A growing trend in the vehicle industry is slowly creating a buzz in Prince Albert according to a local dealer. (paNOW Staff/ Charlene Tebbutt)

By Ronald Quaroni

An electric conversation

An increased buzz around electric vehicles

Mar 15, 2019 | 2:02 PM

With more people becoming environmentally conscious, the appetite for electric vehicles is increasing according to a local dealership.

General manager at Evergreen Nissan, Ron Jones said the electric car movement is gaining notice in the city.

“There’s a lot of interest in electric vehicles in Prince Albert and throughout the province,” Jones told paNOW. “Interest is one thing but when people want to jump into it, it’s another thing. They’re still untrusting of range, distance and charging stations.”

Jones added that a main concern for residents is our winters.

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“Cold weather will decrease the range by 20-30 per cent depending how cold it gets,” he said.

Despite the battery drawbacks, Jones went on to say the majority of people are only travelling 60-80 km per day, a number much smaller than Nissan’s projected distance of 243 km for the basic 2019 LEAF model.

Jones added that locally charging is not a problem, many drivers charge their cars at home with 110V and 220V outlets, with the option to charge at a few locations around the city including, Evergreen Nissan and Peavey Mart.

In an e-mail response the Government of Saskatchewan said they don’t have any current plans in implement electric vehicle buying-incentives.

“Regarding rebates, there has not been a lot of demand for these types of subsidies,” a government statement read.

In the e-mail response, they recognize a small, growing number of electric vehicles on the province’s roads. They went on to say that SaskPower has a procedure outlined for private companies to set up charging stations.

“SaskPower has also created Electric Vehicle Charging Guidelines geared towards private companies looking to set up an electric vehicle charging station. SaskPower has always been willing to work with interested electric vehicle charging companies as they come forward,” the government response stated.

SaskPower projects that by the year 2030 electric vehicle ownership will account for three megawatts of power usage.

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ron.quaroni@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @RonaldQuaroni