Robert Barron
Postmedia News
After more than 10,000 kilometres and a month of driving from the east coast to Vancouver Island, Kent Rathwell pulled up in front of Nanaimo city hall Friday in a Tesla Roadster battery-electric car.
Rathwell is the president of Sun Country Highway, a leader in sustainable transportation that is using state-of-the-art charging stations to accelerate the use of electric vehicles.
In collaboration with over 80 leading Canadian businesses and tourism destinations, Rathwell left St. John’s, NF, on Nov. 21 to launch the “Longest, Greenest Highway in the World” project to demonstrate that there are now enough charging stations located across the country for electric cars to travel the whole distance without difficulty.
“The trip was an incredible success in that we travelled across one the largest countries in the world, sometimes in very cold temperatures, with no problems and there are vehicle charging stations now positioned about every 100 to 200 kilometres along the way,” Rathwell said.
Rbarron@nanaimodailynews.com
