Read on for an introduction to my life, wife, and reason for my electric drive journey. I will be driving an Audi E-Tron across Canada and the USA for 6-8 weeks.
A Bit About Me
I’ve always been a car nut, and especially one who liked vehicles with alternate fuel.
In the 90’s I drove a Propane van and in the last 10 years I have been driving a Diesel VW Touareg TDI which I loved. For the last 4 years when I first heard of Tesla and Elon Musk I became a huge fan of Electric Vehicles. As mentioned I’ve always been a fan of alternative fuel vehicles and I knew that my next vehicle would be an EV.
My wife Mary Ann and I met in the fall of 1989 and married in the spring of 1991 and she was the love of my life. Tragically she passed away due to a brutal cancer in June of 2018 and my life has completely changed. Every day I miss her but I know that I have to carry on.
During the last few years of her life Mary Ann was in full support of me getting an EV and specifically a Tesla model 3. I thought this would be a good choice as the performance, range and it was a good looking car. Once I took delivery of the model 3, we were going to go on a road trip from Vancouver right to Newfoundland. We were excited especially to visit Newfoundland as neither of us had ever visited this part of Canada. We saw so many great photos, and great articles, and we were looking forward to this great adventure in our new EV. At that time Mary Ann and I had two cars, she had Audi Q5 mid-sized SUV, and I had a VW Touareg (an SUV which was a bit bigger).
Why the Audi E-Tron
I was always wanting to do a trip across the country in an EV and we would do it together as a couple and she was keen on doing this with me. The original plan was to buy a Tesla Model 3 however at the end of this month I’m taking delivery of a brand new Audi E-tron . I chose this vehicle instead of the Tesla as I need an SUV for my work and lifestyle and I didn’t like the gull wing doors on the Tesla Model X or the very high price tag. I thought the new Audi E-tron being a nice looking all electric SUV would fit the bill perfectly.
I also trust Audi in making a higher quality car and due to my driving Mary Ann’s Q5 for a year now I had a lot of confidence in the overall quality and I also liked that the new Audi had great range and performance as well and full instrumentation that I’m more used to than a computer screen that Tesla uses.
As an avid early adopter of Electric Vehicles, I want to bring awareness that EV’s are not only great for commuting to and from work, and pleasure drives - but are now capable of driving long distances on the highways to our favourite destinations. EV's can handle well-travelled routes that already have charging stations, but also less travelled routes in more remote areas of Canada - like Northern BC, the Prairies, over the Lakehead and Newfoundland. These highways I will be travelling will feature our beautiful country from the west coast and ocean surf of Tofino, to the East Coast shores and Icebergs off the coastlines of Newfoundland.
In a few weeks towards the end of June I’ll be one of the first people in Canada to take delivery of my new Audi E-tron and after showing off this exciting and may I say beautiful new car to friends and neighbours for a few days I’ll start my trip across Canada. I’m dedicating this Electric Drive to my beautiful wife who I love and even though she won’t be with me physically she will be with me all the way in spirit.
My Proposed Trip
In total I will be driving over 95 hundred KMs. Every province will be visited, featuring photos of our beautiful BC mountains and valley vistas, the Rockies and plains of Alberta, the beauty of the parries where the sun rises and sets in awe inspiring beauty. The vast forests and lakes of Ontario to the mighty St. Lawrence River in Quebec, the old school charm and history of the Maritimes and finally to the beautiful and rugged landscapes of Newfoundland.
I’ve been told the people in Newfoundland are the most hospitable in the world.
Mary Ann and I have never visited Newfoundland, and I simply can’t wait to see the landscapes, the Atlantic and of course the Icebergs. As I write this blog the plan is complete Mary Ann’s Electric Drive to the end of the Trans-Canada Highway St. John’s NFLD 7,714 km from Victoria BC commonly called mile “0”.
In our early days together and before we married we went on a trip in my propane Dodge van. We took the Ferry to the southern part of Vancouver Island drove North to the to Port Hardy at the tip of the Island. Where we boarded the BC Ferry and sailed the inside Passage to Prince Rupert. The start of my trip across Canada will start the same way!