Upcoming Electrify Caledon event promotes sustainable transportation

June 23, 2022 · 0 Comments

By Zachary Roman

Electric vehicles aren’t just good for the environment and your wallet — they’re fun to drive, too.

Kenneth Bokor, the head of the Electric Vehicle Society’s (EVS) Caledon chapter, wants to share that message with as many people as possible.

He said he’s passionate about saving the environment and has chosen promoting electric vehicles as one of the ways he can do that.

In addition to his work with the Electric Vehicle Society, Bokor runs a successful YouTube channel called “The EV Revolution Show.” There, he reviews electric vehicles and provides information to his more than 24,000 channel subscribers.

Bokor has been working with the Town of Caledon to create an event that will educate residents of Caledon on all things electric vehicles.

It will be held on July 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Southfields Community Centre (225 Dougall Ave.).

EcoCaledon will also be part of the event, which is called “Electrify Caledon.” Attendees of the event can expect to see electric cars, ask questions to electric vehicle owners, test drive the latest electric vehicles, and listen to guest speakers.

Special guests to the event will be Plug N Drive, Bike Brampton, Caledon Hills Cycling, Ryobi Outdoor, Caledon E-Bike Rentals, EV Network, and more. Bike Brampton will offer free assistance for minor bike repairs throughout the day.

“EVs (electric vehicles) are safer in general, and there’s a lot of other attributes… I could go on and on,” said Bokor. “It’s an exciting time and that’s why we want to talk to people about EVs and I’m very happy that we were able to work with the Town of Caledon to put this event on. This will be the first event of its kind in Caledon.”

The EVS is a non-profit organization that has been around since 1994. Bokor explained some of the early adopters of electric vehicles came together and formed the society to promote the vehicles and educate the public about them. The society is primarily funded by volunteers and is non-partisan when it comes to electric vehicle brands.

When talking to an interested consumer, EVS members will ask questions about what the consumer needs in a vehicle and see if there’s an electric vehicle on the market that will meet their needs. Bokor explained that if a person is able to install a home charger for their vehicle, they will maximize the benefits of driving an electric vehicle.

“Your home is literally a gas station; you can’t do that with fuel… you can plug (your vehicle) in every night and get a 300, 400, 500-kilometre range, (whatever that vehicle’s range is) every day,” said Bokor. “It’s just like plugging your phone in. It’s that easy.”

When Bokor began volunteering with the EVS four years ago, he said about one or two out of every 10 people he spoke to knew things about electric vehicles. Now, he said it’s more like four or five. Bokor said a large part of that is due to marketing, and gave the example of how major automotive manufacturers spent a lot of money promoting their electric vehicles during the most recent Super Bowl broadcast.

Bokor got his first electric vehicle in 2018, and said it was a decision he could make as a consumer to help the environment.

He explained in 2022, if the Canadian automotive industry sold two million cars that would be a big year — and of those two million, approximately 60,000 would be electric vehicles. Bokor said he shared that statistic to show there is still a very large difference in the amount of internal combustion engine vehicles and electric vehicles being sold. He said right now there’s about 20 million light-duty vehicles on the road in Canada and less than 300,000 electric vehicles.

“There’s like 90 different options available in Canada that are all electric. That’s a combination of models and trim levels within those models,” said Bokor. “You could spend anywhere from $37,000 to $220,000 for an all-electric vehicle.”

The used market for electric vehicles is limited, but growing. Part of the reason is that people with electric vehicles tend to keep them, said Bokor.

“I know guys that have original 2010, 2011 Nissan Leafs, they still keep them. In an EV there’s only about 20 moving parts so there’s not much that can really break. It’s not uncommon to see guys still driving 10, 12-year-old all-electric vehicles because they cost them basically nothing to operate,” said Bokor.

A major benefit to electric vehicles is of course the savings on gas, especially in the world right now where gas prices are higher than they’ve ever been. Bokor said a conservative estimate on how much someone would save on fuel if they switched to electric is between $4,000 and $5,000 per year.

He said even though electric vehicles are a bit more expensive upfront, consumers can recoup that extra cost in a few years and begin saving. Plus, there’s the up to $5,000 people can get from the federal government towards a new electric vehicle, Bokor added.

Something people may not know about electric vehicles is the way their batteries charge.

Bokor gave the analogy that charging one is like filling a glass of water. You can go fast at the start, but as you get close to the end you have to slow down so you don’t overflow it. What this means though, is that electric vehicles can charge to 80 or 90 per cent of their full battery capacity quicker than one might think.

To learn more about electric vehicles or to join the EVS, interested parties can visit EVSociety.ca and the “Electrify Caledon” event.