The driving future is now. And with more automobiles on Edmonton roadways of the battery-operated variety, a program geared to teach people about – and, dare we say, turn them on to – electric vehicles (EVs) is available now through the end of August. “You can talk about electric vehicles all you want, but the game changer is getting somebody behind the wheel,” Angie Thomas, an ambassador for Plug’n Drive, said Thursday at the non-profit organization’s EV education trailer. “(Once) you’ve experienced it and understand how much fun it is to drive, then the rest of it falls into place.” The trailer EV test-drive centre is being touted as a sales-free environment for people interested in trying EVs out and asking questions about them. Thomas says selling features of EVs include money-savings and quieter rides, “but the key step to overcoming (buyer hesitancy) is getting them in the car.” Plug’n Drive’s trailer will be set up Thursday through Sunday from now through the end of August in the parking lot of the Alberta Motor Association’s (AMA) south-side headquarters. The organization’s cross-Canada tour is partly funded by the federal Natural Resources Canada, with local support from the AMA and the Electric Vehicle Association of Alberta. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Noah Rishaug
