Thanks to all the hearty Manitobans who visited MEVAfest, on Saturday. Also a very special thanks to the many participants who brought their vehicle(s) to offer free rides to visitors and/or exhibit. Some EV owners came from as far away as The Whiteshell, Carmen, Pine Falls and The Pas!

At 1:30 pm, a half hour before MEVAfest was scheduled to begin, participants were gathered on the Lyric Stage, sheltering from the rain, which had been falling for several hours. Regardless of the weather, visitors had begun arriving, wanting rides in EVs. Therefore, at two o’clock, we decided the festival should go ahead.

So, Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association (MEVA) members and other festival participants just ignored the weather, and started chauffeuring guests in and around the park.

Eventually, Mother Nature decided to co-operate. The sun poked through the clouds, and everyone had a great day.

Dozens of EV owners, fleet managers and dealers showed the public why it’s so much fun to drive an EV.

Two wheels or four wheels, big or small, we rode them all!

Young or old, whether visitors to MEVAfest were looking for the historic or the ultra-modern, there was something for everyone to enjoy!

Here’s a link to a video, which was made by Ric Lim, at the beginning of the event. MEVA member Lester Deane gave Ric and some of his friends a ride in Lester’s Tesla Model S http://vimeo.com/106789707. (When Lester stepped on the accelerator, Ric learned that EVs really do accelerate quickly; his video camera almost ended up in the backseat!)

Thanks very much to all the folks who visited MEVAfest 2014, in particular, Jim Penziwol, the Chairman of the Manitoba Association of Automobile Clubs (MAAC), and Bob Chubala, the Co-Chair of the World of Wheels automobile show, and Past-Chair of MAAC. Both Jim and Bob are helping us find more opportunities to inform Manitobans about the advantages of electric vehicles.

We had hoped to have the New Flyer battery-electric Xcelsior bus at MEVAfest 2014, but circumstances beyond our control prevented that from happening. However, the day before the festival, Thomas Small, the Director of New Product Development for New Flyer Industries Canada, emailed MEVA to say, “We will be happy to attend next year and will reserve space in our calendar.” Although the bus wasn’t available this year, we are pleased that Thomas was able to attend MEVAfest2014. It was a pleasure to have him at the event. We’re already looking forward to his return next year with that environmentally-friendly, battery-electric bus. Isn’t it terrific that the vehicle which is destined to positively revolutionize mass transit around the world is being developed by Thomas and his New Flyer team, right here, in Manitoba!

An especially big thanks to everyone who participated inMEVAfest 2014. You made many visitors to this rather soggy festival very happy. Many have told us that they had plenty of fun and found the stories of your personal experiences with EVs very informative.

Of course, we’ve saved our biggest thanks to our visitors. This year, you braved the elements, to go for EV rides and learn what it’s like to own and operate electric vehicles, and plugin hybrid electric vehicles, in Manitoba. One of you happy visitors to the festival contacted us the very next day, to ask, where would be the best place to buy a Ford C-MAX. Of course we put him in touch with Midtown Ford, the dealership which showed that EV at the festival. It was just confirmed, that happy MEVAfest visitor and the sales team at Midtown are in discussions, now.

There were many excellent electric vehicles and plugin hybrid electric vehicles being shown at MEVAfest, by several other dealerships, including Waverley Mitsubishi, Vickar Nissan, and Vickar Community Chevrolet. Larry Vickar and his dealerships have been staunch supporters of MEVAfest for several years, giving Manitobans opportunities to test-drive EVs and PHEVs. No doubt, Larry and his staff will be seeing increased interest in these great vehicles, too.

In 2014, visitors to MEVAfest learned of a very affordable way to drive a plugin hybrid electric vehicle from MEVA’s newest member, the Peg City Car Co-op. Now, Winnipeggers can enjoy the benefits of driving one of these vehicles, a Chevy Volt, without buying one. Membership in the car co-op really does have its privileges.

Membership in the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association (MEVA) is also beneficial. If you haven’t already joined MEVA Meetup, and you’d like to know more about us and learn more about electric vehicles, of all kinds, join now and come to our next meeting.