Electrify Expo Expands to Demo Days, With Ride & Drive Sponsored by Hankook Tires

Don’t miss Demo Days, June 27-28 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles, California.

Electrify Expo, North America’s largest electric vehicle festival, is expanding its reach in 2026 with the launch of Demo Days, a new event series focused on making test drives more accessible. The new format builds on the success of the company’s annual festival by creating dedicated ride-and-drive events where consumers can spend more time behind the wheel of the latest vehicles without the crowds typically associated with large expos.

Demo Days is not limited to electric vehicles. The event welcomes every type of vehicle and powertrain, including gasoline, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric models. Attendees can explore and test drive cars, trucks, motorcycles, e-bikes, UTVs, and other vehicles. Within the larger event, Electrify Expo serves as a dedicated premium area for shoppers specifically interested in hybrid and electric vehicles, while the overall festival offers something for enthusiasts of every type of transportation.

One of most exciting attractions for 2026 is Hankook’s Auto Alley Ride & Drive Zone. Visitors can experience vehicles equipped with Hankook’s iON line of EV-specific tires, which are engineered to reduce road noise, improve driving range through lower rolling resistance, extend tread life, and enhance vehicle stability. The partnership highlights how components beyond the vehicle itself contribute to EV performance and ownership experience.

How Hankook’s iON Tires Are Engineered for Electric Vehicles

As electric vehicles continue to grow in popularity, tire manufacturers are developing products specifically engineered to meet the unique demands of EVs. Hankook’s iON tire lineup is one example, offering technology designed to improve efficiency, durability, ride comfort, and handling.

Unlike conventional tires, EV tires must support heavier battery packs while helping maximize driving range and minimizing road noise, which is more noticeable without an internal combustion engine. Hankook says its iON tires were engineered to address these challenges by focusing on four key areas: low rolling resistance, reduced noise, extended tread life, and improved grip.

According to the company, testing found the iON tires delivered an 18% reduction in road noise compared to conventional tires, helping create a quieter cabin. The tires also provided a 15% longer tread life to better withstand the additional weight of electric vehicles, along with 10% greater driving stability. Lower rolling resistance contributed to as much as a 6% improvement in driving range.

Hankook attributes these gains to more than 58 patented technologies incorporated into the iON lineup. Noise Guard technology, inspired by the structure of cornhusks, helps reduce sound levels, while Round Even technology promotes a more uniform contact patch to maximize tread life. Opti-Tread technology minimizes uneven wear, and a low-temperature curing process reduces rolling resistance while improving efficiency.

The iON family includes several models tailored for different vehicle types and driving conditions. The iON evo AS and iON evo AS SUV are designed as all-season options for electric sedans and SUVs. Performance EV owners can choose the summer-focused iON evo, while electric pickup drivers have the iON HT, developed for trucks such as the Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning. For winter driving, Hankook also offers the iON i*cept and the studded iON Nordic ice.

The Demo Days Tour Begins June 27-28 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles

Demo Days will travel to six additional cities after its season opener in Los Angeles, giving EV shoppers and enthusiasts the opportunity to experience Hankook’s EV tire technology while test-driving a variety of electric vehicles and other vehicles.

The tour begins June 27-28 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles, followed by Portland on July 25-26 at Portland International Raceway, San Francisco on August 22-23 at Alameda Point, Philadelphia on September 19-20 at Warminster Community Park, Atlanta on October 10-11 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Dallas on November 7-8 at Texas Motor Speedway, and concludes in San Diego on December 12-13 at Snapdragon Stadium.

Demo Days is designed to simplify the EV shopping experience. Instead of visiting multiple dealerships or scheduling individual appointments, attendees can compare numerous vehicles from different manufacturers in one location. Participants will have the opportunity to drive battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and even compare them directly with gasoline-powered vehicles, providing a valuable real-world perspective for shoppers considering the transition to electric transportation.

Demo Days will also showcase the latest charging technologies, aftermarket accessories, electric motorcycles, e-bikes, and micromobility products. Industry experts, manufacturers, and technology companies will be on-site to answer questions about charging, battery technology, ownership costs, incentives, and other aspects of EV ownership.