Aug. 19, 2015
Silicon Valley-based Electric Vehicle Parade Breaks Guinness World Record
With 507 EVs on site, we were thrilled to have succeeded in breaking the previous world record of 481 EVs, set in Stuttgart, Germany, earlier in the year.
Who created the world's largest commercially available hot dog? Who is the world's oldest gymnast? Since 1955, people have turned to Guinness World Records to learn about the record-breaking feats of seemingly ordinary people, places, and things. Last September, the record-tracking organization declared Cupertino, California, the location of the world's largest parade of EVs.
The record-breaking parade and EV rally were held at De Anza College in conjunction with National Drive Electric Week, a nationwide celebration to heighten awareness about the widespread availability and benefits of EVs. In partnership with the Electric Auto Association of Silicon Valley and software company SAP, Silicon Valley Clean Cities (SVCC) helped recruit regional EV owners to participate in the event, and they turned out in electric-powered droves.
"We reached out to nearly 400 stakeholders as well as employees at a variety of local corporations—Cisco employees alone accounted for 40 participants," said Patricia Tind, SVCC coordinator and director of environmental programs at Breathe California. "With 507 EVs on site, we were thrilled to have succeeded in breaking the previous world record of 481 EVs, set in Stuttgart, Germany, earlier in the year."
Tind is a member of the "Green Team," a consortium of Breathe California, SVCC, and the Electronic Transportation Development Center, which was a gold sponsor of the event.
"We hosted a Hospitality and Education Center with educational information and vehicle displays," Tind added. "Many people were especially interested in a full-size conventional school bus converted to run on electricity generated by solar panels (which was part of SVCC's Zero Emissions Squared Electric School Bus Project)."
Also on display was a two-seater THINK electric vehicle, which features a top speed of 70 miles per hour and a 100-mile range. In addition to creating a THINK Owners' Club to foster a cooperative network of enthusiasts, SVCC worked closely with THINK North America to place nearly 60 vehicles in the area over the last three years.
