Saturday evening, January 30th, 2016, over three hundred and twenty people celebrated the 5th anniversary of the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association (MEVA), at The Met, the newly refurbished Metropolitan Theatre, in downtown Winnipeg.  (Before the scheduled event, dozens of us arrived early, to enjoy The Allen Restaurant at The MET.  The food was delicious and staff were great!)

The members of MEVA and our many guests are very grateful to the Canadian Shield Foundation and MTS for generously helping to make this event possible. 

The evening started with a special address by one of Manitoba’s foremost advocates of electric vehicles.  He’s a long-time EV owner, and staunch MEVA supporter,

The Right Honourable Edward Richard Schreyer
Governor General of Canada (retired)

The retired Governor General’s very persuasive message was followed by the world premiere of this made-in-Manitoba movie,

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During the world’s “energy crisis” of the 1970s, the Manitoba government of Premier Schreyer purchased seven primitive electric vehicles, called EVA Metros.  One of these EVs was driven by the Premier himself.  Since then, many Manitobans, including MEVA members, have been pioneers in the development and use of electric vehicle technology.

Staff and students at Red River College have been designing, building, and testing a wide array of EV technologies for several years, including a solar-powered car and an electric motorcycle.  As part of a consortium which includes Manitoba Hydro, Winnipeg Transit, New Flyer Industries, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the folks at RRC designed, fabricated, assembled and tested Mitsubishi batteries for the New Flyer Xcelsior battery electric bus.  Now, the college’s Electric Vehicle Technology and Education Centre is running extreme weather tests on a level three fast-charger.

KOR Ecologic Inc. of Winnipeg advanced EV technology by designing and building the URBEE (URBan Electric with an Ethanol powered backup generator.)  That hybrid EV has the lowest coefficient of drag of any similar sized car in the world, and it was the first automobile in the world to have its entire body manufactured using 3-D printers.

Students who are members of the University of Manitoba Society of Automotive Engineers (UMSAE) Polar Bear Racing team design, build and race a new formula electric race car, every year.  Largely due to the increasing interest in EVs, the U. of M. SAE chapter has become the largest university SAE chapter in the world!

Members of the Recreational Aircraft Association of Manitoba are pursuing their dream of building an electric airplane.

Clearly, the passion to advance EV technology runs deep in Manitoba.  That’s why innovative MEVA members (mechanics, accountants, students, electrical engineers, farmers, artists, entrepreneurs, teachers, energy researchers, and others) have converted a wide variety of 2, 3, and 4-wheeled vehicles (cars, trucks, SUVs, tractors… ) from internal combustion power to electric power.  Recently, members converted a large outboard motor for a boat.

The first Nissan LEAF (the world’s most popular electric vehicle) retailed in Canada, the first Mitsubishi iMiEV retailed in Canada, and the first Chevy Volt retailed in Canada were all purchased by members of the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association.  Dozens of Manitobans have also been amongst the first Canadians to purchase fabulous Tesla electric cars, vehicles which have changed the automotive industry forever.

DRIVE FOR FREE 2 – The Revolution Continues highlights the fun and accomplishments of some of these Manitobans.  Created by movie makers Bruce Little and Noah Erenberg, it’s their sequel to DRIVE FOR FREE – The Alternative Fuel Revolution another eye-opening movie which Bruce and Noah made for the MTS Stories From Home collection.

Automobiles powered by gasoline and diesel fuel cause almost forty percentage of the pollution in Manitoba’s air.  Gradually replacing such vehicles with electric vehicles is an easy and cost-effective way for our community to achieve a substantial reduction in air pollution, in a relatively short period of time.

Last year, the number of plug-in electric vehicles registered in our province increased by almost fifty percent.  Now, over five thousand Manitobans drive vehicles which have electric motors, proving that they are very reliable, especially in the world’s most extreme temperatures.  Electric vehicles are convenient, inexpensive to operate, and ecologically sustainable.  Because EVs accelerate so very quickly, they’re also fun to drive!

The Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association (MEVA) is an unincorporated, not-for-profit association of men and women of all ages, committed to promoting the transition from petroleum-powered vehicles to electric-powered vehicles for public and private use.  These other organizations are also members of MEVA: Peg City Car Co-op, (University of Manitoba Society of Automotive Engineers) UMSAE Polar Bear Racing Formula Electric team and Manitoba Hydro.