WATCH: Watch for CHEK personalities covering community and news events in our Green Leaf Community Cruiser. Ceilidh Millar reports.
Electric vehicles or EV’s are accelerating into the mainstream across Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.
“Vancouver Island does have a very healthy uptake [of electric vehicles]” said Matthew Klippenstein, who chronicles the Canadian plug-in electric vehicle market for GreenCarReports.
“I believe Salt Spring Island or one of the Gulf Islands has arguably the most EV’s per capita anywhere in Canada.”
Whether you prefer practical, sleek or sporty rides, EV’s are taking drivers on the road to the future.
At Victoria’s Campus Nissan, General Sales Manager Mandu Goebl says an increasing number of Islanders are making the switch.
“The new 2017 Nissan Leaf has a range of 210 km/h between charges,” explained Goebl. “You can get navigation, heated seats, all the things you’ve become used to in a regular gas vehicle.”
In April, the dealership turned over one new Nissan Leaf every day.
“Victoria is the perfect market for electric vehicles,” explained Goebl. “A lot of drivers in here and Victoria drive short distances so an electric vehicle is the perfect thing for that.”
There are more than 20 battery and plug-in hybrid EV models on the market in Canada.
With more models on the market every year, experts say there could be 300,000 EV’s on B.C.’s roads by 2030.
Electric vehicles can cut greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 98 percent and save drivers more than $1,500 a year.
“With a Nissan Leaf, you can get a flat to full charge for less than the cost of a cup of coffee,” said Simon Toung of FLO, Canada’s largest network of electric vehicle charging stations.
Joining the trend
CHEK News has partnered with Campus Nissan and FLO to bring the newest and greenest member of our team into the community – CHEK’s Green Leaf Community Cruiser.
Watch for CHEK personalities cruising in style to cover community and news events in our zero-emissions Nissan Leaf.
Our ride is powered by FLO, a Canadian company with more than 3,000 charging stations across Canada.
FLO’s convenient app can help EV drivers locate charging stations on the Island or anywhere in Canada.
It’s our commitment to making our community a little greener!
Ceilidh Millar
