Living Future Forward

Dale is a retired pilot living in the Comox Valley. He has always been fascinated by technology and is passionate about helping the world in whatever little ways he can. Dale followed the electric vehicle industry for about six years. Then, in 2016, he took his wife Laurel for a spontaneous birthday test drive in a Nissan Leaf. They loved it so much they purchased one that day and would fight over who drives it almost every day since.

Dale has always embraced what the future might bring. He did plenty of research into electric vehicles before purchasing one, and he mapped out his driving habits, concluding that he and Laurel don’t take many long trips. Therefore, he never had range anxiety. One time he made it from Nanaimo to Victoria on a full charge (remember the early Leafs didn’t have much range). The fast charger in Duncan was busy, and he thought he had enough power to complete the trip. He nearly ran the battery to zero going up the Malahat Highway, but gained enough regenerative power going downhill toward Victoria to arrive at the charging station without worry.

Since the Federal incentives were released in May 2019, Dale bought their 2nd E.V. – a Tesla Model 3. It arrived four weeks later and life couldn’t be sweeter. When asked how his life has changed since going fully electric, Dale answers with “… more smiles!” Having two EVs frees up Dale and Laurel’s time by not having to stop at gas stations or wait around for oil changes and other car maintenance. Charging at home is convenient, and if they are just doing trips around town, they only need to charge once a week.

Dale has been an advocate for electric cars in his community by speaking at public events about the benefits of going electric. Dale also has solar panels on his roof, and is setting an example for his grandchildren by making lifestyle choices that help the environment and thereby reduce the impacts of climate change.

Recent #LiveElectric stories

January 6, 2021

Family Commuting with an Affordable Electric Vehicle

Michelle discovered that used electric vehicles were available and were perfect for city-dwellers who desire affordable commuter vehicles. The kids were completely sold on clean energy, and pushed their parents to make the change […]

November 17, 2022

The electric vehicle ownership journey

Larry’s journey through electric vehicle ownership has been a path from plug-in hybrid to fully electric, to charging infrastructure research for condo buildings and now educating other drivers who want to go electric.

November 9, 2022

A DOGgone good reason to go electric

Danielle trains guide-dogs and lives in Duncan, BC. In 2019, she decided to buy an electric vehicle. She researched cost-of-ownership and believed that her yearly operating costs would be reduced.

November 10, 2021

Measurable Change for a Lighter Footprint

The payback for investing in an EV takes only 4-5 years for most. Holden is based in Squamish and first made the switch to electric when he purchased a 2016 Nissan Leaf. He loves driving electric and now owns a Tesla Model Y.