YOURS Event will help drivers go electric

RENEW Wales, funded by the Big Lottery, will be holding its first ever event dedicated to electric transport on Saturday at Techniquest in Cardiff between 10am and 4pm.

The free event will showcase electric vehicles as well as community projects demonstrating the benefits of electric car sharing clubs.

Robert Proctor, Renew Wales director, said: “With the introduction of new targets to ban the sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2040 and ever increasing awareness of polluted air and climate change, Renew Wales have decided to help the general public unravel the benefits of using electric transport.

“People will have the opportunity to see the vehicles, find out about them from people who own and use them, and understand how the charging network works.

“Electric cars and hybrids were seen as a bit of a novelty but they are increasingly becoming a more common sight on our roads. With more manufacturers producing electric models there is more choice than ever.

“Come along and find out more on how we can make sure Wales is well placed to take advantage of these opportunities. The future is clearly electric.”

In the Techniquest Science Theatre there will be talks from experts on the technology and community groups.

At 11.30am there will be a panel discussion on the electric car movement and the targets of 2040. Then at 2.30pm William Cull of Wessex Garage will be talking about EV ownership and the Nissan Leaf on how it fits into people’s lives, running costs/challenges and the ease of use.

The panel discussion will also include a talk from electric car enthusiast and convert Dr Neil Lewis.

Dr Lewis said: “As a former petrolhead, I was fascinated to experience the silent, instant acceleration of driving an EV. No fuss, no bother, just pure torque.

“Once you’ve driven a few miles, there is no way you would ever choose to go back to the last-century technology of the inefficient internal combustion engine.”

There will be Q&A sessions at the end of each talk.