Electric Motor Show in Helsinki on 6-8 November 2009

The Electric Motor Show, an exhibition of electrically-powered cars, motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and microcars, will take place at the Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre on 6-8 November 2009.

”Electric transportation is of today, not of the future only. The pace of development has been rapid with respect to electric cars, but the general perception of them is based on the situation prevailing two-three years ago. An enormous amount of development has taken place between then and now, however, and our aim with the fair is to present to the general public a concentrated review of topical products and services related to electric cars and electrically-powered transportation,” says Finnish Fair Corporation Development Manager Markku Kosonen.

“The Electric Motor Show is being arranged concurrently with the ELMA Helsinki Food and Countryside Show, the Helsinki Forest Fair, the Arts & Crafts Fair as well as the Do It Yourself event for home renovation and handymen. Exhibiting low- or zero-emission vehicles at the Electric Motor Show in conjunction with these events fits our Green Weekend theme very well,” Markku Kosonen points out.

Buying an electric vehicle becoming easier

As demand for them is increasing, the prices of electric cars are expected to fall to the same level – or even below – with current internal combustion engine cars. Electric cars can already be purchased as single orders from either foreign dealerships or directly from manufacturers. One of the goals of the Electric Motor Show 2009 is, however, to spur the importing of electrically-powered vehicles.

“Our aim is that if a visitor finds an electric car or scooter that suits his or her tastes at the fair, the visitor can also buy that vehicle directly at the Electric Motor Show,” says Jyrki Mattila of shift2e, who is responsible for selling exhibition space to the fair.

Almost 1,700 pre-orders for the eCorolla already made

The Finnish consumer movement eCars Now! (www.ecars-now.org) was established in 2007 and has already forged links with likeminded parties in over 30 countries. It has assumed as its mission the enabling of mass conversions of old-technology automobiles into modern electric cars. eCars Now! has already received about 1,700 pre-orders for an eCorolla. This new business area is being prominently displayed at the Electric Motor Show.

“We will be demonstrating in front of exhibition visitors what measures are necessary to convert a traditional automobile into an electrically-powered vehicle. We are also planning to provide visitors with the opportunity to test drive electric cars and scooters as well as some electrically-powered motorsports in the form of eKarting,” says Jyrki Mattila.

In addition to younger households and families with children as well as two-car families, significant potential user categories of electric cars and other electrically-powered vehicles on the corporate side include, for example, courier services and light distribution firms, taxis, real estate agents, private security firms, cleaning service providers, home nursing companies and outdoor advertisement distributors. Electric car use will probably become more widespread also among the authorities and state officials in the near future.

Public pressure to discover economically viable and environment-friendly energy solutions is growing, too. Helsinki is planning to grant privileges to motorists with low-emission vehicles. Projects promoting a transition to a primarily electrically-powered stock of cars are also underway in, for example, Denmark and Norway as well as in Iceland, where an official agreement has taken place, to convert the whole motor vehicle fleet of the country into electric vehicles by the end of 2012.

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