EVs on show in Christchurch

Electric vehicles played a starring role at EVolocity’s Festival of Engineering, Sustainability & Transportation Technologies (EVolocityFESTT).

The event, held at Christchurch’s AMP Showgrounds on the November 26, saw 180 people test driving a range of EVs, with everything from Nissan Leafs to Mitsubishi Outlanders and BMW i3s hitting the road.

Executive director of EVolocity Rob McEwen says the cars were driven more than 416 times by the test drivers.

McEwen is grateful to the EV enthusiasts of Canterbury, some used car dealers and power companies Orion and Mainpower, who all loaned cars to the event so people could take a drive.

“A big part of what we’re trying to do is get two or three different threads going with EVolocity,” McEwen says.

“One of those is getting the public switched on to electric vehicles.”

Other activities that focused on young people included drone racing demos, electric bike rides and power tool racing.

McEwen says working with training organisations to get young people pursuing engineering-related study is another key aim.

The event drew a crowd off about 2000 people in Christchurch and has been so successful, McEwen says it will expand to Auckland and possibly Wellington next year.