Upcoming Events and Activities

This the the OEVA's first group drive! Our next summer fun event will be a group drive to Hood River for breakfast/lunch and then on to the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum. My wife Karla and I have greatly enjoyed the many group drives we've done with the Tesla Owners Oregon club, and now the OEVA is taking the lead on a group EV drive for all makes and models. We're inviting Tesla Owners Oregon and Portland Rivian Clubs, and non-member EV owners are invited to join us too!

We'll meet at the Columbia Gorge Outlets mall, 450 NW 257th Way, Troutdale, at about 9 AM on Saturday July 27th, 2024. The Outlets has both Tesla Superchargers (8 NACS compatible for non-Tesla vehicles with adapter, Plugshare rating 9.6) and four Electrify America DC Fast Chargers (5 CCS, 1 CHAdeMO, Plugshare rating 3.8). The mall opens at 10 AM so there should be no problem parking. But that also means their restrooms will likely not be open when we're there, so you might want to make a quick pit stop at the nearby TA Travel Center on your way to the mall.

We'll park near (but not blocking, please!) the Superchargers. At 9:30 we'll head out, convoy style, for the 45 minute drive to the Hood River Taqueria, 1210 13th St, Hood River. If you haven't driven in a convoy of EVs, it's fun. Particularly when gas car drivers notice the long line of EVs, and maybe wonder if the reports that they keep hearing in the media that nobody is buying EVs anymore, are perhaps not entirely true.

We chose Hood River Taqueria because we wanted a place that has food suitable for breakfast or lunch appetites, and Huevos Rancheros is great if you're in a breakfast mood. The owner has given us the spacious patio for our group. We'll leave when everyone is finished, for the 6 minute drive to the museum at the Hood River Airport.

Tony Ackerman has brought the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum's 1914 Detroit Electric to our Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 Test Drive and Information Expo events, to give rides to our members and guests. I can say from experience that the rides are a hoot! He has graciously volunteered to give our group a tour of the museum, and to give us rides in the Detroit Electric. We get the group rate discount for museum admission, so bring $15 per person, cash American money. We need to pay in one lump sum to get the group rate, and I'm not taking credit cards. So if you want the discount, bring cash.

There is a lot to see at WAAAM. They have 3.5 acres of aviation and automotive history on display in their vast hangars, all flyable and driveable. I was gobsmacked when I saw the museum for the first time last year. Who would have thought such a magnificent collection would be here in a Columbia Gorge town better known for Windsurfing and as the eastern gateway to Mt. Hood? After the tour feel free to wander among the collection and head home individually whenever you're satiated, or when the museum closes at 5 PM, whichever comes first.

Should you need a charge before you head home, there are Tesla Superchargers at Safeway, 2249 Cascade Ave, Hood River (8 NACS compatible for non-Tesla vehicles with adapter, Plugshare rating 10), and Tesla Superchargers near the waterfront, 504 Anchor Way, Hood River (16 NACS compatible for non-Tesla vehicles with adapter, Plugshare rating 8.6). There are also Electrify America DC Fast Chargers at Walmart, 2700 Wasco St., Hood River (4 CCS, 1 CHAdeMO, Plugshare rating 8.8) and EVCS Fast Chargers at Columbia Lot Hood River, 607 Columbia St, Hood River (3 CCS, 3 CHAdeMO, Plugshare rating 5.2).

Mark Saturday July 27th on your calendar. This is a new thing for the OEVA, and we don't know how many folks will show up. So we've set up a Doodle Poll at https://doodle.com/meeting/participate/id/dL5oLzXe for you to let us know you plan to attend. Please click the link and let us know if you're planning to participate in this fun and fascinating activity.

2024 Past Events

We're delighted that the Tesla Owners Oregon and Portland Rivian Club have officially joined with the OEVA for our Summerlake Park Picnic! We're bringing the EV community together for an evening of summer fun at the beautiful Summerlake City Park in Tigard in place of our regular second Thursday of the month evening meeting.

OEVA Hospitality Coordinator Chris Stonard brought this gem of a park to the OEVA Board's attention. When I went there to check it out I was surprised at all that this park offers.

The lake is the centerpiece of the park. It is a great draw, both for people and wildlife. On my second visit to the park I saw a Great Blue Heron perched by the lake, ignoring me and my dog as it was looking for its next meal. 

We've reserved the Picnic Shelter starting at 6 PM, when the Board will begin setup for the party. We expect it will take about a half hour to prepare the space and for the coals to be ready to barbecue burgers, so you're invited to show up at 6:30 PM or thereabouts. We have the shelter reserved until 9 PM. It promises to be a pleasant evening of electric conversations with your EV enthusiast friends, and making new friends in the EV community. If you haven't been to an OEVA meeting, this will be a fun event to come and check us out.

We ask that you sign up using our Doodle Poll at https://doodle.com/meeting/participate/id/eZmM4ngd so we know about how many burger patties and buns to buy. Invite your EV friends to come and meet other EV enthusiasts. For those of you who are OEVA members, this is a great time to wear your OEVA embroidered polo shirt and name badge. Those of us who don't have a talent for remembering names will appreciate it!

If you are a member but haven't gotten your shirt and name badge yet, see Paul Albertson, who has been doing excellent work with this project, and sign up for yours. And if you're not a member but you've been thinking about joining the OEVA, track down OEVA Treasurer Karl Boekelheide and he'll get you signed up. It's only $20 annual dues, and that comes with the shirt and badge.

We'd all appreciate it if you bring something to share: a side, salad, chips, veggies, a dessert, sodas, whatever you like. Your Web Administrator is going to make a Blueberry & Blackberry Crisp. We grow blueberries and thornless blackberries in our backyard garden. That's toasted coconut on top. It is far too easy to make for how good it tastes. Look for it in the desserts section.

There are things for the whole family to do at the park. There are two playgrounds, one of which is quite close to the picnic shelter. There is also a nearby fenced off-leash dog play area. And there are restrooms.

Eat too much dinner? I know I plan to! Walk it off on the wide, paved, level trails throughout the park and around the lake.

Then after your walk, settle down on one of the benches and watch the sunset. It's going to be a lovely evening!

You can click on the map image above to download a high quality printable PDF map of the park from Tigardmaps.com.

It's going to be a great evening, but that's not all the fun that the OEVA has planned for this summer. That's not even all the OEVA has planned for July!

June 13th General Meeting at ron tonkin chevrolet

122 NE 122nd Ave, Portland

The June OEVA General Meeting is this Thursday, June 13th, 7 PM, at Ron Tonkin Chevrolet, 122 NE 122nd Ave, Portland. Everyone is welcome, as our General Meetings are free and open to the public. As usual the OEVA Board Meeting will be before the General Meeting, at 6:30. All OEVA members are welcome to attend the Board Meeting to hear the latest reports of what their Board is doing, which is a lot.

Ron Tonkin Chevrolet is providing pizza and beverages (Thank-You!), and everyone is invited to bring something to share to go along with that. Salad? Beverage? Dessert? I'm bringing a Costco bag of Girl Scout Chocolate Covered Thin Mint Pretzels! I hear Morris will bring a veggie tray. You're entirely welcome to bring your preferred alternative to pizza. We encourage you to bring something, as the variety makes the meetings more festive, but if you're running from work to the meeting don't sweat it. We're actually getting to the point that there are some bits of food left over at the end of the evening.

As soon as we wrap up the Board Meeting you can expect to see the board start in on the food. We'll all be wearing our OEVA polo shirts and name tags, and members are encouraged to wear theirs as it makes it so much easier to remember names. Please come up to Board members and let us know ideas you have to make the OEVA more fun and informative. If you haven't gotten your OEVA polo shirt and name tag, see Paul Albertson at the meeting and he will set you up. You get your shirt and name tag for free when you join the OEVA, and it's only $20 for annual membership dues, so what are you waiting for?

The informative part of the evening begins at about 7:30, with announcements of upcoming events. OEVA Co-President Tom Ma, will introduce and ask questions of our hosts, Sales Manager Andrew Roncarati, and EV Specialist Sales Consultants Chris Kocalis and Archie MacMurchy. This is your opportunity to see, ask questions about, and if time permits maybe even test drive the Equinox EV and Blazer EV. They might also have a Silverado EV you can see, but they won't have any available for test drive yet. If you've been reading for years about the upcoming Ultium vehicles from GM, and this is your opportunity to finally see them in person and find out all about them. And maybe to learn about what happened to the Bolt? Get your Chevy EV questions answered. After about 45 minutes, give or take, then we'll get back to looking at the cars, talking EVs with our friends, and eating whatever food remains. It sounds like another pleasant OEVA meeting evening.

May 9th General Meeting at Tesla Sales Tigard

10069 SW Cascade Ave, Tigard, OR 97223

Our Thursday May 9th, 2024 OEVA General Meeting will be held at 7 PM at Tesla's New Sales and Delivery Showroom, 10069 SW Cascade Ave, Tigard, OR 97223. This is the new building nearer Cascade Avenue, not the remodeled Toys-R-Us building that houses the Service Center. Highlights of the evening are expected to include the Cybertruck. When my wife, Karla, and I attended a Tesla Owners of Oregon meeting here they let you climb in to check it out. Making diesel truck sounds is discouraged, as it is electric, though you can grab the wheel and imagine what it would be like to cruise the highway in this futuristic marvel.

They currently have the long range version of the newly updated Model 3 for you to check out, and by Thursday they might have the new Performance version on display. That is the sports sedan determined to be superior to the BMW M3 by car review journalist Jason Cammisa, who ended his Carmudgeon Show discussion with the statement, "The Model 3 Performance is spec-f-ing-tacular. Okay, you heard it here first, the [BMW] M3 has no reason to exist, because the M[odel] 3P is better." He then sighed and put his head down on the table, dismayed that the pinnacle of the German-engineered ICE performance sedan had been dethroned by a US-engineered EV, and available at half the price!

You can also check out a non-active display model of the Optimus robot. So there should be lots of interesting things to see.

Our speakers for the evening will be Dan Stanton (7 year Tesla advisor) and Matthew Kummernuss (1+ years Tesla advisor). Both will be prepared to briefly speak on Cybertruck and other exciting and recent Tesla info, as we know it’s always changing. Tesla has been focused on Full Self-Driving and they will tell us about the newest version of software and why it is special. I drive that software daily, and I agree that Tesla is really onto something with this AI-based approach to their Supervised Full Self-Driving. I'm looking forward to hearing what Dan and Matthew can share with us Thursday.

The General Meeting is open to the public. The OEVA board meets at 6:30, and the board meeting is open to OEVA members. As usual, please bring a snack to share. Tesla has one of those coffee pod machines that we're welcome to use, but then it is an evening meeting and that may not be your evening beverage of choice. So remember to bring your own beverage, as eating snacks is thirsty work!

April 11th General Meeting at QC Charge of Portland

8750 NE Emerson St., Portland, OR 97201

Our Thursday April 11, 2024 OEVA General Meeting will be held at QC Charge of Portland, 8750 NE Emerson St., Portland, an independent EV repair shop and the new Portland offshoot of the well established QC Charge EV repair business of San Diego. As usual the OEVA Board meets at 6:30, all members are invited to attend, and the General Meeting begins at 7 PM, which is open to everyone, members of the OEVA and the public. Parking is in the lot in front of QC Charge, and on Emerson street.

At the meeting find out the latest details about our upcoming April 28th Drive Electric Earth Month Event at Daimler Truck North America. Our October 8th, 2023 National Drive Electric Week Event at Tesla Macadam was a great success, and with much more space, high-tech facilities, and an excellent test drive route we're hoping to make this event another leap forward!

If you have an older, out of warranty EV, or you might need to pay to have your EV serviced someday, you really might want to attend this meeting. For out of warranty EVs, often dealer repairs can be very expensive, especially for cars that were produced in lower volumes and/or don’t have great manufacturer support. For certain failures, dealers usually don’t provide “repairs”, but only replace the major component assemblies associated with the issue, rather than opening it up to replace the individual components that are causing the issue. Why replace a bearing when you can charge a customer to replace an entire motor? By performing repairs at the root cause of the problem, QC Charge of Portland can often save you hundreds, or even thousands of dollars.

We'll hear from Alex Bessinger, the owner of the shop. While Alex owns and runs it independently, it’s QC Charge’s second location (the original being in the San Diego area), and they have been pioneering in EV repairs for the last 6+ years, with thousands of drive unit rebuilds and countless other repairs under their belts. His shop specializes in repairing EVs, with a particular focus on High Voltage System and Powertrain related repairs (including batteries, drive units, etc.).  Alex reports, "Our big specialty that a lot of folks know us for in certain communities is rebuilding the Tesla Large Drive Unit, along with providing enhancements that fix some of its fatal flaws." Ooh, Tesla fatal flaws, I'd like to know more about that!

You can reach QC Charge at (971) 444-5064, text (503) 847-9345, or email alex@qccharge.com.

Alex is springing for pizza for the meeting, so yay! Please bring something to share that goes well with pizza, like veggies or salad or cookies or other dessert or other snack items. Don't forget your beverage, there's no thirst like a pizza thirst. Chat with your OEVA friends, learn something new, have a fun evening, and maybe save on future repair costs. 

This month we're meeting in the Daimler Headquarters building, 4555 N Channel Ave, Portland, on Swan Island, just a block away from the Daimler/PGE Electric Island charging station. Daimler is giving us the use of what I'm sure you will agree is a very impressive meeting room (the picture shows the space that can be partitioned into several individual meeting rooms).

This is an important General Meeting. We'll be electing our new OEVA board members for 2024. The board sets the direction for the OEVA, and provides leadership for our volunteer activities. We're looking for people who are excited about EVs, and invite you to take the next step into leadership. If you would like to find out more about being on the board, contact OEVA President Morris Green (Pres@oeva.org), or Vice President Peter Hoeckel (VicePres@oeva.org). Get more involved, it's more fun the more you participate.

We've got ideas for new club activities for 2024, and we're open to your ideas. Come to the meeting to find out what we've thought of, and make your own suggestions for ways we can make the OEVA even more effective, fun, and educational in 2024. Show up and cast your vote for your board members.

The OEVA National Drive Electric Week Test Drive and Information Expo we held on October 8th was a huge success! We hope that at this meeting we'll have confirmed and be able to reveal the outstanding location for our 2024 Drive Electric Earth Month event, planned for Sunday, April 28th, 2024. Can this event possibly be even bigger than the October 8th Expo?

This is the meeting to get the latest information about our participation in the Oregon International Auto Show. Especially if you haven't volunteered before, come to the meeting and find out what is involved. OEVA President Morris Green, Vice President Peter Hoeckel, and Past President Gary Exner, are the OEVA's leaders in working out the details with the auto show. Find out what has changed for this year. Get all your questions answered. If you don't have your OEVA embroidered polo shirt yet, see Paul Albertson at the meeting!

As with all our monthly meetings, the board will meet at 6:30 PM. All OEVA members are welcome to attend the board meeting. The General Meeting starts at 7 PM, and is open to everyone, OEVA members and anyone interested in EVs. We're in one of the meeting rooms in the Daimler HQ, 4555 N Channel Ave, Portland. Parking is available in the large lot directly in front of the Daimler Headquarters building. See the photos above. The meeting rooms are through the main door to the impressive entry lobby, then to the right down the hall. Restrooms are further down the hall, on the right.

Please bring a snack to share and your beverage. Everyone likes snacks!

Our thanks to Diego Quevedo and Daimler for inviting us to their outstanding facility.

January OEVA General Meeting at Kia of Portland

Check out the new Kia EV9 at our meeting this Thursday, January 11th, 2024, 7 PM, at Kia of Portland, 720 NE Grand Ave, Portland.

Everyone is welcome, you don't need to be an OEVA member to attend. As usual, there will be a board meeting at 6:30 before the 7 PM General Meeting. All OEVA members are welcome to attend the board meeting.

The star of the evening will be the new Kia EV9, a full-sized three row six or seven seat SUV. If you're in the market for a larger SUV EV, this might be the vehicle you have been looking for. And if you just like to keep up with what EVs are available, you'll want to check out this sure to be popular new model. I've done a little Googling, and it looks like Kia will start making the EV9 in their West Point, Georgia plant later this year. It will be great to have another domestically made EV on the market. We should see more domestic EVs in the coming months as manufacturers strive to meet all of the requirements for the Inflation Reduction Act's $7,500 tax credit, particularly as it becomes available at point of sale.

Kia of Portland is doing several things to make our meeting special. They are bringing in Stephanie Arciniega, EV Facilitator with Kia University, as the featured speaker. There will be EV9's available for test drive at the meeting, and Kia of Portland's master EV mechanic will be on hand to answer technical questions. I've gotten word that they will be providing food, but I don't have details. Let's keep up our OEVA tradition of bringing some snacks to share for the potluck table. I have an overflowing abundance of Holiday treats, so I will be bringing some sort of sweet treat snack item for the potluck.

OEVA Meeting Streaming on Google Meet

OEVA Secretary Bill Meyer has volunteered to stream the General Meeting. We're currently using Google Meet. This streaming service does not let us record the stream, so we're looking into using Zoom for future meetings, which should let us record. Apparently the EVA has some sort of Zoom membership for the organization, but we've been unable to get details about using that. Maybe next time. This is still experimental for us, so don't be shocked if it doesn't work.

The event information below is the same link that we used for earlier video streams. If you are not going to be at the meeting in person, how about trying to connect with the Google Meet stream and then email Web@oeva.org, Tech@oeva.org, and Secretary@oeva.org to let us know how it went for you. But of course we'd rather see you in person at the meeting, if that works for you.

OEVA Monthly Meeting
Thursday, January 11th, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/thv-azyz-xxd
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 484-262-9268‬ PIN: ‪921 091 555‬#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/thv-azyz-xxd?pin=9583577054644

2023 Past Events

oeva November 9th Meeting at Tesla Macadam

If you've been following Tesla, you've probably heard about the 4680 battery they are developing with its revolutionary dry electrode manufacturing process. If you've been to Tesla Macadam you may have met Jen Goudey in sales. But did you know that before coming to Portland, Jen worked at Fremont in 4680 Development at the Pilot Facility?

At our meeting this month Jen will give us the inside story of the 4680. Why is Tesla doing the 4680 battery, and what are the dry electrode battery production benefits? She'll tell us what it's like to work in a Tesla production setting, specifically the 4680 Development at the Pilot Facility. And she says she'll tell us why "Tesla engineers are the best!"

The November meeting is Thursday November 9th, 2023, is at Tesla Macadam, 4330 S Macadam Ave, Portland, OR 97239, in the customer lounge. Look for the OEVA feather banner set up by the door to the lounge. 

As usual, the OEVA board meets from 6:30 to 7 PM. OEVA members are welcome to attend the board meeting. The general meeting is from 7 to 9 PM, and is open to everyone, members and the public. This is after hours for sales and service, so you can park in any open spot. We've been doing really well with snacks the past few meetings. Please remember to bring a snack to share and your beverage.

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to hear about what it is really like to work at a Tesla factory.

Thursday,  September 14th, 2023, OEVA Meeting at Herzog-Meier VW in Beaverton

We're having great success holding our monthly OEVA general meetings at EV sales locations in the Portland area. Our Thursday, September 14th OEVA meeting will be at Herzog-Meier VW, 4275 SW 139th Way, Beaverton, OR 97005. We start with a board meeting at 6:30 PM, which OEVA members are welcome to attend. The general meeting starts at 7 PM, and concludes at 9 PM.

Find Out About VW's Current and Planned EVs

At our meeting we'll hear about VW's current and planned EVs from Andy Metcalf, EV Specialist Sales Consultant at Herzog-Meier. Andy will discuss how the sales process has changed as the market pivots from early adopters to the general public. He will delve deep into the evolving sales process and the work their doing at Herzog-Meier to educate customers about charging, road trips, maintenance, and more.  Herzog-Meier VW has a number of Volkswagen ID.4 SUVs in stock, so you can take a look at this popular EV. It will be fascinating to hear what's coming as one of the largest automakers in the world pivots from fossil fuels to clean electric technology.

Electric Vehicle Test Drive and Information Expo Update

There is so much planned for the 2023 OEVA Electric Vehicle Test Drive and Information Expo on October 8th! At this meeting OEVA Vice President Peter Hoeckel will give us the latest scoop on plans for the event. Find out the latest details and get your questions answered.

Get Your Embroidered Polo Shirt and Custom Nametag

OEVA members, have you signed up for your OEVA Embroidered Polo Shirt and Custom Nametag? If you haven't put in your order for your shirt and nametag yet, there may just be time to get it before the October 8th event if you get your order in at this meeting. We expect that more shirts will be available at this meeting, as our supplier was out of stock on most sizes at the last meeting. Our thanks to Paul Albertson for taking on the Polo Shirt Project!

Snacks and Socializing

As always our meetings will have ample time for enjoyable socializing and EV talk! Bring your beverage and snacks to share. Our August meeting at BMW had bountiful snacks, thanks to all who contributed. Let's keep up the good work, bring snacks!

The OEVA is a place where members of all Portland area EV clubs can come together to share our common love of EVs. We're extending the invitation to our meetings to all Portland area EV brand clubs. Everyone is welcome at the OEVA!

Thursday,  August 10th, 2023, OEVA Meeting at BMW Portland

Our OEVA general meetings are the Second Thursday of every month. OEVA President Morris Green has started a new initiative to get our meetings out to local EV sales locations. The third of these will be 7 to 9 PM on August 10th, 2023, at BMW Portland, 2001 SW Jefferson St, in Goose Hollow. There are two parking lots for our cars at the meeting.  The Primary Parking is north of SW Jefferson St, off of SW 20th Ave. If Primary Parking is full, you will be directed to park in the Secondary Parking lot, about 250 yards west of SW 20th Ave at 2251 SW Jefferson St, on a mild hill. See the map below and photos below for more details.

And this month will be another fascinating speaker, Tony Foley, long-time OEVA member and BMW Master Elite Technician, EV Specialist. Every time I talk with Tony I learn something new about EVs. Does your EV have a battery in it? Of course it does! Do you want it to last a long time, or would you prefer to ruin it and need to have it replaced through your own lack of knowledge? Of course you want to understand EV batteries and how to keep them healthy!

At the August OEVA meeting at BMW Tony will tell us all about EV batteries, and show us with an actual BMW EV battery breakdown Q&A, with EV battery modules and pieces from an i3 and a newer vehicle (possibly an iX, but it depends on what parts are flowing through his shop as a warranty return). We'll also get to see how far modern EV batteries have come as he might be able to show us an older NiMH battery assembly from a 2009 X6 hybrid. Tony says he will "Sprinkle in some of the PHEV cell modules I have at home for repurposing, and we have basically the entire scale production BMW battery history for their hybrid, PHEV and EV vehicles." I know this is a talk that I really don't want to miss! And my EV will be glad that I learned something.

The OEVA is a place where members of all Portland area EV clubs can come together to share our common love of EVs. We're extending the invitation to our meetings to all Portland area EV brand clubs. Everyone is welcome at the OEVA!

Please bring a snack to share and your beverage, as nothing adds to the conviviality of our meetings like sharing tasty snacks while chatting about EVs.

Thursday,  July 13th, 2023, OEVA Meeting at Polestar Portland

Our OEVA general meetings are the Second Thursday of every month. OEVA President Morris Green has started a new initiative to get our meetings out to local EV sales locations. The second of these will be 7 to 9 PM on July 13th, 2023, at Polestar Portland, 2116 NW Quimby St, in Northwest Portland, (Across the street from New Seasons Market). On street parking is free after 7 PM, before that use the Parking Kitty App to pay for on street parking.

You'll get to see the new “Polestar Space” and hear about current and upcoming Models. The entry level 2024 Polestar 2 has been improved to 320 mile range (EPA), and two SUVs (the Polestar 3 and Polestar 4) will start deliveries in 2024. Seating is limited so if you have a portable camp chair consider bringing it along, and your beverage. And please consider bringing a treat to share, as nothing spices up our time together like sharing tasty treats!

Our featured speaker is Noel Johnson, an award-winning real estate developer, consultant, and nonprofit leader. His real estate experience spans $1B+ of investment activity across 20+ developments with specific expertise in sustainable development. Noel’s consulting work serves firms facing the interconnected challenges of business strategy and the build-environment. Additionally, Noel teaches entrepreneurship at Lewis & Clark College, is President of the Teacup / Mt. Hood Nordic Ski Area and serves on numerous civic boards. He is a graduate of Stanford Business School, Portland State University and Williams College. 

Noel has faced multiple challenges in his development projects relating to providing and/or installing charging equipment for EV drivers. We as EV drivers often complain about infrastructure, so it will be interesting to hear about challenges for those working to provide it.

The OEVA is a place where members of all Portland area EV clubs can come together to share our common love of EVs. We're extending the invitation to our meetings to all Portland area EV brand clubs. Everyone is welcome at the OEVA!

Join the OEVA in the Hillsboro Rotary 4th of July Parade

The 4th of July Parade is a big deal in the Hillsboro community! An estimated 25,000 people line the streets of the parade route. Said to be the third largest parade in Oregon, it's a community tradition, lots of fun, and an opportunity to show off our EV's close-up where people will see them.

Here's the OEVA plan: Let's meet at the Hillsboro Electric Avenue charging site at 2295 SW Tualatin Valley Highway at 7:00 AM. We'll decorate our vehicles with the OEVA magnetic signs, and we'll depart for the staging area together at 7:30. We must arrive together at the staging area and all staging must be complete by 8:00 AM, so that’s why we will leave Hillsboro Electric Avenue at 7:30 AM. We're in the second of six sections of entrants, so we're nearer to the front of the parade.

Morris Green writes, "I did the 82nd Avenue of the Roses Parade this year, and it was fun!  We went out to lunch afterwards and that was enjoyable too. After the parade we'll have an OEVA lunch together at the Burgerville at SW 185th and Walker Rd. That’s far enough away to avoid the after parade lunch crowds."

Sounds like a fun way to participate in a real local 4th of July tradition, and raise awareness of EVs in our community. Sign up on the Doodle Poll so we can plan for how many will be joining us: https://doodle.com/meeting/participate/id/bqZxmGRd

Thursday,  June 8th, 2023, OEVA Meeting at Tesla Macadam

Our OEVA general meetings are the Second Thursday of every month. OEVA President Morris Green has started a new initiative to get our meetings out to local EV sales locations. The first of these was on June 8th, 2023, at Tesla Macadam, 4330 S Macadam Ave, Portland.

Beau Snyder, Senior Advisor at Tesla, gave a fascinating talk, starting with his early EV experiences which began well before his over 10 years at Tesla. His insights into the growth of the EV industry were inspiring, and after his talk people gathered around to continue asking him questions until it was time to head home.

The OEVA can be a place where all of the Portland area EV clubs can come together for our common love of EVs. As an experiment, we made a special invitation to Tesla Owners of Oregon (TOOR) club members to join us for this meeting. Quite a few TOOR members showed up, including club president Phil Gorski. I'd say the experiment was a great success! We're extending the invitation to all Portland area EV brand clubs.