Last weekend was an electrifying one for the residents of Peachtree Corners, Georgia.
The city hosted Electrify PTC, an all-electric car show highlighting the manufacturers and dealers leading the EV space. But it was also a chance to showcase the innovative nature of Peachtree Corners’ infrastructure, said Brandon Branham, Assistant City Manager/Chief Technology Officer for the City of Peachtree Corners.
“We’re starting to see these [electric] vehicles come online. A lot of them are coming into the market, but the consumer is still pretty hesitant about switching to electric…range anxiety is still very much a thing, even though 85% of [people’s] trips are within a 10 mile radius,” he told Hypepotamus.
Electrify PTC brought together both car dealers and 40 individual EV enthusiasts to raise awareness of the expansive EV options currently available and what innovations are in store for the automotive industry. Brands ranging from Audi to Volkswagen were present, while individual owners of Rivians, Teslas, Jaguars – and even a 1982 DMC12 DeLorean fully converted to an EV – were on display.
Manufacturers present included:
- Audi – E-tron and GT
- Chevrolet – Bolt
- Ford – Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning
- GMC – Hummer
- Hyundai- Ioniq
- Karma – Revero
- Kia – EV6
- Porsche – Taycan
- Volkswagen – I.D4
Individual owners brought their own cars, including:
- 1982 DMC12 DeLorean – Full EV conversion using Ampere EV’s Atom Drive System
- Ford – Mustang Mach-E
- Jaguar – I-Pace
- Kia – EV6
- Nissan – Leaf
- Rivian – R1T
- Tesla – Roadster, Model 3, Model S P85, Model X Plaid, Model Y
- Chevrolet – Volt Premier
- Kia – Niro Premium EX
- Toyota – Rav4 Prime
- Jeep – 4XE
- Paul Duke Stem – F24 Racing Electric Race Car – 4th place at the Greenpower USA Talladega National Championship
- Polaris – GEM – Street legal personal transport
The EV Landscape in Peachtree Corners
The fact that major brands and individual enthusiasts were present up at the Peachtree Corners is just another example of the work the city is doing to lead the charge in the EV infrastructure world.
“Over the last three years, we’ve really been focusing on ways to build a sustainable, inclusive infrastructure program for businesses and residents and city services,” Branham told Hypepotamus.
The city installed its first public LTE chargers back in 2014 and is now home to Metro Atlanta’s largest charging hub.
This is on top of the innovations happening around the streets of Curiosity Lab, the city’s 500-acre publicly-funded Technology Park designed to test mobility and smart city technology. It will soon be home to a new mobility hub, which will serve both as a charging area and place to test electric last-mile delivery technology.
The city has attracted transportation startups all the way up to partners like UPS, T-Mobile, and Bosch looking to tackle the next big problems facing the future of mobility. In the EV space, that means much more than just figuring out ways to efficiently expand the national grid and charging options. It also means expanding tap-to-pay options and ensuring office parking lots are prepared for the increased charging options, added Branham.
