In support of the Mitsubishi Motors Clean Across Canada Tour, ENMAX Corporation is proud to showcase the first electric vehicle to drive across the country at the Labour Day Classic presented by ENMAX this Monday at McMahon Stadium. The vehicle will be set up at the ENMAX display in the festival zone from 1 to 4:30 p.m.

Organizers are spreading the word that a zero-tailpipe-emissions vehicle is a viable reality. The 28-day tour began in Cape Spear in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and has travelled through many communities, educating people along the way about electric-powered cars. The tour will come to a close in Vancouver on September 13. 

“As a leading utility, ENMAX has spearheaded an electric vehicle employee pilot program set to begin later this year,” said Rob Harris, Director of Smart Grid Partnerships. “We will collect an immense amount of data on the experiences of drivers of these vehicles and the impact the cars will have on the electrical grid, in essence, preparing ourselves for their introduction into the marketplace.”

ENMAX is sponsoring the Alberta leg of the tour and its employees will have an opportunity to test drive the vehicle during its stop in Calgary. The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is one of the vehicles that ENMAX is making available in the pilot program. Employees participating in the project will have the opportunity to either buy or lease the vehicles, with ENMAX covering a small portion of the costs.

The i-MiEV can travel up to 120 km on a single charge and is equipped with a lithium-ion battery. With seating for four people and a 130 km/h maximum speed, the car is set to go on sale in Canada in 2011.

ENMAX Corporation, through subsidiaries and predecessors, has provided Albertans with safe and reliable electricity for more than 100 years. ENMAX Corporation provides electricity, natural gas and value-added services to more than 640,000 residential, commercial and industrial metered customer locations in Alberta. ENMAX Energy Corporation, a subsidiary of ENMAX Corporation, is Alberta’s leading competitive electricity retailer.  Through subsidiaries, ENMAX Energy is one of Alberta’s largest investors in renewable energy and was the first Canadian electricity retailer to offer customers the option to support wind generated energy. As well, ENMAX Corporation, through its subsidiary ENMAX Envision Inc., provides fibre optic networks for high speed data and internet communications. Visit our website at enmax.com.