Decorah business is helping to promote electric vehicles

A Decorah man is trying to help expand the popularity of electric vehicles.

Peter Awad operates www.evbadges.com, a website designed to promote a unifying badge for the EV community.  Awad has designed and is marketing a badge that can be put onto any electric vehicle.

The badge was used by the manufacturers of the new DeLorean models on a prototype they exhibited at the New York Car Show.  But Awad says it has also been used by owners of the Tesla, the GM Volt and the Nissan Leaf.

Awad says when hybrid cars were first built, some people criticized their designs as being too ugly.  So car manufacturers tried to make their EVs look similar to other cars.  That ended the critical comments about the designs, but it also meant "there's nothing out there to differentiate your car," says Awad.

That's when he stepped in and created the badge.  He sells them through his website.  They come with an adhesive backing, so car owners can buy the badge and apply them to their new EVs. 

Awad says he's donating 10 percent of every sale to "Plug In America," an organization promoting electric vehicles.  "We're interested in promoting electric vehicles," says Awad.

The badge on the prototype DeLorean