I’ve been to a lot of car shows in my life, whether they were put on by dealers or a passionate group of owners. But none of them were quite like the 2025 Electrify Expo that took place in Phoenix April 12-13.
As you can probably guess by the name, the Electrify Expo is all about the power of electricity, specifically when it comes to powering transportation. It doesn’t matter which kind—cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, bikes, scooters, and even skateboards were there under the sunlight at State Farm Stadium.
Before the event formally started on Saturday morning, I attended Ford’s Cars & Coffee event right outside the gates of the expo. Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning owners lined up their vehicles before starting the day with freshly made chilaquiles, orange juice, and, of course, coffee. EV Product Communications Manager Sam Schembari explained Ford’s involvement with the festival and how Mach-E owner feedback influenced the vehicle’s updates for 2025.
Once the Electrify Expo was officially underway, I went to Ford’s booth to learn even more about the 2025 Mustang Mach-E. James Duszkiewicz, Mustang Mach-E Assistant Brand Manager, told me about its new colors and features, as well as the off-road-ready Mach-E Rally. He also recommended I get in line as soon as possible to ride shotgun for some hot laps in a Mach-E GT with the Performance Upgrade, which boosts output to 480 horsepower and 700 lb-ft of torque. Let’s just say that I emerged from the Mach-E impressed . . . and a little woozy.
As a DJ pumped out lively dance music, I ventured further into the festival, which was filled with vehicles from Toyota, Tesla, Lucid, Chevrolet, and more. The EV owners who make up Drive Electric Arizona were onsite to tell people more about their volunteer-driven nonprofit organization and the benefits of plug-in electric vehicles. Co-founder and vice president Peter Culin was kind enough to take me through his group’s history, the ways in which it’s trying to increase access to charging, and the pros and cons of towing a trailer with a Rivian R1S.
At noon, I had the privilege of interviewing Electrify Expo CEO and Founder BJ Birtwell. Among other things, he shared with me his path to electric cars and what his event offers to newcomers to the EV space.
In the early afternoon, I walked to the Electrify Showoff section of the event, where private owners and companies had their EV conversions on display. One of the most unusual builds was a Preserve Watts’ 2022 Ford F-250, which is not only a rolling test vehicle for the company’s hardware, but also CEO Rob Thompson’s daily driver.
Further down the row of conversions was a gorgeous light blue 1966 Jaguar E-Type roadster. Gregg Snow, one of the people involved in the process of switching the Jag from straight-six to electric power, gave me all the key numbers and told me the most satisfying thing about driving the curvy cat.
Before I went to Electrify Expo, I expected a certain militancy from the EV-faithful, a rigid belief that everyone should get an EV or hybrid, and that ICE cars are wrong without exception. The people I spoke with showed me that, in addition to being passionate about electrified vehicles, they were pragmatic and devoted to solutions instead of a side in an argument.
As I said at the beginning of this article, the Electrify Expo was unlike any car show I’d ever been to previously. But it wasn’t a completely foreign experience: I was surrounded by knowledgeable people who love cars.
The next stop on the Electrify Expo’s national tour is Los Angeles, June 21-22. In the meantime, stay tuned to the ClassicCars.com Journal and the ClassicCars TV channel on YouTube for my interviews from the event in Phoenix.
