How does driving 350-500 km with zero fuel costs sound?
It’s already the reality for Electric Vehicle (EV) operators in Cochrane, and from August 11-13 Erol’s Automotive will showcase the benefits – financial and environmental – of EV ownership when it hosts the Plug ‘N Drive EV Roadshow.
As Erol’s owner-operator Erol Yersel explains, the event will let the public see what EVs are all about, provide answers to common questions and offer rides and test drives.
“There’s a lot of misconception about EVs, and Plug ‘N Drive is going across the country promoting them and showing everybody what they’re about, because a lot of people haven’t even gotten into one,” he says.
“EV technology has changed a lot; battery technology has changed.”
Yersel points out that EVs can be ideal commuter options for people driving back and forth to Calgary, for example. Many vehicles average 350-500 km on a single charge, and they charge up overnight.
The EV Roadshow is a collaborative effort with NAPA’s NexDrive initiative, and Erol’s Automotive – a NAPA Autopro shop – is already a certified repair facility for electric vehicles. Erol’s’ technicians have taken EV courses along with their service advisors and parts suppliers.
“We are all trained up in the shop, geared up and ready to go,” says Yersel. “We’re just in the process of getting the banners for the NexDrive program.”
From Monday, August 11 to Wednesday, August 13, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., the general public can drop by Erol’s Automotive at 216 River Ave in Cochrane and learn everything there is to know about electric vehicles. A number of “EV ambassadors” will be on hand to answer questions, and vehicles will be available to drive.
“You can come by and take one for a drive, if you’re 21 or older,” Yersel says. “If you’re under 21, we’ll take you for a drive in one.”
He adds that EVs are “100 per cent good for the planet, and great for this town.”
Erol’s Automotive can be reached by calling (403) 932-4632, and more information about the shop is available online.
