Every year, members of the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association (MEVA) look forward to hosting MEVAfest, the prairie’s most popular EV festival.
The 7th annual MEVAfest was held from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., on Saturday, September 9th, 2017, on the front driveway of the Manitoba Legislative Building.
For MEVAfest 2017, participants came from across the province to show dozens of fascinating 2-, 3-, and 4-wheeled plugin electric vehicles, including Ky Weichel’s Zero S electric motorcycle, Ross Redman’s electric motorboat and an electric skateboard, made by Matthew Hewlett and Caleb Turon.
Folks marvelled at vehicles which Manitobans have converted from gas to electric power like Don Himbeault’s vintage 1954 Austin A40, and Lloyd Timlick’s pink 1979 Avanti II, with features right out of a James Bond movie!
Nott Autocorp, Vickar Auto Group, First Nation Auto Inc., Ft. Whyte Alive, individual MEVA members and MEVA corporate members, Peg City Car Co-op and Manitoba Hydro, displayed a variety of factory-made plugin electric vehicles like the Tesla Model X, BMWi3, Nissan LEAF, Toyota Prius, Mitsubishi iMiEV, Chevy Bolt (Motor Trend magazine’s Car of the Year ) and more.
Of course, visitors to MEVAfest were treated to free rides in some of their favourite EVs.
This year, we were glad to welcome reps from the Red River College Electric Vehicle Technology and Education Centre, MEVA’s newest members, to the festival. They tell us the College will have a custom-made EV to show next year.
Festival goers filled out ballots to win a $50 gift certificate from the East India Company Pub & Eatery. The draw will be live, on Facebook, soon. The winner will be chauffeured to and from the restaurant in an electric vehicle.
