Cross-Country Electric Vehicle Road Trip Set to Arrive in St Louis

On September 21st, the “New American Road Trip” will make its way into St. Louis joined by St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson. St. Louis is the third of four stops designed to highlight local climate innovations.

“The New American Road Trip” is an electric-vehicle tour across America that is highlighting stories of the people, cities and emerging technologies that are rewriting the country’s energy future. It is being supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Hewlett Foundation, The JPB Foundation and The IKEA Foundation.

The event in St. Louis will begin at approximately 5 PM at the Cortex Commons on Boyle Ave and Duncan Ave. As part of the tour, “The New American Road Trip” will award $10,000 to local innovators who are addressing climate change with innovative mobility and transportation solutions in the St. Louis community. There will also be an opportunity to View, Ride and Drive Electric Vehicles. This event is free and open to public. Sign up here.

The tour begins on September 14 at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, where summit co-chairs California Governor Jerry Brown, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Action Michael R. Bloomberg, Mahindra Group CEO Anand Mahindra, UN Secretary-General’s Youth Special Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake and UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa will present a call to action signed by city and state officials, and business leaders declaring their commitment to climate action and encouraging more ambitious steps from national and international leaders. The tour will conclude in New York during the UN General Assembly on September 26th, where the document will be delivered to the One Planet Summit, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

“Cities like St. Louis are stepping up and delivering on a mission to create a cleaner, more climate-friendly nation,” said Mayor Krewson. “‘The New American Road Trip’ is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the innovative technologies and strategies being used by the City and its community partners to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a healthier, more equitable and sustainable environment.”

Along the 2,906-mile journey, “The New American Road Trip” will hold marquee public events in Las Vegas, Boulder, St. Louis and Pittsburgh, and award a total of $40,000 to local innovators who are addressing climate change in their communities. Comedians, celebrities, mayors, governors, and many others will hitch a ride and offer a glimpse into how local leaders across the United States are making substantial progress to achieve the climate goals under the Paris Agreement, despite inaction from the federal government. Celebrities and comedians participating in the road trip include actor, singer and activist Aidan Gallagher; actors Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Oscar Nunez; actress and Grammy-nominated singer Antonique Smith; and comedian Jo Firestone.

The tour will also shine a spotlight on women’s leadership and their impact on climate solutions, while highlighting why clean energy is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do as an economic stimulator for communities large and small.

This tour and our local innovator awards were made possible through a partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Hewlett Foundation, The JPB Foundation, The IKEA Foundation and ClimateWorks Foundation which all came together to help show the world Americans are ‘still in’ when it comes to stopping climate change.