Electrify Expo offers surprising options

SEATTLE — The Electrify Expo welcomed thousands of visitors at the University of Washington’s campus. Vendors offering everything from battery-operated scooters for children and adults to motorcycles and full-sized electric vehicles showed a wide range of products on the market. Given announcements from REC Silicon over the last couple of weeks, that could bode well for industry in Eastern Washington. REC announced its first shipment of silane gas – a product used in making solar cells and EV batteries – Sept. 13. Just days later, on Sept. 18, the company announced an agreement with Sila Nanotechnologies, also located in Moses Lake, to provide Sila with silane gas as the companies look to strengthen their U.S. footprints. Randy Acree and his wife Rhiannon attended the expo, having time to do so between Randy’s shifts on the picket line waiting for Boeing and his union to line up a new contract. Randy had test-driven the Ford F150 Lightning EV pickup while Rhiannon had given the Nissan Ariya, a fully electric EV similar to the Nissan Rogue, a try.