Spending my Saturday driving a Cybertruck and other Electronic Vehicles

This past Saturday, I headed to the El Paso EV Ride and Drive event at the El Paso County Coliseum; not because I’m in the market for a new car (I’m happily rolling around in my 11-year-old gas-powered ride), but out of pure curiosity. And I’m glad I went.

Hosted by El Paso Electric, the event was part of an effort to educate the public about electric vehicles, increase awareness, and make the idea of driving electric feel a little more approachable, especially in a region where EV adoption is still catching on. By giving attendees the chance to actually get behind the wheel of a wide range of EVs, EPE hoped to break down misconceptions and make the transition to cleaner transportation feel less intimidating and more exciting.

I started big: Tesla Cybertruck big. It’s not a vehicle I ever imagined myself driving ($69,990) but I had to see what the hype was about. I’m not a diehard Tesla fan by any stretch, but wow… the acceleration, the handling, the experience? Pretty incredible. Still, my fears about Tesla’s screen dependency were confirmed. (Can someone please just give me a knob to turn down the music?)

Next, I drove a BMW i4 ($57,900) sleek, fast, and techy in a more familiar, user-friendly way. But the most practical ride of the day? The Chevy Bolt, coming in at around $28,000. After zooming around in the luxury models, the Bolt felt like something I could reali$tically drive off into the sunset with someday albeit leaving me feeling as if I’m an idealistic and struggling college student.

Other cars at the event included the Kia EV6 and EV9, Hyundai Ioniqs, Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, and other Teslas. The event was well-organized, and all the owners and staff I interacted with were great knowledgeable, friendly, and clearly passionate about EVs.

No, I’m not trading in my current ride just yet. But when the time comes? I’ll definitely be looking at EVs and I’m just hoping the current tax credits will still be around when I do.

It was a fun and eye-opening day. If you're even slightly EV-curious, I highly recommend checking out one of these events.