Fifteen years ago, there was a documentary called “Who Killed the Electric Car?”
It turns out the invention might have only been sitting idle, as the growth of the market in recent years would suggest.
On Saturday, at the Comox Municipal Marina, owners of four-wheeled and even two-wheeled electric vehicles (EVs) brought out their means of transportation to answer questions, especially to those thinking about switching from gasoline.
The organizers have been holding the Move2Electric show since 2019, and over that time, interest in electric vehicles has only grown. The gathering brings in owners from around the Comox Valley through the region’s electric vehicle association to showcase their vehicles and answer questions from anyone who is interested. They also held public talks throughout the afternoon and had owners’ EVs on display made by manufacturers, such as Tesla, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Kia, Jaguar and Subaru.
As well, organizers offered test drives to people who wanted to take a spin in a car or on a bicycle. Mark and Rosie Aisbett decided to test a Tesla and were impressed.
“It was fantastic…. The power’s smoother. The car felt much tighter,” said Mark, who had test-driven other Tesla models before.
The couple admitted the controls inside are a little different, but they start to become familiar before long.
“It’s very self-intuitive,” Rosie added.
The couple is excited to see the electrification of the vehicle industry. They are now thinking about purchasing an electric vehicle at some point down the road.
EV Ambassador Lindsay Eason said the first event in the spring of 2019 was a big success, but it has only gotten bigger, especially with savings from rebates offered on new electric cars. All this has led to growth in the region and all of B.C., which has the highest per capita ownership of electric vehicles in the country.
“Since then, the rebates have really helped,” she said. “The amount of EVs in the Valley has grown exponentially.”
If anyone is wondering about switching, Eason encourages people to talk to EV owners through events like Move2Electric, as often owners find the biggest expenses over the years tend to be things like changing the tires or windshield wiper blades.
“Everything else, if there’s any kind of manufacturer upgrades, that gets taken care of,” she said. “People will never go back.”
mike.chouinard@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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