Clean Fuel Motorcar Rally & Bike Expo
By John Benson
Somewhere in Northeast Ohio there’s a ’70s-looking brown Mercedes station wagon with a bumper sticker boasting the vehicle is run on vegetable oil. No, seriously, there is. This mention isn’t for effect; it’s for something more important. That person is right.
For decades, drivers have driven by scoffing at such a notion. Well, alternative fuels are as popular as ever, making all of us owners of gasoline-guzzling cars feel gluttonous and, gasp, outdated. If you’re looking for a quick refresher course on what’s new, hip and happening in the alternative-fuel world, the Earth Day Coalition, known for its massive Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Earth Day celebrations, and NEO Clean Cities present the inaugural and free Sunset Clean Fuel Motorcar and Bike Rally, which takes place from 5 to 8pm Tue 8/21 at Whiskey Island.
Vehicles expected to be at the event showing off advanced technology include the Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Fatty Wagon, a Tesla Roadster, a Fisker Karma, a Smart Car, a natural gas Honda Civic, grease cars and more. There will also be live music, exhibitor booths, evening sails (weather permitting), a 50/50 raffle and food from the Cracked Mobile Foods and Umami Moto food trucks. Cool Cleveland talked to Clean Transportation Programs Director Elaine Barnes and intern Ben Gallovic about the unique event.
Cool Cleveland: First of all, why is this event happening?
Ben Gallovic: The Clean Cities Program is actually a Department of Energy program. There are nearly 100 coalitions across the country and the main goal of this program is to reduce petroleum consumption, so we promote alternative fuels and renewable energy. The purpose of this event is to get the community excited about alternative fuels and advance vehicle technology. We hope they realize there are a lot of companies in the area that are manufacturing alt-fuel vehicles.
Why is the Sunset Clean Fuel Motorcar and Bike Rally important for Cleveland?
Elaine Barnes: This is important for the area because it will regenerate Cleveland’s wonderful industrial talents. At this event you’ll see many innovations in transportation. Many of them are local and taking national leadership in these innovations, both from the electric and the gas standpoint, and also from the cycling standpoint. We’re at the cusp of a lot of big change. It’ll be a nice full view of what’s going on in the transportation technology. And not only that but, we’re celebrating the lake at the same time. So it’s natural resources and entrepreneurship.
Hmm, do we smell an annual event?
EB: Yeah, in fact Whiskey Island was very excited about it. When they heard about it they said let’s start planning it in the winter and make it a huge thing for next year. They think also their sailing and boating community tends to be very techno savvy, so things like this they will absolutely love.
Doesn’t Clean Cities do something like this at Earth Day at the Zoo?
BG: At Earth Fest every year we do something sort of similar where we have a lineup of all sorts of vehicles. So this event on Whiskey is kind of based on that idea. But it’s more a spin-off of a classic car show, except with alt-fuel vehicles.
Wait, doesn’t a green car show seem like an oxymoron?
EB: It does, doesn’t it? But life is full of paradoxes.
For more information, contact Ben Gallovic at 216-281-6468 x.232, email at bgallovic@earthdaycoalition.org or click here.
Freelance writer John Benson spends most of his time writing for various papers throughout Northeast Ohio.
When he’s not writing about music or entertainment, he can be found coaching his two boys in basketball, football and baseball or watching movies with his lovely wife, Maria. John also occasionally writes for CoolCleveland.com.