From Curiosity to the Driver’s Seat: Cave Creek’s EV Ride & Drive a Resounding Success
The Cave Creek EV Ride & Drive exceeded expectations in every way. Thanks to weeks of in-person conversations and personal invitations at events across the Valley, turnout far surpassed our original projections and demonstrated the growing momentum around electric vehicles in our community.
The weather cooperated beautifully, allowing us to host the event outdoors and enjoy crisp air paired with warm sunshine—ideal conditions for test drives and conversations. For many volunteers and EV owners, the day kicked off just down the road at Big Earl’s Greasy Eats, where a hearty breakfast fueled the energy and excitement that carried through the entire event.
Community members traveled from across the Valley to experience EVs firsthand in the unique setting of Cave Creek. We extend a special thank you to Desert Foothills Library for hosting us and for providing a perfect space for engaging the local community and supporting meaningful conversations throughout the day.
Test drive opportunities featured an impressive and diverse lineup of electric vehicles, giving attendees the chance to experience a wide range of styles, performance levels, and price points. Vehicles available for test drives included the BMW i4, Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Bolt, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Lucid Air, Polestar 2, Rivian R1S, Rivian R1T, and a Tesla Model Y—complete with a demonstration of its “Full Self-Driving” capabilities, which sparked plenty of curiosity and conversation.
We are also deeply grateful to our dealership and OEM partners for their support. In particular, San Tan Ford and Rivian played a critical role in the success of the event by providing vehicles and experienced, knowledgeable personnel who helped deliver a safe, informative, and engaging ride-and-drive experience for attendees.
By the end of the event, we logged an impressive 95 “butts in seats,” more than doubling participation from last year’s inaugural effort. The strong turnout, engaged discussions, and steady stream of test drives underscored the power of grassroots outreach and the impact of putting people behind the wheel to experience electric vehicles for themselves.
Photo Credit: Shaun Barnette, Peter Culin
