Drive Electric Earth Month
Oregon Electric Vehicle Association (OEVA) Test Drive & Information Expo
Portland, OR
Apr 27 2025
Oregon Electric Vehicle Association (OEVA) Test Drive & Information Expo
Portland, OR
Apr 27 2025
| Day: | Sunday, April 27, 2025 NOTE: this event has already happened. |
| Time: | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm PDT |
| Location: | Daimler Truck North America Headquarters Campus Guest Parking: 4085 N Anchor St. Event Site: 4555 N Channel Ave Portland, OR 97208 |
Event Report
The Oregon Electric Vehicle Association celebrates Drive Electric Earth Month each spring and National Drive Electric Month each fall with an EV Test Drive & Information Expo since fall of 2023. These are great events for everyone interested in EVs, from people just thinking about getting their first EV, to experienced EV owners.
Test drives are a key part of the event. Our partnering dealerships provide test drive and static display vehicles, giving potential buyers the opportunity to check out the latest EVs available. At this event we had the participation of local Chevrolet, Ford, Genesis, Kia, Nissan, Polestar, Rivian, and Tesla dealers.
In addition to the new vehicles, over 20 owners volunteered for the day to show their personal EVs and answer questions about them. Among the most unique vehicles were a meticulous and spectacular Fiat 600 electric conversion, a 1910 Milburn Light Electric antique EV (still running!), a Zero Motorcycle, and an early-days Toyota RAV4 EV. There was a wide range of beautiful EVs to see, and interesting enthusiastic owners to talk with.
Daimler Truck displayed their eM2 box truck and eCascadia semi truck. These were huge EVs, and quite a contrast to the tiny Fiat 600. There were certainly a wide range of interesting EVs to check out at the Expo!
At this event we were delighted to welcome six local EV-related businesses pitching their tent and presenting their services, including vehicle repair, charging equipment providers and installers, and charging service billing. We appreciate the participation of these businesses, giving guests the opportunity to talk with local businesses providing helpful EV services.
The site of the event was Daimler Truck North America's headquarters on Swan Island in Portland. This site provides a large parking lot for guest parking, and a large parking lot for the event site with a separate section for test drive cars. Daimler also opens their Headquarters building to us to use a large meeting room equipped with state-of-the-art video projection equipment for presentations. Video recordings of these presentations will be accessible from the Videos page of our website at https://www.oeva.org/videos. This year we had these presentations:
Time Subject Presenter
11:00 EV Lingo That Matters Danny Brasuk, OEVA Member
11:30 China's EVs: Unstoppable? Brian White, FutureAZA YouTube Channel
12:00 EV Charging Tips & Best Practices Rob Grove, President of EV Charge PDX
12:30 Tesla Cybercab: Rethink Everything Brian White, FutureAZA YouTube Channel
1:00 Should You Buy or Lease a New EV? Ken Cornelison, Gen Mgr Kia of Portland
1:30 V2L, V2H, V2G Technology Casey Workman, Co-Owner Milwaukie Electric
2:00 Used EV Purchase Experience Carey Booth, OEVA Member
2:30 Fiat 600 Gas to EV Conversion Summer Schneider, OEVA Member
3:00 Rebuilding a Wrecked Ioniq 5 Patrick Sughrue, OEVA Member
We brought in two excellent local food trucks for the event, Richi's Tacos and Getta Gyro. Attendees received a $10 food discount card at registration, and our volunteers, the staff of participating businesses, and presenters all received complimentary meals.
This event was made possible through the generous support of our sponsors. Our Premier Sponsors: Portland General Electric, and Pacific Power. Our Platinum Sponsors: West Hills & Hilltop Collision Centers, Kia of Portland, Gresham Ford, Platt Auto Group, and Gresham Toyota. Our Gold Sponsors: Dick Hannah Hyundai of Portland, Dick Hannah Volkswagen of Portland, Dick Hannah Nissan, Polestar Portland, Rivian, and Mercedes-Benz of Wilsonville.
And our thanks to Daimler Truck North America for hosting our event, and to Diego Quevedo Daimler Charging Infrastructure Senior Engineer for sponsoring our event within Daimler. We couldn't do it without you!
photo by: Ron Jackson Many electric vehicles to examine at the EV Test Drive & Information Expo! |
Event Description
2025 Drive Electric Earth Month Oregon Electric Vehicle Association
Test Drive & Information Expo
Test Drive A Broad Range of EVs
Test drive a broad range of EVs, from economy EVs to luxury and performance models from many brands. We'll publish the list of vehicles here when we get confirmations closer to the event. There's no better way to get the EV experience than actually driving
the vehicles that you are considering from all the different manufacturers
on the same route and on the same day. Take your time looking over the
display models. Then talk with real owners and get their insights from
daily use for years of those models.
The Oregon Electric Vehicle Association puts on Test Drive and Information Expo
events twice a year, celebrating Drive Electric Earth Month in the
spring and National Drive Electric Month in the fall, to help you find
the best EV for you. For the latest update of the available test drive
vehicles, go to the OEVA website Events page. There you can also find out about our other EV meetings, events and activities for the EV community. There is also an OEVA website Cars page with datasheets for all EVs available in the US.
New Vehicle Display
Adjacent
to the Test Drive area, local dealers display new vehicles for your
inspection. Complementing the test drives, which give you the driving
experience, the new vehicles on static display give you the opportunity
to look them over in detail. Take your time to check out them out and
ask the dealer representatives questions. They can answer questions on
specs and availability and pricing. But to really know what it is like
to own and use the vehicle on a daily basis, you need to talk to real
owners.
Owner Display Vehicles: Real Owners, Real Experience, Real Answers
Ah, the heart and soul of the OEVA! Owners showing their personal
cars, answering guest questions from their real lived experience. For
our guests, you can learn what it's like to live with an EV as a daily
driver and for cross-country road trips. Ask nicely and they're
generally happy to invite you sit in their vehicle while they describe
and show you everything you want to know about living with that EV. And
for owners, every OEVA event is a great opportunity to share in the
camaraderie of the EV community, inclusive of all Makes and Models.
Keynote Presentations from EV Experts
The
Daimler Headquarters building south of the outdoor event space has
state of the art multimedia meeting spaces, and we're making use of them
for presentations on topics for people new to EVs, as well as for
experienced EV owners looking to learn more. Some things are best
experienced, so we have test drives. Some things are best shown in the
vehicle by a patient owner who has real world experience with the EV, so
we many EV owner volunteers displaying their vehicles and answering your questions. But
some topics are best explained in a presentation with photos and graphics. The talks listed below are planned, but the schedule hasn't been set yet. To check out the latest presentation schedule, go to the OEVA website Events page.
Presentations Preliminary Schedule (check for updates at registration on the day of the event)
Time Subject Presenter
11:00 EV Lingo That Matters Danny Brasuk, OEVA Member
11:30 China's EVs: Unstoppable? Brian White, FutureAZA YouTube Channel
12:00 EV Charging Tips & Best Practices Rob Grove, President of EV Charge PDX
12:30 Tesla Cybercab: Rethink Everything Brian White, FutureAZA YouTube Channel
1:00 Should You Buy or Lease a New EV? Ken Cornelison, Gen Mgr Kia of Portland
1:30 V2L, V2H, V2G Technology Casey Workman, Co-Owner Milwaukie Electric
2:00 Used EV Purchase Experience Carey Booth, OEVA Member
2:30 Fiat 600 Gas to EV Conversion Summer Schneider, OEVA Member
3:00 Rebuilding a Wrecked Ioniq 5 Patrick Sughrue, OEVA Member
Gas to EV Conversions
These
labors of love are magnificent one-of-a-kind creations, starting with a
gas vehicle and transforming it for the fuel of the 21st Century.
Curious about what it takes, or are you looking to create your own
special vehicle? People who have done it are there to answer all your
questions, and show you the meticulous work they've done. And if you're interested in Gas to EV conversions, don't miss Summer Schneider's presentation about converting his gas Fiat 600 to electric drive.
Antique Electric Vehicles
It looks like this time around our friends at the WAAAM museum probably won't be able to bring their 1914 Detroit Electric to the event, but OEVA member Myles T. will display his 1910 Milburn Light Electric. It's remarkable how long electric cars have been around, and amazing how far the technology has come in 115 years!
Freightliner eCascadia
See the huge and hugely impressive eCascadia and eM2 at their native home. Our deepest thanks to Daimler Truck North America for hosting the Test Drive and Information Expo.
Food Truck Details! Discount Coupons!
We have two great on-site food carts for the event, Getta Gyro and Richi's Tacos. As a special Thank-You for attending the event, the OEVA will give up to 400 guests a $10 discount coupon
for purchasing food from the on-site food trucks. And for the people who help put on
the event an even better deal: The EV owners who display their vehicle
and answer questions in the Owner Display Vehicles and Conversion
Vehicles areas, the volunteers whose efforts make the event go smoothly,
Keynote presenters, and sponsor and dealer staff, the OEVA will
provide coupons to comp selected meals including a drink. Such a deal!
Free, Convenient Parking
We have a large parking lot at 4085 N Anchor St, Portland, for free guest parking (green rectangle above). The event is open for guests from 10 AM to 4 PM, Sunday April 27th, 2025.
Owner display vehicles and Dealer display and test drive vehicles are at the Event Site at 4555 N Channel Ave, Portland (yellow rectangle above). Please arrive between 9 AM and 9:30 AM for setup, so everything is in place and ready before the 10 AM opening to the public. Other than test drive vehicles, all vehicles are to be on static display until the event closes at 4 PM. If you need to leave earlier or arrive later, please contact OEVA Volunteer Coordinator Ken Hoffman, [email protected], to see if an accommodation can be made in your case. For public safety we only allow moving vehicles in the limited-access Test Drive Vehicles area.
About the Oregon Electric Vehicle Association
The
OEVA is the Portland metro area chapter of the Electric Vehicle
Association. We're a nonprofit (501(c)(3) tax exempt) all-volunteer
group of EV owners and enthusiasts sharing our real-world experience of
EV ownership. We hold fun and educational monthly meetings at EV businesses in the Portland
area, where we learn more about EVs and connect with other EV owners. Through our
meetings, events, and special activities we help build a community of EV owners of all
Makes and Models. Find out about us at our website, www.OEVA.org.
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Registered Attendees
There are currently 301 attendees registered.
Owners of These Vehicles Have Registered To Attend
| Vehicle | Registered |
|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y | 13 |
| Tesla Model 3 | 9 |
| Chevrolet Bolt | 6 |
| Nissan LEAF | 6 |
| Chevrolet Blazer EV | 4 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 4 |
| Fiat 500e | 3 |
| Kia EV9 | 3 |
| Chevrolet Spark EV | 2 |
| Hyundai KONA Electric | 2 |
| Kia EV6 | 2 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQB | 2 |
| Polestar 2 | 2 |
| Polestar 3 | 2 |
| Tesla Model S | 2 |
| Toyota RAV4 Prime 4WD/AWD | 2 |
| Volkswagen ID.4 | 2 |
| BMW i3 | 1 |
| Cadillac LYRIQ | 1 |
| Chevrolet Bolt EUV | 1 |
| Chevrolet Equinox EV | 1 |
| Chevrolet Silverado EV | 1 |
| Chevrolet Volt | 1 |
| Ford F-150 Lightning | 1 |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E | 1 |
| Genesis GV60 | 1 |
| Honda Prologue | 1 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 6 | 1 |
| Jeep Wrangler 4xe | 1 |
| Kia Niro Electric | 1 |
| Milburn Light Electric | 1 |
| Mitsubishi i-MiEV | 1 |
| Other Plug-In Vehicle | 1 |
| Rivian R1S | 1 |
| Tesla Model X | 1 |
| Toyota Plug-in Prius | 1 |
| Volvo XC40 Recharge | 1 |
| Volvo XC60 AWD PHEV | 1 |
| Zero Motorcycle | 1 |
| 39 Models | 88 |
| Vehicle | Registered |
Registered attendees report 3,061,200 electric miles driven.
