 It's National Drive Electric Week and the Beltrami Electric Cooperative is participating by letting people test drive some electric cars. Reporter Cheryl Moore tells us about their ride and drive event. It's just like any other car except a little quieter. It's what you'd expect out of an electric car. From bolts and bolts to Teslas and hybrids, many cars of the future were on display at the Beltrami Electric Cooperative EV ride and drive event. There's lots of positives that are coming about in the electric vehicles. A lot of it is changes in the technology, the battery life, the range. The Chevy Bolt here, the Bolt that we have here is exciting in that it's got a 238 mile range. It gives us a lot more reach to get out to those places. It's speedy, the handling is wonderful. People get really surprised when they actually sit in the driver's seat of one of these and take them for a spin because not only are they as good as a normal combustion engine car, they're better in a lot of ways. The people of the public got a chance to gaze, ride and even test drive some of the EVs. They also had the opportunity to ask questions. For example, if you're wondering about the charging station availability in northern Minnesota, turns out most of the charging happens at home. They're a super fun to drive for one thing. They're very peppy, they're very quiet, you don't have to spend time stopping at gas stations filling up. You can charge while you're sleeping at home. So it's kind of like your cell phone, you'll use it all day, plug it in when you go to bed, same thing with your car, you'll get up the next morning ready to go. Some of the attendees at the event even brought their own EVs and gave testimonials about their experience. Many of them agreed they're likely not going to make the switch back to gasoline. I've owned the car for about six months now and I really envision this car last to me for the next 10 years. I mean, there's no advantage for me to having a bigger battery or waiting for a bigger battery because it fulfills all of my needs. Reporting of Imagee, Shaw Moore, Lakeland News. Had more than 50 people were at that ride and drive event today. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.