Drivers jumpstart Earth Week with electric show and shine
By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on April 19, 2022.
Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Electric vehicle owners show off their rides during the Electric Earth Day show and shine over the weekend at Energy Smart.LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com
Lethbridge electric vehicle owners had the opportunity to show off their rides during a show and shine event Saturday that kicked off Earth Week at the EnergySmart parking lot.
EnergySmart Canada Lethbridge owner and CEO Rudy Reger said he thought it would be fun to ask some EV owners to showcase their rides and get the word out about the benefits of owning one.
“We have quite a bit of electric cars in Lethbridge, so we thought let’s call as many EV owners as we know to come out and just show people their electric cars and people can talk to the owners about how feasible it is to have an electric car,” said Reger.
He said there are some misconceptions about electric vehicles out there and they wanted to clear those up. Some people believe that electric cars do not work in Canada because it is too cold, for example.
Reger said he is the proud owner of two electric vehicles and a net zero home that even though it is not off the grid, has been net zero for four years.
“A lot of the people are customers that have done solar or geothermal and they have electric cars as well, so we said let’s get together and have some fun,” said Reger.
Among the EV owners present at the show was Bev Muendel-Atherstone, who said she has been driving on sunshine thanks to the 24 solar panels in her yard which she uses to charge her car.
“I’m a Chevy Bolt electric vehicle owner, my name is Bev, and it’s a battery electric vehicle so that’s also a BEV,” said Muendel-Atherstone.
She said 10 car owners like herself got together to start off the environmental week which is April 18 to 22. She said there were three Model 3 Teslas, a BMW i3, a BMW i4, a Fiat 500e, a Mercedes Smart EQ, a Chevy Bolt LT and two MachE4x Mustangs.
“I think right now many people are thinking of getting an electric car because the price of gas has gone so high,” said Muendel-Atherstone.
Reger said each car is different but even those who use the most electricity are still not comparable to the gas prices at the moment.
“Somewhere between 150 kilometres and up to 500 kilometers, depends what brand you get but you can usually charge it overnight in your own home. You’re running about $3 for every 200 kilometers,” said Reger.
He said that because he charges his at his zero net home, running his car is basically free.
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As an EV owner, I now know I would never go back. Today’s EVs are so powerful, simple, affordable to own and fun to drive one can see why they’re the way of the future. Several people at this event bought used vehicles from Go Electric in Calgary, making them even more affordable. An engine with one moving part, refuelling at home for the cost of drying a load of laundry, a transmission with one gear that goes from zero to 60 in 5 seconds, driving range from here to Red Deer, instant cold-weather starting are all reasons to leave the antiquated internal combustion engine behind.