Earth Day | 2021

EARTH DAY 2021

SATURDAY APRIL 17, 2021 9

Plugging into electric vehicles

By Jennifer McFee I t’s easy to get charged up about electric vehicles, which are a driving force to- wards a sustainable future. The Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association, or ManitobaEV, is geared for anyone interested in environmentally sustainable, electric-powered transportation — and you don’t even need to own a vehicle to become a member. “Members of ManitobaEV truly represent the diversity of men and women in rural, remote and urban areas of this province,” said president Robert Elms. “From enthusiastic secondary-school students building a high-performance electric bike to sage senior citizens meeting with the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, together we are learning about the many environmental and economic advantages of electric-powered transportation.” At the same time, Elms said they’re sharing their knowledge with individuals, businesses, educational institutions, governments and other organizations to ensure more Manitobans can benefit from these vehicles. “Before factory-built plug-in electric automobiles were available here, some savvy ManitobaEV members started making their own,” he said. “They converted various internal combustion- powered vehicles — cars, trucks, SUVs, a tractor, a boat — to fully electric power.” Over the last dozen years, not all plug-in electric vehicles have been made available for sale to Canadians, Elms added. However, ManitobaEV members helped to steer change with that situation. “For instance, when Mitsubishi manufactured the iMiEV, it was the world’s most economical, fully electric vehicle, and when GM produced the Chevy Volt, it was the best-known plug-in hybrid- electric vehicle,” Elms said. “Originally, neither vehicle was for sale in our country. Due to the dogged efforts of some Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association members, both Mitsubishi and GM reversed their decisions not to sell their respective plug-in EVs to Canadians.” He also sheds light on why ManitobaEV members have been so revved up for the cause. “According to Climate Change Connection, transportation accounts for 43 per cent of the greenhouse gases emitted in our province. Collectively, internal-combustion-powered cars, SUVs and pickups are the single largest source of those emissions,” he said. “For more than a decade, ManitobaEV members

According to Climate Change Connection, transportation accounts for 43 per cent of the greenhouse gases emitted in our province.

have enjoyed driving plug-in electric vehicles, proving that, in the true north, vehicles powered by emission-free, electric motors are excellent alternatives to internal-combustion-powered vehicles.” As an added benefit, switching to an electric vehicle can result in some cost savings for drivers. “In Manitoba, electricity is relatively inexpensive,” Elms said. “After switching to an automobile powered entirely by electricity, it’s not unusual for a driver to save $2,000 per year on fuel.” With that in mind, more than 700 Manitobans have already made the switch to emission-free, battery-electric vehicles, also known as BEVs. “BEVs cost very little to maintain — they don’t need tune-ups; they have no radiators to leak; they have no oil, transmission fluid or filters to change,” Elms said. “Newer, mid-priced BEVs are available, which can be driven over 500 kilometres on a fully charged battery. Some are priced competitively with gasoline-powered vehicles from Volvo, Audi, Lexus, Infiniti.” Combined with fuel and maintenance savings, Elms said, those lower prices make the total cost to own a mid-priced, long-range, battery-electric vehicle less than the total cost to own a similarly priced, gasoline-powered vehicle. “Here’s one more fun fact: electric motors can accelerate much faster than gasoline engines,” he added. “So, electric vehicles are more fun to drive.” For more information about the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association, visit www.manitobaev.ca.

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