National Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Day Odyssey is a biennial outreach and education event dedicated to promoting the use of AFVs and advanced technology vehicles. It is coordinated by the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) headquartered at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Odyssey is comprised of numerous green transportation related events coordinated and hosted by NAFTC members, Clean Cities Coalitions, and others who believe in cleaner, more energy efficient forms of transportation. These local events take place on a designated date every other year throughout the U.S. and in Canada.
Each local event site offers unique activities designed to educate attendees about cleaner transportation technologies and is tailored to the specific needs of the site’s given audience. Examples of such activities include: ride-and-drives, vehicle displays, workshops, demonstrations, panel discussions, trivia contests, automotive lab tours, and EcoCar garage tours.
Additionally, industry experts are often on hand at Odyssey events to answer questions, and educational seminars are frequently featured to provide detailed information about viable alternative fuel options and how they apply to the audiences’ local communities.
Since the inaugural National AFV Day Odyssey in 2002, the number of Odyssey site locations and attendance has grown from approximately 17,000 attendees at 51 events to more than 250,000 individuals attending one of 151 events in 2012. The worldwide recognition of National AFV Day Odyssey has enabled millions of individuals to become aware of the difference alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles can make in our nation’s energy security and our quest for cleaner air.
