CLEAR LAKE, Iowa – Pritchard EV, a division of Pritchard Companies, has been a stakeholder in the automotive industry for generations. At the beginning of 2021, Pritchard EV set out to demonstrate its leadership role in multimodal electric vehicle distribution and EV charging implementation around the country.
The tour hinged on an idea that creating a better world starts at the community level. The team visited 28 key markets throughout the country, featuring products from Polestar, Workhorse, Endera, CAKE bikes, Ford, Audi, ChargePoint and more to help bring electric vehicles to the market, all while bringing support to disadvantaged communities. Within Pritchard’s core values, they believe that consistent, small actions lead to big change. During each stop, the Pritchard EV team made a meaningful donation to a local nonprofit organization and conversed with community leaders to educate on why electrification can change everything at the macro and micro level.
After meeting with grassroots community organizations, Pritchard met with City Officials, legislators, EV Partners and Fortune 500 businesses to unify their message: all pillars within each community need to work in tandem to build the resources needed to fully adopt electrification. By bringing together all stakeholders of the community, each party could understand their role in a collaborative effort to build a sustainable future.
To cap off a historic tour, on 2.22.22 Pritchard EV celebrated bringing electric vehicles to North Iowa in scale. Hundreds of EVs arrived to Clear Lake, IA only to meet subzero temperatures and minimal charging infrastructure. Winnebago Industries joined in the effort, providing access to their Rally Grounds Activity Complex, with enough space and electrical hookups to accommodate over 1,300 EVs. ChargePoint enhanced the infrastructure, sending 2 portable DC Fast Chargers and our utility partner ensured power was available on site. Together, these organizations demonstrated the importance of collaboration between companies and resources as the singular way to accelerate our adoption of electrification.
“Our family has been a leader within the automotive industry for decades. Seven years ago, we turned our efforts to electrification, working with customers both domestically and globally to build best practices. It’s evident that the world is craving a more sustainable way of transportation. Thanks to the Purpose-Built Tour, we’ve been able to put Iowa and the Pritchard team in the forefront of commercial electrification.” – Ryan Pritchard, Chief Revenue Officer.
Applying lessons learned from the Tour paid off, with new electric vehicle registrations doubling their internal combustion counterparts (Source: New Car Reg Data, Clear Lake, IA, Dec 2021). While it may be a small market, this is a big statement. Through collaboration, we can accelerate a transition to electrified mobility and reduce the climate impact on our communities.
