New mural unveiled on Morgan Oak in Cape Girardeau

A new outdoor mural was unveiled Wednesday, May 17, at EVTV Motor Verks, 601 Morgan Oak St. in Cape Girardeau.

The wall painting was done by Malcolm McCrae, whom EVTV's Brian Noto said is known for his numerous public and private murals and other art work in the city.

The 100-foot long mural is a tribute, Noto said, to local innovator, entrepreneur and EVTV founder Marion Jack Rickard Jr., who died Aug. 31, 2020, at age 65.

The mural was conceived by Rickard's daughter, Jacquelyn Rickard, who operates the company today.

Of note

Rickard, a 1973 Notre Dame Regional High School graduate and U.S. Navy veteran, was a technical writer in the U.S. defense industry before founding EVTV in 2008.

EVTV is an internet-based platform teaching individuals how to convert vehicles into electric drive vehicles.

As electric vehicles became more popular, Rickard expanded EVTV's focus on solar power storage.

Rickard was a member of Mensa and "an early adopter" of new technologies -- starting Boardwatch, a high-tech bulletin board company, and developing from it a successful magazine, which he sold in 1998.

According to energycenter.org, 3.4% of light-duty vehicles sold in the U.S. today are battery electric. Adding in hybrid and plug-in hybrids, EVs now account for more than 10% of light-duty vehicles sold in America.

In 2020, Consumer Reports magazine stated an average EV owner can expect to save $9,000 in fuel costs and $4,600 in maintenance over the estimated 200,000-mile lifetime of an electric vehicle.