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
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.