administered to 36 surveys were completed
and submitted The 9 response rate is significantly lower in comparison to other campaigns conducted
in the region - 20 in New York and 21 in Massachusetts - although the administration process remained
the same Initial follow-up survey emails were sent Monday November 4th followed by reminder emails on
Thursday November 7th and Monday November 11th The survey closed on Wednesday November 13th
Due to the low response rate the survey was reopened and additional reminder emails were sent Friday
November 15 and Monday November 16 resulting in four additional responses If surveys are to be used
in future campaigns an incentive for completing the survey should be considered Similar campaigns in
which an incentive is offered to complete the follow-up survey receive a 20-50 response rate on average
Incentives can include one gift card of a significant amount - $50 or more - or smaller incentives available to
every respondent such as a $10 gift cards to local eateries coffee shops or the like Other options include a
prize such as a tablet or electric bicycle
ConclusionThe 2019 Drive Green New Jersey pilot program met or exceeded the program goals The success of the
pilot provides an important benchmark for the efficacy of conducting PEV outreach through test drive
work in support of the states broader zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas reduction goals Each
event produced more than the stated goal of 50 test drives producing a total of 356 test drive experiences
- 56 more than anticipated The data collected through survey work clearly demonstrates the potential
for educational PEV test drive experiences to engage consumers never before exposed to PEVs - 83 of
participants experienced a PEV for the first time at a Drive Green New Jersey event The follow-up survey
revealed 75 of respondents visited a PEV dealership while 81 stated they are definitely or likely to
purchase a PEV as their next vehicle
Education and outreach programs such as Drive Green New Jersey can play an integral role in helping
New Jersey reach the goals set in the multi-state ZEV MOU The state would most certainly benefit from
an expanded program in 2020 and years following An expanded program would reach a much larger
swath of New Jersey residents and allow the production team to produce events in all regions of the state
Additionally as the successful program grows dealers throughout the state will become more engaged
and eager to participate as their understanding of the customer engagement opportunity afforded by
their participation grows Similarly the campaign will serve as an opportunity for NJDEP to expand
relationships in the PEV space including engaging charging infrastructure partners energy efficiency
partners and more These partnerships will allow NJDEP to leverage the events into even more impactful
educational opportunities
PRODUCED BY2019 DRIVE GREEN NEW JERSEY FINAL REPORT
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 2
BackgroundLate 2018 saw the conceptualization design and launch of the New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protectionrsquos Drive Green New Jersey pilot plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) test drive and showcase campaign
The four-event campaign - aimed at increasing consumer awareness and adoption of electric vehicles
throughout the state - builds on the commitment made by Governor Phil Murphy in May 2018 when New
Jersey officially joined eight other states in signing the Multi-State Zero-Emission Vehicle Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU)
The multi-state ZEV MOU outlines the statesrsquo commitment to the multi-state ZEV task force in support of
ZEV deployment and the reduction of greenhouse gases through transportation Collectively these states
are committed to reaching a goal of at least 33 million ZEVs operating on their roadways by 2025 with New
Jersey committing to 330000 alone
The 2018-2019 pilot PEV test drive campaign consisted of four events including two workplace and two
public community locations The events exposed over 110000 Garden State residents to the benefits of
driving electric including the availability of incentives and infrastructure throughout the state
Goals for the campaign include
bull Produce at least four ride and drive events at targeted locales across New Jersey
bull Target two workplace and two community events
bull Conduct at least 200 test drives (50 test drives per event) and
bull Demonstrate the efficacy of PEV test drive work in achieving New Jerseyrsquos PEV utilization goals
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 3
Campaign highlights include
bull Delivered 356 safe PEV test drive experiences (average of 89 test
drives per event) - 56 higher than the campaign goal
bull Reached at least 110000 residents with information about Drive
Green New Jersey
bull Delivered a 98 positive experience to participants
bull Included ten different PEV models offered by six manufacturers
bull Provided a first-ever PEV test drive for the overwhelming majority of
participants and
bull Produced an 8 conversion to PEV purchase full stop
Drive Green New Jersey events included a pre and post-test drive
survey to document changes in consumer attitudes toward PEVs as
a result of the test drive experience In addition a six-month trailing
survey was administered in November 2019 to further document
changes in consumer attitudes and behaviors including conversion
to PEV adoption The custom-tailored events are offered to hosts as
a no-cost opportunity through the Drive Green New Jersey program
The campaign was made possible through support from New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to Plug In America
Additional campaign partners include NJ CAR and Sustainable
Jersey The campaign was designed and professionally produced by
REACH Strategies
At least
83
reported it was their first experience driving
a modern PEV
8
conversion rate to PEV purchase
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 4
Pre Survey Post Survey
No prior experience test driving an electric vehicle 83
Have family friends or acquaintances who drive an electric vehicle 46
Prior awareness of the available state rebate and tax incentives 42
Participants who had a positive test drive 98
EVs being more fun to own when compared to traditional gasoline
vehicles38 66
Drivingperformance of EVs better than traditional gasoline vehicles 30 61
Overall quality of EVs better than or the same as traditional gasoline
vehicles43 70
Overall value of EVs better than or the same as traditional gasoline
vehicles37 57
Cost of purchasing and EV is better or the same as traditional gasoline
vehicles35 65
Finding a charging station on the road is not a barrier to the purchase of
an EV14 28
Charging vehicle at home is not a barrier to the purchase of an EV 37 56
Driving range of battery not a barrier to the purchase of an EV 27 42
Time it takes to recharge vehicle is not a barrier to the purchase of an EV 24 42
Average mile range an electric vehicle needs to have to satisfy needs 847 282
If purchasing a vehicle within the next two years it would be an EV 81 92
2019 NJ DEP Survey Results (406 Pre 213 Post)
Survey work corroborated the significance of this outreach
This data may in fact be higher due to confusion among consumers regarding hybrid
Top three aspects of interest in regards to EVs Pre
Performance Technology Environmental
56 54 47
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 5
47 of participants test drove
a pure electric vehicle
43
of participants test drove a
plug-in electric vehicle
10
of participants test
drove both
Of the available models
Top three aspects of interest in regards to EVs Post
NJDEP Follow Up Survey Survey administered to a pool of 380 Responses received from 36 respondents - a 9 response rate
Yes No
Purchased a PEV 8
Leased a PEV 100
Visited a PEV dealership in person 25 75
Done further research on available incentives 47 53
Looked online for information about PEVs 75 25
Spoken with family or associates about PEVs 92 8
Did the experience of test driving a vehicle positively impact your
decision to purchaselease an PEV100
If you were to purchaselease a vehicle in the next two years what
would you say are the chances it will be an PEV
81DefinitelyLikely
Three vehicles were purchased two Tesla Model 3s
and a Nissan LEAF
Performance Technology Environmental
65 53 43
81 surveyed said they would definitelylikely to purchaselease a PEV vehicle in the next two years
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 6
Barriers To EV Adoption
Additional Barriers Noted by Respondents
Limited acceleration Towing capacity Battery fires
during accidents
Lease commitment
Finding a charging station
on the road
Charging a vehicle at my home
Vehicle will run out of
electricity on the road
Limited driving range
Cost of an EV
Time it takes to recharge
Other
6389
3056
2778
4444
4444
2778
5556
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 7
356 Test Drives
+ =Total EV Experiences By the Numbers
136 Passengers
492 EV Experiences
351 Unique Drivers
Seacaucus Green Fair
Bristol-Myer Squibb Lawrenceville
Bristol-Myer Squibb Princeton-Pike
Sustainable Princeton Green FEST
54
88
131
83
Seacaucus Green Fair
Bristol-Myer Squibb Lawrenceville
Bristol-Myer Squibb Princeton-Pike
Sustainable Princeton Green FEST
30
36
32
38
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 8
2019 Partners
2019 Hosts
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 9
Media Report Of the four PEV test drive events two were held at community
gatherings the Secaucus Green Festival and Princeton GreenFEST
These events received attention on social media on Facebook and
Twitter as well as news outlets such as the New Jersey Patch
Between news and social outlets promotion for the Secaucus
Green Festival on May 4th produced impressions estimated
in the millions Social media promotion responsible for over
65000 impressions included the Town of Secaucus Facebook
event page where 1000 people registered as ldquointerestedrdquo in
attending Other social posts include the NJDEP Air Quality
Energy amp Sustainability Facebook page NJDEP Twitter posts
Natural Awakenings Magazine promotion on Facebook as
well as posts from the North Jersey Transportation Planning
Authority and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities News
coverage responsible for impressions in the millions included
at least two mentions on New Jersey Patch and NJcom The
event could also be found on third-party websites including the
Environmental Protection Agency
Social promotion for Princeton GreenFEST on May 11th totaled
an estimated reach of 30500 The test drive was promoted
on Facebook and Twitter by Princeton Magazine Town Topics
Princeton Online and a Princeton Public Library Facebook
event page Follow up posts included a thank you from
Sustainable Princeton on Facebook News coverage with a
reach of over 250000 included an InsiderNJcom blog on
Sustainable Princeton and an article in Princeton Online The
event could also be found on websites such as Eventbrite
Princeton University Sustainable Princeton Stand Central NJ
Princeton Primer and the Princeton Library
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 10
DealershipVehicle Participation amp Representation Throughout the course of the 2019 campaign seven individual dealers participated Of those three dealers
attended multiple events The vehicles featured across the four events included ten models offered by six
manufacturers
Volvo XC90 T8
Audi e-tron Ford Fusion Energi Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid
Nissan LEAF Tesla Model 3 Tesla Model S
Tesla Model X Volvo S60 T8 Volvo XC60 T8
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 11
Reviews amp Feedback
Key Takeaways
Charging InfrastructureFuture campaigns will benefit from the opportunity to incorporate more in-depth educational resources
on the availability and functionality of various charging infrastructure options Survey data from the events
underscore that vehicle range and charging infrastructure are top barriers to PEV adoption
Of all the participants 72 stated that finding charging infrastructure on the road was a
barrier in purchasingleasing an EV while 58 state recharging time and range of the vehicles
was a barrier in the purchaselease of an EV after their test drives]
Considerations for future campaigns include
1 Partnering with NJDEP-approved EV infrastructure providers to attend events and provide
demonstrations
2 Developing a large-scale map of the charging infrastructure throughout the state to be displayed at
events
3 Developing an interactive activity in which participants are able to go on a ldquoroad triprdquo via PlugShare
and are able to explore various routes with access to charging and
4 Adding a lunch and learn educational session to the workplace event structure
Obtaining VehiclesDealer EngagementOne of the most difficult obstacles the implementation team faced during the campaign
was engaging local dealerships For the final event the production team called upon NJDEP
partner New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR) to assist in confirming
dealers though one of the confirmed NJ CAR dealers was a no-show on the day of the event
Outreach efforts across all four events resulted in a total of twenty six dealers being contacted
Of those twenty six dealers 23 confirmed 50 were unresponsive - even after multiple
attempts to contact via phone and email - and 19 declined due to a variety of reasons
Another 7 of dealers ultimately did not arrive onsite after previously confirming participation
ldquoI canrsquot think of another way to make this Ride amp Drive more
successful Fabulous job with the best impact I could imaginerdquo
Jenny Ludmer
Sustainable Princeton (Host)
ldquoIt was great to have an opportunity for our residents to test drive electric and plug-in vehicles at our Green Festival Our residents loved the opportunity and my team and I were grateful for the chance to work with
the REACH team to make it all happenrdquo
Amanda Nesheiwat
Town of Secaucus (Host)
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 12
Reasons offered for declining to participate included staffing constraints lack of inventory
and lack of interest in attending events Although the dealership outreach portion of pre-
event logistics is often the most time-consuming for the Drive Green New Jersey campaign it
proved especially true and often required multiple points of contact to connect and confirm
participation
Nevertheless after participating in the Drive Green New Jersey events many dealers
became significantly more enthusiastic about participating in future events As with other
regional campaigns additional education experience and customer success resulting
from participating in the campaign will help foster greater involvement from local dealers
Future campaigns would greatly benefit from including a dealer engagement and education
component such as the PlugStar program
Vehicle AvailabilityOf the vehicles that were present at the events five models were plug-in hybrid and another
five were pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) Beyond dealer reluctance to participate in
events campaign staff encountered a lack of BEV inventory throughout the state Due to the
varying needs of each attendee it is important for attendees to experience a wide variety
of both pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Continued efforts to spur greater
vehicle variety will help address the range of options made available After attending events
many dealer representatives stated how they were interested in attending more events and
found the experience beneficial for not only the dealership but for further vehicle exposure
By continuing programs such as Drive Green and NJ CAR New Jersey residents will be able to
familiarize themselves with the technology and increasing the adoption rate of PEVs full stop
Follow-up Survey Response RateOf the 380 potential respondents the follow-up survey was administered to 36 surveys were completed
and submitted The 9 response rate is significantly lower in comparison to other campaigns conducted
in the region - 20 in New York and 21 in Massachusetts - although the administration process remained
the same Initial follow-up survey emails were sent Monday November 4th followed by reminder emails on
Thursday November 7th and Monday November 11th The survey closed on Wednesday November 13th
Due to the low response rate the survey was reopened and additional reminder emails were sent Friday
November 15 and Monday November 16 resulting in four additional responses If surveys are to be used
in future campaigns an incentive for completing the survey should be considered Similar campaigns in
which an incentive is offered to complete the follow-up survey receive a 20-50 response rate on average
Incentives can include one gift card of a significant amount - $50 or more - or smaller incentives available to
every respondent such as a $10 gift cards to local eateries coffee shops or the like Other options include a
prize such as a tablet or electric bicycle
ConclusionThe 2019 Drive Green New Jersey pilot program met or exceeded the program goals The success of the
pilot provides an important benchmark for the efficacy of conducting PEV outreach through test drive
work in support of the states broader zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas reduction goals Each
event produced more than the stated goal of 50 test drives producing a total of 356 test drive experiences
- 56 more than anticipated The data collected through survey work clearly demonstrates the potential
for educational PEV test drive experiences to engage consumers never before exposed to PEVs - 83 of
participants experienced a PEV for the first time at a Drive Green New Jersey event The follow-up survey
revealed 75 of respondents visited a PEV dealership while 81 stated they are definitely or likely to
purchase a PEV as their next vehicle
Education and outreach programs such as Drive Green New Jersey can play an integral role in helping
New Jersey reach the goals set in the multi-state ZEV MOU The state would most certainly benefit from
an expanded program in 2020 and years following An expanded program would reach a much larger
swath of New Jersey residents and allow the production team to produce events in all regions of the state
Additionally as the successful program grows dealers throughout the state will become more engaged
and eager to participate as their understanding of the customer engagement opportunity afforded by
their participation grows Similarly the campaign will serve as an opportunity for NJDEP to expand
relationships in the PEV space including engaging charging infrastructure partners energy efficiency
partners and more These partnerships will allow NJDEP to leverage the events into even more impactful
educational opportunities
PRODUCED BY2019 DRIVE GREEN NEW JERSEY FINAL REPORT
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 3
Campaign highlights include
bull Delivered 356 safe PEV test drive experiences (average of 89 test
drives per event) - 56 higher than the campaign goal
bull Reached at least 110000 residents with information about Drive
Green New Jersey
bull Delivered a 98 positive experience to participants
bull Included ten different PEV models offered by six manufacturers
bull Provided a first-ever PEV test drive for the overwhelming majority of
participants and
bull Produced an 8 conversion to PEV purchase full stop
Drive Green New Jersey events included a pre and post-test drive
survey to document changes in consumer attitudes toward PEVs as
a result of the test drive experience In addition a six-month trailing
survey was administered in November 2019 to further document
changes in consumer attitudes and behaviors including conversion
to PEV adoption The custom-tailored events are offered to hosts as
a no-cost opportunity through the Drive Green New Jersey program
The campaign was made possible through support from New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to Plug In America
Additional campaign partners include NJ CAR and Sustainable
Jersey The campaign was designed and professionally produced by
REACH Strategies
At least
83
reported it was their first experience driving
a modern PEV
8
conversion rate to PEV purchase
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 4
Pre Survey Post Survey
No prior experience test driving an electric vehicle 83
Have family friends or acquaintances who drive an electric vehicle 46
Prior awareness of the available state rebate and tax incentives 42
Participants who had a positive test drive 98
EVs being more fun to own when compared to traditional gasoline
vehicles38 66
Drivingperformance of EVs better than traditional gasoline vehicles 30 61
Overall quality of EVs better than or the same as traditional gasoline
vehicles43 70
Overall value of EVs better than or the same as traditional gasoline
vehicles37 57
Cost of purchasing and EV is better or the same as traditional gasoline
vehicles35 65
Finding a charging station on the road is not a barrier to the purchase of
an EV14 28
Charging vehicle at home is not a barrier to the purchase of an EV 37 56
Driving range of battery not a barrier to the purchase of an EV 27 42
Time it takes to recharge vehicle is not a barrier to the purchase of an EV 24 42
Average mile range an electric vehicle needs to have to satisfy needs 847 282
If purchasing a vehicle within the next two years it would be an EV 81 92
2019 NJ DEP Survey Results (406 Pre 213 Post)
Survey work corroborated the significance of this outreach
This data may in fact be higher due to confusion among consumers regarding hybrid
Top three aspects of interest in regards to EVs Pre
Performance Technology Environmental
56 54 47
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 5
47 of participants test drove
a pure electric vehicle
43
of participants test drove a
plug-in electric vehicle
10
of participants test
drove both
Of the available models
Top three aspects of interest in regards to EVs Post
NJDEP Follow Up Survey Survey administered to a pool of 380 Responses received from 36 respondents - a 9 response rate
Yes No
Purchased a PEV 8
Leased a PEV 100
Visited a PEV dealership in person 25 75
Done further research on available incentives 47 53
Looked online for information about PEVs 75 25
Spoken with family or associates about PEVs 92 8
Did the experience of test driving a vehicle positively impact your
decision to purchaselease an PEV100
If you were to purchaselease a vehicle in the next two years what
would you say are the chances it will be an PEV
81DefinitelyLikely
Three vehicles were purchased two Tesla Model 3s
and a Nissan LEAF
Performance Technology Environmental
65 53 43
81 surveyed said they would definitelylikely to purchaselease a PEV vehicle in the next two years
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 6
Barriers To EV Adoption
Additional Barriers Noted by Respondents
Limited acceleration Towing capacity Battery fires
during accidents
Lease commitment
Finding a charging station
on the road
Charging a vehicle at my home
Vehicle will run out of
electricity on the road
Limited driving range
Cost of an EV
Time it takes to recharge
Other
6389
3056
2778
4444
4444
2778
5556
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 7
356 Test Drives
+ =Total EV Experiences By the Numbers
136 Passengers
492 EV Experiences
351 Unique Drivers
Seacaucus Green Fair
Bristol-Myer Squibb Lawrenceville
Bristol-Myer Squibb Princeton-Pike
Sustainable Princeton Green FEST
54
88
131
83
Seacaucus Green Fair
Bristol-Myer Squibb Lawrenceville
Bristol-Myer Squibb Princeton-Pike
Sustainable Princeton Green FEST
30
36
32
38
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 8
2019 Partners
2019 Hosts
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 9
Media Report Of the four PEV test drive events two were held at community
gatherings the Secaucus Green Festival and Princeton GreenFEST
These events received attention on social media on Facebook and
Twitter as well as news outlets such as the New Jersey Patch
Between news and social outlets promotion for the Secaucus
Green Festival on May 4th produced impressions estimated
in the millions Social media promotion responsible for over
65000 impressions included the Town of Secaucus Facebook
event page where 1000 people registered as ldquointerestedrdquo in
attending Other social posts include the NJDEP Air Quality
Energy amp Sustainability Facebook page NJDEP Twitter posts
Natural Awakenings Magazine promotion on Facebook as
well as posts from the North Jersey Transportation Planning
Authority and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities News
coverage responsible for impressions in the millions included
at least two mentions on New Jersey Patch and NJcom The
event could also be found on third-party websites including the
Environmental Protection Agency
Social promotion for Princeton GreenFEST on May 11th totaled
an estimated reach of 30500 The test drive was promoted
on Facebook and Twitter by Princeton Magazine Town Topics
Princeton Online and a Princeton Public Library Facebook
event page Follow up posts included a thank you from
Sustainable Princeton on Facebook News coverage with a
reach of over 250000 included an InsiderNJcom blog on
Sustainable Princeton and an article in Princeton Online The
event could also be found on websites such as Eventbrite
Princeton University Sustainable Princeton Stand Central NJ
Princeton Primer and the Princeton Library
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 10
DealershipVehicle Participation amp Representation Throughout the course of the 2019 campaign seven individual dealers participated Of those three dealers
attended multiple events The vehicles featured across the four events included ten models offered by six
manufacturers
Volvo XC90 T8
Audi e-tron Ford Fusion Energi Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid
Nissan LEAF Tesla Model 3 Tesla Model S
Tesla Model X Volvo S60 T8 Volvo XC60 T8
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 11
Reviews amp Feedback
Key Takeaways
Charging InfrastructureFuture campaigns will benefit from the opportunity to incorporate more in-depth educational resources
on the availability and functionality of various charging infrastructure options Survey data from the events
underscore that vehicle range and charging infrastructure are top barriers to PEV adoption
Of all the participants 72 stated that finding charging infrastructure on the road was a
barrier in purchasingleasing an EV while 58 state recharging time and range of the vehicles
was a barrier in the purchaselease of an EV after their test drives]
Considerations for future campaigns include
1 Partnering with NJDEP-approved EV infrastructure providers to attend events and provide
demonstrations
2 Developing a large-scale map of the charging infrastructure throughout the state to be displayed at
events
3 Developing an interactive activity in which participants are able to go on a ldquoroad triprdquo via PlugShare
and are able to explore various routes with access to charging and
4 Adding a lunch and learn educational session to the workplace event structure
Obtaining VehiclesDealer EngagementOne of the most difficult obstacles the implementation team faced during the campaign
was engaging local dealerships For the final event the production team called upon NJDEP
partner New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR) to assist in confirming
dealers though one of the confirmed NJ CAR dealers was a no-show on the day of the event
Outreach efforts across all four events resulted in a total of twenty six dealers being contacted
Of those twenty six dealers 23 confirmed 50 were unresponsive - even after multiple
attempts to contact via phone and email - and 19 declined due to a variety of reasons
Another 7 of dealers ultimately did not arrive onsite after previously confirming participation
ldquoI canrsquot think of another way to make this Ride amp Drive more
successful Fabulous job with the best impact I could imaginerdquo
Jenny Ludmer
Sustainable Princeton (Host)
ldquoIt was great to have an opportunity for our residents to test drive electric and plug-in vehicles at our Green Festival Our residents loved the opportunity and my team and I were grateful for the chance to work with
the REACH team to make it all happenrdquo
Amanda Nesheiwat
Town of Secaucus (Host)
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 12
Reasons offered for declining to participate included staffing constraints lack of inventory
and lack of interest in attending events Although the dealership outreach portion of pre-
event logistics is often the most time-consuming for the Drive Green New Jersey campaign it
proved especially true and often required multiple points of contact to connect and confirm
participation
Nevertheless after participating in the Drive Green New Jersey events many dealers
became significantly more enthusiastic about participating in future events As with other
regional campaigns additional education experience and customer success resulting
from participating in the campaign will help foster greater involvement from local dealers
Future campaigns would greatly benefit from including a dealer engagement and education
component such as the PlugStar program
Vehicle AvailabilityOf the vehicles that were present at the events five models were plug-in hybrid and another
five were pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) Beyond dealer reluctance to participate in
events campaign staff encountered a lack of BEV inventory throughout the state Due to the
varying needs of each attendee it is important for attendees to experience a wide variety
of both pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Continued efforts to spur greater
vehicle variety will help address the range of options made available After attending events
many dealer representatives stated how they were interested in attending more events and
found the experience beneficial for not only the dealership but for further vehicle exposure
By continuing programs such as Drive Green and NJ CAR New Jersey residents will be able to
familiarize themselves with the technology and increasing the adoption rate of PEVs full stop
Follow-up Survey Response RateOf the 380 potential respondents the follow-up survey was administered to 36 surveys were completed
and submitted The 9 response rate is significantly lower in comparison to other campaigns conducted
in the region - 20 in New York and 21 in Massachusetts - although the administration process remained
the same Initial follow-up survey emails were sent Monday November 4th followed by reminder emails on
Thursday November 7th and Monday November 11th The survey closed on Wednesday November 13th
Due to the low response rate the survey was reopened and additional reminder emails were sent Friday
November 15 and Monday November 16 resulting in four additional responses If surveys are to be used
in future campaigns an incentive for completing the survey should be considered Similar campaigns in
which an incentive is offered to complete the follow-up survey receive a 20-50 response rate on average
Incentives can include one gift card of a significant amount - $50 or more - or smaller incentives available to
every respondent such as a $10 gift cards to local eateries coffee shops or the like Other options include a
prize such as a tablet or electric bicycle
ConclusionThe 2019 Drive Green New Jersey pilot program met or exceeded the program goals The success of the
pilot provides an important benchmark for the efficacy of conducting PEV outreach through test drive
work in support of the states broader zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas reduction goals Each
event produced more than the stated goal of 50 test drives producing a total of 356 test drive experiences
- 56 more than anticipated The data collected through survey work clearly demonstrates the potential
for educational PEV test drive experiences to engage consumers never before exposed to PEVs - 83 of
participants experienced a PEV for the first time at a Drive Green New Jersey event The follow-up survey
revealed 75 of respondents visited a PEV dealership while 81 stated they are definitely or likely to
purchase a PEV as their next vehicle
Education and outreach programs such as Drive Green New Jersey can play an integral role in helping
New Jersey reach the goals set in the multi-state ZEV MOU The state would most certainly benefit from
an expanded program in 2020 and years following An expanded program would reach a much larger
swath of New Jersey residents and allow the production team to produce events in all regions of the state
Additionally as the successful program grows dealers throughout the state will become more engaged
and eager to participate as their understanding of the customer engagement opportunity afforded by
their participation grows Similarly the campaign will serve as an opportunity for NJDEP to expand
relationships in the PEV space including engaging charging infrastructure partners energy efficiency
partners and more These partnerships will allow NJDEP to leverage the events into even more impactful
educational opportunities
PRODUCED BY2019 DRIVE GREEN NEW JERSEY FINAL REPORT
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 4
Pre Survey Post Survey
No prior experience test driving an electric vehicle 83
Have family friends or acquaintances who drive an electric vehicle 46
Prior awareness of the available state rebate and tax incentives 42
Participants who had a positive test drive 98
EVs being more fun to own when compared to traditional gasoline
vehicles38 66
Drivingperformance of EVs better than traditional gasoline vehicles 30 61
Overall quality of EVs better than or the same as traditional gasoline
vehicles43 70
Overall value of EVs better than or the same as traditional gasoline
vehicles37 57
Cost of purchasing and EV is better or the same as traditional gasoline
vehicles35 65
Finding a charging station on the road is not a barrier to the purchase of
an EV14 28
Charging vehicle at home is not a barrier to the purchase of an EV 37 56
Driving range of battery not a barrier to the purchase of an EV 27 42
Time it takes to recharge vehicle is not a barrier to the purchase of an EV 24 42
Average mile range an electric vehicle needs to have to satisfy needs 847 282
If purchasing a vehicle within the next two years it would be an EV 81 92
2019 NJ DEP Survey Results (406 Pre 213 Post)
Survey work corroborated the significance of this outreach
This data may in fact be higher due to confusion among consumers regarding hybrid
Top three aspects of interest in regards to EVs Pre
Performance Technology Environmental
56 54 47
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 5
47 of participants test drove
a pure electric vehicle
43
of participants test drove a
plug-in electric vehicle
10
of participants test
drove both
Of the available models
Top three aspects of interest in regards to EVs Post
NJDEP Follow Up Survey Survey administered to a pool of 380 Responses received from 36 respondents - a 9 response rate
Yes No
Purchased a PEV 8
Leased a PEV 100
Visited a PEV dealership in person 25 75
Done further research on available incentives 47 53
Looked online for information about PEVs 75 25
Spoken with family or associates about PEVs 92 8
Did the experience of test driving a vehicle positively impact your
decision to purchaselease an PEV100
If you were to purchaselease a vehicle in the next two years what
would you say are the chances it will be an PEV
81DefinitelyLikely
Three vehicles were purchased two Tesla Model 3s
and a Nissan LEAF
Performance Technology Environmental
65 53 43
81 surveyed said they would definitelylikely to purchaselease a PEV vehicle in the next two years
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 6
Barriers To EV Adoption
Additional Barriers Noted by Respondents
Limited acceleration Towing capacity Battery fires
during accidents
Lease commitment
Finding a charging station
on the road
Charging a vehicle at my home
Vehicle will run out of
electricity on the road
Limited driving range
Cost of an EV
Time it takes to recharge
Other
6389
3056
2778
4444
4444
2778
5556
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 7
356 Test Drives
+ =Total EV Experiences By the Numbers
136 Passengers
492 EV Experiences
351 Unique Drivers
Seacaucus Green Fair
Bristol-Myer Squibb Lawrenceville
Bristol-Myer Squibb Princeton-Pike
Sustainable Princeton Green FEST
54
88
131
83
Seacaucus Green Fair
Bristol-Myer Squibb Lawrenceville
Bristol-Myer Squibb Princeton-Pike
Sustainable Princeton Green FEST
30
36
32
38
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 8
2019 Partners
2019 Hosts
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 9
Media Report Of the four PEV test drive events two were held at community
gatherings the Secaucus Green Festival and Princeton GreenFEST
These events received attention on social media on Facebook and
Twitter as well as news outlets such as the New Jersey Patch
Between news and social outlets promotion for the Secaucus
Green Festival on May 4th produced impressions estimated
in the millions Social media promotion responsible for over
65000 impressions included the Town of Secaucus Facebook
event page where 1000 people registered as ldquointerestedrdquo in
attending Other social posts include the NJDEP Air Quality
Energy amp Sustainability Facebook page NJDEP Twitter posts
Natural Awakenings Magazine promotion on Facebook as
well as posts from the North Jersey Transportation Planning
Authority and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities News
coverage responsible for impressions in the millions included
at least two mentions on New Jersey Patch and NJcom The
event could also be found on third-party websites including the
Environmental Protection Agency
Social promotion for Princeton GreenFEST on May 11th totaled
an estimated reach of 30500 The test drive was promoted
on Facebook and Twitter by Princeton Magazine Town Topics
Princeton Online and a Princeton Public Library Facebook
event page Follow up posts included a thank you from
Sustainable Princeton on Facebook News coverage with a
reach of over 250000 included an InsiderNJcom blog on
Sustainable Princeton and an article in Princeton Online The
event could also be found on websites such as Eventbrite
Princeton University Sustainable Princeton Stand Central NJ
Princeton Primer and the Princeton Library
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 10
DealershipVehicle Participation amp Representation Throughout the course of the 2019 campaign seven individual dealers participated Of those three dealers
attended multiple events The vehicles featured across the four events included ten models offered by six
manufacturers
Volvo XC90 T8
Audi e-tron Ford Fusion Energi Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid
Nissan LEAF Tesla Model 3 Tesla Model S
Tesla Model X Volvo S60 T8 Volvo XC60 T8
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 11
Reviews amp Feedback
Key Takeaways
Charging InfrastructureFuture campaigns will benefit from the opportunity to incorporate more in-depth educational resources
on the availability and functionality of various charging infrastructure options Survey data from the events
underscore that vehicle range and charging infrastructure are top barriers to PEV adoption
Of all the participants 72 stated that finding charging infrastructure on the road was a
barrier in purchasingleasing an EV while 58 state recharging time and range of the vehicles
was a barrier in the purchaselease of an EV after their test drives]
Considerations for future campaigns include
1 Partnering with NJDEP-approved EV infrastructure providers to attend events and provide
demonstrations
2 Developing a large-scale map of the charging infrastructure throughout the state to be displayed at
events
3 Developing an interactive activity in which participants are able to go on a ldquoroad triprdquo via PlugShare
and are able to explore various routes with access to charging and
4 Adding a lunch and learn educational session to the workplace event structure
Obtaining VehiclesDealer EngagementOne of the most difficult obstacles the implementation team faced during the campaign
was engaging local dealerships For the final event the production team called upon NJDEP
partner New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR) to assist in confirming
dealers though one of the confirmed NJ CAR dealers was a no-show on the day of the event
Outreach efforts across all four events resulted in a total of twenty six dealers being contacted
Of those twenty six dealers 23 confirmed 50 were unresponsive - even after multiple
attempts to contact via phone and email - and 19 declined due to a variety of reasons
Another 7 of dealers ultimately did not arrive onsite after previously confirming participation
ldquoI canrsquot think of another way to make this Ride amp Drive more
successful Fabulous job with the best impact I could imaginerdquo
Jenny Ludmer
Sustainable Princeton (Host)
ldquoIt was great to have an opportunity for our residents to test drive electric and plug-in vehicles at our Green Festival Our residents loved the opportunity and my team and I were grateful for the chance to work with
the REACH team to make it all happenrdquo
Amanda Nesheiwat
Town of Secaucus (Host)
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 12
Reasons offered for declining to participate included staffing constraints lack of inventory
and lack of interest in attending events Although the dealership outreach portion of pre-
event logistics is often the most time-consuming for the Drive Green New Jersey campaign it
proved especially true and often required multiple points of contact to connect and confirm
participation
Nevertheless after participating in the Drive Green New Jersey events many dealers
became significantly more enthusiastic about participating in future events As with other
regional campaigns additional education experience and customer success resulting
from participating in the campaign will help foster greater involvement from local dealers
Future campaigns would greatly benefit from including a dealer engagement and education
component such as the PlugStar program
Vehicle AvailabilityOf the vehicles that were present at the events five models were plug-in hybrid and another
five were pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) Beyond dealer reluctance to participate in
events campaign staff encountered a lack of BEV inventory throughout the state Due to the
varying needs of each attendee it is important for attendees to experience a wide variety
of both pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Continued efforts to spur greater
vehicle variety will help address the range of options made available After attending events
many dealer representatives stated how they were interested in attending more events and
found the experience beneficial for not only the dealership but for further vehicle exposure
By continuing programs such as Drive Green and NJ CAR New Jersey residents will be able to
familiarize themselves with the technology and increasing the adoption rate of PEVs full stop
Follow-up Survey Response RateOf the 380 potential respondents the follow-up survey was administered to 36 surveys were completed
and submitted The 9 response rate is significantly lower in comparison to other campaigns conducted
in the region - 20 in New York and 21 in Massachusetts - although the administration process remained
the same Initial follow-up survey emails were sent Monday November 4th followed by reminder emails on
Thursday November 7th and Monday November 11th The survey closed on Wednesday November 13th
Due to the low response rate the survey was reopened and additional reminder emails were sent Friday
November 15 and Monday November 16 resulting in four additional responses If surveys are to be used
in future campaigns an incentive for completing the survey should be considered Similar campaigns in
which an incentive is offered to complete the follow-up survey receive a 20-50 response rate on average
Incentives can include one gift card of a significant amount - $50 or more - or smaller incentives available to
every respondent such as a $10 gift cards to local eateries coffee shops or the like Other options include a
prize such as a tablet or electric bicycle
ConclusionThe 2019 Drive Green New Jersey pilot program met or exceeded the program goals The success of the
pilot provides an important benchmark for the efficacy of conducting PEV outreach through test drive
work in support of the states broader zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas reduction goals Each
event produced more than the stated goal of 50 test drives producing a total of 356 test drive experiences
- 56 more than anticipated The data collected through survey work clearly demonstrates the potential
for educational PEV test drive experiences to engage consumers never before exposed to PEVs - 83 of
participants experienced a PEV for the first time at a Drive Green New Jersey event The follow-up survey
revealed 75 of respondents visited a PEV dealership while 81 stated they are definitely or likely to
purchase a PEV as their next vehicle
Education and outreach programs such as Drive Green New Jersey can play an integral role in helping
New Jersey reach the goals set in the multi-state ZEV MOU The state would most certainly benefit from
an expanded program in 2020 and years following An expanded program would reach a much larger
swath of New Jersey residents and allow the production team to produce events in all regions of the state
Additionally as the successful program grows dealers throughout the state will become more engaged
and eager to participate as their understanding of the customer engagement opportunity afforded by
their participation grows Similarly the campaign will serve as an opportunity for NJDEP to expand
relationships in the PEV space including engaging charging infrastructure partners energy efficiency
partners and more These partnerships will allow NJDEP to leverage the events into even more impactful
educational opportunities
PRODUCED BY2019 DRIVE GREEN NEW JERSEY FINAL REPORT
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 5
47 of participants test drove
a pure electric vehicle
43
of participants test drove a
plug-in electric vehicle
10
of participants test
drove both
Of the available models
Top three aspects of interest in regards to EVs Post
NJDEP Follow Up Survey Survey administered to a pool of 380 Responses received from 36 respondents - a 9 response rate
Yes No
Purchased a PEV 8
Leased a PEV 100
Visited a PEV dealership in person 25 75
Done further research on available incentives 47 53
Looked online for information about PEVs 75 25
Spoken with family or associates about PEVs 92 8
Did the experience of test driving a vehicle positively impact your
decision to purchaselease an PEV100
If you were to purchaselease a vehicle in the next two years what
would you say are the chances it will be an PEV
81DefinitelyLikely
Three vehicles were purchased two Tesla Model 3s
and a Nissan LEAF
Performance Technology Environmental
65 53 43
81 surveyed said they would definitelylikely to purchaselease a PEV vehicle in the next two years
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 6
Barriers To EV Adoption
Additional Barriers Noted by Respondents
Limited acceleration Towing capacity Battery fires
during accidents
Lease commitment
Finding a charging station
on the road
Charging a vehicle at my home
Vehicle will run out of
electricity on the road
Limited driving range
Cost of an EV
Time it takes to recharge
Other
6389
3056
2778
4444
4444
2778
5556
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 7
356 Test Drives
+ =Total EV Experiences By the Numbers
136 Passengers
492 EV Experiences
351 Unique Drivers
Seacaucus Green Fair
Bristol-Myer Squibb Lawrenceville
Bristol-Myer Squibb Princeton-Pike
Sustainable Princeton Green FEST
54
88
131
83
Seacaucus Green Fair
Bristol-Myer Squibb Lawrenceville
Bristol-Myer Squibb Princeton-Pike
Sustainable Princeton Green FEST
30
36
32
38
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 8
2019 Partners
2019 Hosts
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 9
Media Report Of the four PEV test drive events two were held at community
gatherings the Secaucus Green Festival and Princeton GreenFEST
These events received attention on social media on Facebook and
Twitter as well as news outlets such as the New Jersey Patch
Between news and social outlets promotion for the Secaucus
Green Festival on May 4th produced impressions estimated
in the millions Social media promotion responsible for over
65000 impressions included the Town of Secaucus Facebook
event page where 1000 people registered as ldquointerestedrdquo in
attending Other social posts include the NJDEP Air Quality
Energy amp Sustainability Facebook page NJDEP Twitter posts
Natural Awakenings Magazine promotion on Facebook as
well as posts from the North Jersey Transportation Planning
Authority and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities News
coverage responsible for impressions in the millions included
at least two mentions on New Jersey Patch and NJcom The
event could also be found on third-party websites including the
Environmental Protection Agency
Social promotion for Princeton GreenFEST on May 11th totaled
an estimated reach of 30500 The test drive was promoted
on Facebook and Twitter by Princeton Magazine Town Topics
Princeton Online and a Princeton Public Library Facebook
event page Follow up posts included a thank you from
Sustainable Princeton on Facebook News coverage with a
reach of over 250000 included an InsiderNJcom blog on
Sustainable Princeton and an article in Princeton Online The
event could also be found on websites such as Eventbrite
Princeton University Sustainable Princeton Stand Central NJ
Princeton Primer and the Princeton Library
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 10
DealershipVehicle Participation amp Representation Throughout the course of the 2019 campaign seven individual dealers participated Of those three dealers
attended multiple events The vehicles featured across the four events included ten models offered by six
manufacturers
Volvo XC90 T8
Audi e-tron Ford Fusion Energi Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid
Nissan LEAF Tesla Model 3 Tesla Model S
Tesla Model X Volvo S60 T8 Volvo XC60 T8
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 11
Reviews amp Feedback
Key Takeaways
Charging InfrastructureFuture campaigns will benefit from the opportunity to incorporate more in-depth educational resources
on the availability and functionality of various charging infrastructure options Survey data from the events
underscore that vehicle range and charging infrastructure are top barriers to PEV adoption
Of all the participants 72 stated that finding charging infrastructure on the road was a
barrier in purchasingleasing an EV while 58 state recharging time and range of the vehicles
was a barrier in the purchaselease of an EV after their test drives]
Considerations for future campaigns include
1 Partnering with NJDEP-approved EV infrastructure providers to attend events and provide
demonstrations
2 Developing a large-scale map of the charging infrastructure throughout the state to be displayed at
events
3 Developing an interactive activity in which participants are able to go on a ldquoroad triprdquo via PlugShare
and are able to explore various routes with access to charging and
4 Adding a lunch and learn educational session to the workplace event structure
Obtaining VehiclesDealer EngagementOne of the most difficult obstacles the implementation team faced during the campaign
was engaging local dealerships For the final event the production team called upon NJDEP
partner New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR) to assist in confirming
dealers though one of the confirmed NJ CAR dealers was a no-show on the day of the event
Outreach efforts across all four events resulted in a total of twenty six dealers being contacted
Of those twenty six dealers 23 confirmed 50 were unresponsive - even after multiple
attempts to contact via phone and email - and 19 declined due to a variety of reasons
Another 7 of dealers ultimately did not arrive onsite after previously confirming participation
ldquoI canrsquot think of another way to make this Ride amp Drive more
successful Fabulous job with the best impact I could imaginerdquo
Jenny Ludmer
Sustainable Princeton (Host)
ldquoIt was great to have an opportunity for our residents to test drive electric and plug-in vehicles at our Green Festival Our residents loved the opportunity and my team and I were grateful for the chance to work with
the REACH team to make it all happenrdquo
Amanda Nesheiwat
Town of Secaucus (Host)
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 12
Reasons offered for declining to participate included staffing constraints lack of inventory
and lack of interest in attending events Although the dealership outreach portion of pre-
event logistics is often the most time-consuming for the Drive Green New Jersey campaign it
proved especially true and often required multiple points of contact to connect and confirm
participation
Nevertheless after participating in the Drive Green New Jersey events many dealers
became significantly more enthusiastic about participating in future events As with other
regional campaigns additional education experience and customer success resulting
from participating in the campaign will help foster greater involvement from local dealers
Future campaigns would greatly benefit from including a dealer engagement and education
component such as the PlugStar program
Vehicle AvailabilityOf the vehicles that were present at the events five models were plug-in hybrid and another
five were pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) Beyond dealer reluctance to participate in
events campaign staff encountered a lack of BEV inventory throughout the state Due to the
varying needs of each attendee it is important for attendees to experience a wide variety
of both pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Continued efforts to spur greater
vehicle variety will help address the range of options made available After attending events
many dealer representatives stated how they were interested in attending more events and
found the experience beneficial for not only the dealership but for further vehicle exposure
By continuing programs such as Drive Green and NJ CAR New Jersey residents will be able to
familiarize themselves with the technology and increasing the adoption rate of PEVs full stop
Follow-up Survey Response RateOf the 380 potential respondents the follow-up survey was administered to 36 surveys were completed
and submitted The 9 response rate is significantly lower in comparison to other campaigns conducted
in the region - 20 in New York and 21 in Massachusetts - although the administration process remained
the same Initial follow-up survey emails were sent Monday November 4th followed by reminder emails on
Thursday November 7th and Monday November 11th The survey closed on Wednesday November 13th
Due to the low response rate the survey was reopened and additional reminder emails were sent Friday
November 15 and Monday November 16 resulting in four additional responses If surveys are to be used
in future campaigns an incentive for completing the survey should be considered Similar campaigns in
which an incentive is offered to complete the follow-up survey receive a 20-50 response rate on average
Incentives can include one gift card of a significant amount - $50 or more - or smaller incentives available to
every respondent such as a $10 gift cards to local eateries coffee shops or the like Other options include a
prize such as a tablet or electric bicycle
ConclusionThe 2019 Drive Green New Jersey pilot program met or exceeded the program goals The success of the
pilot provides an important benchmark for the efficacy of conducting PEV outreach through test drive
work in support of the states broader zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas reduction goals Each
event produced more than the stated goal of 50 test drives producing a total of 356 test drive experiences
- 56 more than anticipated The data collected through survey work clearly demonstrates the potential
for educational PEV test drive experiences to engage consumers never before exposed to PEVs - 83 of
participants experienced a PEV for the first time at a Drive Green New Jersey event The follow-up survey
revealed 75 of respondents visited a PEV dealership while 81 stated they are definitely or likely to
purchase a PEV as their next vehicle
Education and outreach programs such as Drive Green New Jersey can play an integral role in helping
New Jersey reach the goals set in the multi-state ZEV MOU The state would most certainly benefit from
an expanded program in 2020 and years following An expanded program would reach a much larger
swath of New Jersey residents and allow the production team to produce events in all regions of the state
Additionally as the successful program grows dealers throughout the state will become more engaged
and eager to participate as their understanding of the customer engagement opportunity afforded by
their participation grows Similarly the campaign will serve as an opportunity for NJDEP to expand
relationships in the PEV space including engaging charging infrastructure partners energy efficiency
partners and more These partnerships will allow NJDEP to leverage the events into even more impactful
educational opportunities
PRODUCED BY2019 DRIVE GREEN NEW JERSEY FINAL REPORT
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 6
Barriers To EV Adoption
Additional Barriers Noted by Respondents
Limited acceleration Towing capacity Battery fires
during accidents
Lease commitment
Finding a charging station
on the road
Charging a vehicle at my home
Vehicle will run out of
electricity on the road
Limited driving range
Cost of an EV
Time it takes to recharge
Other
6389
3056
2778
4444
4444
2778
5556
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 7
356 Test Drives
+ =Total EV Experiences By the Numbers
136 Passengers
492 EV Experiences
351 Unique Drivers
Seacaucus Green Fair
Bristol-Myer Squibb Lawrenceville
Bristol-Myer Squibb Princeton-Pike
Sustainable Princeton Green FEST
54
88
131
83
Seacaucus Green Fair
Bristol-Myer Squibb Lawrenceville
Bristol-Myer Squibb Princeton-Pike
Sustainable Princeton Green FEST
30
36
32
38
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 8
2019 Partners
2019 Hosts
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 9
Media Report Of the four PEV test drive events two were held at community
gatherings the Secaucus Green Festival and Princeton GreenFEST
These events received attention on social media on Facebook and
Twitter as well as news outlets such as the New Jersey Patch
Between news and social outlets promotion for the Secaucus
Green Festival on May 4th produced impressions estimated
in the millions Social media promotion responsible for over
65000 impressions included the Town of Secaucus Facebook
event page where 1000 people registered as ldquointerestedrdquo in
attending Other social posts include the NJDEP Air Quality
Energy amp Sustainability Facebook page NJDEP Twitter posts
Natural Awakenings Magazine promotion on Facebook as
well as posts from the North Jersey Transportation Planning
Authority and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities News
coverage responsible for impressions in the millions included
at least two mentions on New Jersey Patch and NJcom The
event could also be found on third-party websites including the
Environmental Protection Agency
Social promotion for Princeton GreenFEST on May 11th totaled
an estimated reach of 30500 The test drive was promoted
on Facebook and Twitter by Princeton Magazine Town Topics
Princeton Online and a Princeton Public Library Facebook
event page Follow up posts included a thank you from
Sustainable Princeton on Facebook News coverage with a
reach of over 250000 included an InsiderNJcom blog on
Sustainable Princeton and an article in Princeton Online The
event could also be found on websites such as Eventbrite
Princeton University Sustainable Princeton Stand Central NJ
Princeton Primer and the Princeton Library
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 10
DealershipVehicle Participation amp Representation Throughout the course of the 2019 campaign seven individual dealers participated Of those three dealers
attended multiple events The vehicles featured across the four events included ten models offered by six
manufacturers
Volvo XC90 T8
Audi e-tron Ford Fusion Energi Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid
Nissan LEAF Tesla Model 3 Tesla Model S
Tesla Model X Volvo S60 T8 Volvo XC60 T8
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 11
Reviews amp Feedback
Key Takeaways
Charging InfrastructureFuture campaigns will benefit from the opportunity to incorporate more in-depth educational resources
on the availability and functionality of various charging infrastructure options Survey data from the events
underscore that vehicle range and charging infrastructure are top barriers to PEV adoption
Of all the participants 72 stated that finding charging infrastructure on the road was a
barrier in purchasingleasing an EV while 58 state recharging time and range of the vehicles
was a barrier in the purchaselease of an EV after their test drives]
Considerations for future campaigns include
1 Partnering with NJDEP-approved EV infrastructure providers to attend events and provide
demonstrations
2 Developing a large-scale map of the charging infrastructure throughout the state to be displayed at
events
3 Developing an interactive activity in which participants are able to go on a ldquoroad triprdquo via PlugShare
and are able to explore various routes with access to charging and
4 Adding a lunch and learn educational session to the workplace event structure
Obtaining VehiclesDealer EngagementOne of the most difficult obstacles the implementation team faced during the campaign
was engaging local dealerships For the final event the production team called upon NJDEP
partner New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR) to assist in confirming
dealers though one of the confirmed NJ CAR dealers was a no-show on the day of the event
Outreach efforts across all four events resulted in a total of twenty six dealers being contacted
Of those twenty six dealers 23 confirmed 50 were unresponsive - even after multiple
attempts to contact via phone and email - and 19 declined due to a variety of reasons
Another 7 of dealers ultimately did not arrive onsite after previously confirming participation
ldquoI canrsquot think of another way to make this Ride amp Drive more
successful Fabulous job with the best impact I could imaginerdquo
Jenny Ludmer
Sustainable Princeton (Host)
ldquoIt was great to have an opportunity for our residents to test drive electric and plug-in vehicles at our Green Festival Our residents loved the opportunity and my team and I were grateful for the chance to work with
the REACH team to make it all happenrdquo
Amanda Nesheiwat
Town of Secaucus (Host)
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 12
Reasons offered for declining to participate included staffing constraints lack of inventory
and lack of interest in attending events Although the dealership outreach portion of pre-
event logistics is often the most time-consuming for the Drive Green New Jersey campaign it
proved especially true and often required multiple points of contact to connect and confirm
participation
Nevertheless after participating in the Drive Green New Jersey events many dealers
became significantly more enthusiastic about participating in future events As with other
regional campaigns additional education experience and customer success resulting
from participating in the campaign will help foster greater involvement from local dealers
Future campaigns would greatly benefit from including a dealer engagement and education
component such as the PlugStar program
Vehicle AvailabilityOf the vehicles that were present at the events five models were plug-in hybrid and another
five were pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) Beyond dealer reluctance to participate in
events campaign staff encountered a lack of BEV inventory throughout the state Due to the
varying needs of each attendee it is important for attendees to experience a wide variety
of both pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Continued efforts to spur greater
vehicle variety will help address the range of options made available After attending events
many dealer representatives stated how they were interested in attending more events and
found the experience beneficial for not only the dealership but for further vehicle exposure
By continuing programs such as Drive Green and NJ CAR New Jersey residents will be able to
familiarize themselves with the technology and increasing the adoption rate of PEVs full stop
Follow-up Survey Response RateOf the 380 potential respondents the follow-up survey was administered to 36 surveys were completed
and submitted The 9 response rate is significantly lower in comparison to other campaigns conducted
in the region - 20 in New York and 21 in Massachusetts - although the administration process remained
the same Initial follow-up survey emails were sent Monday November 4th followed by reminder emails on
Thursday November 7th and Monday November 11th The survey closed on Wednesday November 13th
Due to the low response rate the survey was reopened and additional reminder emails were sent Friday
November 15 and Monday November 16 resulting in four additional responses If surveys are to be used
in future campaigns an incentive for completing the survey should be considered Similar campaigns in
which an incentive is offered to complete the follow-up survey receive a 20-50 response rate on average
Incentives can include one gift card of a significant amount - $50 or more - or smaller incentives available to
every respondent such as a $10 gift cards to local eateries coffee shops or the like Other options include a
prize such as a tablet or electric bicycle
ConclusionThe 2019 Drive Green New Jersey pilot program met or exceeded the program goals The success of the
pilot provides an important benchmark for the efficacy of conducting PEV outreach through test drive
work in support of the states broader zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas reduction goals Each
event produced more than the stated goal of 50 test drives producing a total of 356 test drive experiences
- 56 more than anticipated The data collected through survey work clearly demonstrates the potential
for educational PEV test drive experiences to engage consumers never before exposed to PEVs - 83 of
participants experienced a PEV for the first time at a Drive Green New Jersey event The follow-up survey
revealed 75 of respondents visited a PEV dealership while 81 stated they are definitely or likely to
purchase a PEV as their next vehicle
Education and outreach programs such as Drive Green New Jersey can play an integral role in helping
New Jersey reach the goals set in the multi-state ZEV MOU The state would most certainly benefit from
an expanded program in 2020 and years following An expanded program would reach a much larger
swath of New Jersey residents and allow the production team to produce events in all regions of the state
Additionally as the successful program grows dealers throughout the state will become more engaged
and eager to participate as their understanding of the customer engagement opportunity afforded by
their participation grows Similarly the campaign will serve as an opportunity for NJDEP to expand
relationships in the PEV space including engaging charging infrastructure partners energy efficiency
partners and more These partnerships will allow NJDEP to leverage the events into even more impactful
educational opportunities
PRODUCED BY2019 DRIVE GREEN NEW JERSEY FINAL REPORT
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 7
356 Test Drives
+ =Total EV Experiences By the Numbers
136 Passengers
492 EV Experiences
351 Unique Drivers
Seacaucus Green Fair
Bristol-Myer Squibb Lawrenceville
Bristol-Myer Squibb Princeton-Pike
Sustainable Princeton Green FEST
54
88
131
83
Seacaucus Green Fair
Bristol-Myer Squibb Lawrenceville
Bristol-Myer Squibb Princeton-Pike
Sustainable Princeton Green FEST
30
36
32
38
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 8
2019 Partners
2019 Hosts
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 9
Media Report Of the four PEV test drive events two were held at community
gatherings the Secaucus Green Festival and Princeton GreenFEST
These events received attention on social media on Facebook and
Twitter as well as news outlets such as the New Jersey Patch
Between news and social outlets promotion for the Secaucus
Green Festival on May 4th produced impressions estimated
in the millions Social media promotion responsible for over
65000 impressions included the Town of Secaucus Facebook
event page where 1000 people registered as ldquointerestedrdquo in
attending Other social posts include the NJDEP Air Quality
Energy amp Sustainability Facebook page NJDEP Twitter posts
Natural Awakenings Magazine promotion on Facebook as
well as posts from the North Jersey Transportation Planning
Authority and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities News
coverage responsible for impressions in the millions included
at least two mentions on New Jersey Patch and NJcom The
event could also be found on third-party websites including the
Environmental Protection Agency
Social promotion for Princeton GreenFEST on May 11th totaled
an estimated reach of 30500 The test drive was promoted
on Facebook and Twitter by Princeton Magazine Town Topics
Princeton Online and a Princeton Public Library Facebook
event page Follow up posts included a thank you from
Sustainable Princeton on Facebook News coverage with a
reach of over 250000 included an InsiderNJcom blog on
Sustainable Princeton and an article in Princeton Online The
event could also be found on websites such as Eventbrite
Princeton University Sustainable Princeton Stand Central NJ
Princeton Primer and the Princeton Library
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 10
DealershipVehicle Participation amp Representation Throughout the course of the 2019 campaign seven individual dealers participated Of those three dealers
attended multiple events The vehicles featured across the four events included ten models offered by six
manufacturers
Volvo XC90 T8
Audi e-tron Ford Fusion Energi Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid
Nissan LEAF Tesla Model 3 Tesla Model S
Tesla Model X Volvo S60 T8 Volvo XC60 T8
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 11
Reviews amp Feedback
Key Takeaways
Charging InfrastructureFuture campaigns will benefit from the opportunity to incorporate more in-depth educational resources
on the availability and functionality of various charging infrastructure options Survey data from the events
underscore that vehicle range and charging infrastructure are top barriers to PEV adoption
Of all the participants 72 stated that finding charging infrastructure on the road was a
barrier in purchasingleasing an EV while 58 state recharging time and range of the vehicles
was a barrier in the purchaselease of an EV after their test drives]
Considerations for future campaigns include
1 Partnering with NJDEP-approved EV infrastructure providers to attend events and provide
demonstrations
2 Developing a large-scale map of the charging infrastructure throughout the state to be displayed at
events
3 Developing an interactive activity in which participants are able to go on a ldquoroad triprdquo via PlugShare
and are able to explore various routes with access to charging and
4 Adding a lunch and learn educational session to the workplace event structure
Obtaining VehiclesDealer EngagementOne of the most difficult obstacles the implementation team faced during the campaign
was engaging local dealerships For the final event the production team called upon NJDEP
partner New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR) to assist in confirming
dealers though one of the confirmed NJ CAR dealers was a no-show on the day of the event
Outreach efforts across all four events resulted in a total of twenty six dealers being contacted
Of those twenty six dealers 23 confirmed 50 were unresponsive - even after multiple
attempts to contact via phone and email - and 19 declined due to a variety of reasons
Another 7 of dealers ultimately did not arrive onsite after previously confirming participation
ldquoI canrsquot think of another way to make this Ride amp Drive more
successful Fabulous job with the best impact I could imaginerdquo
Jenny Ludmer
Sustainable Princeton (Host)
ldquoIt was great to have an opportunity for our residents to test drive electric and plug-in vehicles at our Green Festival Our residents loved the opportunity and my team and I were grateful for the chance to work with
the REACH team to make it all happenrdquo
Amanda Nesheiwat
Town of Secaucus (Host)
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 12
Reasons offered for declining to participate included staffing constraints lack of inventory
and lack of interest in attending events Although the dealership outreach portion of pre-
event logistics is often the most time-consuming for the Drive Green New Jersey campaign it
proved especially true and often required multiple points of contact to connect and confirm
participation
Nevertheless after participating in the Drive Green New Jersey events many dealers
became significantly more enthusiastic about participating in future events As with other
regional campaigns additional education experience and customer success resulting
from participating in the campaign will help foster greater involvement from local dealers
Future campaigns would greatly benefit from including a dealer engagement and education
component such as the PlugStar program
Vehicle AvailabilityOf the vehicles that were present at the events five models were plug-in hybrid and another
five were pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) Beyond dealer reluctance to participate in
events campaign staff encountered a lack of BEV inventory throughout the state Due to the
varying needs of each attendee it is important for attendees to experience a wide variety
of both pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Continued efforts to spur greater
vehicle variety will help address the range of options made available After attending events
many dealer representatives stated how they were interested in attending more events and
found the experience beneficial for not only the dealership but for further vehicle exposure
By continuing programs such as Drive Green and NJ CAR New Jersey residents will be able to
familiarize themselves with the technology and increasing the adoption rate of PEVs full stop
Follow-up Survey Response RateOf the 380 potential respondents the follow-up survey was administered to 36 surveys were completed
and submitted The 9 response rate is significantly lower in comparison to other campaigns conducted
in the region - 20 in New York and 21 in Massachusetts - although the administration process remained
the same Initial follow-up survey emails were sent Monday November 4th followed by reminder emails on
Thursday November 7th and Monday November 11th The survey closed on Wednesday November 13th
Due to the low response rate the survey was reopened and additional reminder emails were sent Friday
November 15 and Monday November 16 resulting in four additional responses If surveys are to be used
in future campaigns an incentive for completing the survey should be considered Similar campaigns in
which an incentive is offered to complete the follow-up survey receive a 20-50 response rate on average
Incentives can include one gift card of a significant amount - $50 or more - or smaller incentives available to
every respondent such as a $10 gift cards to local eateries coffee shops or the like Other options include a
prize such as a tablet or electric bicycle
ConclusionThe 2019 Drive Green New Jersey pilot program met or exceeded the program goals The success of the
pilot provides an important benchmark for the efficacy of conducting PEV outreach through test drive
work in support of the states broader zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas reduction goals Each
event produced more than the stated goal of 50 test drives producing a total of 356 test drive experiences
- 56 more than anticipated The data collected through survey work clearly demonstrates the potential
for educational PEV test drive experiences to engage consumers never before exposed to PEVs - 83 of
participants experienced a PEV for the first time at a Drive Green New Jersey event The follow-up survey
revealed 75 of respondents visited a PEV dealership while 81 stated they are definitely or likely to
purchase a PEV as their next vehicle
Education and outreach programs such as Drive Green New Jersey can play an integral role in helping
New Jersey reach the goals set in the multi-state ZEV MOU The state would most certainly benefit from
an expanded program in 2020 and years following An expanded program would reach a much larger
swath of New Jersey residents and allow the production team to produce events in all regions of the state
Additionally as the successful program grows dealers throughout the state will become more engaged
and eager to participate as their understanding of the customer engagement opportunity afforded by
their participation grows Similarly the campaign will serve as an opportunity for NJDEP to expand
relationships in the PEV space including engaging charging infrastructure partners energy efficiency
partners and more These partnerships will allow NJDEP to leverage the events into even more impactful
educational opportunities
PRODUCED BY2019 DRIVE GREEN NEW JERSEY FINAL REPORT
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 8
2019 Partners
2019 Hosts
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 9
Media Report Of the four PEV test drive events two were held at community
gatherings the Secaucus Green Festival and Princeton GreenFEST
These events received attention on social media on Facebook and
Twitter as well as news outlets such as the New Jersey Patch
Between news and social outlets promotion for the Secaucus
Green Festival on May 4th produced impressions estimated
in the millions Social media promotion responsible for over
65000 impressions included the Town of Secaucus Facebook
event page where 1000 people registered as ldquointerestedrdquo in
attending Other social posts include the NJDEP Air Quality
Energy amp Sustainability Facebook page NJDEP Twitter posts
Natural Awakenings Magazine promotion on Facebook as
well as posts from the North Jersey Transportation Planning
Authority and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities News
coverage responsible for impressions in the millions included
at least two mentions on New Jersey Patch and NJcom The
event could also be found on third-party websites including the
Environmental Protection Agency
Social promotion for Princeton GreenFEST on May 11th totaled
an estimated reach of 30500 The test drive was promoted
on Facebook and Twitter by Princeton Magazine Town Topics
Princeton Online and a Princeton Public Library Facebook
event page Follow up posts included a thank you from
Sustainable Princeton on Facebook News coverage with a
reach of over 250000 included an InsiderNJcom blog on
Sustainable Princeton and an article in Princeton Online The
event could also be found on websites such as Eventbrite
Princeton University Sustainable Princeton Stand Central NJ
Princeton Primer and the Princeton Library
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 10
DealershipVehicle Participation amp Representation Throughout the course of the 2019 campaign seven individual dealers participated Of those three dealers
attended multiple events The vehicles featured across the four events included ten models offered by six
manufacturers
Volvo XC90 T8
Audi e-tron Ford Fusion Energi Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid
Nissan LEAF Tesla Model 3 Tesla Model S
Tesla Model X Volvo S60 T8 Volvo XC60 T8
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 11
Reviews amp Feedback
Key Takeaways
Charging InfrastructureFuture campaigns will benefit from the opportunity to incorporate more in-depth educational resources
on the availability and functionality of various charging infrastructure options Survey data from the events
underscore that vehicle range and charging infrastructure are top barriers to PEV adoption
Of all the participants 72 stated that finding charging infrastructure on the road was a
barrier in purchasingleasing an EV while 58 state recharging time and range of the vehicles
was a barrier in the purchaselease of an EV after their test drives]
Considerations for future campaigns include
1 Partnering with NJDEP-approved EV infrastructure providers to attend events and provide
demonstrations
2 Developing a large-scale map of the charging infrastructure throughout the state to be displayed at
events
3 Developing an interactive activity in which participants are able to go on a ldquoroad triprdquo via PlugShare
and are able to explore various routes with access to charging and
4 Adding a lunch and learn educational session to the workplace event structure
Obtaining VehiclesDealer EngagementOne of the most difficult obstacles the implementation team faced during the campaign
was engaging local dealerships For the final event the production team called upon NJDEP
partner New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR) to assist in confirming
dealers though one of the confirmed NJ CAR dealers was a no-show on the day of the event
Outreach efforts across all four events resulted in a total of twenty six dealers being contacted
Of those twenty six dealers 23 confirmed 50 were unresponsive - even after multiple
attempts to contact via phone and email - and 19 declined due to a variety of reasons
Another 7 of dealers ultimately did not arrive onsite after previously confirming participation
ldquoI canrsquot think of another way to make this Ride amp Drive more
successful Fabulous job with the best impact I could imaginerdquo
Jenny Ludmer
Sustainable Princeton (Host)
ldquoIt was great to have an opportunity for our residents to test drive electric and plug-in vehicles at our Green Festival Our residents loved the opportunity and my team and I were grateful for the chance to work with
the REACH team to make it all happenrdquo
Amanda Nesheiwat
Town of Secaucus (Host)
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 12
Reasons offered for declining to participate included staffing constraints lack of inventory
and lack of interest in attending events Although the dealership outreach portion of pre-
event logistics is often the most time-consuming for the Drive Green New Jersey campaign it
proved especially true and often required multiple points of contact to connect and confirm
participation
Nevertheless after participating in the Drive Green New Jersey events many dealers
became significantly more enthusiastic about participating in future events As with other
regional campaigns additional education experience and customer success resulting
from participating in the campaign will help foster greater involvement from local dealers
Future campaigns would greatly benefit from including a dealer engagement and education
component such as the PlugStar program
Vehicle AvailabilityOf the vehicles that were present at the events five models were plug-in hybrid and another
five were pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) Beyond dealer reluctance to participate in
events campaign staff encountered a lack of BEV inventory throughout the state Due to the
varying needs of each attendee it is important for attendees to experience a wide variety
of both pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Continued efforts to spur greater
vehicle variety will help address the range of options made available After attending events
many dealer representatives stated how they were interested in attending more events and
found the experience beneficial for not only the dealership but for further vehicle exposure
By continuing programs such as Drive Green and NJ CAR New Jersey residents will be able to
familiarize themselves with the technology and increasing the adoption rate of PEVs full stop
Follow-up Survey Response RateOf the 380 potential respondents the follow-up survey was administered to 36 surveys were completed
and submitted The 9 response rate is significantly lower in comparison to other campaigns conducted
in the region - 20 in New York and 21 in Massachusetts - although the administration process remained
the same Initial follow-up survey emails were sent Monday November 4th followed by reminder emails on
Thursday November 7th and Monday November 11th The survey closed on Wednesday November 13th
Due to the low response rate the survey was reopened and additional reminder emails were sent Friday
November 15 and Monday November 16 resulting in four additional responses If surveys are to be used
in future campaigns an incentive for completing the survey should be considered Similar campaigns in
which an incentive is offered to complete the follow-up survey receive a 20-50 response rate on average
Incentives can include one gift card of a significant amount - $50 or more - or smaller incentives available to
every respondent such as a $10 gift cards to local eateries coffee shops or the like Other options include a
prize such as a tablet or electric bicycle
ConclusionThe 2019 Drive Green New Jersey pilot program met or exceeded the program goals The success of the
pilot provides an important benchmark for the efficacy of conducting PEV outreach through test drive
work in support of the states broader zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas reduction goals Each
event produced more than the stated goal of 50 test drives producing a total of 356 test drive experiences
- 56 more than anticipated The data collected through survey work clearly demonstrates the potential
for educational PEV test drive experiences to engage consumers never before exposed to PEVs - 83 of
participants experienced a PEV for the first time at a Drive Green New Jersey event The follow-up survey
revealed 75 of respondents visited a PEV dealership while 81 stated they are definitely or likely to
purchase a PEV as their next vehicle
Education and outreach programs such as Drive Green New Jersey can play an integral role in helping
New Jersey reach the goals set in the multi-state ZEV MOU The state would most certainly benefit from
an expanded program in 2020 and years following An expanded program would reach a much larger
swath of New Jersey residents and allow the production team to produce events in all regions of the state
Additionally as the successful program grows dealers throughout the state will become more engaged
and eager to participate as their understanding of the customer engagement opportunity afforded by
their participation grows Similarly the campaign will serve as an opportunity for NJDEP to expand
relationships in the PEV space including engaging charging infrastructure partners energy efficiency
partners and more These partnerships will allow NJDEP to leverage the events into even more impactful
educational opportunities
PRODUCED BY2019 DRIVE GREEN NEW JERSEY FINAL REPORT
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 9
Media Report Of the four PEV test drive events two were held at community
gatherings the Secaucus Green Festival and Princeton GreenFEST
These events received attention on social media on Facebook and
Twitter as well as news outlets such as the New Jersey Patch
Between news and social outlets promotion for the Secaucus
Green Festival on May 4th produced impressions estimated
in the millions Social media promotion responsible for over
65000 impressions included the Town of Secaucus Facebook
event page where 1000 people registered as ldquointerestedrdquo in
attending Other social posts include the NJDEP Air Quality
Energy amp Sustainability Facebook page NJDEP Twitter posts
Natural Awakenings Magazine promotion on Facebook as
well as posts from the North Jersey Transportation Planning
Authority and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities News
coverage responsible for impressions in the millions included
at least two mentions on New Jersey Patch and NJcom The
event could also be found on third-party websites including the
Environmental Protection Agency
Social promotion for Princeton GreenFEST on May 11th totaled
an estimated reach of 30500 The test drive was promoted
on Facebook and Twitter by Princeton Magazine Town Topics
Princeton Online and a Princeton Public Library Facebook
event page Follow up posts included a thank you from
Sustainable Princeton on Facebook News coverage with a
reach of over 250000 included an InsiderNJcom blog on
Sustainable Princeton and an article in Princeton Online The
event could also be found on websites such as Eventbrite
Princeton University Sustainable Princeton Stand Central NJ
Princeton Primer and the Princeton Library
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 10
DealershipVehicle Participation amp Representation Throughout the course of the 2019 campaign seven individual dealers participated Of those three dealers
attended multiple events The vehicles featured across the four events included ten models offered by six
manufacturers
Volvo XC90 T8
Audi e-tron Ford Fusion Energi Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid
Nissan LEAF Tesla Model 3 Tesla Model S
Tesla Model X Volvo S60 T8 Volvo XC60 T8
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 11
Reviews amp Feedback
Key Takeaways
Charging InfrastructureFuture campaigns will benefit from the opportunity to incorporate more in-depth educational resources
on the availability and functionality of various charging infrastructure options Survey data from the events
underscore that vehicle range and charging infrastructure are top barriers to PEV adoption
Of all the participants 72 stated that finding charging infrastructure on the road was a
barrier in purchasingleasing an EV while 58 state recharging time and range of the vehicles
was a barrier in the purchaselease of an EV after their test drives]
Considerations for future campaigns include
1 Partnering with NJDEP-approved EV infrastructure providers to attend events and provide
demonstrations
2 Developing a large-scale map of the charging infrastructure throughout the state to be displayed at
events
3 Developing an interactive activity in which participants are able to go on a ldquoroad triprdquo via PlugShare
and are able to explore various routes with access to charging and
4 Adding a lunch and learn educational session to the workplace event structure
Obtaining VehiclesDealer EngagementOne of the most difficult obstacles the implementation team faced during the campaign
was engaging local dealerships For the final event the production team called upon NJDEP
partner New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR) to assist in confirming
dealers though one of the confirmed NJ CAR dealers was a no-show on the day of the event
Outreach efforts across all four events resulted in a total of twenty six dealers being contacted
Of those twenty six dealers 23 confirmed 50 were unresponsive - even after multiple
attempts to contact via phone and email - and 19 declined due to a variety of reasons
Another 7 of dealers ultimately did not arrive onsite after previously confirming participation
ldquoI canrsquot think of another way to make this Ride amp Drive more
successful Fabulous job with the best impact I could imaginerdquo
Jenny Ludmer
Sustainable Princeton (Host)
ldquoIt was great to have an opportunity for our residents to test drive electric and plug-in vehicles at our Green Festival Our residents loved the opportunity and my team and I were grateful for the chance to work with
the REACH team to make it all happenrdquo
Amanda Nesheiwat
Town of Secaucus (Host)
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 12
Reasons offered for declining to participate included staffing constraints lack of inventory
and lack of interest in attending events Although the dealership outreach portion of pre-
event logistics is often the most time-consuming for the Drive Green New Jersey campaign it
proved especially true and often required multiple points of contact to connect and confirm
participation
Nevertheless after participating in the Drive Green New Jersey events many dealers
became significantly more enthusiastic about participating in future events As with other
regional campaigns additional education experience and customer success resulting
from participating in the campaign will help foster greater involvement from local dealers
Future campaigns would greatly benefit from including a dealer engagement and education
component such as the PlugStar program
Vehicle AvailabilityOf the vehicles that were present at the events five models were plug-in hybrid and another
five were pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) Beyond dealer reluctance to participate in
events campaign staff encountered a lack of BEV inventory throughout the state Due to the
varying needs of each attendee it is important for attendees to experience a wide variety
of both pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Continued efforts to spur greater
vehicle variety will help address the range of options made available After attending events
many dealer representatives stated how they were interested in attending more events and
found the experience beneficial for not only the dealership but for further vehicle exposure
By continuing programs such as Drive Green and NJ CAR New Jersey residents will be able to
familiarize themselves with the technology and increasing the adoption rate of PEVs full stop
Follow-up Survey Response RateOf the 380 potential respondents the follow-up survey was administered to 36 surveys were completed
and submitted The 9 response rate is significantly lower in comparison to other campaigns conducted
in the region - 20 in New York and 21 in Massachusetts - although the administration process remained
the same Initial follow-up survey emails were sent Monday November 4th followed by reminder emails on
Thursday November 7th and Monday November 11th The survey closed on Wednesday November 13th
Due to the low response rate the survey was reopened and additional reminder emails were sent Friday
November 15 and Monday November 16 resulting in four additional responses If surveys are to be used
in future campaigns an incentive for completing the survey should be considered Similar campaigns in
which an incentive is offered to complete the follow-up survey receive a 20-50 response rate on average
Incentives can include one gift card of a significant amount - $50 or more - or smaller incentives available to
every respondent such as a $10 gift cards to local eateries coffee shops or the like Other options include a
prize such as a tablet or electric bicycle
ConclusionThe 2019 Drive Green New Jersey pilot program met or exceeded the program goals The success of the
pilot provides an important benchmark for the efficacy of conducting PEV outreach through test drive
work in support of the states broader zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas reduction goals Each
event produced more than the stated goal of 50 test drives producing a total of 356 test drive experiences
- 56 more than anticipated The data collected through survey work clearly demonstrates the potential
for educational PEV test drive experiences to engage consumers never before exposed to PEVs - 83 of
participants experienced a PEV for the first time at a Drive Green New Jersey event The follow-up survey
revealed 75 of respondents visited a PEV dealership while 81 stated they are definitely or likely to
purchase a PEV as their next vehicle
Education and outreach programs such as Drive Green New Jersey can play an integral role in helping
New Jersey reach the goals set in the multi-state ZEV MOU The state would most certainly benefit from
an expanded program in 2020 and years following An expanded program would reach a much larger
swath of New Jersey residents and allow the production team to produce events in all regions of the state
Additionally as the successful program grows dealers throughout the state will become more engaged
and eager to participate as their understanding of the customer engagement opportunity afforded by
their participation grows Similarly the campaign will serve as an opportunity for NJDEP to expand
relationships in the PEV space including engaging charging infrastructure partners energy efficiency
partners and more These partnerships will allow NJDEP to leverage the events into even more impactful
educational opportunities
PRODUCED BY2019 DRIVE GREEN NEW JERSEY FINAL REPORT
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 10
DealershipVehicle Participation amp Representation Throughout the course of the 2019 campaign seven individual dealers participated Of those three dealers
attended multiple events The vehicles featured across the four events included ten models offered by six
manufacturers
Volvo XC90 T8
Audi e-tron Ford Fusion Energi Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid
Nissan LEAF Tesla Model 3 Tesla Model S
Tesla Model X Volvo S60 T8 Volvo XC60 T8
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 11
Reviews amp Feedback
Key Takeaways
Charging InfrastructureFuture campaigns will benefit from the opportunity to incorporate more in-depth educational resources
on the availability and functionality of various charging infrastructure options Survey data from the events
underscore that vehicle range and charging infrastructure are top barriers to PEV adoption
Of all the participants 72 stated that finding charging infrastructure on the road was a
barrier in purchasingleasing an EV while 58 state recharging time and range of the vehicles
was a barrier in the purchaselease of an EV after their test drives]
Considerations for future campaigns include
1 Partnering with NJDEP-approved EV infrastructure providers to attend events and provide
demonstrations
2 Developing a large-scale map of the charging infrastructure throughout the state to be displayed at
events
3 Developing an interactive activity in which participants are able to go on a ldquoroad triprdquo via PlugShare
and are able to explore various routes with access to charging and
4 Adding a lunch and learn educational session to the workplace event structure
Obtaining VehiclesDealer EngagementOne of the most difficult obstacles the implementation team faced during the campaign
was engaging local dealerships For the final event the production team called upon NJDEP
partner New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR) to assist in confirming
dealers though one of the confirmed NJ CAR dealers was a no-show on the day of the event
Outreach efforts across all four events resulted in a total of twenty six dealers being contacted
Of those twenty six dealers 23 confirmed 50 were unresponsive - even after multiple
attempts to contact via phone and email - and 19 declined due to a variety of reasons
Another 7 of dealers ultimately did not arrive onsite after previously confirming participation
ldquoI canrsquot think of another way to make this Ride amp Drive more
successful Fabulous job with the best impact I could imaginerdquo
Jenny Ludmer
Sustainable Princeton (Host)
ldquoIt was great to have an opportunity for our residents to test drive electric and plug-in vehicles at our Green Festival Our residents loved the opportunity and my team and I were grateful for the chance to work with
the REACH team to make it all happenrdquo
Amanda Nesheiwat
Town of Secaucus (Host)
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 12
Reasons offered for declining to participate included staffing constraints lack of inventory
and lack of interest in attending events Although the dealership outreach portion of pre-
event logistics is often the most time-consuming for the Drive Green New Jersey campaign it
proved especially true and often required multiple points of contact to connect and confirm
participation
Nevertheless after participating in the Drive Green New Jersey events many dealers
became significantly more enthusiastic about participating in future events As with other
regional campaigns additional education experience and customer success resulting
from participating in the campaign will help foster greater involvement from local dealers
Future campaigns would greatly benefit from including a dealer engagement and education
component such as the PlugStar program
Vehicle AvailabilityOf the vehicles that were present at the events five models were plug-in hybrid and another
five were pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) Beyond dealer reluctance to participate in
events campaign staff encountered a lack of BEV inventory throughout the state Due to the
varying needs of each attendee it is important for attendees to experience a wide variety
of both pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Continued efforts to spur greater
vehicle variety will help address the range of options made available After attending events
many dealer representatives stated how they were interested in attending more events and
found the experience beneficial for not only the dealership but for further vehicle exposure
By continuing programs such as Drive Green and NJ CAR New Jersey residents will be able to
familiarize themselves with the technology and increasing the adoption rate of PEVs full stop
Follow-up Survey Response RateOf the 380 potential respondents the follow-up survey was administered to 36 surveys were completed
and submitted The 9 response rate is significantly lower in comparison to other campaigns conducted
in the region - 20 in New York and 21 in Massachusetts - although the administration process remained
the same Initial follow-up survey emails were sent Monday November 4th followed by reminder emails on
Thursday November 7th and Monday November 11th The survey closed on Wednesday November 13th
Due to the low response rate the survey was reopened and additional reminder emails were sent Friday
November 15 and Monday November 16 resulting in four additional responses If surveys are to be used
in future campaigns an incentive for completing the survey should be considered Similar campaigns in
which an incentive is offered to complete the follow-up survey receive a 20-50 response rate on average
Incentives can include one gift card of a significant amount - $50 or more - or smaller incentives available to
every respondent such as a $10 gift cards to local eateries coffee shops or the like Other options include a
prize such as a tablet or electric bicycle
ConclusionThe 2019 Drive Green New Jersey pilot program met or exceeded the program goals The success of the
pilot provides an important benchmark for the efficacy of conducting PEV outreach through test drive
work in support of the states broader zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas reduction goals Each
event produced more than the stated goal of 50 test drives producing a total of 356 test drive experiences
- 56 more than anticipated The data collected through survey work clearly demonstrates the potential
for educational PEV test drive experiences to engage consumers never before exposed to PEVs - 83 of
participants experienced a PEV for the first time at a Drive Green New Jersey event The follow-up survey
revealed 75 of respondents visited a PEV dealership while 81 stated they are definitely or likely to
purchase a PEV as their next vehicle
Education and outreach programs such as Drive Green New Jersey can play an integral role in helping
New Jersey reach the goals set in the multi-state ZEV MOU The state would most certainly benefit from
an expanded program in 2020 and years following An expanded program would reach a much larger
swath of New Jersey residents and allow the production team to produce events in all regions of the state
Additionally as the successful program grows dealers throughout the state will become more engaged
and eager to participate as their understanding of the customer engagement opportunity afforded by
their participation grows Similarly the campaign will serve as an opportunity for NJDEP to expand
relationships in the PEV space including engaging charging infrastructure partners energy efficiency
partners and more These partnerships will allow NJDEP to leverage the events into even more impactful
educational opportunities
PRODUCED BY2019 DRIVE GREEN NEW JERSEY FINAL REPORT
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 11
Reviews amp Feedback
Key Takeaways
Charging InfrastructureFuture campaigns will benefit from the opportunity to incorporate more in-depth educational resources
on the availability and functionality of various charging infrastructure options Survey data from the events
underscore that vehicle range and charging infrastructure are top barriers to PEV adoption
Of all the participants 72 stated that finding charging infrastructure on the road was a
barrier in purchasingleasing an EV while 58 state recharging time and range of the vehicles
was a barrier in the purchaselease of an EV after their test drives]
Considerations for future campaigns include
1 Partnering with NJDEP-approved EV infrastructure providers to attend events and provide
demonstrations
2 Developing a large-scale map of the charging infrastructure throughout the state to be displayed at
events
3 Developing an interactive activity in which participants are able to go on a ldquoroad triprdquo via PlugShare
and are able to explore various routes with access to charging and
4 Adding a lunch and learn educational session to the workplace event structure
Obtaining VehiclesDealer EngagementOne of the most difficult obstacles the implementation team faced during the campaign
was engaging local dealerships For the final event the production team called upon NJDEP
partner New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR) to assist in confirming
dealers though one of the confirmed NJ CAR dealers was a no-show on the day of the event
Outreach efforts across all four events resulted in a total of twenty six dealers being contacted
Of those twenty six dealers 23 confirmed 50 were unresponsive - even after multiple
attempts to contact via phone and email - and 19 declined due to a variety of reasons
Another 7 of dealers ultimately did not arrive onsite after previously confirming participation
ldquoI canrsquot think of another way to make this Ride amp Drive more
successful Fabulous job with the best impact I could imaginerdquo
Jenny Ludmer
Sustainable Princeton (Host)
ldquoIt was great to have an opportunity for our residents to test drive electric and plug-in vehicles at our Green Festival Our residents loved the opportunity and my team and I were grateful for the chance to work with
the REACH team to make it all happenrdquo
Amanda Nesheiwat
Town of Secaucus (Host)
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 12
Reasons offered for declining to participate included staffing constraints lack of inventory
and lack of interest in attending events Although the dealership outreach portion of pre-
event logistics is often the most time-consuming for the Drive Green New Jersey campaign it
proved especially true and often required multiple points of contact to connect and confirm
participation
Nevertheless after participating in the Drive Green New Jersey events many dealers
became significantly more enthusiastic about participating in future events As with other
regional campaigns additional education experience and customer success resulting
from participating in the campaign will help foster greater involvement from local dealers
Future campaigns would greatly benefit from including a dealer engagement and education
component such as the PlugStar program
Vehicle AvailabilityOf the vehicles that were present at the events five models were plug-in hybrid and another
five were pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) Beyond dealer reluctance to participate in
events campaign staff encountered a lack of BEV inventory throughout the state Due to the
varying needs of each attendee it is important for attendees to experience a wide variety
of both pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Continued efforts to spur greater
vehicle variety will help address the range of options made available After attending events
many dealer representatives stated how they were interested in attending more events and
found the experience beneficial for not only the dealership but for further vehicle exposure
By continuing programs such as Drive Green and NJ CAR New Jersey residents will be able to
familiarize themselves with the technology and increasing the adoption rate of PEVs full stop
Follow-up Survey Response RateOf the 380 potential respondents the follow-up survey was administered to 36 surveys were completed
and submitted The 9 response rate is significantly lower in comparison to other campaigns conducted
in the region - 20 in New York and 21 in Massachusetts - although the administration process remained
the same Initial follow-up survey emails were sent Monday November 4th followed by reminder emails on
Thursday November 7th and Monday November 11th The survey closed on Wednesday November 13th
Due to the low response rate the survey was reopened and additional reminder emails were sent Friday
November 15 and Monday November 16 resulting in four additional responses If surveys are to be used
in future campaigns an incentive for completing the survey should be considered Similar campaigns in
which an incentive is offered to complete the follow-up survey receive a 20-50 response rate on average
Incentives can include one gift card of a significant amount - $50 or more - or smaller incentives available to
every respondent such as a $10 gift cards to local eateries coffee shops or the like Other options include a
prize such as a tablet or electric bicycle
ConclusionThe 2019 Drive Green New Jersey pilot program met or exceeded the program goals The success of the
pilot provides an important benchmark for the efficacy of conducting PEV outreach through test drive
work in support of the states broader zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas reduction goals Each
event produced more than the stated goal of 50 test drives producing a total of 356 test drive experiences
- 56 more than anticipated The data collected through survey work clearly demonstrates the potential
for educational PEV test drive experiences to engage consumers never before exposed to PEVs - 83 of
participants experienced a PEV for the first time at a Drive Green New Jersey event The follow-up survey
revealed 75 of respondents visited a PEV dealership while 81 stated they are definitely or likely to
purchase a PEV as their next vehicle
Education and outreach programs such as Drive Green New Jersey can play an integral role in helping
New Jersey reach the goals set in the multi-state ZEV MOU The state would most certainly benefit from
an expanded program in 2020 and years following An expanded program would reach a much larger
swath of New Jersey residents and allow the production team to produce events in all regions of the state
Additionally as the successful program grows dealers throughout the state will become more engaged
and eager to participate as their understanding of the customer engagement opportunity afforded by
their participation grows Similarly the campaign will serve as an opportunity for NJDEP to expand
relationships in the PEV space including engaging charging infrastructure partners energy efficiency
partners and more These partnerships will allow NJDEP to leverage the events into even more impactful
educational opportunities
PRODUCED BY2019 DRIVE GREEN NEW JERSEY FINAL REPORT
2019 Drive Green New Jersey Final Report 12
Reasons offered for declining to participate included staffing constraints lack of inventory
and lack of interest in attending events Although the dealership outreach portion of pre-
event logistics is often the most time-consuming for the Drive Green New Jersey campaign it
proved especially true and often required multiple points of contact to connect and confirm
participation
Nevertheless after participating in the Drive Green New Jersey events many dealers
became significantly more enthusiastic about participating in future events As with other
regional campaigns additional education experience and customer success resulting
from participating in the campaign will help foster greater involvement from local dealers
Future campaigns would greatly benefit from including a dealer engagement and education
component such as the PlugStar program
Vehicle AvailabilityOf the vehicles that were present at the events five models were plug-in hybrid and another
five were pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) Beyond dealer reluctance to participate in
events campaign staff encountered a lack of BEV inventory throughout the state Due to the
varying needs of each attendee it is important for attendees to experience a wide variety
of both pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Continued efforts to spur greater
vehicle variety will help address the range of options made available After attending events
many dealer representatives stated how they were interested in attending more events and
found the experience beneficial for not only the dealership but for further vehicle exposure
By continuing programs such as Drive Green and NJ CAR New Jersey residents will be able to
familiarize themselves with the technology and increasing the adoption rate of PEVs full stop
Follow-up Survey Response RateOf the 380 potential respondents the follow-up survey was administered to 36 surveys were completed
and submitted The 9 response rate is significantly lower in comparison to other campaigns conducted
in the region - 20 in New York and 21 in Massachusetts - although the administration process remained
the same Initial follow-up survey emails were sent Monday November 4th followed by reminder emails on
Thursday November 7th and Monday November 11th The survey closed on Wednesday November 13th
Due to the low response rate the survey was reopened and additional reminder emails were sent Friday
November 15 and Monday November 16 resulting in four additional responses If surveys are to be used
in future campaigns an incentive for completing the survey should be considered Similar campaigns in
which an incentive is offered to complete the follow-up survey receive a 20-50 response rate on average
Incentives can include one gift card of a significant amount - $50 or more - or smaller incentives available to
every respondent such as a $10 gift cards to local eateries coffee shops or the like Other options include a
prize such as a tablet or electric bicycle
ConclusionThe 2019 Drive Green New Jersey pilot program met or exceeded the program goals The success of the
pilot provides an important benchmark for the efficacy of conducting PEV outreach through test drive
work in support of the states broader zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas reduction goals Each
event produced more than the stated goal of 50 test drives producing a total of 356 test drive experiences
- 56 more than anticipated The data collected through survey work clearly demonstrates the potential
for educational PEV test drive experiences to engage consumers never before exposed to PEVs - 83 of
participants experienced a PEV for the first time at a Drive Green New Jersey event The follow-up survey
revealed 75 of respondents visited a PEV dealership while 81 stated they are definitely or likely to
purchase a PEV as their next vehicle
Education and outreach programs such as Drive Green New Jersey can play an integral role in helping
New Jersey reach the goals set in the multi-state ZEV MOU The state would most certainly benefit from
an expanded program in 2020 and years following An expanded program would reach a much larger
swath of New Jersey residents and allow the production team to produce events in all regions of the state
Additionally as the successful program grows dealers throughout the state will become more engaged
and eager to participate as their understanding of the customer engagement opportunity afforded by
their participation grows Similarly the campaign will serve as an opportunity for NJDEP to expand
relationships in the PEV space including engaging charging infrastructure partners energy efficiency
partners and more These partnerships will allow NJDEP to leverage the events into even more impactful
educational opportunities
PRODUCED BY2019 DRIVE GREEN NEW JERSEY FINAL REPORT
work in support of the states broader zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas reduction goals Each
event produced more than the stated goal of 50 test drives producing a total of 356 test drive experiences
- 56 more than anticipated The data collected through survey work clearly demonstrates the potential
for educational PEV test drive experiences to engage consumers never before exposed to PEVs - 83 of
participants experienced a PEV for the first time at a Drive Green New Jersey event The follow-up survey
revealed 75 of respondents visited a PEV dealership while 81 stated they are definitely or likely to
purchase a PEV as their next vehicle
Education and outreach programs such as Drive Green New Jersey can play an integral role in helping
New Jersey reach the goals set in the multi-state ZEV MOU The state would most certainly benefit from
an expanded program in 2020 and years following An expanded program would reach a much larger
swath of New Jersey residents and allow the production team to produce events in all regions of the state
Additionally as the successful program grows dealers throughout the state will become more engaged
and eager to participate as their understanding of the customer engagement opportunity afforded by
their participation grows Similarly the campaign will serve as an opportunity for NJDEP to expand
relationships in the PEV space including engaging charging infrastructure partners energy efficiency
partners and more These partnerships will allow NJDEP to leverage the events into even more impactful
educational opportunities
PRODUCED BY2019 DRIVE GREEN NEW JERSEY FINAL REPORT
