CANMORE – Do you suffer from range anxiety? Are you worried electric vehicles won’t perform well in winter?
Answers to those questions and more will be shared on Saturday (Nov. 9) at the Electric Vehicle Summit at the Canmore Civic Centre.
Hosted by the Bow Valley Climate Action group, the event is planned to provide all the information people want to know about electric vehicles and bikes.
William York, executive member of the Electric Vehicle Association of Alberta will be on hand alongside other industry experts and suppliers to reply to questions about everything from the total cost of owning an EV, charging infrastructure, GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, how often EVs need oil changes – never – the long-term outlook of the EV market and more.
Founded on Earth Day, April 22, in 2014, the EVAA is one of the country’s provincial associations advocating for and encouraging Albertans to think about switching to an EV when it’s time to purchase their next vehicle by hosting events and inviting community engagement.
Overall, the transportation sector represents 20 per cent of Canada’s GHGs, and vehicles contribute to local air pollution, York said.
“For years, this has been an inescapable reality of living in the developed world,” York said. “The electric vehicles of today and the near future are the most likely solution to these problems.”
Not counting the many years he fantasized about owning one, York said he’s been a proud and happy EV owner for a little over a year with 40,000 kilometres under his tires. There are plenty of misconceptions out there about EVs, he said, including the false claim that they aren’t reliable in cold temperatures.
“The one that is patently false is that they do not work in the wintertime,” York said. “In fact, they are better than their internal combustion engine [ICE] counter parts in many ways. Ever use an electric hair dryer? The heat is instant isn’t it? Well that is because it is electric. Same thing happens with my car in -30 C.”
While EV technology is experiencing rapid change right now, that’s no reason to pass over an EV, he added.
“The most exciting thing is that today's EVs are having their iPhone 3GS moment in that the pace of improvement is rapid,” he said. “Each year, they get better and better. To be clear, that’s not a reason to not buy one right now and to buy an ICE vehicle instead. Because, if what I am saying is factual then yes, your EV might depreciate quickly, but that also means your non-EV is also deprecating because it's not part of this new technology at all.”
Since most people – for now – don’t have first-hand EV experience, the EVAA’s mission is to introduce this exciting and rapidly developing technology.
“Canmore and other municipalities adjacent to our great national parks are symbols of what is most at stake with climate change – nature,” York said. “I can’t think of a better place to deliver EVAA’s message of hope. Come to our presentation, learn from real Albertans who drive EVs every day and you will leave wondering why we ever bothered with the internal combustion engine at all.”
The Electric Vehicle Summit happens Saturday (Nov. 9) at the Canmore Civic Centre from 3-6 p.m.
