Member Spotlight: Rick Denzien of Zero Emissions Musicians

Rick Denzien has been a Tesla Owner since 2017 upon acquiring his first pre-ordered Tesla Model 3 after a 2-year wait. He's also one of the founding members of the Delaware Valley Owner’s Club. He’s been an electric car enthusiast since 2013, previously leasing a Nissan Leaf, and is now in his seventh year as an event captain (Philadelphia area) for National Drive Electric Week, a national educational organization in its 10th year that promotes electric vehicles in Ride and Drive events countrywide.

Rick, a professional musician, recording artist, and a production and sound engineer, lives in Ambler, PA, with his wife, Debra Lee (also a musician, Tesla owner and Club member), where they work from their home-based private music school and commercial recording studio, which is powered by DIY solar and imported wind energy. In addition, they tour as performing musicians in their Tesla. They are dubbed “Zero Emission Musicians,” performing at festivals, spiritual communities, acoustic venues, house concerts, music showcases, and special events, integrating music with a message for sustainable living. Rick encourages audiences to “take their power back” from the fossil fuel industry by driving EVs, converting energy sources for home and business to wind and solar, eating vegan, and being informed stewards for a sustainable future. 

Rick, along with Debra, are the first musicians to do a fully EV cross-country tour (and back) in their Model 3 from their home near Philadelphia PA, to California, setting the world record at over 8,000 miles in 2018-2019. They sealed the record by pushing to 20,000 plus miles in 2019-20, doing runouts to Nashville, TN, Asheville, NC, Buffalo, NY and Key West, FL, returning mid-January 2020 before COVID hit. They shared the driving, taking turns sleeping on a memory foam mattress spread out in the back of their Model 3, packed in alongside all their music gear. They are currently on the waiting list for a Cybertruck and look forward to doing more extensive long-range touring.

Rick’s love and enthusiasm for everything Tesla is rooted in his commitment to walking the talk for environmental sustainability, and by “being the change” to mitigate climate change through personal action. An environmental activist, Rick was trained in 2020 as a Climate Reality Mentor by Al Gore and has made it his mission to encourage and inspire all he meets to make choices for clean energy and an environmentally sustainable Planet. He specifically educates people, including the environmentalists, about Teslas, often clearing up any objections or mis-conceptions people may have about cost, range, charging, Supercharger infrastructure, or environmental impact. He continues inspiring numerous people to convert to driving EVs and Teslas, which to date has earned him 20,000+ free Supercharger miles from referrals.

An active member of Delaware Valley Tesla Owners Club, Rick recently master-minded and helped organize the Club’s “Mind Blown Seaspiracy Treasure Hunt” Road Trip to Gwynns Island, VA, in July 2021, where the trip culminated in educating and introducing club members to a vegan-plant based seafood alternative in an elegant meal at a 5-star restaurant.

Rick will be captain for the upcoming National Drive Electric Week event on Saturday, September 25, 2021, in Ambler, PA, where Delaware Valley Tesla Owners Club members will participate and have a presence. Please register to attend.

To learn more about Rick’s mission and music, please visit his website.