Veterans Lead the Charge as EVA Launches Freedom to Drive Electric Campaign
The fight for a cleaner, more secure, American-made energy future gained powerful allies last week. On Tuesday, July 15, the Electric Vehicle Association officially launched its Freedom to Drive Electric campaign with a compelling media conference in Phoenix. The event brought together military veterans, lawmakers, and EV advocates to champion the importance of supporting American-made electric vehicles.
The message was clear and powerful: the freedom to choose an electric vehicle is an American principle worth defending.
A distinguished group of veterans took to the podium, sharing how their military service shaped their perspective on energy independence and national security. They spoke passionately against recent efforts to reduce or end funding and support for the growing EV industry in the United States, calling such moves regressive and un-American.
The speakers, all veterans, included:
State Representative Aaron Marquez, Arizona District 5
JoAnna Mendoza, Marine Corps veteran and executive director of Arizona VetsForward
Vic Petersen, U.S. Air Force veteran
Sue Ritz, Arizona Army National Guard veteran
Ricardo Reyes, Marine Corps veteran and Arizona lead organizer for Common Defense
Their unified voice underscored a critical point: supporting domestic EV manufacturing isn't a partisan issue; it's a patriotic one that strengthens our economy and reduces our reliance on foreign oil.
The event itself presented a testament to American innovation, featuring an impressive lineup of US-built electric vehicles. John Deming from SanTan Ford displayed a new Ford F-150 Lightning. He was joined by a Rivian R1T and vehicles from dedicated local EVA members, including a Chevy Bolt EUV owned by Peter and Rachel Culin and a Lucid Air from Patrick McNamara. Other American-made EVs included a Tesla Model 3 from John Martinson and a Cadillac Lyriq from John Morrill, of the Valley of the Sun EVA chapter. A Ford Mustang Mach-E owned by Hans Klose, also from the VOTSEVA chapter, was also at the event.
“Standing alongside veterans and fellow advocates at the Freedom to Drive event reminded me just how powerful and unifying the push for clean, American-made transportation can be,” Culin said.
The Freedom to Drive Electric campaign is a nationwide effort to ensure that American consumers have the choice to buy electric vehicles, that American workers are the ones building them, and that our nation continues to lead the world in automotive innovation. The voices of those who have served our country led the charge as we launched the campaign this week in Arizona. We have upcoming Freedom to Drive Electric events in Lansing, Michigan and Savannah, Georgia to further amplify the message.
