National Drive Electric Week
2023 Knoxville Drive Electric Festival
Knoxville, TN
Sep 23, 2023
2023 Knoxville Drive Electric Festival
Knoxville, TN
Sep 23, 2023
| Day: | Saturday, September 23, 2023 NOTE: this event has already happened, find current-year events on the Attend page. |
| Time: | 10:00 am - 3:00 pm EDT |
| Location: | Pellissippi State Community College 10915 Hardin Valley Road Knoxville, TN 37933-0990 |
Event Report
The first day of autumn was just perfect for the 2023 Knoxville Drive Electric Festival. Our goal was for it to be bigger and better than last year. It was. The Knoxville Electric Vehicle Association (KEVA) is grateful to Pellissippi State Community College, Drive Electric Tennessee, and our sponsors (especially Grayson BMW and the UT Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment). Here's a complete list of KEVA sponsors. Please check them out and support them as thanks for their supporting KEVA.- We had 144 plug in vehicles representing 45 models. Once again, a crowd favorite was the Fisker Karma. Models present for the first time included Lucid Air, Nissan Arriya, and Rivian R1S.
- The Ride & Drive area was busy, with 15 cars providing over 300 rides/drives.
- A total of 20 organizations and vendors lined Electric Avenue and spread throughout the rest of the Festival grounds.
- Tennessee Tech (TTU) continued to show off their Rural Reimagined program with a Ford Mustang Mach-E and a Volkswagen id.4. Rural Reimagined lends electric vehicles to people in rural areas to evaluate their effectiveness in meeting their transportation needs. TTU also brought a 100% electric XOS Stepvan from their Medium Duty Truck Pilot Electrification Fleet test program.
- The Performance Stage was powered by a Ford F-150 Lightning courtesy of Ted Russell Ford. WestWend, Y'uns, and the Royal Hounds provided the entertainment.
- Ingenity brought their 100% electric Super Air Nautique wake boat.
- Kincer Chassis returned with their 1966 Ford Bronco fully converted to battery electric.
- The Knox Area Transit electric passenger bus was again very popular (perhaps because of the air conditioning).
- The Kidz Zone featured Ray's Smoky Mountain Face Painting and the Balloon Brothers.
photo by: Jack Goodwin Guests at the 2023 Knoxville Drive Electric Festival talking with the owner of this Rivian R1S. |
Event Description
The Knoxville Electric Vehicle Association (KEVA), Pellissippi State Community College (PSCC), and Drive Electric Tennessee (DET) are working to make the 2023 Knoxville Drive Electric Festival bigger and better. All activities -- vehicles on display, ride and drives, vendors, etc. -- will be held on the PSCC Hardin Valley (Main) Campus at 10915 Hardin Valley Rd, Knoxville. The 2022 Festival was one of the largest National Drive Electric Week events in North America, with 120 EVs representing 40 different models. LET'S DO IT AGAIN IN 2023! Here's a quick tour of the 2022 Festival.
Why You Should Come
- Check out many different EVs in ONE LOCATION.
- DRIVE a lot of EVs in ONE LOCATION.
- TALK to many owners of EVs in ONE LOCATION.
- LIVE MUSIC, FOOD, & KIDZ ZONE.
Attend As A Guest
- WE WANT YOU! (to sign up) to check out the latest EVs!
- Enjoy the largest EV show in the Southeast and beyond. Talk with EV owners and check our their cool rides in the huge Show section. Our ever-growing registration list of EV models is at the bottom of this page. Scroll down and check it out!
- Head to our Ride & Drive section to test drive (or ride) a variety of EVs.
- Check out the EV conversions and business-wrapped EVs section.
- Fun things to see: Ingenity EL 100% electric boat in the Show section. A Ted Russell Ford F-150 Lightning truck powering the PSCC music stage.
- Listen to some great live music! Hailing from the Knoxville and Nashville music scenes are: WestWend (11:00am - Noon), Y'uns (12:30pm - 1:30pm), and The Royal Hounds (2:00pm - 3:00pm.
- Eat yummy foods: Penne for your Thoughts (Italian-American Fusion Food), Kona Ice(shaved ice treats), and La Michoacana Móvil (Mexican ice cream).
- Stroll down Electric Avenue and visit with local businesses and non-profits who share your interest in sustainability.
- RSVP right here.
- WE WANT YOU! (to sign up), if you have a plug-in hybrid or fully electric EV. Have more than one EV? Bring them all (just register each one with a different e-mail). ICE to EV conversions and other variations are welcome to sign up too.
- Bring your e-bikes, e-scooters, and one-wheels. Zip around our huge ZOOM Zone.
- KEVA IS PUTTING TOGETHER THE LARGEST GATHERING OF EVS AND THEIR OWNERS. LET'S JAM THE 1000 SPACE PARKING LOT!
- While displaying your ride, take time to wander around and enjoy everything that's going on.
- Register here to PARTICIPATE.
Lots of vehicles that plug-in!
Photo by Tennessee Clean Fuels
This 1966 Bronco conversion is returning along with other vehicles that have been converted from gas to electric.
1966 Ford Bronco conversion by Kincer Chassis. Photo by Tennessee Clean Fuels
The commercial transportation world is expanding into electric. Our friends at Tennessee Tech are bringing their XOS Stepvan built right here in Tennessee. Stop by TTU's booth and learn about the programs they have to help increase adoption of EVs.
Photo by XOS.
How about an open air EV? You can't get more open than this one.
Draco Sports Trike. Photos by John McMillian.
Boats? See a 100% fully electric boat.
The Ingenity EL. Photos by Ingenity.
Plus, e-bikes and electric motorcycles.
Photo by Pedego Electric Bikes.
Photo by eMoto Powersports.
And There's Even More!
There's a Kidz Zone. And, of course, food and music. We'll have WestWend (11:00 - Noon), Y'uns (12:30 - 1:30), and the Royal Hounds (2:00 - 3:00) on our festival stage. Ted Russell Ford is bringing a Ford F-150 Lightning to power the stage. Penne for your Thoughts (Italian American Fusion), Kona Ice, and La Michoacan Móvil (Mexican ice cream) will provide yummy foods.
WestWend Photo by Marie Kemp Y'uns Photo by Larry Crowell The Royal Hounds Photo by Jared Manzo
We'll have numerous great organizations providing information about their products, services and EVs. Stop to chat with them on Electric Avenue and throughout the Festival grounds.
Our Festival Layout:
How Can All This Be Possible?
KEVA would like to thank our wonderful supporters for helping with the cost and logistics for the 2023 Knoxville Drive Electric Festival & beyond:
EVolution REVolution
- Pellissippi State Community College. THANK YOU for sharing your beautiful campus!
- Drive Electric Tennessee. Promoting adoption of Electric Vehicles in Tennessee through locally tailored outreach programs.
- Grayson BMW. Grayson BMW has been serving the greater Knoxville area since 1978. Our motto is "A Name You Can Trust," and we meet customers' expectations by offering a friendly and knowledgeable experience.
- UT Institute for a Secure & Sustainable Environment. The University of Tennessee’s Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment (ISSE) seeks to promote the development of policies, technologies, and educational programs that cut across multiple disciplines, engage the university’s research faculty and staff, and grow in response to pressing environmental and security issues facing the state, the nation, and the globe.
- Knox Details Automotive Salon. Ceramic coating, tinting & PPF. Knox Details plans a live PPF application during the Festival.
- Cadillac of Knoxville. Cadillac will bring Lyrics for show and for the Ride & Drive area.
- Mercedes Benz of Knoxville. Mercedes will bring multiple models of their EQ (EV) series. Look for them in the show and the Ride & Drive areas.
- Dennis Gabriel Green CPA (Email: dengreencpa@yahoo.com)
- TVA EnergyRight. 90 years ago, TVA electrified our seven-state service territory, making the Valley a better place to live. Today, TVA EnergyRight is electrifying transportation because driving an EV can improve air quality by lowering emissions. They can also help you save on fuel costs!
Pedego Knoxville is a locally-owned store where you’ll be treated like family. We put our hearts into helping you find the perfect electric bike and get the most out of it for many years to come.
- KnoxBots. We provide autonomous electric mowing on residential and commercial properties. Looking for a robotic lawn mower that can handle any terrain? Look no further than our wide selection of machines! From small gardens to large yards to commercial properties of all sizes, we have the perfect one for you.
- eMoto Powersports. At eMoto Powersports, we are excited to offer you the chance to rent the highest performance electric motorcycles at the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, one of the most scenic and thrilling motorcycle destinations in the world. In our opinion, there's no better way to experience the area scenery than on an electric motorcycle.
Come join us for a wonderful day of family fun.
Registered Attendees
There are currently 526 attendees registered.
Owners of These Vehicles Have Registered To Attend
| Vehicle | Registered |
| Tesla Model 3 | 22 |
| Tesla Model Y | 18 |
| Chevrolet Bolt | 8 |
| Chevrolet Bolt EUV | 8 |
| Ford F-150 Lightning | 7 |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E | 6 |
| Tesla Model X | 6 |
| Other Plug-In Vehicle | 5 |
| Tesla Model S | 5 |
| Zero Motorcycle | 5 |
| Chevrolet Volt | 4 |
| Kia EV6 | 4 |
| Nissan Leaf (2018+) | 4 |
| Cadillac LYRIQ | 3 |
| E-Bike | 3 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 3 |
| Porsche Taycan | 3 |
| Volkswagen ID.4 | 3 |
| BMW i4 | 2 |
| BMW iX | 2 |
| EV Conversion | 2 |
| Energica Eva | 2 |
| Lincoln Corsair AWD PHEV | 2 |
| Lucid Air | 2 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 Plus | 2 |
| Polestar 2 | 2 |
| BMW i3 REx | 1 |
| Chevy Spark EV | 1 |
| E-Bus | 1 |
| Evoke Motorcycle | 1 |
| Fiat 500e | 1 |
| Fisker Karma | 1 |
| Ford Fusion Energi | 1 |
| Ford Transit Connect Electric | 1 |
| Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid | 1 |
| Hyundai KONA Electric | 1 |
| Jaguar I-Pace | 1 |
| Jeep Wrangler 4xe | 1 |
| Kia Niro Electric | 1 |
| Kia Soul EV | 1 |
| Mercedes-Benz AMG EQS | 1 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQB350W4 | 1 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ Sedan | 1 |
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 1 |
| Nissan Leaf (2011-2017) | 1 |
| Rivian R1S | 1 |
| Toyota Prius Prime | 1 |
| Volkswagen e-Golf | 1 |
| 48 Models | 155 |
| Vehicle | Registered |
Registered attendees report 5,499,311 electric miles driven.
