I have to be honest, this is my first blog post... EVER! I want to document some of the important and exciting developments around electric cars and our experiences in promoting them.
First things first. People are always asking me why I started Plug'nDrive. I had a great job as VP of Sustainable Development at Ontario Power Generation (OPG), Ontario's largest generator of electricity. It was in this job that I hit upon what I consider to be a classic sustainability winner: electric vehicles (EV) are good for the environment, society and the economy.
If you plug your car in at night in Ontario (and most other Canadian provinces) you are plugging into surplus baseload electricity that is both low emitting and low cost. As our electricity supply gets greener, so does EV driving and of course, electricity is usually locally made whereas gas is often not. On top of this, Ontario has smart meters, time of use pricing and a vibrant auto sector. All good reasons why Ontario should be a leader in the deployment of EVs. But we all know that making vehicles available is not enough. People have 100 years of experience with gas cars - how can we convince them that EVs are worth a try?
If you plug your car in at night in Ontario (and most other Canadian provinces) you are plugging into surplus baseload electricity that is both low emitting and low cost. As our electricity supply gets greener, so does EV driving and of course, electricity is usually locally made whereas gas is often not. On top of this, Ontario has smart meters, time of use pricing and a vibrant auto sector. All good reasons why Ontario should be a leader in the deployment of EVs. But we all know that making vehicles available is not enough. People have 100 years of experience with gas cars - how can we convince them that EVs are worth a try?
This opportunity was so compelling to me that I pitched Tom Mitchell, CEO of OPG about turning Plugndrive - which at that time was a sustainability project internal to OPG - into an independent not for profit. He gave the idea a ringing endorsement - and we were off to the races. So, in June 2011 I set up the non-profit corporation with a top notch Board of Directors and set out to find some other like minded companies to help support the cause.
Our first order of business was to raise awareness we know EVs are good for the environment and economy but how good are they?
How do we let people know? How do we change behaviours? How do we move
people from "that's interesting" to "I want to drive one of those!"?
And thus we began our EV Road Show, an educational campaign that is generously sponsored by TD Bank. In
addition to this outreach program, Plug'nDrive showcases at events all over the province. We have also begun a program to assist
consumers who are ready to embrace the technology but need some help in
the 'how to" called Charge My Car. Consumers want to know things like: How do I get a home charger?
Which cars are available and where? Where are the public chargers?
Answers to all your questions about EVs can be found there.
And if the business case for EV's is not clear for you yet, please watch this video: This is Just the Beginning. Convinced? If not, invite me to come talk to your company or group in person and bring a car. Be part of driving Canada's clean energy future.
Stay
tuned as we begin on a journey to convince drivers that they can make
the change to electric - reducing their CO2 footprint and helping the
local economy at the same time.
Cara Clairman
President and CEO
Cara Clairman
President and CEO
