Today is Friday the 26th of August and I haven’t done any since I revised my website so I thought it’s high time I did!
What can I say! It’s been an adventure from the first day leaving to Victoria at Mile 0 where I started and will be finished my trip hopefully by September the 17th of September, 5 days later.
Most of my documentation is through my Polarsteps app, and Facebook and my YouTube channel which I have been using almost every day. (5) Harvey Soicher | Facebook
I really like Polarsteps as this app I can take photos and create the stories around them as well as the app pinpointing the location on the map of North America.
Here is the link to see all my trips on Polarsteps including the original Mary Ann’s Electric Drive.
The other method is through my video channel where I have a variety of videos about topics of interest along my travels as well as some that take you through my whole day!
The initial reason and purpose of this trip is directly related to the Covid Pandemic that has changed the way we live and travel. For the last year and a half we have not been able to do so and see our close relatives and friends that we dearly want to visit. As soon as I was double vaccinated as well as those I’m travelling to visit have also had their double shots I planned to set out in my Audi e-tron and simply see all of those close to me across Canada. I’ve been mostly doing social media about not only my visits with those I care about and love but also about my Electric Drive where I’m documenting the changes related to driving an Electric Vehicle as I’m an Electric Vehicle Advocate.
Overall this trip is so different from the Mary Ann’s Electric Drive that I did the summer of 2019 where the main goal was to make it across the country in an EV. It didn’t matter to me if I had to wait for hours at the many lower speed chargers (level 2) along my route as it was all part of the experience at the time. Most people that may have been interested in purchasing their own EV would be hesitant as going on a long trip was out of their comfort zone. For me I welcomed the challenge especially since I knew then that the charging infrastructure was in its infancy. I’m happy to report that this first trip I didn’t get stuck without battery power (however I did have a few close calls).
Now as little as two years later on Mary Ann’s Electric Drive the number of chargers and the speed of the chargers are without exaggeration 10X better and if not 10X it’s 20X better!! I’m really referring to the number and quality of the level 3 DC high speed and super high speed chargers that now cross the country with no gaps between them. Yes, I may still use the odd time a level 2 AC low speed charger but only when I’m at a hotel and staying overnight. Two years ago the best level 3 DC fast chargers were putting out a charge of 50 KW/HR which would charge my car from close to empty to full in about 1.5 hours, now the speed of most of the chargers I’m using are giving me 3X the speed at 150 KW/HR and charges my car in most cases less than 30 minutes. Quite often I simply charge to only 80% as the distance I need to get to the next charger is much closer and I won’t need a full charge. This is done as once my Audi e-tron or any other EV reaches 80% capacity on the battery it slows down and takes an additional 10 minutes or so to complete the charge compared to the same rate prior to 80%.
The other big observation that I’m experiencing on Mary Ann’s Electric Drive 2.0 is the shift in peoples thinking towards EV adoption. 2 years ago seeing an EV was more of a novelty and people I met were interested but not interested enough to think that they would purchase an EV as their next vehicle. Yes, they thought it was cool but not a trend that would be the future but more of an anomaly at the present time. The thinking now is completely changed where the questions I’m getting certainly reflect the level of interest that they would seriously consider or have already decided that the next vehicle is will be an EV. The reasons for the shift are many with one that is standing out more than the others and that is the concern of global warming and that an EV is an emission free mode of personal and sustainable transportation. This thinking is not just from young drivers but old as well as one elderly lady I talked to said with some emotion “I bought my EV because of my grandchildren” she goes on to explain what prompted her to think this way and of course she did mention the benefits of the cost of electricity compared to fueling up with gas.
The other reasons are strictly performance where companies like Tesla, Audi, and Porsche are selling super high end vehicles that a gas version of a similar performance car simply cannot compete with. I’m talking about massive instant torque and acceleration and when combined with the lower center of gravity with the batteries at the bottom section of the car with the weight being evenly distributed for superior handling. Even the lower cost EV’s like a Chevy Bolt or Nissan Leaf the owners experience similar kind of performance compared to other smaller more economical cars and where the driver has on his or her face the so called “EV Grin” on their face. The amazing fact is Legacy Auto makers both Audi and Porsche cannot keep these performance vehicles in stock and are outselling their respective gas counterparts by a wide margin! Not only in major cities but smaller cities on the prairies where the vehicles are pre sold before they show up on the lot for a test drive.
I’m currently traveling back home for a few days to visit my cousin Deena in Calgary for John Clark her late husband’s celebration of Life. John passed away last October and it was impossible to have a Celebration of Life during the height of Covid. Now that most people are double vaccinated Deena has decided that now is the time. Right after this event this evening I’ll be flying to Vancouver where I’m meeting my brother Mel, his wife Marisa, Jacqueline her daughter and her soon to be her new husband Kenny. Their Wedding was originally scheduled for April last year and cancelled due to Covid. Now they don’t want to wait any longer so they are having a very small ceremony this coming Saturday evening. I plan to do some biking with Mel as well as get in some golf at my golf course. On Sunday night I’m flying back to Halifax where I left my car and will be continuing on to Cape Breton Island and taking the Ferry from Sydney to Port Aux Basque Newfoundland.
I’m looking forward to going back to Gros Morne National Park which is the Jewel of Newfoundland and one of the most spectacular regions to explore in the World. I’m hoping Mel will join me for the first week or so when I arrive in Newfoundland.
The week after Labour Day will be mostly preparing for my nonstop fast EV drive from KM 0 downtown St. John’s to Mile 0 in Victoria, BC a distance of over 7,500 KM.
I'll do some more posting I promise.