Electric vehicle event aims to dissolve EV misconceptions
The sixth annual National Drive Electric Week celebration in Regina aimed to dissolve common misconceptions around electric cars and promote their benefits for the environment.
The Saskatchewan Electric Vehicle Association set up an educational event and celebration at the Canadian Tire in Regina’s east end on Saturday.
The association said the most common “rumours” it hears about EV’s (electric vehicles) is they cost a lot to charge and they don’t work well in the winter.
Matthew Pointer, the association’s president, said most EV’s are designed to operate in countries like Norway, meaning manufacturers are taking cold winter environments into consideration.
Pointer said his electric car loses a little bit of battery power in the extreme cold, but because it can go on the charger at night it will start every morning.
“The battery packs are actually thermally managed. So that basically means that they are heated in the wintertime on their own power and cooled in the summertime on their own power,” said Pointer. “So they take care of themselves and what that does is prevent premature derogation of the battery.”
He added that in terms of charging, it only costs about $30 to $40 a month for power, depending on how much you drive, with the installation of a charger costing about $500.
Pointer said the battery life for an EV is very long, with him not knowing anyone who has had to replace it yet.
He said that Saskatchewan also has about two-thirds of the mined materials required to make an EV battery.
“We’ve got a massive amount of lithium stores that are available here. We’ve got nickel, we’ve got cobalt and a massive amount of sunshine naturally,” Pointer said. “I think we’ve got the ability to connect all the dots and make something that is truly great here in the province.”
Brian Black is a Regina resident considering making the switch to an electric vehicle.
Black said it’s the technology that’s going to be here in the future and “likely will be buying something like this in time.”
He added the event taught him how easy EV’s are to maintain.
“Different places you can charge your vehicle are becoming more and more common as time goes on,” Black said.
The east Canadian Tire location currently has Tesla-specific charging stations, but is adding two more charging stations that will work for all EV models.
Canadian Tire said it is adding these new stations to 11 other locations across the province by the end of 2021, bringing Saskatchewan’s charging station number up to about 30.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.