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Drive Electric
Earth Month Celebration
in Las Vegas, NV
April 4, 2026

Mark D Larsen

It’s hard to believe, but we’ve completed yet another orbit beyond the spring equinox, so it’s time for more Drive Electric Earth Month celebrations. As soon as the Electric Vehicle Association and Plug-In America announced the schedule, I signed up to again participate in the Las Vegas EV’ent. Below is my usual show-n-tell write up about the gathering.

NOTE: You can click on the following photos to enlarge them and the movies to play them.

The night before the EV'ent, I loaded my EV “Rocinante” with all the paraphernalia that I use to display it.

I decided to charge the car to 100%, given its heavy load, although I doubted I would need its full range to reach Las Vegas. As you can see, the “guess-o-meter” displayed a huge exaggeration of 424 miles after weeks of only local driving.

When I started the car, climate control had lowered the "guesstimate" to 420 miles.

I then set the navigation to take me and Moxie to the IONNA chargers in north Las Vegas. I had never charged at one before and wanted to see how easy it would be and what kind of prices they would charge per kWh.

I was amused to see that, as a backed out of the driveway, I could see the moon still up in the night sky.

It had started to dawn when I reached the Utah Mountain Summit. The climb had lowered Rocinante's energy efficiency to only 2.1 miles-per-kWh.

I recorded my usual long-winded video while descending toward Littlefield, AZ.

Here we have reached Littlefield.

Because of the drop in elevation, regenerative braking had boosted our energy efficiency to a whopping 5.5 miles-per-kWh!

If you thought the first video was long-winded, this once drones on and on intolerably!

The sun had finally risen above the horizon, shining right at me in my side mirror.

Yet the moon was still visible in the opposite direction.

Here we are descending to the village of Moapa, about halfway to Las Vegas.

I was delighted to see the huge solar arrays that the Moapa Paiute tribe had erected on their reservation lands.

After reaching Las Vegas, the navigation directed me to take the 215 Interstate to the west, and I could see that Mount Charleston still had a bit of snow on top. I have stayed there in the McWilliams campground.

I arrived at the IONNA chargers, and there was only one other EV owner plugged in.

I had arrived with 52% still in the battery, having averaged 3.2 miles-per-kWh, so charging to 100% was not at all necessary that morning: 80% would have sufficed just fine.

I plugged in, and the IONNA charger predicted that it would take 12 minutes to reach 80% at a rate of 122 kW. This was slower than I had seen at Electrify America chargers, but still relatively quick.

I took Moxie out for a walk while Rocinante finished charging, and she was glad to be able to stretch her legs.

With 1% to go, the rate had dropped to 93 kW, but this was still faster than the 50 kW I had typically seen at Tesla chargers when approaching 80%.

It had taken me two hours and 119.3 miles to arrive at this IONNA site. After unplugging, the guess-o-meter now displayed 306 miles with the 80% charge. As predicted the charge finished after only 12 minutes.

The IONNA screen said that the charge had cost me $5.71. I scanned the QR code to get a receipt, but it only took me to a web page that wouldn't open. Tsk. Nonetheless, I managed to later get a copy of that receipt via e-mail by contacting IONNA's customer service, and was delighted to discover that the pricing was the best I've ever seen: only 20¢ per kWh!

I then drove to the Allegiant Stadium, where I was welcomed to the EV celebration by its organizer, Olivia Burns. It was great to see her again! She is the Environmental Specialist for the Clark County Department of Environment and Sustainability, and has headed up these gatherings several times now. I've gotta say: I don't know how she manages to do such a superb job coordinating with EV owners, vendors, auto dealerships, news outlets, and the venue management. Clark County is fortunate to have her on its staff!

Olivia directed me to a good spot to park, and I started to unload and set up all my paraphernalia. I would have preferred a space open to both the front and the back, but apparently they were all reserved for dealerships and vendors.

Here is what greeted passersby at the back of the car where I offered them free popcorn and ice water. Many were intrigued to learn that the Ioniq 5 has V2L capability to run modest appliances like the popcorn popper off its battery.

And this is what they could see on the front —although few people saw it unless they wanted me to show them Rocinante's frunk.

Moxie was a happy camper in her camp chair, and got lots of pets and head scratches from attendees. I honestly think there were more folks intrigued with her than with Rocinante.

I was delighted that the owners of this 2012 i-MiEV showed up and parked next to me. They have attended these EV'ents for many years, and I first met them at the one in 2013.

It is impressive that, during the ensuing 13 years, they have put this many miles on their i-MiEV. They reminded me that they have a reservation to finally get an Aptera and I sincerely hope they can take delivery of it before the end of the year.

The row beyond their i-MiEV soon started to fill up with other EVs: an F-150 Lighting, an Audi, a Model 3, and a Bolt. The more the merrier!

I walked farther out to get a view to the end of our row, with more EVs lined up.

I then walked ever farther to see the entire row, with some vendors set up next to me.

The row closer to the stadium also had multiple EVs and vendors set up.

Right across from me was a Chevrolet Blazer EV in Radiant Red Tintcoat, one of the most brilliant reds I've ever seen on a car. I believe the white vehicle was a gas Buick Encore, but next to it was a new Lexus RZ electric. The rest of the row next to the Blazer EV suddenly filling up with numerous Teslas, as the Nevada Tesla Owners showed up late, but then left early.

It didn't take long for passersby to accept my free bags of popcorn and wash them down with ice water. I really enjoyed chatting with some people who were genuinely interested in transitioning to an EV, and had favorable impressions of the Ioniq 5.

The Allegiant Stadium is covered in reflective panels of glass, and I could spot my own setup in one of the panes. The gathering ended at 2:00, and participants started to leave, so I began to disassemble my display also. Olivia Burns came over and very kindly offered to help me dismantle and pack up everything. She is a good friend, and I look forward to reading her report about the EV’ent.

I arrived back at the IONNA chargers, having drivin 36.1 miles around the city at 4.2 miles-per-kWh. There was still 73% on the guess-o-meter, but I figured that I might as well recharge to 80%, in case I hit strong headwinds.

This time with 1% left to reach 80%, the charge rate was still at 131 kW.

The 80% charge now guessed a range of 268 miles to reach home.

En route I spotted a field with multiple brackets being set up to eventually support more solar panels. Good for them!

After cresting the Utah Summit, and dropping back down the canyon, I could see the red rock cliffs that serve as a backdrop to the Kayenta suburb where we live.

I pulled into the garage with 50 miles on the guess-o-meter and 23% left in the battery. The miles-per-kWh on the return trip was only 2.8, certainly lower than when driving in the other direction. The headwinds had indeed taken a toll.

There might be another explanation for the lower efficiency average on the return trip. As you can see in the last several displays, the power and regen “graphs” were shaped like shallow troughs instead of the slightly raised canopies that I normally see, shown in the earliest displays up above. I suspect that someone at the EV’ent, when looking over the car, had inadvertently pushed the “Drive Mode” button on the steering wheel and put it into “Normal” mode —which I didn’t even notice until I got home! I always drive in “Eco” mode, which is more efficient.
It was another fun, memorable EV’ent! I just hope that some of the attendees with whom I shared my experience and iPad photos and graphs will indeed make the commitment to get rid of their tailpipes. The planet will thank them!
In two weeks I have again asked the organizers of the Springdale/Zion Earth Day Festival to allow me to display Rocinante there as a registered EV'ent for Drive Electric Earth Month. They have consented and assured me that they’ll reserve a space for me. I’m looking forward to it, as I get to talk to many more passersby when mine is the only EV on display.
Finally, for EV advocates who always want more data, here is a table of the stats for this roadtrip, including a comparison of the fuel costs if I had driven our previous gas Subaru instead of Rocinante:

The night before the EV'ent, I loaded my EV “Rocinante” with all the paraphernalia that I use to display it.	I decided to charge the car to 100%, given its heavy load, although I doubted I would need its full range to reach Las Vegas. As you can see, the “guess-o-meter” displayed a huge exaggeration of 424 miles after weeks of only local driving.
When I started the car, climate control had lowered the "guesstimate" to 420 miles.	I then set the navigation to take me and Moxie to the IONNA chargers in north Las Vegas. I had never charged at one before and wanted to see how easy it would be and what kind of prices they would charge per kWh.
I was amused to see that, as a backed out of the driveway, I could see the moon still up in the night sky.	It had started to dawn when I reached the Utah Mountain Summit. The climb had lowered Rocinante's energy efficiency to only 2.1 miles-per-kWh.
I recorded my usual long-winded video while descending toward Littlefield, AZ.
Here we have reached Littlefield.	Because of the drop in elevation, regenerative braking had boosted our energy efficiency to a whopping 5.5 miles-per-kWh!
If you thought the first video was long-winded, this once drones on and on intolerably!
The sun had finally risen above the horizon, shining right at me in my side mirror.	Yet the moon was still visible in the opposite direction.
Here we are descending to the village of Moapa, about halfway to Las Vegas.	I was delighted to see the huge solar arrays that the Moapa Paiute tribe had erected on their reservation lands.
After reaching Las Vegas, the navigation directed me to take the 215 Interstate to the west, and I could see that Mount Charleston still had a bit of snow on top. I have stayed there in the McWilliams campground.	I arrived at the IONNA chargers, and there was only one other EV owner plugged in.
I had arrived with 52% still in the battery, having averaged 3.2 miles-per-kWh, so charging to 100% was not at all necessary that morning: 80% would have sufficed just fine.	I plugged in, and the IONNA charger predicted that it would take 12 minutes to reach 80% at a rate of 122 kW. This was slower than I had seen at Electrify America chargers, but still relatively quick.
I took Moxie out for a walk while Rocinante finished charging, and she was glad to be able to stretch her legs.	With 1% to go, the rate had dropped to 93 kW, but this was still faster than the 50 kW I had typically seen at Tesla chargers when approaching 80%.
It had taken me two hours and 119.3 miles to arrive at this IONNA site. After unplugging, the guess-o-meter now displayed 306 miles with the 80% charge. As predicted the charge finished after only 12 minutes.	The IONNA screen said that the charge had cost me $5.71. I scanned the QR code to get a receipt, but it only took me to a web page that wouldn't open. Tsk. Nonetheless, I managed to later get a copy of that receipt via e-mail by contacting IONNA's customer service, and was delighted to discover that the pricing was the best I've ever seen: only 20¢ per kWh!
I then drove to the Allegiant Stadium, where I was welcomed to the EV celebration by its organizer, Olivia Burns. It was great to see her again! She is the Environmental Specialist for the Clark County Department of Environment and Sustainability, and has headed up these gatherings several times now. I've gotta say: I don't know how she manages to do such a superb job coordinating with EV owners, vendors, auto dealerships, news outlets, and the venue management. Clark County is fortunate to have her on its staff!	Olivia directed me to a good spot to park, and I started to unload and set up all my paraphernalia. I would have preferred a space open to both the front and the back, but apparently they were all reserved for dealerships and vendors.
Here is what greeted passersby at the back of the car where I offered them free popcorn and ice water. Many were intrigued to learn that the Ioniq 5 has V2L capability to run modest appliances like the popcorn popper off its battery.	And this is what they could see on the front —although few people saw it unless they wanted me to show them Rocinante's frunk.
Moxie was a happy camper in her camp chair, and got lots of pets and head scratches from attendees. I honestly think there were more folks intrigued with her than with Rocinante.	I was delighted that the owners of this 2012 i-MiEV showed up and parked next to me. They have attended these EV'ents for many years, and I first met them at the one in 2013.
It is impressive that, during the ensuing 13 years, they have put this many miles on their i-MiEV. They reminded me that they have a reservation to finally get an Aptera and I sincerely hope they can take delivery of it before the end of the year.	The row beyond their i-MiEV soon started to fill up with other EVs: an F-150 Lighting, an Audi, a Model 3, and a Bolt. The more the merrier!
I walked farther out to get a view to the end of our row, with more EVs lined up.	I then walked ever farther to see the entire row, with some vendors set up next to me.
The row closer to the stadium also had multiple EVs and vendors set up.	Right across from me was a Chevrolet Blazer EV in Radiant Red Tintcoat, one of the most brilliant reds I've ever seen on a car. I believe the white vehicle was a gas Buick Encore, but next to it was a new Lexus RZ electric. The rest of the row next to the Blazer EV suddenly filling up with numerous Teslas, as the Nevada Tesla Owners showed up late, but then left early.
It didn't take long for passersby to accept my free bags of popcorn and wash them down with ice water. I really enjoyed chatting with some people who were genuinely interested in transitioning to an EV, and had favorable impressions of the Ioniq 5.	The Allegiant Stadium is covered in reflective panels of glass, and I could spot my own setup in one of the panes. The gathering ended at 2:00, and participants started to leave, so I began to disassemble my display also. Olivia Burns came over and very kindly offered to help me dismantle and pack up everything. She is a good friend, and I look forward to reading her report about the EV’ent.
I arrived back at the IONNA chargers, having drivin 36.1 miles around the city at 4.2 miles-per-kWh. There was still 73% on the guess-o-meter, but I figured that I might as well recharge to 80%, in case I hit strong headwinds.	This time with 1% left to reach 80%, the charge rate was still at 131 kW.
The 80% charge now guessed a range of 268 miles to reach home.	En route I spotted a field with multiple brackets being set up to eventually support more solar panels. Good for them!
After cresting the Utah Summit, and dropping back down the canyon, I could see the red rock cliffs that serve as a backdrop to the Kayenta suburb where we live.	I pulled into the garage with 50 miles on the guess-o-meter and 23% left in the battery. The miles-per-kWh on the return trip was only 2.8, certainly lower than when driving in the other direction. The headwinds had indeed taken a toll.