WE'RE BACK!

Hello EV Society members and friends, 

Welcome back to our rebooted newsletter. EV Society has been busy behind the scenes and we’re thrilled to be back in your inbox and in your hands.

The goal with the EV Surge is to stay connected with you and keep you informed of the activities that our partners and chapter leaders organize around the country. We also want to share with you all the progress and initiatives we’re working on at home base. We’ve added some new sections to the newsletter to do just that and keep you in the loop. 

As EV owners and enthusiasts, you may have noticed the increasing number of electric cars on the road these days and with this new wave of vehicles we’ll also start to see new infrastructure and charging stations s.l.o.w.l.y popping up around major buildings and establishments. 

It is such an exciting time right now in the EV world and EV Society is at the forefront of significant upgrades and influence that affect our cities and day-to-day activities. You are the reason we have been able to advocate and educate government and industry members. Your membership and support has brought us here today. EV Society would not exist without you and we’re just getting started. 

We want to hear from you. When you have an interesting story or related topic you’d like to share with the community here, please email us at contact@evsociety.ca. 

Welcome New Board of Directors

Electric Vehicle Society is proud to announce our new Board of Directors.

We welcome back Stephen Bieda, Tim Burrows, Aniseh Sharifi, and Wilf Steimle. We extend a warm welcome to our newest Directors: Jason Cruickshank, Peter Forint, Jessica Hamilton, Mark Marmer, Jon Seary, and Chad Yee.

Wilf Steimle remains President of EV Society. We want to thank Sean Hart for continuing to volunteer as the EVS Tech Lead and for his past contributions as Vice President and Board Director. Aniseh Sharifi has stepped in as VP.

Over the coming months, EV Society’s new Board of Directors will continue to ensure governance, communication, diversity, and value for all members in an equitable and inclusive manner. The Board will also continue to help increase EV adoption and raise the profile of EV Society among EV owners, prospective EV owners, industry, and government across Canada.Thank you to all the candidates who participated in this year’s nominations and congratulations to our new Board of Directors.

Announcing the 2021 Howard Hutt Award Recipient 

We are excited to announce Cara Clairman, President and CEO of Plug’n Drive, as the recipient of the 3rd Annual Howard Hutt Award.

Cara is honoured for her long-standing work in the environmental and sustainability fields, especially for her notable and ongoing work in consumer EV education.

Electric Vehicle Society established the “Howard Hutt Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Electric Transportation” to recognize individuals or organizations who have engaged in outstanding efforts towards the advancement of electric transportation in Canada.

We had a number of nominee submissions, all of whom have done exceptional work towards the advancement of electric transportation in Canada. The EV Society would like to acknowledge and thank all nominees for their past and ongoing hard work to advance EVs.

New Educational Information on Website 

Do you know someone who is considering buying an EV and wondering what it will be like to own and drive? Or, perhaps you're new to your EV ownership  and now you are looking for some help figuring out some of the basics.

Either way, we have a new section on our website to help walk you through the basic steps for charging, maintaining and driving your EV throughout the year. 

Drive Electric NL was proud to launch the Drive Electric Resource Centre in St. John’s, NL on Earth Day, April 22nd.  

Cofounders Jon Seary and Joe Butler welcomed MP Joanne Thompson and NL Environment and Climate Change Minister, Bernard Davis to the opening event.

Funding from Natural Resources Canada’s ZEVAI program was combined with a contribution from Drive Electric NL to launch the centre, which provides a drop in location for information to help drivers make their next vehicle electric.  A new website, test drive sessions, and a cross island EV roadshow will complement the Centre’s efforts.

The Mid-Vancouver Island Electric Vehicle Association (MVIEVA) held an "Ask an Owner" Event on Sunday March 27th, at Woodgrove Mall in Nanaimo BC.

The MVIEVA set up a tent, with their banners and several EV's, including a newly purchased Kia EV6. As well, a small kiosk was set up inside one of the entrances to the mall, where they were able to hand literature and talk with people who are curious about EV's.

The idea was for EV owners to engage with the public. The theme "Curious about Electric Cars? Ask an Owner", allowed many curious people to stop and ask some very good questions. The MVIEVA plans to do these at various upcoming Show & Shine events as well, where there will be several thousand people viewing cars.

Ernie Freeman, British Columbia’s EV Pioneer

North of Mile 0 on the Alaska Highway in the heart of oil and gas is a bit of Renaissance man who has spent half a century tinkering with and promoting electric transportation. Ernie Freeman’s curiosity and ingenuity helped society realize the potential that is unfolding in the world of electric transportation.

Ernie’s interest in electric transportation began in the 1970’s while training in avionics and doing aircraft maintenance on helicopters. Later, following unsuccessful attempts to purchase a GM EV-1, Ernie used his aviation and electronic knowledge along with a vast array of aircraft electric parts to re-build a Chevy Vega Station Wagon as an EV.

In 2016, Ernie purchased a brand new Nissan Leaf and started to help the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Energy Mines, and Low Carbon Innovation with supporting its network of fast chargers along the highway system.  With the temperature at -35 C Ernie drove his Leaf from Fort St. John to Victoria, then back again.  All the while collecting data on the Leaf’s performance and range, and making notes about the infrastructure.  With no charging stations north of Hope (“Beyond Hope” as the locals say), Ernie had to rely on his own 240 Volt resourcefulness, the willingness of private citizens and community leaders and their knowledge of the local area to make this early adventure a success. 

Little did Ernie know at the time, but this adventure helped contribute to B.C.’s electric highway.  With over 2,500 charging stations, the B.C. electric highway is well on the way to being completed in 2024, and to succeeding to have 10,000 public EV charging stations in B.C. by 2030.

While the adventure to an electrified world is still unfolding, we can all be thankful for Ernie’s adventures, enthusiasm and tinkering in all things electrical.  All instrumental in establishing B.C.’s EV charging policy and program development.

Learn more about Ernie Freeman here

Know an EV Ambassador who we can feature in EV Society’s newsletter? Email us at Contact@EVSociety.ca 

OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

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EPS: 24, Preparing the Grid for Bidirectional Charging

Electric vehicles will soon be delivered with a promising new capability referred to as bidirectional charging.  As if EVs don't already have a slew of advantages over their internal combustion ancestors, this feature will take the EV ownership experience to a new level.  Imagine using your cars battery to keep the lights on at home during a power outage or to charge another EV roadside.  This capability even has the potential to return energy stored in your battery to the grid (V2G) providing  support during periods of high energy demand.  

Ivano Labricciosa, President and CEO of Oshawa Power and Utilities Corporation, will join us to talk about how electric utilities in Canada will need to prepare for the arrival of bidirectional charging.  Ivano’s experience spans close to 40 years, both here in Canada and Internationally.  With a background in engineering, business development, and strategic planning, international experience in alternative and renewable energy, Ivano brings innovative leadership to not only Oshawa Power, but to Ontario’s energy sector. 

Ivano holds a Bachelor of Engineering Science degree from Western University, a Master of Engineering degree from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Business Administration from Queen's University.  He is a graduate of the Directors College at McMaster University DeGroote School of Business. 

If you’re interested volunteering your time, please contact us at Volunteer@EVSociety.ca

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