Rows of brand new Porsche electric vehicles and reliable Rivians lined up near the University Student Union (USU) for the fourth annual EV Car Show on Wednesday, April 9 in efforts to share the importance of sustainable transportation.
Hosted by the Institute for Sustainability and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the event allowed students to explore inside some of the auto industry’s most reliable electric vehicle car makers including Tesla, Polestar and Lucid Motors.
“Our plan is to expose people to more electric vehicles,” said Yan Searcy, dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences. “We want it to be an immersive experience.”
Searcy said that car shows provide each brand the opportunity to showcase vehicle features such as off-road capabilities and capacity loads.
Students who presented a driver’s license to motor companies were given privileges to test drive vehicles, including the Tesla Cyber Truck and the Polestar 3 model.
A portion of Matador Way was closed off to allow test drivers to play with features like the Sport Mode+ on the Porsche Macan Turbo Electric, which increases speed from 0-60 miles per hour in just 3.1 seconds.
CSUN Ritchie Mardragon, who currently drives a gas vehicle, said the possibility of owning an electric car is not out of the question.
“It’s almost a no-brainer for me to think about it later down the line,” said Mardragon, who tested the Lucid Air model.
CSUN student Jordan Amaral shared that while he is not in the market for a new vehicle, he may consider purchasing an electric vehicle in the future. For Amaral, the affordability in electric vehicles seems far more appealing than purchasing a gas vehicle.
“I’d say gas prices rising has given me more thought [into purchasing an EV] and they will definitely get higher,” he said.
According to data from the United States Energy Information Administration, average gas prices in California have risen from $4.65 in early March to $4.84 as of recent.
Tesla sales supervisor Erik Norris applauded CSUN for housing highly skilled engineering students.
“Because we’re leaders in [the industry], we tend to bring on the best talent and the best talent comes from CSUN,” said Norris.
CSUN’s commitment to lowering its carbon footprint by 2040 has been acknowledged by Tree Campus USA and The Princeton Review: Guide to Green Schools.
To support electric vehicle use, CSUN has installed 90 EV charging stations across 10 parking structures while also expanding electrification of the campus police vehicle fleet.
