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
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.