Good morning Grid Connections listeners.
Today we're speaking with BJ Birtwill, the founder and CEO of Electrify Expo.
Join us as BJ shares his story behind the creation of Electrify Expo and we'll
discuss how this event has become a fantastic opportunity for those curious
about all types of electric transportation.
Electrify Expo offers a hands -on experience with a wide range of electric
vehicles.
Whether you're considering making the switch to an EV or just want to explore
the latest in electric mobility like e -bikes and more
This episode is packed with valuable information.
To find the expo closer to you and purchase tickets, go to electrifyexpo
.com.
The next expo is in San Francisco on August 24th and 25th, followed by Seattle
September 14th and 15th, then New York, October 12th through the 13th.
And finally, Austin, Texas will wrap up 2024 on November 9th and
Also, don't forget to share this episode with at least one friend or family member
who would enjoy learning about today's content as well.
And if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a positive review on our podcast
page.
Your support helps us continue bringing you great content every week.
With that, enjoy.
Yeah, thanks, Chase, for having me.
It's been quite a journey here at Electrify Expo.
We're still a young company, just three and a half years old, but such amazing
growth over these past three and a half years from being a little event in a grass
field in Orange County to now occupying over a million square feet in every
festival that we go to around the country.
We actually have eight markets in 2024 that we're going to.
Quite the journey, but Electrify Expo is, we bill it as North America's largest EV
festival, but it's basically all things electric.
So it's not just electric cars and trucks, but it's bikes and scooters and
skateboards and watercraft, all about EV charging, even solar and other elements
are a part of our festival.
And really all we're here to do is give people experiences in these products so
that they can make a determination of whether or not going electric is right for
Yeah, I think that's such a great thing to see and it's kind of funny before we start
recording your time about the challenges now become finding venues that are large
enough, which sounds like a great problem to have.
But for those who might be curious what
And I mean, I'm fortunate I still haven't had the chance to attend, but I want to
have talked to really talks about kind of just the diversity and just the different
technologies.
And usually a large part will be outside.
Some will be inside.
Can you just kind of maybe share of what you guys maybe do or look for specifically
to really make the Electrify Expo experience kind of stand out and just be
really engaging for it sounds like really it doesn't matter if you're complete.
Newbie to electric vehicles or a pro.
It seems like there's something for everyone
No, there really is.
And that's really what Electrify Expo is here for.
It's really to provide that first time experience in an EV to be something that
is, that they can have their light bulb moment.
Cause you know, I don't come from an EV advocate background.
So, you know, my background is more from the EV skeptic side.
and part of that is just because I was a car guy.
And so I, I grew up kind of tweaking and tuning on cars and making them go faster
and look cooler.
And
I felt like, if I couldn't hear it, if I couldn't smell it, it probably lacked a
soul.
And I had my mind made up about EVs before I even drove one.
And then I finally drove one in 2016.
I found myself in a Tesla Model S and I hit the accelerator.
And for me as a car guy, was like, boom, light bulb moment.
I had no idea.
And I was like, man, I had this whole thing wrong.
And I knew that there were other people like me who were, who could.
gained that type of, interest in electric vehicles for different reasons outside of
say, maybe more of like an environmental, environmentally responsive, responsible
messaging or sustainability messaging.
because that really wasn't translating with me.
Like that's not why I got into EVs.
I mean, that's a great byproduct of it now.
And I love that.
I'm like totally a fan of that now, but then I just, I didn't really, I wasn't
really concerned about it so much.
Right.
And so what we've seen over the past few years is
In 2021 and 2022, a lot of the consumers that were coming to Electrify Expo, they
could talk shop around me.
They were EV advocates, EV enthusiasts.
They know how to talk kilowatts and ampage and all of these details around the
market.
And then in 2024, things changed.
it's actually 2023 and 2024, we started to see more of like this mainstream general
American consumer.
who was coming into Electrify Expo to kind of check this whole electric thing out.
And that's when Electrify Expo really just took off because our event was so
different than everything else that was out there.
It was really providing real world experiences in these products that was
translating that into a light bulb moment for people who could see themselves going
electric.
And we can go into more of that, but it's really the antithesis of an auto show.
in many ways, because we're a festival environment.
So everything's outdoors, open air.
We have music blasting through the festival, like great food.
Like you can feel the festival vibe in our festival.
And then when you look out on the footprint, it's just activity everywhere
because everybody's trying out something new for the first time.
It's either a bike or a scooter or a skateboard or some crazy electric
contraption that I don't even have a definition for, or it's an electric car or
electric truck or an electric motorcycle.
And you see all this activity happening.
it's pretty bananas to watch.
And then you see all these light bulb moments happening with people and getting
really energized by what they're experiencing.
So it's kind of been the, I don't know, the roller coaster ride that we've been
on.
Actually, it hasn't been a roller coaster ride.
It's just been one crazy trajectory of just growth.
And so, you know, we're wrapping our arms around this thing and really growing the
brand and the company and getting to new markets.
I mean, we'll have 20, over 20 different automakers participate with us this year.
That's certainly more than most of the major auto shows.
And then we have hundreds of, know, bike, scoot, skate, charger, solar, you know,
other companies in the industry that are participating.
anyways, the whole point of it is that it's just a really great experience for
people to kind of come in and check out this whole electric thing.
And I think one thing that's really resonating with people right now, and we
can get into this if you want, is like, we're not telling people to go electric at
our
Like we don't come in here and we don't, don't see messaging from us saying, Hey,
you got to go electric.
all we want to do is provide the experiences.
We feel like the experiences will help people find out on their own that they
want to go electric and whether it's, know, plugin or whether it's fully
electric, like all these experiences are there.
And I think, you know, there's no sales pressure environment at our festival.
People are just kind of having fun and checking it all out.
And I think that's a really great, way to experience these new products is, is
without that pressure.
And without that kind of, I don't know, that messaging that's been out there for
the past few years around, know, consumers really being told that they need to go
Yeah, that's great to hear.
I definitely want to hear more about what you're talking about.
I think what's really interesting is the way you've approached in your experiences
in some ways kind of similar to my background
There's obviously environmental benefits.
There's a lot of those, but those are almost more secondary.
And it's kind of like approaching it from more like a engineering or even science
based approach first.
And so it's funny you say kind of the background is combustion vehicles because
sure, my daily now is an electric vehicle and it has been for a while.
But our weekend is actually a 1987 Land Rover Defender 90, which obviously in the
scale of things is pretty different as far as the environmental impact.
But even then we put
way more miles than we road trip actually with the EV.
So I am curious, are you driving an EV daily right now or do you still have a
combustion kind of weakened vehicle still?
no, I drive a fully electric vehicle.
I bought, have an all electric Porsche.
I bought it two and a half years ago.
And you know, it was the first all electric vehicle I had.
And I definitely had concerns because I hadn't really, I didn't really know how it
was going to work for me.
But I tell people like I've owned that car for two and a half years.
I've charged in the wild once.
So adapting this whole new way to fill
has been something that's been easy and not as uncomfortable as I thought it would
be.
Been very, very easy.
But you know, I am able to charge at home and I think for people that aren't able to
charge at home, EV infrastructure is a real issue.
And the automakers have done a great job.
Like the automakers have just crushed bringing out new models over the past
couple years across every segment, it seems like, you know what I mean?
If you want to get into a three row SUV, are vehicles for you.
If you want to get into a pickup truck, there are electric pickup trucks for you.
If you want to get into a compact electric vehicle, it's like that whole gamut has
now covered because before it was like a one horse race for a long time.
So the automakers have really done a great job of bringing out new models, but this
rollout of EV infrastructure is taking longer than
we want, what the industry wants.
So the automakers have done a good job of rolling out new products.
The rollout of EV infrastructure, not so great.
And so now what we're seeing is that these people that need to charge on the road
don't have a high comfort level for where all of these charging stations are, if
they're actually operable.
And until we fix that, we have a major problem in driving broader EV adoption.
It's one of the reasons.
Yeah, EV infrastructure, good or bad, is a very common topic on this podcast,
unfortunately.
But I think what's really interesting about the Electrify Expo that there's two
parts to it.
One, you talk about, obviously, your experience buying your car, but the
dealership experience for so many people is not ideal.
And I think what's really cool about Electrify Expo is you just have so many
different car brands there and you can kind of go in and have a much greater
variety to see what is out there without
having to go from dealership to dealership, seeing the different cars,
seeing how they kind of worked.
And then just a more as you're saying, festival environment.
But I think what's also really cool is the fact that it's just not cars, have e
-bikes and all these other things that become really good ways for people to
understand kind of the perks of electrification or kind of put their foot
in at first, especially if they do live in a apartment or somewhere where charging
isn't as easy for a car.
especially in kind of urban areas, when you start with a bike and then go to an e
-bike, it really does increase the amount of trips you can just do on that first.
And then as you become kind of more confident with it and either charging
opportunities open up or you move somewhere else, then it really allows you
to kind of have that mindset to go to the next step and get an EV.
And I think that's what's really cool about this that you just would never see
at a dealership.
There's not going to be EVs and then also e -bikes.
But you've got pretty much the full spectrum of everything to see how and like
you said, it's more about kind of people who are curious and how to figure out how
this kind of works into their existing life instead of being pushed upon them.
And I think the biggest thing has always been even I've seen pretty much the full
gamut of people either on the left or on the right who are against EVs for whether
it's they think it's being shoved down their throat or they don't think it's as
environmental of an option.
But then they find a solution in a place like this that works for them and they
understand that there's more to it.
that they just hadn't seen until they get to experience it hands -on.
So I think that's really a great thing that your team is doing.
I'm curious to see what now like moving forward, like we were talking about some
of the things that you're most excited about at the Electrify Expo that has one,
guess maybe surprised you and areas that you're really, your team's focusing on
maybe increasing moving
Yeah, I think it's the new audience, this new wave of consumer who's coming to check
out this whole electric thing, because it's, it's, feel it's felt like a radical
shift for me because, you know, I have hundreds, maybe even thousands of
conversations with consumers every year who are in like this mid purchase funnel
of, of checking this whole electric thing out.
and like I said, like before it was different types of questions.
was much more, industry insider knowledge.
and
EV advocates and sustainability minded consumers had already made up their mind
to go electric.
So they were there really just to hardcore shop and figure out what they wanted.
They went electric without even necessarily understanding.
Well, they may have understood some of the challenges, but the challenges weren't as
concerning for them because they were so passionate about doing the right thing for
the environment.
So and then to watch this new wave of consumer come
who is either an EV skeptic or like you said, they're EV curious or they're just
in the car shopping funnel and they see what's happening with the transition of
the auto industry and they know that going electric is inevitable.
So they come to our show to check this whole thing out.
think that's been one of the most exciting things.
mean, yes, we have all new experiences and we pump them into the show.
We have thrill zones that we're doing, you know,
Ford is whipping people around a racetrack environment and showing them the
capabilities of the Ford Mach -E.
Hyundai is doing a thrill zone where they're drifting around in their IONIQ, I
think it's their IONIQ 5, and more IONIQ 6.
I mean, these are awesome experiences.
The high -speed bikes and even the kids zones are all fun.
Like all these experiences are great.
But I think the most exciting thing is just watching
consumers are flooding into our festival and it's knocking the media narrative on
its head because we don't see this negative media narrative at our show.
We see a lot of hungry consumers who are trying to understand how they can go
electric and what it means.
And they're flooding, they're buying tickets to come drive all this stuff.
it's definitely not like when you make a comparison to like having everything all
in one place instead of hopping from dealership to dealership.
I feel like, yeah, that's a small part of our festival, but like, this is a full on
family environment where, know, mom and dad are bringing out their kids and the
kids are in the kid zone or hopping on an e -bike.
And dad might be looking at the electric motorcycles and mom might be looking at,
you know, the, Kia EV9 and everybody's got something to do.
And then you got music and you got food.
It's, it's, it's absolutely the antithesis of what I think people are used to seeing,
which is going inside this like boxy stuffed wall convention center.
The whole mood is sucked out of the building.
You have cars behind velvet ropes.
Like some people have said, there's that, there's that.
So it is super exciting to see how we might be filling a void or this vacuum in
the marketplace for how people really want to shop.
And what you said was about the dealership sales environment is true.
to a degree with some auto manufacturers specifically as people don't really enjoy
that dealership showroom shopping experience.
And what we're gonna see over the next couple of years is that whole experience
is gonna change too.
You've probably been reading the news about what Amazon is up to and as they
roll out automotive retail environments on their platform, that's gonna change
things.
people are gonna be able to, Amazon is a sponsor and an exhibitor at Electrify
Expo.
And so people are literally going to be able to drive something at Electrify Expo,
figure out that's what they want to buy and transact right there in the moment.
you know, the whole shopping experience is going to change too over the next couple
of years, which is pretty exciting.
Yeah, and I think I probably wasn't giving it the full credit deserved, but you're
totally right.
It's not even that it's comparative to like the existing dealership experience of
like just multiple options.
It really is having all these different things for everyone at one place.
I'm kind of curious as you're talking about these new people who are kind of
coming or whether they be skeptics or they're like, this could be a thing and
want to learn
Have you noticed any like trends with some of the certain cities you go to versus
others or has it kind of been a universal interest in those kind of coming to the
Electrify Expo?
I get this question a lot.
And I wish I could tell you that, yeah, you know, when we go to, you know, Texas
or Florida versus Seattle or San Francisco or LA, like these consumers are so
radically different.
I got to tell you, it's not like, it's not like fashion or technology.
feel like it, it feels different.
I think that maybe it's just because of the wave of consumer that we're in, but
it's pretty much the same questions that we get from stop to stop.
How fast is it charged?
How far does it go?
Where's my nearest charger?
How much does it cost?
Like these are very basic questions that somebody is gonna have when they're
shopping for a vehicle.
And I know we're kind of focused on the vehicles right now instead of the two
wheel stuff, but you know, that's what we see the most.
In terms of like industry knowledge, I think California is further along and
understanding how to go electric.
And that's obvious with the amount of EV registrations that are in that state.
So, you know, they are early adopters to this tech and that can be seen and felt.
But outside of that, no, I think it's pretty much the same questions we get
everywhere we go, coast to coast.
Yeah, I mean, that does make sense.
I guess maybe to phrase a different way, especially right now, a presidential
election cycle, everything's kind of looked through a different lens.
I guess I'm kind of curious, would you say I think there's a lot of narratives that
say good, EVs are good, EVs are bad, yada yada yada.
But would you say the majority of the people that are coming are really just
more the typical middle of the road kind of American that really, I think, makes up
the majority of people, even though the narrative would say otherwise.
Majority of people, yes.
think we still have people on the extremes on both sides.
Yeah, and it's actually, it's good to have them there.
I love seeing the person who's very anti -EV step into the driver's seat of a Tesla
model plaid and goes 0 to 60 in 1 .9 seconds.
Cause I'll tell you that dude or that gal does not feel the same about EVs after
they've had that experience.
There is a respect level.
Even if you don't go electric, there's a respect level to that performance that
they didn't have before.
So now they aren't such, you know, clowning or getting on social media so
much about going electric.
So I love seeing that.
But no, I would say the gist of people are just kind of in the middle.
unfortunately, though, you know, the industry hasn't fully adopted the right
type of messaging.
I think that the auto industry is doing a better job.
In fact, Lexus has a great tagline, as electric as you want to be.
And I feel like that's the right message.
But when we go into like more of the public or the media narrative, or even the
current administration's messaging around EVs and the environmental messaging about
it, I think the more we make EVs about climate change, the more we're going to
slow EV adoption.
We have to move away from that messaging because
The people who are now buying EVs are not buying EVs necessarily or solely or
because of the environmental benefits.
They're buying it just like a normal everyday car and they're looking at basic
features and benefits and costs.
we need to change that messaging in order to really drive broader EV adoption, which
we all want to generate more EV sales for sure.
And the way that we're going to do that is actually by moving away from that
environmental messaging at this point.
I think that is true.
think a really great point because that I think was a big part of the reason of
Tesla's early success is, as you can even mention in that example, focusing on
performance and the experience and the fact that it has environmental benefits is
great, but it's more of a secondary thing.
And especially as we kind of get to the more mainstream consumer, that's more much
more budget conscious.
I still am surprised we don't see more.
And maybe it's because there's the dealership element sometimes in these
sales experiences, but more of a focus on just the maintenance and reliability.
of EVs, not having the oil changes, not having to go to the gas station, a lot of
these other kind of secondary issues that has kind of struggled around that
messaging that goes exactly to what you're talking about of like actually living with
one and choosing it for the advantages of it.
It just you pretty much get in and works.
You don't have all the other stuff.
And even then, like even if you go with a more, let's say entry model electric car,
you're usually getting way more performance in a much sportier driving
thing than you would for a comparably
priced or even more expensive combustion vehicles.
So I think we're definitely in agreement there.
And I'm kind of curious, you mentioned it a little bit earlier about some of the two
-wheeled and other kinds of modes of transportation that you have at Electrify
Expo.
So I'm just kind of curious to hear more about that and any things that maybe have
stood out to you about those exhibitors and what you've learned with having them
at the Expo.
Well, the e -bike industry, the two wheel industry has just been growing
significantly year over year.
We had an exhibitor at our Long Beach show, which is just a month or two ago.
I mean, just one exhibitor sold $200 ,000 worth of bikes at one show.
mean, there's a craving and a desire, especially after an experience in an e
-bike.
I have an e -bike.
The jokes from my friends about buying an e -bike was I didn't want to exercise.
Um, but that's just not true.
Um, you just go farther.
Um, so if you're on a regular bike, um, you know, you might do a five mile ride or
whatever, and on an e -bike, you might do a 20 mile ride.
Um, and so you just go further and that's more fun for me.
Uh, but you, know, you, you gotta really get on one and have that experience in
order to get it.
So I think, um, the e -bike industry is definitely going through a consolidation
right now.
Um, it's a little, it is volatile, volatile industry right now.
I think that the people who started businesses, you know, back in kind of that
COVID area where everybody was looking to get outdoors and get active are really,
you know, fine tuning their business models to make sure that they can weather
like real true competition because, you know, the interest is there, but there's
so much more competition too.
And the competition is coming from all over the world and coming into the U .S.
So it's not just the staple e -bike brands that we're dealing with now, like the
Pedagos
and the Rad powers and the Aventons, it's these Chinese manufacturers that you never
heard of who are coming in with a bargain bike that is actually pretty decent.
it's a lot of different options out there, but electric motorcycles are really coming
online right now.
You've probably seen from the big motorcycle manufacturers whose names that
we
are launching their electric versions.
So we're starting to see those pop up at Electrify Expo.
And I think next year is kind of the breakout year for the electric motorcycle
industry from the big legacy brands.
We've had the early stage manufacturers there.
And then obviously, know, Harley's spinoff with Livewire.
But I think that that market's going to become a lot more competitive in 2025.
And then the other thing that I'm really excited about too is the power support
space, like just side by sides.
electric watercraft, like all of that's coming online right now too.
So I live out in the Austin, Texas area.
So we live around like this, this chain of lakes.
and so, you know, wake surfing is really popular out here where I am.
so you're, you're starting to see these electric wakes or boats pop up.
They're pricey.
but, but the technology is there and I feel like over the next couple of years,
like that's going to get pretty popular.
So yeah, mean, you would never think you're just gonna pop an electric
something into the water and spin around on it, but it's happening.
So it's been really great to see that too.
That's mean, that's a really good you brought up a lot of really interesting
things there.
mean, one, especially with electric watercraft, I know we're not trying to
focus on sometimes always environmental impacts, but that I think has actually
been an area that is.
definitely much needed.
You just look at how much pollution can kind of come from your traditional like
gas powered boat.
And it I think the great part of going with electric boat is just the fact you
kind of get the advantages of a sailboat where it's way quieter.
And you can kind of actually talk to someone next to you and have the engine
roar and then obviously the environmental impacts of it too.
it's they're just so much fun to drive.
And then that's also
about the electric surf boats too is that they're so much heavier.
So, you know, in a, in a, well, in a regular surf boat, you have to ballast the
boat, with not only extra water, but some people put extra weight in there.
Well, you know, batteries, they weigh a considerable amount.
So where you place those batteries in these electric surf boats can help
generate a better looking wave for, electric wake surfing.
So, and I'm specifically talking about wake surfing, but you know, you're seeing
these electric boats all over the board from deck boats
You know, they are ocean boats.
So it's been really kind of fun to watch that whole industry.
We have a few of these that come to our shows and you can try them out.
We have a couple of locations at Electrify Expo where we're on the water.
And so we'll dock these electric surf boats or I'm sorry, these electric boats
right on the water and people will be able to demo them.
In fact, the last couple of years we've had electric personal watercraft.
The best way to say this would be like, for your audience would be like, Kawasaki
has a jet ski, Yamaha has the wave runner.
You guys are probably familiar with that terminology.
It's personal watercraft, but we've had electric personal watercraft come out and
you're hopping on these electric, gosh, I'm gonna get killed for saying this, but
these electric jet skis, it's not a Kawasaki product, but electric jet skis
for the sake of explanation.
And like you said, all you hear is the splashing of the water, but the instant
acceleration like you have in a car is still there.
So it's
It's just crazy to hop on these amazing electric personal watercraft and
experience them.
So much fun.
Yeah, and it's I mean, you cover quite a few different things there, too, because
like with electric motorcycles back in college, foolishly, I used to have a Honda
CBR 900 RR, which somehow I didn't die on that thing, but it was so much fun.
And then it's been over a decade now.
I actually there was a electric motorcycle company in southern Oregon called Brammo,
which I don't know if anyone listening or BJ, if you're familiar with them.
But they essentially made the range, I think, was 150 miles, but it's essentially
electric Ducati.
I mean,
It was so wild to get on one those for the first time because you just you have
Not only do you have the electric torque and instant speed that everyone thinks
about an electric vehicle, but when you go into a turn and you just ride it, there's
none of the vibrations or other things you get with like a traditional combustion
engine.
So you your ride is just so much smoother.
And when you're kind of going on these twisty turns like these turns, it's just
such a wild experience that how you can kind of just stick it and also just pivot
around it.
I think was always the future of the challenge of just been trying to get the
batteries and the energy density down and then they end up getting bought by Polaris
and It didn't seem like forever.
They did anything with the technology So it's really great to see these others
coming back into the space and actually making electric motorcycles because
there's still so much potential there and The price is still a little on the
spending side, but finally coming down with those as well, too
Yeah, it is.
We've had a company called Rivid, R -Y -V -I -D, at our events multiple times.
They have really awesome styling, and it's an electric motorcycle that is awesome for
the street.
And you have all these different versions of bikes that are coming out, and I'm
gonna butcher the categories of these, but you have cruiser bikes, and then you might
have more long -haul bikes or motorcycles, and then you might have more sport, like
you had more of a sport version.
I mean, back in the day, we used to call them croft rockets, I'm sure.
I mean, you and you have.
Yeah, you have those.
You have those coming online now, too.
So and if you're if you love riding, I get like as a car guy, I get the love of the
sound and of that rumble that you have.
But when you turn that off and you can just feel the road, it is a it is a really
amazing experience.
And you do become more one with that bike.
So you've got to try it in order to appreciate it.
So I really recommend people to go out and try one, whether it's at their local
showroom or at our festival, it's worth
I think for more, I think even with motorcycles, the experience of going
electric is even more, much more extreme actually than going in a car.
Obviously you get like the acceleration and depending if you kind of know what you
actually do on track, there's definitely kind of better ways you can tune into the
vehicle.
But with a motorcycle, it's such
physical experience you have with it.
it's just so the contact you have with the road and kind of being able to hear so
many more things when you're going down the road.
My only issue with electric motorcycles and obviously this is kind of sold by a
horn, but there are so many times I just be in my CBR and good or bad.
mean, you have to drive much more offensively so people can't always see or
hear you.
And at least with the Honda, you could rev it a little bit just to make sure people
are aware you're there.
So I think having a good horn on some of these and that was the big takeaway I had
when I wrote this Brammo was it was so much fun and just so fast, but you could
easily be going, especially in an urban setting, going down some blocks and no one
would even know you're there and they would just pull out before they're they
kind of their eyes are opened.
And so.
I think that's all great to hear and such an underrated thing for a lot of
motorcycle riders if anyone listening is a motorcycle rider.
The other thing that I think you brought up and this is going to go to the point I
made earlier is about e -bikes and I agree with you sometimes a lot.
mean I have some I have a pair as well.
My wife and I have both have a super 73s and they are just so much fun and what's
really I think.
doesn't get enough credit.
I sometimes, yeah, I lived in Portland for a decade.
So I used to have a road bike and even at first I would kind of give e -bike people
some guff for like, that's not real.
That's just a way to not work out like you were saying, but it totally still is a
work.
I think the bigger thing that is really underrated going from the safety
standpoint in urban settings, again, is just having that.
It depends on the e -bike, but having that kind of quick torque that you can pull
into play into to really get across a busy intersection and some of these other
things that actually make bike running, I think, more approachable for a lot more
people and just feel safer too, because you're able to get across busy
intersections or other things.
Or if you find yourself in a bad situation, you have that ability to kind
of get out of that much faster.
You can, you can.
And we have, you know, these different experiences at electrify where you can try
out these different styles of bikes.
So, you know, if you want to hop into more of a high speed version of a bike, not,
not quite an electric motorcycle, but more of a, I think it's more of a class three
bike.
We have a full separate demo course for those bikes versus, you know, maybe more
of like a traditional, a traditional bike.
And the, there's so many different types of bikes.
There's pedal assist bikes.
There's no throttle at all.
Right.
So
it as you pedal.
that's yeah.
was, I was drawing a blank on the, you were right.
Pedal assist.
That's
Yeah, pedal assist.
So, and then there's other bikes where you actually do have a twist throttle or a
thumb throttle.
So, you know, there's, there's many different versions out there and I'm
seeing these bikes pop up in more places.
So I'm seeing e -bikes pop up in power sports showrooms.
So the same places where you might buy a side by side or a boat.
I'm, seeing bikes even at like automotive showrooms now.
So yeah, they're, definitely popping up all over the place.
I realize that we've kind of covered all sorts of different areas.
Are there any areas that you want to see like more exhibitors if there's anyone
listening in a certain space come to Electrify Expo or anything you're hearing
from people attending?
Like, God, I wish there were more XYZ here at this event.
Well, I mean, think that the educational element of going electric is super
important.
So I would love to see the EV charging category continue to grow.
You know, it's typically been more of a B2B environment with those EV charger
brands.
you know, no one's, well, I can't say anybody's taken a true leadership position
in really catering and developing a brand with the consumer.
There's EV charging hardware and then there's EV charging networks.
So the charging networks would be akin to a Shell gas station or an Exxon gas
station, a place to charge up, right?
So I think that there's a big opportunity for an electric charging network to come
in and really use our Electrify Expo platform to develop some serious brand
equity in the space.
that is an area where there is a lot
concern about operability because EV owners are showing up at these charging
networks and they're getting to chargers that are not operable in many cases and at
many times.
And it's really hurting the brands that are out there right now from developing
something, relationship of trust with the consumer.
So I'm interested to see what happens with Iona.
Have you been following Iona at
I have been, think there's a lot of, this is just me personally, I think there's a
lot of interesting things being said, but so far they've been said.
There's one or two sites that might be going live soon, that's great.
I think personally just kind of looking from the outside in.
My only concern is it's very clear in this space, money doesn't solve problems.
because there's been a lot of money thrown around and it still moves at a pretty
glacial space.
So having seven different very large OEMs work together to come together on one way
to move forward and throwing money at the problem, I'm still cautiously optimistic.
I'll leave it at that.
But I think you're totally right.
I'm with you and I understand the concern.
I think money solves problems if the money lands into the hands of the right people.
And I don't think the money has been landing into the hands of the right people
in the private sector.
So that's got to be flushed out.
That is a big problem that needs to be addressed.
I think one of the big issues too, even for the existing charge point providers
out there is just the fact that money doesn't speed up permitting or utilities
or anything like that.
There's been multiple stories of people I've talked to that it's like, I'll pay
you now.
I'll do double whatever it just takes to get this thing in the ground.
They're like, nah, you're in the queue like everyone else.
Whether it's a charging thing that this utility is working on or some large other
expansion project.
It's kind of viewed as all this
same thing.
And I think that that is just inherently one of the large hurdles that this
industry is facing.
And I'm not I think it can be improved.
I don't know if it can necessarily be fixed.
But once again, that's just one issue.
And you're totally right that there's other things that can be solved as well as
kind of bringing the right groups together to understand what some of these
challenges are that are unique to charging infrastructure and charging location.
but also we had a guest on previously who actually had made his career as a lawyer
for telecoms and essentially writing the regulations and legislation or not
legislation, but contracts for cell telecom providers to get cell tower
leases.
And he's now taking a really big step into the EV space because it's a very similar
challenge where you have to deal with negotiated lease rates and contracts and
who has
Who can work on it when who has the right access to this land and all these kind of
what seem like What should be figured out and straightforward things that are
clearly still a little bit of the Wild West So it's just I don't know if that
could easily be its own podcast with those challenges right
But I'm curious if there's any groups that you've looked at or not even as a
electrify expo, but you yourself as an EV driver that you've found to be pretty
reliable or ones you go for over others potentially.
No, not really.
I've had the same problems that I think every other EV owner has had.
But fortunately, I don't have to charge in the wild too much.
I think that the manufacturers embracing the North American charging standard,
which is basically the Tesla plug, is a good thing to improve this idea of
reliability and operability because the supercharger network has a better
operability.
quotient than say the other charging networks that are out there.
So I think that's great.
And I am positive about what I own is doing.
I think you're right.
It's still a work in progress.
And I don't think that they start rolling out their network until late 2025.
And we might not even see the first stations until 2026.
So that speaks to this, I don't know if I can call it a supply chain issue of
this these elements in this road to building out this network taking too long,
which is a problem,
is, but I'm not sure that that's completely still on the manufacturer side.
I know a lot of it's been kind of utility sides, like transformers and the other
kind of support infrastructure to get to these sites.
Yeah.
Yeah, but then you have these same cities or states talking a really big game about,
you know, their mandates for 2030 and yet they're slowing EV adoption because of red
tape or bureaucracy or layers within their inflated, you know, staffing resources
that takes too long to get stuff done, right?
Let's just call it as it is.
We all see it.
So how that changes, it's great that people like your past guest are working on
that because it's definitely needed.
For sure.
That and that's really interesting here around the EV education component and also
having a larger presence from EV charging or at least the charge point operators.
When you talk about EV education, are you talking more about just like even slow
basic seminars, I guess, for those people who are just thinking about an EV like
what does level two charging in someone's home look like or what they have to do
once they bought EV?
Is that kind of what you're talking about or is it?
Yeah.
No, we speak a foreign language in this industry that nobody understands.
Nobody gets it.
It's ridiculous, right?
I mean, at some point, at one point we were talking amp -ampage and kilowatts,
and now we have these levels.
And I think Chargeway has done a good job of simplifying it as best as you can.
But look, most people are to picking 87, 89, or 91.
know, regular
you know, premium and supreme or whatever it is.
And it's very easy to understand what I'm choosing.
It's not that way with charging.
so, you know, developing that language, I think is going to be key.
I Charger has probably got the lead on that.
And they might tweak and make things even more simple as time goes around.
no, that education is important.
And that's a whole reason why Amazon came to Electrify Expo is because they really
wanted to
broader EV adoption through education.
So at Electrify Expo, we have this full area that's called the Amazon recharge
zone.
And we put experts in front of basically a podcast desk and we have panels that
educate people about what the levels mean, how fast to charge, try to debunk these
myths and information that is only two or three years old, but is now totally
irrelevant.
So it's really important.
This education element is really important.
I
That happens at Electrify Expo and that's an important part of what we're doing.
But automakers and everybody within the supply chain need to adopt this more
layman's way of communicating with the consumer.
Otherwise, we're just talking alphabet soup.
I mean, I can agree with you more.
mean, we have Matt Teske on this program probably quarterly just for the exact
reason and You mentioned the North American charging standard I think a lot
of kind of the EV nerds kind of push back as to whether that being the How big of an
impact it'll have but I I still think that from a the standpoint of people who are
new to EVs the fact that is Even though it's not that wild but having a different
charger from home charging to DC fast charging
It's just another level of explanation you have to do.
And if you can really have it so that port is the same, whether it's at home or on
the road, and then all you say is your home chargers overnight and the ones on
the road are like 20 to 30 minutes, that makes it pretty quickly for people to make
that understanding much more similar to like you were telling about 89, 91.
Most people probably go and tell you what those actually that rating means, but they
at least know when they go to fill up their car, what, which one they need to
put in it.
Um, and so just trying to,
simplify and make it as approachable for everyone is kind of the biggest thing that
this industry needs right now.
And I think that's one of the big reasons I wanted to have yawn because I think
Electrify Expo is doing that so well in person and bring a lot of these different
topics together.
So it's really great to
kind of hear about what's really taken off in areas where hopefully anyone listening
will kind of step up and also be a part at all these different locations.
So I realize we're kind of coming up on the time we have today, but BJ, for anyone
who's interested in either becoming a sponsor or learning more about Electrify
Expo and any of the upcoming locations, what are the best ways to learn more and
then engage with your team?
Yeah, come check us out at electrifyexpo .com.
See what we're all about.
There's information there not only to attend the festivals, but if you want to
get involved and participate, there's ways to learn about that.
And then if you live in any of these markets that we go to or close to it, I
invite you out to experience it.
It's really a rewarding experience to watch.
I think a lot of your audiences have already adopted EVs, but just to watch
this new wave of consumer come in and
how many people are interested in going electric is really exciting to see.
So 2025 looks amazing.
We'll be going into some new markets, but I think what's most interesting is all the
new products that are coming from the automakers, from the motorcycle
manufacturers, from the power sports industry, really gonna be a great time to
go electric next year.
So looking forward to maybe doing this again in 2025 and telling you about all
the new things that have come into the festival.
For sure, we're really looking forward to it.
Thanks again, BJ.
With that, I'll let you get going and have a great day.
Thank you, Chase.
Thank you for tuning into this episode of the Great Connections podcast featuring BJ
Birtwell, the founder and CEO of Electrify Expo.
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