Electrify Expo, North America’s largest electrical automobile pageant, kicked off its 2022 calendar in California this month as EV curiosity and recognition burgeons.

Attendance on the pageant in Lengthy Seaside on June 3-5 was up practically 40 p.c from 2021 and featured 125 exhibitor cubicles. Occasion organizers stated greater than 25,000 demo rides came about.

“One of many greatest boundaries, if not the most important barrier to EV mobility adoption, is trial. With out trial, we do not create these mild bulb moments,” stated BJ Birtwell, founding father of Electrify Expo. “So we actually dedicate nearly all of our pageant to creating these mild bulb moments as a result of if we create these mild bulb moments, we have pushed that shopper deeper into the acquisition funnel.”

Eric Watson, vice chairman of gross sales operations for Kia Motors America, stated Electrify Expo attendees are important in bringing in new customers.

“Electrify Expo is a major a part of our multicity, experiential advertising technique to attach with self-identified e-curious customers on transferring from conventional fuel engines to EV,” Watson stated. “We shortly acknowledged that these attendees want little or no convincing to make the change. The variety of customers that got here by way of our sales space to see our new Niro and take a look at drive EV6 brings many new homeowners additional down the highway towards Kia EV purchases.”

Although Electrify Expo’s largest viewers resides within the 35-49 age vary, Birtwell stated he has additionally seen an uptick in attendance from youthful crowds.

“We love that it is a household associated occasion. However we do get a big portion of Gen Y and Z which might be coming to the occasion; 16- to 25-year-olds which might be in search of different modes of transportation or for enjoyable. It is a a lot youthful deal and we’ve got to help that,” Birtwell stated.

Birtwell stated the way forward for Electrify Expo would come with extra space for different applied sciences.

“You possibly can’t discuss EVs and never additionally discuss issues like autonomous automobiles, aerial mobility, synthetic intelligence, and a few of these different concepts that come together with the thought of electrical automobiles,” Birtwell stated. “When it comes to the way forward for Electrify Expo, the growth and progress into these areas is a really pure factor that we’re already beginning to see.”