Electrifying journey: B.C. man completes EV cross-country drive in less than 5 days
Harvey Soicher wanted to prove it was possible to go on a cross-country trip in an electric vehicle (EV) and last week, he did it in just a matter of days.
Soicher, an electric vehicle enthusiast, took his Audi e-tron from St. John's to Victoria – a journey that included two ferry rides and several time zones – and he did it all in four days, 18 hours and 30 minutes.
"Now there’s no challenge to get across the country," Soicher said. "The charging infrastructure is 10 times better, if not 20. So, I wanted to show that you can make the trip quickly."
He knows first-hand how much has changed because just two years ago, he made a similar trip across Canada, but that time, he was visiting loved ones, sightseeing and wasn’t concerned about how fast he could do it.
This time, he wanted to cross the country in less than five days.
He and his co-pilot, Kent Rathwell, drove virtually non-stop, only taking breaks to charge up.
Rathwell is the CEO of Sun Country Highway. The company helped to "electrify" the Trans-Canada Highway in 2012 by installing some of the first chargers for EVs.
Rathwell says he volunteered to go on this trip with Soicher because of his knowledge of the EV infrastructure landscape, and it provided him an opportunity to check out some of the new chargers that are now on the scene.
"The final barrier was shattered last week where we proved that you could travel across the widest part of our nation, the widest part of North America, in a matter of a few days in a 100 per cent electric vehicle with no tailpipe emissions and almost for free," he explained.
He said RBC customers with a Petro-Canada card can charge at no cost. And while they paid for their charge ups, it only ended up costing the duo about $400.
The trip also set an official record with the Formula Electric Vehicle Entertainment and Racing Association for making the fastest east-west trip of the Trans-Canada Highway by an electric vehicle.
IN MEMORY OF MARY ANN
The trip was dubbed Mary Ann’s Electric Drive 2.0 in honour of Soicher’s late wife who died of cancer in 2018.
Mary Ann and Soicher had made plans to visit Newfoundland together and a year after her passing, he went in her memory.
To continue her legacy, both trips fundraised money for Parkinson’s research and functional neurosurgery, a cause dear to her after suffering a life-threatening ruptured brain aneurysm two decades earlier.
Soicher said she would be proud of him for making these trips in his EV.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
U.S. schools turn to artificial intelligence to spot guns as companies press lawmakers for state funds
Kansas could soon offer up to US$5 million in grants for schools to outfit surveillance cameras with artificial intelligence systems that can spot people carrying guns. But the governor needs to approve the expenditures and the schools must meet some very specific criteria.
Air quality advisories issued in 5 provinces, 1 territory
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
opinion Harry and Meghan's Nigerian adventure: traditional attire to warm welcomes
For her latest column on CTVNews.ca, royal commentator Afua Hagan writes about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent visit to Nigeria, calling it a 'deeply meaningful campaign' that was about aligning their ongoing efforts to foster mental-health awareness and promoting the Invictus Games.
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
DEVELOPING Cohen expected to take the stand as testimony in Trump hush money case enters 4th week
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.