CHOSEN BECAUSE: 

Cara Clairman, 53, took a big risk leaving her vice-president’s job at Ontario Power Generation in 2011 to start an operation focused on electric vehicles and their environmental and economic benefits. Since then, she has taken Plug’n Drive from an idea to a thriving nonprofit recognized as a leader in the electric-vehicle industry. 

In 2017, Plug’n Drive opened an EV Discovery Centre in Toronto, an interactive and experiential space devoted to raising awareness about EVs and offering test drives of the latest models in a non-sales environment. 

Clairman was a Clean 50 winner in 2016, and in 2017, and received the Women in Renewable Energy’s Woman of the Year award. Clean 50 recognizes Canada’s leaders in sustainability. In 2018, Plug’n Drive was awarded the top-environmental-project-of-the-year award by the Clean 50 for the EV Discovery Centre. 

IN HER OWN WORDS: 

“It is a very exciting time in the EV space, and I am so proud of the Plug’n Drive team and what we have accomplished in a relatively short time. We are the go-to source of information on electric vehicles, charging infrastructure and the electricity that powers them. With more and more makes and models, prices dropping and growing infrastructure, it is no longer if but when EVs will ultimately displace gas cars, and we are thrilled to be playing an important role in helping consumers make the switch.”