Our EV Test Drive & Information Expos are our largest events each year, held in April for Drive Electric Earth Month and in September for National Drive Electric Month. It's a fun day!

We volunteer to help other organizations with EV education, the largest being the Drive Electric featured exhibit at the Oregon International Auto Show where our many OEVA volunteers share their EV experience with the visitors.

We organize Special Events where we invite all local EV clubs and all EV owners and enthusiasts to join in to bring the local EV community together, our largest being the 3rd Annual All-EVs Picnic which will be held on Thursday, July 9th, 2026, 6:30-9PM.

We hold General Meetings on the second Thursday of every month, hosted by various EV-related businesses in the Portland area.

For all of these events, we post details here.

To keep up with all our activities, subscribe to our email announcements here.

(L to R) Bob Simpson (founder & CTO) explaining shop activity to Wayne Downer, Paul Lackey (president & engineer)

March Meeting at EVDrive On Swan Island in Portland

Thursday March 12th, 2026, 7:00 to 9 PM, Board Meeting at 6:30

EVDrive, 4865 N Lagoon Ave, Portland, OR 97217
An Evening of Fascinating EV Technology

EVDrive Visit

The OEVA started as a group of individuals working on their own EV conversions, or keeping their primitive commercially produced EVs running. While the vast majority of us now own reliable EVs made by major manufacturers, many of us are enthusiasts not just of the cars, but also we're fascinated by the underlying EV technology. We have a lot of engineers and tech enthusiasts in the club.

As often as we can we hold our OEVA monthly meetings at places you wouldn't normally get to see, and hear from experts in EVs and the fascinating technology that underlies them. This month's meeting is one of these. EVDrive has the components and engineering expertise that has enabled them to put together world-class electric drive systems in applications on the roads, in the air, on water, and underground. We were last at EVDrive in October of 2023, so these opportunities don't come around that often.

Back then Bob Simpson told us the harrowing story, which had just recently happened, when a gas car (oh, those gas-propelled demons!) crashed into and destroyed his immaculate BMW 3-series EV conversion. Thanks to solid engineering a bit of luck Bob and his puppy-passenger came through with relatively minor injuries, but the driver of the gas car wasn't so lucky. After Bob's talk we toured the EVDrive shop and saw motors, inverters, custom battery packs, equipment, and fascinating technology they were developing. I still remember being surprised at the incredibly thin liquid cooled battery pack heat sinks they developed.

Drive Electric Earth Month  National Drive Electric Month
Oregon Electric Vehicle Association's

EV Test Drive & Information Expo

Register Here: Sunday April 26, 2026, Setup 9 - 9:30 AM, Public Hours 10 AM to 3 PM
Register Here: Sunday September 20, 2026, Setup 9 - 9:30 AM, Public Hours 10 AM to 3 PM

Guest Parking: 4085 N Anchor St., Event Site: 4555 N Channel Ave.

The Oregon Electric Vehicle Association (OEVA) is a welcoming, all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles across Oregon. As an independent local chapter of the national Electric Vehicle Association, OEVA brings together EV owners of all makes and models, EV enthusiasts, and curious newcomers to share real-world experiences, knowledge, and excitement about the EV revolution. OEVA events are perfect for anyone interested in EVs—whether you're considering your first purchase, already driving one and enjoy talking about EVs with others, or simply want unbiased info on charging, range, maintenance, incentives, and more.

We hold EV Test Drive & Information Expos twice a year, celebrating Drive Electric Earth Month in the spring and National Drive Electric Month in the fall. These are our biggest events with hands-on test drives, owner display vehicles, EV conversions of gas vehicles, talk with EV owners of models you are considering, see presentations by EV experts, and meet with helpful local EV-related companies. Registered guests and volunteers get food coupons for on-site food vendors. Admission and parking are free. You can read the details below.

EV Test Drive & Information Expos are held at the Daimler Truck North America headquarters site on Swan Island in North Portland. Our thanks to DTNA for the use of their outdoor spaces and headquarters meeting rooms and restrooms for our event. We couldn't put on this event without their generous donation of the use of their facilities.

Test Drive A Broad Range of EVs

We invite many local EV dealers to bring their EVs for you to test drive. There's no better way to compare vehicles than actually driving the cars that you are considering from the different manufacturers on the same route and on the same day, one after another. We encourage dealers to bring their full range of electric vehicles. On weekends there is very little traffic in the Swan Island industrial area, which helps you focus on experiencing the vehicles on your test drives.

Examine the Latest Electric Vehicles

Adjacent to the Test Drive area, local dealers display their new vehicles for your inspection. Complementing the test drives, which give you the driving experience, the new vehicles on static display give you the opportunity to look them over in detail. Take your time to check out them out and ask the dealer representatives questions. They can answer questions on specs and availability and pricing.

But to really know what it is like to own and use the vehicle on a daily basis, you need to talk to real owners. Take your time looking over static display models. Then walk over to the Owner Display Vehicles and talk with real owners and get their insights from daily use for years of those models.

Owner Display Vehicles: Real Owners, Real Experience, Real Answers

Ah, the heart and soul of the OEVA! Owners showing their personal cars, answering guest questions from their real lived experience. We encourage our guests to talk with owners of the cars you are considering. From our volunteer-owners you can learn what it's like to live with that EV as a daily driver and for cross-country road trips. Ask nicely and they're generally happy to invite you sit in their vehicle while they describe and show you everything you want to know from their perspective of living with that EV. And for owners, every OEVA event is a great opportunity to share in the camaraderie of the EV community, inclusive of all Makes and Models.

Keynote Presentations from EV Experts

The Daimler Headquarters building, south of the outdoor event space, has state of the art multimedia meeting spaces, and we're making use of them for presentations on topics for people new to EVs, as well as for experienced EV owners looking to learn more. Some things are best experienced, so we have test drives. Some things are best shown in the vehicle by a patient owner who has real world experience with the EV, so we many EV owner volunteers displaying their vehicles and answering your questions. But some topics are best explained in a presentation with photos and graphics. Check out the presentations schedule here a few days before the event or at the Registration Tent, and see which talks most interest you. All talks are less than 30 minutes including Q&A.

Helpful Local EV-Related Companies

We're putting extra effort into expanding exhibitor participation, giving you the opportunity to meet with local companies providing EV-related products and services. If you're looking for an EV charger or installation, repair options, or other EV needs, check out the local business tables and tents.

On-Site Food

As a special thank-you for attending the event, registered guests and volunteers will get food coupons for our on-site food vendor. This time we've selected Home Plate Sliders as our on-site food vendor. Registered guests, volunteers, and staff will receive coupon for a free meal with a slider, spiral sliced potato, and soda or water. Nice!