Caledon electric vehicle event to feature first in person look at new Cadillac EV

By Zachary Roman

Caledon residents can get a first look Saturday at an electric vehicle that isn't yet at dealerships.

On July 9, the Town of Caledon, the Caledon chapter of the Electric Vehicle Society (EVS), and EcoCaledon are hosting the Electrify Caledon event at the Southfields Village Community Centre.

It runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and at the event people will be able to test drive electric cars, learn from guest speakers and organizations, meet electric vehicle owners and ask them questions, and see a vehicle that's not yet at dealerships.

Since the Citizen's June 23 article on the event, Caledon EVS chapter president Kenneth Bokor said he's been able to secure a Cadillac LYRIQ to be shown off on the ninth. He said to his knowledge it's going to be the first time people in Canada can see the vehicle in person.

Bokor, who runs an electric vehicle Youtube channel with over 24,000 subscribers, was invited to the media launch of the LYRIQ in the Salt Lake City Area. He went to do a review of the vehicle for his channel, and while there he talked to the people at Cadillac to see if he could get one of their LYRIQs at the event he's helping to host.

“I figured it'd be a great showcase vehicle… the timing seemed to work out,” said Bokor. “I think it's going to be pretty special for people to see this vehicle; they'll be quite impressed with it as well.”

The EVS and Bokor himself are not affiliated with any automotive manufacturer, they just wish to promote the benefits of electric vehicles and help save the environment.

Another vehicle Bokor has been able to secure to showcase at Electrify Caledon is the Ford F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup truck, which has only just started to ship to customers this month.

There's also going to be a BMW iX, which has been out for a few months but is still quite new and on a new platform, said Bokor.

The speaker schedule for Electrify Caledon has been confirmed, and is as follows: From 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. and 2:15 to 3:15 p.m., the EVS will be doing an “EV 101” presentation; from 11:15 a.m. to 12 p.m. EcoCaledon will be doing a presentation; and from 1:00 to 1:45 p.m. the Town of Caledon will present.

When it comes to the LYRIQ, Bokor said his impression was that it's a solidly built car and that the early production units he and other journalists got to test drive were great.

“It's extremely quiet, extremely smooth, and I kind of summarized it in my video as cool, calm and collected,” said Bokor. “Everything on it is new. So, it's a completely new design and all the materials are new for that vehicle, they put a lot of thought and effort into that.”