Instructor talks about Fort Nelson school’s experience at Edison Motors EV Challenge

FORT NELSON, B.C. — For the first time, June’s Edison Motors EV Challenge featured an entry from Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN).

Chalo School’s team of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students accepted the challenge to compete at the annual event in Donald, B.C., on Saturday, June 6th. 

The team was guided down there by trades instructor James Wedrat, who said that while his team was inexperienced, he wasn’t worried about how they would race.

“My biggest nerve-wracking thing was making sure they passed the safety inspection,” said Wedrat to Energeticcity.ca. “Once we got down there [and] passed safety inspection, we got the okay that the cart’s good to race.”

“From then on, I was really happy, and I was super proud of the work that the kids had done.”

Racing against 20 other schools from across the province – including Fort St. John’s North Peace Secondary School – Wedrat said the frame of their vehicle didn’t break throughout the competition.

Wedrat said in April his charges, aged 13 to 18, had been preparing their vehicle three times a week in anticipation of the big day.

“They didn’t ask for a lot of help,” said Wedrat. “They did not go out and get a bunch of money for donations; they just did it all themselves in the back of the wood shop with a couple of small tools.”

“[The kids] built something that was capable of going down there to race, and it didn’t break.”

Concentrating on the high-speed and motocross events, the cart showed some solid competitiveness for a first-year team.

They finished 14th in motocross and 12th in the high-speed event.

Wedrat said other schools in the competition showed remarkable sportsmanship throughout the event, stating there was “no nasty competitiveness,” and the event was inclusive. 

“Everyone was super friendly,” said Wedrat. “Some of the schools that were in their third year gave us pointers from the last couple of years and how it helped them. One team event let us borrow a generator to do a recharge in the middle of the day.”

A big highlight of Chalo’s team was how they travelled: By bus, camping along the way. They even stopped for a tour of Glacier National Park in Columbia-Shuswap. 

“We had long drives,” said Wedrat. “We would get into the campsites late and set up and cook some campfire food. But for the most part, they were all just excited about getting down there.”

While he said there were some adjustments to be made to their cart, Wedrat said the team is already planning toward the future.

“The whole drive back was talking about how we could make [the cart] better for next year,” said Wedrat.

The 2026 Edison Motors EV Challenge took place in Donald, B.C., on Saturday, June 6th. Visit the event’s website for more details.