Electric vehicle drivers and supporters met with Denim “The Hummer Guy” Morrison and Doug Beckett, president of the Prince George Electric Vehicle Association, to discuss the benefits of EVs during a session on the University of Northern BC campus Tuesday, May 13.
Morrison, an EV salesperson at Wood Wheaton Supercentre, gave a presentation on the evolution and adoption of electric vehicles and current market trends, and shared various success stories and case studies.
The event was organized by Beckett, who also leads the Energy Transition Group, an initiative founded by individuals from UNBC and the Prince George Electric Vehicle Association (PG EVA).
The presentation concluded with Morrison, Beckett and attendees showcasing their electric vehicles — including a one-of-a-kind Mazda Miata that was converted into an EV using a motor from a 1999 Ford Electric by its owner, Jeff Anderson.
After the presentation, Morrison spoke with The Citizen about emerging EV trends in Prince George.
“It’s the cost of ownership,” said Morrison. “Especially for the middle class and the working poor. Not having to shell out $100-plus to get you through a couple of weeks. Whereas your gas station is your house with an EV — it’s like leaving your house with a full tank of gas every single day.
“To charge up my 65-kilowatt-hour battery, it costs me nine dollars, and that gets me 400 kilometres. I’ve been on a 3,000-kilometre road trip, and the whole thing only cost me $190 — which messed with my perception of how expensive things are nowadays. Yeah, do I drive 400 kilometres or buy one watermelon?”
According to Morrison, EV sales at his dealership are up by 15 per cent. He sees trends emerging across northern BC when it comes to EV adoption.
Morrison also shared his current favourite EV with The Citizen — which, given his nickname, comes as no surprise.
“The Hummer EV — that thing is a technological marvel,” he said. “It is Mecha-Godzilla with wheels. It’s one of the coolest things General Motors has put out in the last decade.”
Beckett, the event organizer, is a strong advocate for the energy transition and EV adoption. He spoke with The Citizen about the benefits such a shift could bring to northern communities.
“It’s going to make the cost of living easier,” said Beckett. “The electric transition technology is so efficient. It means local democracy for our power — you can make your power in your backyard.
“We can rely on local power. We don’t have to rely on power that’s being produced for other provinces or countries. Power won’t necessarily be dominated by big corporations like oil and gas.
“There’s less pollution involved — 15,000 people a year die prematurely because of air pollution. Quality of life and health are going to improve for people. You won’t have as much asthma. You’re going to have fewer emergency room visits in hospitals, so our taxes will be less, or we can put the same money into providing more doctors and nurses and fulfilling the shortfalls in our health system. It’s just transformational. It’s going to lead to significant improvements all over.”
Despite his support for electrification, Beckett expressed concern about BC Hydro’s Site C dam.
“I wasn’t in favour of Site C because it’s very expensive electricity, and I knew that right from the get-go,” he said. “For example, the new wind power projects BC Hydro signed on to in 2024 — they’re producing roughly the same amount of electricity as Site C for half the cost. It’s way less expensive per kilowatt hour for customers to buy.
“In that sense, I thought Site C was not a good move. You want hydroelectric in your grid system because you can turn it on and off fairly quickly. But do you need 98 per cent hydro? Can 30 per cent do?”
