Reflections from the Road: Signing Off as EVA President
By Elaine Borseth
As my term as president of the Electric Vehicle Association comes to a close, I want to express what a true honor and privilege it has been to serve. Over the years, I’ve had the chance to witness — and help shape — the rapid evolution of EV technology, infrastructure, and advocacy. It’s been a deeply rewarding journey.
One of the highlights of my tenure was capping it off with a coast-to-coast EV road trip to attend our annual meeting in Schenectady, New York — a fitting tribute to the progress we've made in EV adoption and infrastructure. A heartfelt thank you goes to Kate Kruk, our new vice president, for organizing such a dynamic and inspiring weekend.
The road took me through some incredible moments: visiting friends and family, attending the EOPA Energy Security Summit in Washington D.C., lunch with new EVA board member Elvia Thompson in Annapolis, and exploring stunning natural wonders from the Berkshires to Rehoboth Beach to Nashville, Memphis, Telluride, to Amarillo, Taos, Canyonlands National Park, Goblin Valley State Park, and Sundance, Utah. It was my eighth electric cross-country trip, but a powerful reminder of how electric vehicles make long-distance travel not only possible, but enjoyable. Full self-driving has improved by leaps and bounds making the trip so easy - I let the car navigate the highway, exits, turns, and roundabouts.
When I completed my first all-electric cross-country road trip back in 2015, each stop required a 40-minute (or more) charging break. This time? Most stops were 15-20 minutes — just enough time to stretch my legs and grab a snack. Charging overnight at hotels, motels, Airbnbs, or resorts added incredible convenience, and moments like discovering a Tesla Model 3 and the new Tesla Juniper Model Y available for self-service test drives at the Holiday Inn Express in Green River, Utah showed just how far mainstream EV culture has come. (And yes, I had to take the Juniper Y for a spin — what a ride! Even smoother and more refined than its predecessors.)
The final leg home from Sundance to Cardiff showed an 11+ hour drive but required just 3 charging stops, 11, 15 and 17 minutes - absolutely amazing!
As I shift gears into the next chapter, I’m excited to share more reflections on what a difference a decade of electric driving has made. The road ahead is bright, and I look forward to continuing to champion clean transportation in new ways.
The journey continues.
