Traditional Auto Show Demo Drives Are Killing EV Adoption

EV enthusiasts and early adopters have hyped the thrill of driving electric for many years now, and for good reasons. EVs are faster, have greater acceleration, and offer better handling than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. That is one reason for the tremendous growth in global EV adoption, as well as all-electric racing.

Every traditional automotive show in the United States is now, effectively, an EV show. This is because all of the excitement and focus for attendees has pivoted away from ICE to electric. However, traditional car shows are decreasing the momentum of U.S. EV adoption by not approaching the EV demo correctly.

Electrify Expo Is a Proper EV Car Show

Electrify Expo offers a better alternative, where drivers can experience the full speed and excitement of electric cars and trucks, as well as all kinds of electric micromobility (e-bikes, e-skateboards, and more). For example, the final stop of the 2023 tour in Austin, Texas, transformed the Formula 1 race track at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) into a thrilling EV ride-and-drive.

BJ Birtwell, Founder and CEO of Electrify Expo, said: “Real-world demos in an EV can be the most influential and determining factor for consumers considering making the switch from gas to electric. Yet, instead of delivering on the hype of the EV driving experience, most auto show demo experiences underwhelm their attendees.”

For many car enthusiasts at auto shows, “their first EV driving experience will likely include navigating around concrete pillars, on shiny concrete, on a coned course the size of a football field. … This underwhelming user experience leaves them feeling let down, unimpressed, disappointed.”

By getting behind the wheel of an EV and really being able to feel all that it has to offer, EV skeptics can finally understand the hype.

Helping to Boost EV Adoption

The EV adoption curve, a manifestation of Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory, features five distinct stages. Each stage represents an adopter category with specific behaviors. Most experts agree that the U.S. has moved from the early adopter stage to the early majority stage. Birtwell has noticed this switch to the more mainstream early majority stage of EV adopters through observing attendees of Electrify Expo.

Birtwell continued: “We have entered the next era of EV sales. We are no longer selling to EV enthusiasts and early adopters who need little convincing to ‘go electric.’ Rather, we must sell beyond features and benefits, honestly address the best fit for each consumer based on their circumstances, and utilize the hyper-visceral and emotional driving experience that EVs offer by creating experiences that deliver on that promise.”

Electrify Expo, along with featuring exciting ride-and-drives, Tesla test drives, and more, offers a wide variety of benefits to EV experts, EV enthusiasts, EV shoppers, and the EV-curious. Providing tremendous shopping value for a new EV is one of the many ways Electrify Expo benefits attendees. Shoppers can try out multiple vehicles and speak with multiple highly knowledgeable OEM representatives, all in one day, in one place. 

This same value would require multiple trips to multiple traditional dealerships, but here they can be done all in the same place. The event also enables new EV sales and used EV sales for show exhibitors.

Check the schedule for an Electrify Expo near you today!