All my favorite EVs, racecars, and robots from Electrify Expo Austin
From a stainless steel Tesla Optimus to an electric DeLorean, new Polestar EVs, and even a tail-sliding adventure in a Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally, the last Electrify Expo of the 2024 season had something for everyone (especially if you like Cybertrucks).
For the uninitiated, Electrify Expo is a sort of touring music festival — except, instead of various stages and bands, it sets up a number of unique tracks, street drives, and closed course “experiences” that are populated not by bands, but by the newest EVs from your favorite brands. And this past weekend, Electrify Expo closed out its 2024 season with a stop at Circuit of the Americas, and they were kind enough to invite me to check it out.
Here’s the rundown.
So. Many. Cybertrucks.
Yes, it’s Texas. And yes, it’s an EV expo that highlights custom cars in the same way that Hot Import Nights did back in the 90s and early aughts. Still, nothing prepared for the sheer number of Tesla Cybertruck “tuner cars” on display.
Everything from polished steel to rainbow wraps to off-roaders was there — one guy even had a “digital exhaust” on his that sounded a bit like a anemic leaf blower. Beyond the ones shown here (plus a few more), there were another dozen “plain Jane” Cybertrucks filling up booth space for home solar, EV charging equipment, and extended warranty companies. Even Tesla had a half-dozen or so Cybertucks on hand for demo drives, allowing anyone with a driver’s license to take to the storied F1 circuit behind the wheel of Elon’s boxiest ride.
If your only exposure to cars was the Electrify Expo, you’d walk away thinking they were the best-selling vehicles in the world.
People want Restomods to be a thing
Those electric DeLorean (more than one) and Subaru Brat projects probably look familiar to longtime Electrek readers, but whether they do or don’t they were just a few of the many EV conversions on display in the Electrify Showoff area that invited local EV owners to show off their unique, electrified rides.
More surprising than the presence of so many Restomods at an event like this, however, was how adamant their builders were that The Answer™️ to the problem of harmful carbon emissions wasn’t building new EVs, but converting all (and they mean all) the existing ICE cars into EVs.
Really.
The OEMs
The real reason people flock to Electrify Expo — and they do, more than 20,000 people showed up to the Austin event and that was one of eight stops nationally — is to check out the latest EVs from the OEMs.
To that end, Porsche had its latest Macan EV, GMC had both the Hummer EV and Sierra Denali EV, Polestar had the 3 and 4 models on display, and Lucid even showed off an early production Gravity model. A Rivian R2, new Lexus PHEV, and a stainless steel-skinned version of Optimus rounded out my favorites there — but it wasn’t just about seeing these cars. It was about driving them.
See, unlike a traditional auto show where you can walk around some static vehicles and maybe sit in them, Electrify Expo lets attendees actually drive these vehicles. Sometimes around a race track like COTA, sometimes on public roads, and sometimes on dedicated “experiential” tracks purpose-built to showcase the car’s unique abilities.
If you’ve ever seen a dirt-focused obstacle course with Jeeps running around it at your local auto show, you get the idea. And, while the same kind of thing exists at Electrify, I have to hand it to Ford for taking it to the next level with a new Mustang Mach-E Rally driven by professional driver on a closed, 90-second -ish rally course just off the main parking lot.
Ford set the tone
The first thing most attendees saw when they got to the event was an eerily quiet, high-speed display of lurid, tail-wagging slides courtesy of the new Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally. By 9AM on the second day, a full hour before opening time, there was already a line forming to experience the Mach-E. Such was the power of the word-of-mouth and social media influence surrounding this event.
Having some rally experience, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect — but the quiet was surreal. In an ICE car doing stuff like this, the sound of the engine gives you some indication of what the driver is doing. In an EV? In the Mustang? You have no idea. All you can do is strap in and feel the gs, then let your brain sort out what happened later.
And the rest
When you’re an EV festival, you’re there to see all of it — from e-bikes and electric scooters all the way up to one-off SEMA specials like Neil Tjin’s Mustang Mach-E, ultrafast Formila E racecars, a pack of BMW CE02 electric bikes, a new Sur-Ron style e-bike from GoTrax, and even a Pickman micro truck.
Honestly, if you ever get to one of these, trust me — plan on spending the whole day there. If they do it again in 2025, I know I will.
Original content from Electrek; images by the author.
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The Mockingbird Solar Center, Ørsted’s largest solar project globally, is now online, next to protected prairie donated by the renewable energy giant.
This massive 468-megawatt (MW) solar farm is set to power 80,000 homes and businesses, providing a major boost to the Texas grid.
But the launch of Mockingbird Solar isn’t just about clean energy – it’s also about restoring precious ecosystems. Ørsted has donated 953 acres of the Smiley-Woodfin Native Prairie Grassland, which sits next to the solar center, to The Nature Conservancy. The donated land is now the Smiley Meadow Preserve, a protected area for tallgrass prairie that’s home to more than 400 species of grasses and wildflowers.
Tallgrass prairies are some of the rarest ecosystems in the US, with less than 1% of Texas’ original tallgrass prairies still in existence. Tallgrass prairie does a lot of heavy lifting for the environment, including storing carbon, preventing floods, and providing crucial habitats for pollinators.
“Native prairies are the rarest landscapes left in Texas – so much so that many people have never seen one,” said David Bezanson, land protection strategy program director for The Nature Conservancy in Texas. He added that preserving Smiley Meadow will not only conserve one of the best prairie remnants left but also help restore other prairie habitats and boost regional biodiversity.
The Mockingbird Solar Center, a half-billion-dollar project, is part of Ørsted’s $20 billion push to expand renewable energy production across the US. Beyond generating electricity, it will inject $75 million into local property taxes, benefiting schools and other public services. The project also created over 550 construction jobs and will continue to be supported by operations staff moving forward.
Ørsted worked with US companies, including First Solar, for solar panels and partnered with local businesses like Drake Construction and Pfifer Farms for construction materials. It also gave more than $50,000 to local volunteer fire departments in Roxton and Brookston.
With Mockingbird Solar now up and running, Ørsted has more than 6 gigawatts of onshore wind, solar, and battery storage projects either in operation or being built across the US.
Read more: Ørsted got a huge Tesla battery storage system for the world’s single-largest offshore wind farm
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Jeep’s first global luxury electric SUV will arrive at US dealerships any day. Despite its $72,000 price tag, lease prices for the 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S EV start at just $599 per month.
2024 Jeep Wagoneer S EV lease prices
After unveiling its first global electric SUV, Jeep’s CEO said the Wagoneer S “marks a new chapter” in its storied history.
Jeep claims the Wagoneer S packs “exhilarating performance.” With 600 hp and 617 lb-ft of torque, the big-body SUV can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. Its 100 kWh battery pack also gives it a driving range of over 300 miles.
The electric SUV is unmistakably still a Jeep, but it did get several upgrades to distinguish it as an EV. The grille is now enclosed without the need to cool a massive engine, giving it a sporty, more modern look.
Jeep revamped its design with a new illuminated seven-slot grille with ambient cast lightning. It also fine-tuned its profile, adding flush door handles, a rear wing, and integrated fins for better airflow.
The first Jeep Wagoneer S Launch Edition models get exclusive dark accent design elements like 20″ Gloss Black Wheels.
Inside, the electric SUV is loaded with the latest tech and connectivity, including a best-in-class 45″ of usable screen space. The setup includes a 12.3″ center screen and an exclusive 10.25″ interactive front passenger screen.
Jeep already announced that the 2024 Wagoneer S EV will start at $71,995, but now the company has revealed lease prices for the first time.
According to Jeep, the 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S Launch Edition can be leased for $599 per month for 36 months (10,000 miles per year). The deal includes $4,999 due at signing and a $7,500 EV incentive. However, you may want to act fast, as Jeep’s offer is only good until December 2, 2024.
| Jeep Wagoneer S vs Tesla Model Y | Starting Price | Range | Lease Price |
| Jeep Wagoneer S Launch Edition | $71,995 | +300 miles | $599/mo |
| Tesla Model Y RWD | $44,990 | 320 miles | $299/mo |
| Tesla Model Y AWD | $47,990 | 308 miles | $399/mo |
| Tesla Model Y AWD Performance | $51,490 | 279 miles | $599/mo |
In comparison, Tesla Model Y RWD lease prices start at $299 for 36 months with $2,999 down (10,000 miles). The Performance AWD model starts at $599 per month. In an end-of-year promo, Tesla also offers 3 months of free Supercharging and Full Self-Driving.
Ready to drive off in your new electric SUV? We can help you get started. You can use our links below to view offers on the Jeep Wagoneer S and Tesla Model Y at a dealer near you.
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