'Largest ever' electric car rally canceled — organizer blames Tesla, Nissan

Just three weeks before the anticipated kickoff, an electric-car rally billed as the largest ever has been cancelled.

The third annual BC2BC all-electric vehicle rally was supposed to run up the West Coast from Mexico to Canada, from August 10 to 17.

Organizers had planned a number of events along the way, including a potentially record-setting gathering of electric cars in California.

However, organizer Tony Williams announced in a Facebook post Thursday that both the rally and the gathering won’t happen this year.

Lack of sponsorship appeared to be the main reason for the cancellation, though Williams’ post listed many disappointments and challenges.

The event apparently attracted interest from potential major sponsors, but none were willing to commit before the cutoff date set by planners.

Williams also expressed “disappointment” with the lack of support from carmakers, specifically calling out Nissan and Tesla for not even mentioning the event on social media.

The rally and gathering were intended for battery-electric cars only.

Extended-range cars like the Chevrolet Volt weren’t going to be allowed to attend, and neither were hybrids, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, or anything that didn’t get its energy solely from a plug.

That probably wouldn’t have been an issue in electric-car friendly California, but a successful event often requires more than eager participants.

Organizers were also forced to move the electric-car gathering from its original location at Long Beach Arena to an alternate site in Irvine before deciding to cancel altogether.

A main goal of the rally was to promote the California portion of the West Coast Electric Highway,–a network of public charging stations running from Washington and Oregon down through the Golden State–but Williams feels California officials are no longer interested in pursuing the project.

As for the possibility of similar events in the future, Williams said they could happen provided a sponsor is willing to commit money up front.

This story originally appeared on Green Car Reports. Copyright 2014