This weekend, Buddy made a trip to Vernon via the Coquilhalla. Part of the road trip for Buddy was to test out the Chevy Bolt but he also wanted to deliver a Jora composter to our friend Keith Matthews.
With the Jora tucked nicely in the hatch, Buddy stopped off a several charging stations and meetings along the way.
His first stop was at the Fraser Valley Regional District offices in Chilliwack where he met Greg Price, the building inspector, who is driving one of the regional district’s Bolts for work. The Fraser Valley Regional District analysed the trip data for their fleet, the data showed that 73% of all trips were less than 100 km and the business case made sense to use electric vehicles. The Fraser Valley Regional District also has a Nissan Leaf and a Mitsubishi i-Miev in their fleet.
As early adopters of electric vehicle travel the Cheam Avenue office parking lot has both level 2 and fast charging options. While Buddy chatted with Greg Price, he took advantage of a quick top up at the well-marked and easy to use charging. The charging is free but in the future the regional district may consider fees for charging. The location is an easy walk to restaurants and shopping for travellers.
The next meet up was with Will George, the economic development officer at The City of Merritt at the town hall. Will told Buddy that Merritt is very much on board for the promoting of electric vehicle tourism and travel. The City of Merritt is encouraging travelers to stop in Merritt.
The town hall in Merritt where Buddy met Will George has a level 2 charger in the parking lot. The parking spots for ev charging are not marked so the spot may be taken by ICE vehicles.
Buddy stopped for the night in Kamloops where he stayed at Holiday Inn Suites on Tranquille Road. The hotel has a level 2 charger located at the entrance. While the charging station is not well marked again it is possible to find gas powered vehicles taking parking. The hotel has a White Spot restaurant as part of the facility as well as being located in the centre of town.
The next morning, Buddy was off to Chase to Quaaout Lodge where The Little Shuswap Indian Band is carving canoes for the first time in 60 years. The Quaaout Lodge is located at Talking Rock Golf Resort and while it is a beautiful location to golf or have a spa weekend or conference it is also where you can learn about indigenous culture.
Frank Marchand a carver from the Okanogan band showed Buddy the work he is doing on the dug out canoes. The sacred tree used to build the two canoes was a 120ft cottonwood canoe, Frank is teaching young members of the community the traditional carving skills on one canoe while the other will be carved with power tools. The canoes are expected to be complete and in the water in the first week of June.
Buddy got to sit in canoe and Frank sat in the Bolt.
The next stop was Vernon where Buddy met up with new Bolt owner Richard for lunch and to compare Bolt experiences. Richard also showed Buddy where the level 3 charger was in Vernon in the parking lot behind the Greyhound station. Buddy charged up for the trip home.
On the trip back, Buddy made another quick stop to use the level 3 at the Fraser Valley Regional District offices adding 150 km
in 20 minutes. Using the Plug Share app takes you right to the location.
Charging at the fast charging options really does not add much time to trip duration.
Driving to Vernon and back was a wonderful opportunity to talk about traditions and the future, to meet great people and eat good barbecue ribs in Vernon.
