A growing trend in the vehicle industry is slowly creating a buzz according to a local dealer. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Tyler Marr

GOING GREEN

National Drive Electric Week set to roll into North Battleford

Sep 18, 2019 | 10:02 AM

From Tesla to Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, Hyundai, Nissan and Mercedes, essentially every vehicle manufacturer has entered into the electric vehicle (EV) game.

And one Saskatchewan electric vehicle owner and advocacy group will allow people to get up close and personal with the vehicles and speak to everyday users and owners.

National Drive Electric Week will cruise into North Battleford on Thursday at Peavy Mart from 6 to 8 p.m.

“We often have a lot of questions from people about how they work in the winter and how they work for road trips,” Lead Organizer with SaskEV Jason Cruickshank said. “This is an opportunity to give people a chance to come and see them and learn a bit more about them.”

Though electric vehicles are becoming more mainstream, Cruickshank said confidence in some buyers’ still wavers when it comes to making the jump from a petrol combustion engine to batteries under the hood.

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However, new data from Electric Mobility Canada shows Saskatchewan experienced a 109 per cent year-over-year sales growth in electric vehicles in the second quarter of 2019. This is the third-highest nationally behind Newfoundland, which saw 166 per cent growth, and British Columbia with a 150 per cent uptick.

The quarter saw the start of the federal government’s zero-emission vehicle incentive program on May 1, which provides up to $5,000 off the cost of a new electric vehicle. This same time period saw the continuation of business tax incentives for fleet EV purchases and construction start on Tesla’s first Saskatchewan Supercharger in Moose Jaw.

With the 46 sales in Q2, more than 250 plug-in vehicles have been sold in Saskatchewan, according to a media release from SaskEV.

Cruickshank has owned an electric vehicle for nearly two years and said he can speak to how it handles on long road trips and during winter.

“I can speak first hand on what the challenges are what the solutions are and how it works deriving them in Saskatchewan,” he said.

There are currently three electric vehicle chargers in the Battlefords, Cruickshank said. Canadian Tire is set to receive a charging station within the next year suited for long road trips.

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tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr