An electric car owner was in the Cariboo this past week raising awareness about emission-free vehicles.
Rebecca Abernethy, an Environmental Health Scientist who returned to Vancouver on Tuesday after traveling to Prince George, stopped in Williams Lake twice to recharge her 100% electric Nissan LEAF at Thompson Rivers University.
She says she received positive reception and interest within the Lake City.
“What I find at charging stations including the one at Williams Lake is people who pass by are very curious, they are open to the idea, and they love to ask questions and I love to answer them about how an electric vehicle can work, how long it takes to charge, how far it can go,” she says.
“What I find in talking to people about is a lot of them are surprised that electric vehicles can do many things a normal car can do.”
Abernethy who needed to recharge her vehicle every 150 kilometers said she faced challenges in Quesnel and 100 Mile House due them not having charging stations.
She says despite this, however, she was not nervous about being unable to complete her trip.
“What I had to do was plan ahead-make sure that I have access to a 240-volt outlet,” she says.
“I carry a number of adapters so I can actually plug into any dryer or stove or RV outlet and as well I had an additional safety net in that I am able to plug my car into any wall outlet; a normal 120 outlet.”
Abernethy says the cost of electricity to run electric vehicles is significantly less expensive than gas and adds the vehicles require very little maintenance.
She says there is a great support network for electric vehicles and adds if there were more charging stations in communities such as Quesnel, it would open up the Cariboo and Northern BC to even more electric vehicles.
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