The Canadian Electric Vehicle thread

[Nouvellecosse]

The PHEV is a great thing imo, both before and after the gas price increase. With the gas price increase they make even more sense than before rather than less since the higher the price of gas, the more money they save.

ICE vehicles tend to be at their least efficient in town because of frequent stopping and low speed idling, so adding regen braking is most important there. Plus many people do most of their driving in town anyway so with the Prime they will be able to operate mostly gas free. The Prime also has much stronger highway efficiency compared to regular ICE cars due to improved aerodynamics, lower rolling resistance tires, and weight savings.

[thurmas]

Ford EV sales for July up 168% 3 times the market growth rate. Ford also now almost 11% of the overall EV market. Last year Tesla was in the 70s for ev market share now down to low 60s this year.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

And what do you drive, pray tell?

Something way better looking than that.

I like PHEVs but not that one. Wish we got more from Europe.

[travis3000]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Are they connected to the unit's electricity meter?

We are trying to frame a big installation of EV charging capabilities as a selling feature and an increase to property values.

In 2 of the 3 cases the hydro costs were covered by the maintenance fee. The other case yes the hydro was added onto the units monthly bill.

[whatnext]

Unfortunately the Globe & Mail puts a lot of its EV articles behind their paywall for some reason but this is an interesting read (and every informed Cdn should subscribe to the G&M anyway )

How to retrofit a condo with chargers for a world of electric cars
KRYSTYNA LAGOWSKI
SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL

Retrofitting an existing multiunit residential building with electric vehicle charging stations is a complex and costly exercise, even after subsidies, but the biggest hurdle to adoption may be getting enough condo owners on board.

British Columbia, for example, offers a range of provincial government subsidies to help condo corporations (referred to in B.C. as stratas) with everything from the initial research to installing the chargers. But according to provincial strata law, three-quarters of owners must support the plan before it is implemented.

“The largest challenge is getting that 75-per-cent majority approval to go ahead,” says EV charging specialist Patrick Breuer with ChargeFwd Ltd., a Vancouver-based sustainable transport consultancy...

....Once a condo has completed the EV Ready plan, it becomes eligible for other rebates, such as the EV Ready Infrastructure subsidy, which will bring power to each individual parking stall through an energized outlet. This is rebated at 50 per cent of expenses, up to $600 a stall.

There are further rebates of up to 75 per cent for installing the charging stations themselves. The program is administered by BC Hydro, a Crown corporation that receives funding in annual increments. “Right now, it’s funded until March 31, 2023,” Mr. Breuer says.

“Realtors are valuing [individual charging stations] from $2,000 to $10,000,” he said. The demand for installing EV chargers in buildings has grown to such an extent that it’s hard to find qualified electricians, Mr. Breuer says.

However, even with subsidies, there are some buildings where it doesn’t make financial sense to retrofit them. “If you have to core through thin floors or there’s a big parkade with a large voltage drop, it isn’t financially viable,” Mr. Breuer says. “We do a lot of EV Ready plans, but not all the projects can go ahead.”...

...Ontario currently does not provide any subsidies for retrofitting condos for EV charging. However, there is a stipulation under the Condominium Act that if owners request EV charging be installed and provide a condo board with sufficient documentation, an assessment will be conducted....

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/driv...electric-cars/

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by thurmas

Ford EV sales for July up 168% 3 times the market growth rate. Ford also now almost 11% of the overall EV market. Last year Tesla was in the 70s for ev market share now down to low 60s this year.

I've been seeing a lot of those Mustangs recently, becoming very common to see on the daily now. Rarely see any Kia EV6 ones, maybe see one once every other week. Do see Ioniq 5 on the daily but not in high numbers maybe two or three.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Something way better looking than that.

I like PHEVs but not that one. Wish we got more from Europe.

Wow, too embarrassed to even name your car? But you make fun of others? Sad!

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by travis3000

In 2 of the 3 cases the hydro costs were covered by the maintenance fee. The other case yes the hydro was added onto the units monthly bill.

Interesting. As you know, charging an EV doesn't cost much, especially in the grand scheme of condo fees. But anybody who sees a neighbour plugged in assumes that person is ripping off the building for huge dollars.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by whatnext

....Once a condo has completed the EV Ready plan, it becomes eligible for other rebates, such as the EV Ready Infrastructure subsidy, which will bring power to each individual parking stall through an energized outlet. This is rebated at 50 per cent of expenses, up to $600 a stall.

There are further rebates of up to 75 per cent for installing the charging stations themselves. The program is administered by BC Hydro, a Crown corporation that receives funding in annual increments. “Right now, it’s funded until March 31, 2023,” Mr. Breuer says.

“Realtors are valuing [individual charging stations] from $2,000 to $10,000,” he said. The demand for installing EV chargers in buildings has grown to such an extent that it’s hard to find qualified electricians, Mr. Breuer says.

Yep I have seen EV Ready reports from 2 large condos in Vancouver. The costs per parking spot were around $1000-$1500. As you can see, that's easily worth the increase in value.

One went to a vote and got about 55% support. The 75% bar seems arbitrarily high for this stuff. Even 60% or 2/3 would be more reasonable, if not 50% + 1.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Wow, too embarrassed to even name your car? But you make fun of others? Sad!

Sadly it's too distinctive and I don't want disgruntled SSPers keying it.

Are you arguing the Prius Prime is a stunning good looker? Like most Toyota/Lexus recent products it's a victim of their bizarre atomic cockroach design language. The new Mirai gives me some hope they might be leaving that look behind.

[Nouvellecosse]

I actually like the current Prius regular and Prime designs although they definitely had to grow on me. Don't know if they look so good as to be "stunning", but I'd grant "kinda cool."

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Sadly it's too distinctive and I don't want disgruntled SSPers keying it.

Are you arguing the Prius Prime is a stunning good looker? Like most Toyota/Lexus recent products it's a victim of their bizarre atomic cockroach design language. The new Mirai gives me some hope they might be leaving that look behind.

The Prius is very functional and a fine looking car these days. Nothing too good or bad about it.

Sorry you're still too embarrassed to name your car.

[theman23]

The Prius looks OK. I dont think it looks good, but there are far uglier cars on the road.

This was posted in a linked tweet on a NP article recently. Its somewhat old data, but Canada apparently has the least fuel efficient fleet of vehicles in the world. I had expected we would be near the worst, but would have guessed that we would be 2nd or 3rd behind the USA and/or Australia. We also tend to buy more SUVs/pickup trucks than the rest of the world.
https://www.iea.org/reports/fuel-eco...or-car-markets

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by theman23

The Prius looks OK. I dont think it looks good, but there are far uglier cars on the road.

This was posted in a linked tweet on a NP article recently. Its somewhat old data, but Canada apparently has the least fuel efficient fleet of vehicles in the world. I had expected we would be near the worst, but would have guessed that we would be 2nd or 3rd behind the USA and/or Australia. We also tend to buy more SUVs/pickup trucks than the rest of the world.
https://www.iea.org/reports/fuel-eco...or-car-markets

Part of it is probably the misconception that you need AWD for winter safety. Although I'm still very surprised as small cars tend to be quite popular here. Although my perception may be skewed by my location which is neither rural nor western, both of which seem to be correlated with wanting pickups. Either way it's stupid and annoying as clearly we're not taking efficiency seriously.

[travis3000]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Interesting. As you know, charging an EV doesn't cost much, especially in the grand scheme of condo fees. But anybody who sees a neighbour plugged in assumes that person is ripping off the building for huge dollars.

Yeah I track my hydro usage, and have my Tesla app recording every charge. I used my hydro providers cost information in the app to make sure its accurate. Im averaging about $30/ month in extra hydro costs and that's for 1800KM per month of charging.

[Al Ski]

Yes, yes, EV's are great..

For the 10% of the population who can afford them.

Though hardly a cure for anything when 90% can't partake.

More greenwashing.. government subsidies.. stock buybacks..

This has played out over and over and over again.

You'd think we would have learned by now?

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by Al Ski

Yes, yes, EV's are great..

For the 10% of the population who can afford them.

Though hardly a cure for anything when 90% can't partake.

More greenwashing.. government subsidies.. stock buybacks..

This has played out over and over and over again.

You'd think we would have learned by now?

When many new technologies are introduced, it takes time for them to replace the old and they're more expensive at the beginning then after they fully proliferate with various innovations and markets of scale playing out. Yes we've seen this over and over again and that's how we know it works. Yes it is greenwashing if we believe that EVs are the sole solution and that adopting them means nothing else has to change. But their being an important component of the solution isn't greenwashing at all.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Al Ski

Yes, yes, EV's are great..

For the 10% of the population who can afford them.

Though hardly a cure for anything when 90% can't partake.

What's the average cost of a new car in Canada?

What's the average cost of a new EV in Canada?

What's the average 5 year TCO for both of the above?

[logan5]

More than 10% can afford an EV. especially in the used market. The major stumbling block is charging infrastructure. Even if there were fast chargers everywhere for people (the vast majority) who don't have a charger at home, current batteries degrade faster when constantly fast charged. Solid state batteries can take constant fast charging, as well as bringing cost advantages and more range, so when those come on line, that's when EV's will really go mainstream.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by theman23

The Prius looks OK. I dont think it looks good, but there are far uglier cars on the road.

This was posted in a linked tweet on a NP article recently. Its somewhat old data, but Canada apparently has the least fuel efficient fleet of vehicles in the world. I had expected we would be near the worst, but would have guessed that we would be 2nd or 3rd behind the USA and/or Australia. We also tend to buy more SUVs/pickup trucks than the rest of the world.
https://www.iea.org/reports/fuel-eco...or-car-markets

Shouldn't be too much of a surprise if you've noticed the increase in weight and size of vehicles that people have been trending towards in Canada and the US. Pickups and SUVs have largely replaced sedans as the vehicle of choice.

Also, they mentioned in the study:

Important drivers for this slowdown are declining shares of diesel vehicles, mostly replaced by gasoline despite fast-growing shares of electrified vehicles and a continued appetite for larger vehicles.

I suspect the diesel decline is mostly a Europe thing, though I have noticed less diesel powered vehicles (other than huge pickups) on the roads in recent years.

This may have resulted in a decrease in average fuel economy, but I don't believe that this translates to an increase in emissions, as I believe gas engines tend to run cleaner than diesels (no data source to back it up, but my lungs can tell the difference... lol).