While they won’t be revving the engine at a stoplight, a few lucky Calgary Enmax employees are juiced up and ready to show off their electric vehicles.
One hundred of the electric cars will hit the city’s streets this year, as part of project EVE, a coalition of Canadian companies dedicated to the advancement of electric mobility.
“We’ve been working for years now to bring greener technologies to Alberta,” said CEO Gary Holden. “Being ready when the electric car comes along is a big part of that same strategy.”
The battery-powered buggies save consumers money and reduce their carbon footprint; it’s estimated the cost is equivalent to seven or eight cents a litre, and with no emissions.
However, much of the electricity is still produced from burning coal, though Holden said that is changing.
“The movement away from coal to greener alternatives is happening coincident with the development of the electric car.”
Steve Dallas, President of Toronto Electric, said one major obstacle for the cars is government subsidizing the old way of doing things.
