September 28, 2023

FirstEnergy’s booth at the Canfield Fair featured an electric Volvo

Megan Bentz helps customers find public charging stations ChooseEV.

Since EVs don’t have a combustion engine, they feature a “frunk” or front trunk – an extra space to put things.

You might not expect to see a booth from your electric company at the county fair, but customers in Canfield, Ohio, and York, Pennsylvania, did just that. Located in our Ohio Edison and Met-Ed service territories, respectively, FirstEnergy’s Transportation Electrification team set up a booth at the two fairs to talk with customers about making the switch to an electric vehicle.

“Our goal is to interact with as many customers as possible to share information about electric cars and answer their questions,” said Megan Bentz, associate business analyst, Customer Policy and Solutions. “We were also able to introduce customers to a great resource on our website called ChooseEV – it’s filled with helpful information for those interested in learning more about electric vehicles.”

The team estimates they interacted with 7,500 customers between the two events.

“The number one thing people ask about is charging,” said Sarah Haas, senior business analyst, Customer Policy and Solutions. “They are surprised to learn that typically 80% of charging is done at home, and many drivers can recharge their daily electric car battery consumption overnight by plugging into a standard 120-volt outlet.”

It’s not always about electric cars, though. The team fielded questions about shopping for electricity and the FirstEnergy line worker apprentice program. “People genuinely want to talk to us. Customers even stopped by to say thank you for the restoration efforts after the August storms,” added Sarah.

The team would like to thank the 35 current and former employees who helped by staffing the booths and assisting customers at both events.

“Their commitment made sure our presence was strong, and we are grateful for the hours they volunteered helping us,” added Sarah.

Interested in exploring EVs? Take a look at FirstEnergy’s EV Driven web page.