Autopia2099 was enthusiastically electric

The first-ever Autopia2099 occurred this past weekend, and I’m happy to report that it felt like a success. A wide swath of car and bike lovers showed up to Optimist Studios in Los Angeles to gawk, chat, and hang out while talking about the future of electric vehicles. This wasn’t simply an opportunity to show off standard production EVs either, as our goal is to bring out those forging the path for customs, hot rods, classics, and more. And that’s exactly what we got.

Modified Tesla sedans mingled with vintage Volkswagen bugs and busses. A still-a-project BMW E9 drove to the show in a very much still-a-project state. Livewire (the spun-off electric arm of Harley-Davidson) brought out a few bikes, both stock and custom, while some Livewire owners showed up with their own machines. As did a few Energica riders as well. Of course, a few automakers jumped in and had a presence as well. Nissan was the presenting sponsor and so brought out a pair of its new Ariya electric crossovers along with a Formula E shell and the latest Leaf. Porsche showed up with a trio of Taycans, including the new GTS Sport Turismo, while sibling Volkswagen arrived with both of its off-road spec ID.4 EVs. And those two wore fresh dust and dirt applied by yours truly, more on that soon.

The mood was upbeat and enthusiastic. Folks were eager to talk about their machines and learn and hear all they could about the other vehicles in attendance. Even AEM was on hand to talk about its latest controllers and displays aimed specifically at the EV market. Yes, that AEM which owns Holley and a ton of other go-fast, get-loud companies. The cars and crowd were diverse minus the smiles on faces, and that’s exactly what we wanted to see at Autopia2099.

Forbes has a nice write-up of the event which you can read here. And we should have a video out soon, going over some of the vehicles and talking to various owners and builders, so stay tuned for that.