SAVA Lowrider EV

That’s a wrap from Washington, D.C.! 🇺🇸

A huge thank you to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival for giving youth voices a national stage—and for the opportunity to showcase our fully electric lowrider ⚡🚗 to visitors from around the world 🌍

Our SAVA charter school students showed what’s possible when culture, community, and education come together

We’re incredibly proud and deeply grateful to have been part of this year’s festival. 🙌

Next stop: Sacramento Super show 👀

The SAVA Lowrider EV team displays a ’64 Chevy Impala that students transformed into a fully electric vehicle through hands-on learning, field trips, and support from local agencies who provided EV components.

Photo by Stanley Turk, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives

🧩 Puzzle lovers, this one’s for you!

Stop by our tent and help us piece together this fire artwork by the one and only .ruca 🎨🔥

Happy Fourth of July! 🇺🇸

You have to get the pic with the Washington Monument while you’re in D.C., right?

Our students are taking a well-earned break to soak it all in and have a little fun in the nation’s capital! 🎆✨

We’re just as excited as she is 😮❤️

The fireworks haven’t even started yet, but the SAVA Lowrider EV is already lighting up the National Mall. 🇺🇸✨

Built by students. Rooted in culture. Turning heads all week at the Festival. 🚗💥

If you’re in D.C., swing by the Streetwise tent in between your Fourth of July festivities—this build is too good to miss.

Happy Fourth from the SAVA Lowrider EV crew!

Nayeli (.i ) and Joseph ( ) took part in today’s Mentorship & Apprentices panel at the Festival, where they joined longtime lowrider leaders to talk about how the culture gets passed down—one story, one lesson, one build at a time. 🛠️

Much love to our fellow panelists and everyone out there teaching the next generation what it means to ride with pride. ✊🏼

Missed it? Check out our previous post to watch the full livestream ➡️

Check out our previous post to watch the live stream

We had so many amazing people stop by our tent to learn about the lowrider conversion project, meet the students, and hear how hands-on learning is transforming the way students learn.

From the stories shared to the love shown—D.C. is definitely feeling that California love ❤️✨

If this is how the week is starting, we can’t wait to see what’s next. Come visit us at the Streetwise Tent all week!

None of this would be possible without the guidance of the OGs 🙌

Today, Nayeli and Joseph are hitting the stage to share what it means to learn from lowrider legends—and how mentorship is helping drive the next generation forward. 🚘

🎤 Mentors and Apprentices: Spotlight on Lowriders
🕒 3 PM ET/ 12 PM PT
📍 Olivia Cadaval Story Circle

Can’t be here in person? Don’t worry—head over to our stories to see them on stage 🎥✨

That’s a wrap on Working with Your Hands: Skills Training in Schools 🙌

Huge shoutout to Brandt for representing SAVA and speaking on the power of hands-on learning. From lowriders to life skills, today’s panel showed just how far students can go when given the tools—and trust—to build something real. 🛠️✨

We’re proud to be part of a conversation that honors tradition, uplifts youth voices, and reminds us that learning happens in all kinds of spaces.

Some students learn best by doing—and we’re here for it. 🙌

This morning, Brandt is speaking at Working with Your Hands: Skills Training in Schools at the Festival, sharing how projects like building a lowrider teach real-world skills—and reveal what students are truly capable of.

🕒 11 AM ET | 8 AM PT
📍 Olivia Cadaval Story Circle

🎥 Can’t be there in person? Check out our stories to catch him on stage.