TORONTO, Ont. February 19, 2020: — The wave of the automotive future is electric.
The segment is growing rapidly in the Canadian auto market, and nowhere is that better reflected than at the 2020 Canadian International AutoShow. The popular EV Test Drive program, presented by Plug’n Dive offers 14 fully electric and plug-in hybrid models available to be taken on a trial run around the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
But that is just a sample of what is available on the show floor, where almost every manufacturer at the AutoShow has something electric to showcase.
“With each passing year, electric vehicle technology and infrastructure improves, and EVs are more prominent on Canadian roads than ever,” says Jason Campbell, General Manager of the AutoShow. “The EV Test Drive program at the AutoShow is a great opportunity to get a feel for driving the wave of the future.”
A recent analysis by Reuters looked at 29 global automakers with plans to invest $300 billion in EV research over the next five to 10 years. We are seeing the start of that with recent unveils of known brands going electric (such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E) and the promised return of older brands on an electric platform (GMC’s plans to revive the Hummer as an electric truck). This is on top of the beginning of the large car market getting into the EV space, among them the Ford Eclipse PHEV, the Tesla Cybertruck, Vokswagen I.D. Crozz and the all-electric Ford F-150.
EVs will become even more attractive as the price tag comes more to the norm with combustion vehicles, a trend that Bloomberg NEF analytics says is already under way as battery technology and economies of scale take effect. Bloomberg’s research predicts the crossover point will take place as early as 2022.
“The number of EV models available for sale in Canada has grown from a handful to over 40 in only a few years,” said Cara Clairman, President and CEO of Plug’n Drive. “Every automaker in the world has an EV on the road right now, or is close to releasing one, and many have committed to electrifying their entire line-ups over the next five to 10 years. The future of the auto industry is looking increasingly electric and the AutoShow is the perfect place to see what’s here already and what’s coming soon.”
The Plug’n Drive EV Test Drive program at the AutoShow will once again run out of both the North and South Buildings:
North Building
- Register for a test drive in the main lobby.
- Cars available for a test drive in the North include Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen e-Golf, Kia SOUL, Hyundai Kona and IONIQ.
South Building
- Register at the kiosk in the Future Tech Hub in the main showroom on the 800 level.
- Cars available for test drive include the Audi e-tron and Q5 TFSI e, Hyundai Kona and Chevrolet Bolt.
