Thinking about making the switch to an electric car? A not-for-profit will host test drives in Haliburton County.
Plug’n Drive will be at Haliburton’s Abbey Gardens from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Cara Clairman, the organization’s CEO, says residents can take a 10-minute spin in an electric Volvo, Chevrolet, or Hyundai.
“Everyone wants to test drive a car before they think about buying it, and I think with EVs this is even more important,” says Clairman. “Because people have a lot of preconceived ideas about the cars that are often incorrect. So sometimes the test drive really does help put people’s mind at ease with ‘oh it’s a great car, I could really see myself driving this car’.”
According to Clairman, the event is sales-free, so people won’t be pressured to buy anything. She says outreach professionals will be around to answer any questions about EV ownership, including on government incentives and subsidies.
“We have all the information about the incentives,” says Clairman. “We’ll help people calculate their total cost of ownership based on how they drive, figure out which cars are in their budget, new or used, and see if there’s a fit there.”
Clairman adds you must be 21 years old with a full G licence to test drive a car.
“Electricity is so much cheaper than gas. Most people have this perception that EVs are expensive, and they are a little bit more expensive up front. But actually the total cost of ownership with an electric car is much cheaper than a gas car over time. So we’re trying to help people save money and do something good for the environment at the same time.”