Police car, Fords and Hummers star at electric vehicle festival

Nancy Anderson Shopper News

More than 500 electric car enthusiasts gathered to see the latest and greatest in electric vehicles at the 2024 Drive Electric Festival held at Pellissippi State Community College Hardin Valley campus Oct. 12, 2024.

The event was sponsored by The Knoxville Electric Vehicle Association (KEVA), Pellissippi State, and Drive Electric Tennessee in celebration of Drive Electric Week.

About 80 electric vehicles were on hand to show off the latest in EV technology.

Event coordinator Susan Goodwin said, “KEVA helps educate people on electric vehicles. There are quite a few myths out there about electric cars. The Drive Electric Festival is a chance to climb into an EV and take it for a spin.

“The whole point is for people to see EVs up close and see that there is a wide variety of choices.”

EVs have exploded onto the market with offerings from sedans to motorcycles to trucks.

Entertainment at the event included blues band Tangled in Blues, who used a Ford F-150 Lightning to power the stage, as did the second band, Mighty Blue. The Ford F-150 barely saw battery depletion after a full day of music.

Goodwin said there were a number of myths surrounding EVs, including battery range issues.

“The new EV have a range from 150 to 400 miles. Range anxiety is really a myth now. It only takes a bit of planning for long-range trips. The other option is to get a hybrid if you’re really driving a lot. Many people want to forgo gas altogether, though, and they can certainly do that with a long-range EV.

“Charging stations at apartments is a problem at the moment, but that is being addressed. Charging is not an issue really. Tennessee is currently working to put a charging station every 50 miles,” said Goodwin.

“Many people drive EV for the betterment of