Detroit Ride-and-Drive Electric Vehicles this October

The countdown for the entry on the market of electric vehicles is slowly coming to end, yet most of the future EV customers have no idea how EVs drive and ride and, even more, have no means to compare the existing models, as there were few, if none, comparative test drives organized to date.

That is about to change, as the second edition of the Business of Plugging In conference is getting ready to bring together the cars which will become the forefathers of the vehicles of the future. Dubbed the Detroit Ride-and-Drive, the comparative test drives will put those attending behind the wheel of both production and concept cars, to give them a better understanding of what EVs are all about.

It will all go down in between October 12 and 14 along the Detroit River, near GM's Renaissance Center. The cars offered to attendees for a spin are the mainstream electric vehicles like the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, 2012 Ford Focus Electric, 2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric and the 2011 Nissan Leaf.

Less advertised EVs like the 2010 AMP Chevrolet Equinox, Coda electric car, Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid, MINI E, Protean Ford F-150 Battery Electric Test Vehicle and smart fortwo electric drive will also be on the scene.

The Ride-and-Drive event will not be the only highlight of the conference. According to the organizers, automotive, utility, technology, finance and policy leaders will flock to the scene to attend workshops, sessions and other events like "Preparing the PEV Workforce," "Launch 2010: Managing Expectations," and "Reshaping the City: Leading the Local Charge."

Additional details on the event and the industry members attending can be found at the following link.