The Canadian Electric Vehicle thread

[travis3000]

Originally Posted by Wigs

Does your new one have better range than the previous model (pre accident) you had?

Yes, maybe it's something they have been working on. But this one is much more accurate than my 2021 model.

[Innsertnamehere]

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...1ad4f9ea.html?

This Toronto condo shows how to get EV chargers installed inexpensively for residents

The condo building on Merton Street, near Davisville Avenue and Mount Pleasant Road, found a solution to the EV-charging conundrum that was so popular, 56 residents signed up for chargers even though only three of them actually owned an EV.

“We want to create a playbook so condo boards have a solution,” said Mike Spence, vice-president at Simply Charging Solutions, which did the electrical work for the Merton Street building. “Every condo is dealing with this. The big question is how do you pay for it?”

The condo board started exploring EV charging when their first resident inquired back in 2018 and they quickly realized that they needed a systemic approach, said David Saevitzon, president of the condo board.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...1ad4f9ea.html?

Paywalled... what are the actual details here on pricing and whatever else they have set up?

Our condo building has spec'd out what is required to wire things up for every stall. It's not astronomical and a no-brainer for property values, but owners are incredibly cheap.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Paywalled... what are the actual details here on pricing and whatever else they have set up?

Our condo building has spec'd out what is required to wire things up for every stall. It's not astronomical and a no-brainer for property values, but owners are incredibly cheap.

apparently the cost was going to be around $7k/space, but government subsidies brought it down to $3k/space.

So they worked with an electrical engineer to design a system with four substations, one for each level of the parking garage, which would make it cheaper and easier for residents to run a line to their parking spot.

But a cost of roughly $400,000, the project couldn’t be paid for out of the reserve fund, the board’s auditor said. So the board had to consider a special assessment — and even then, it might still have been prohibitively expensive for those who wanted a charger.

In the end, they were able to avoid a levy and keep costs for individual chargers below $3,000 with the assistance of the federal government’s ZEVIP program, which provides grants for EV-charging infrastructure. Owners who weren’t interested in a charger didn’t pay a cent.

[urbandreamer]

IIRC, a poster here was looking forward to purchasing an "affordable" 2024 Chevy Blazer EV. Well, forget it. The base model, 2LT 4WD model starts at $63,000. Apparently dealers need to install a $100k charger so plan on adding a $2000 fee to the MSRP. 279 mile (449km) claimed range, so realistically more like 200 miles lol.

I could buy 2 Nissan Micras and drive them over the next 30 years and still come out ahead vs any $65,000 new car (since most lease/finance, at 8%+ that'll cost over $80k with a typical 7 year lease.)

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

IIRC, a poster here was looking forward to purchasing an "affordable" 2024 Chevy Blazer EV. Well, forget it. The base model, 2LT 4WD model starts at $63,000. Apparently dealers need to install a $100k charger so plan on adding a $2000 fee to the MSRP. 279 mile (449km) claimed range, so realistically more like 200 miles lol.

I could buy 2 Nissan Micras and drive them over the next 30 years and still come out ahead vs any $65,000 new car (since most lease/finance, at 8%+ that'll cost over $80k with a typical 7 year lease.)

well yea - a Nissan Micra is a world away from a full-size SUV lol.

You may as well say that a golf cart is even lower operating cost than a Nissan Micra! They aren't comparable vehicles

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

IIRC, a poster here was looking forward to purchasing an "affordable" 2024 Chevy Blazer EV. Well, forget it. The base model, 2LT 4WD model starts at $63,000. Apparently dealers need to install a $100k charger so plan on adding a $2000 fee to the MSRP. 279 mile (449km) claimed range, so realistically more like 200 miles lol.

I could buy 2 Nissan Micras and drive them over the next 30 years and still come out ahead vs any $65,000 new car (since most lease/finance, at 8%+ that'll cost over $80k with a typical 7 year lease.)

You can't compare a Micra with a Blazer. I agree a apples to apples comparison of EVs even with the largest subsidies will be in ICE favor and especially now with higher interest rates as the up front cost becomes more expensive to carry. But it's not twice as much. If you have a long daily commute and don't venture far from home so only charge overnight at home the math can work out. In this use case it's more convenient too.

[urbandreamer]

Nissan Micra is a much better car than any SUV outside of a Cayenne/Urus class vehicle. It's lighter, handles better, more fun to drive and holds just as much usable cargo space. I've slept in it - removed just the back seat cushion, hauled 3 adults plus luggage, camping gear and boxes of books 5000km across Canada.

I'm comparing ownership cost. An ICE Blazer starts at $44k.

So far, EVs are bling for the rich and those that spend all their earnings. No one needs a luxury car.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

Nissan Micra is a much better car than any SUV outside of a Cayenne/Urus class vehicle.

A strong contender for most ridiculous statement of 2023.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

A strong contender for most ridiculous statement of 2023.

Have you read urbandreamer's posts over the years?
He once referred to Calgary's Bow River, which gets its source from Bow glacier in the Rockies, as a sewage canal

Don't get me wrong, Nissan Micra was probably one of the best values for money car, but it's still an Econobox.
I just learned the Micra was discontinued in Canada. I'm not sure if it still sells overseas.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Wigs

Have you read urbandreamer's posts over the years?

He once referred to Calgary's Bow River, which gets its source from Bow glacier in the Rockies, as a sewage canal

Oh I know, he's up there with the most insane takes. He's probably won the award 5 years running.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

A strong contender for most ridiculous statement of 2023.

I was honestly questioning if I was totally off base on what a Nissan Micra is.

[urbandreamer]

^Matt Watson of CarWow did a 100%-0 test of a bunch of electric cars. The 24km of extra range is only in limp mode, getting progressively slower so not very useful aside from side roads/low speed areas. None of the cars came close to promised range, although Tesla typically is most efficient.

Meanwhile, those wealthy jettsetters, burning carbon as they fly around the world, have contributed to more excess waste as the Fremantle Highway heads to the scrap yard, assuming it doesn't capsize before then. EVs will get even more expensive as shipping companies figure out ways to make cargo ships safer, raise their freight/insurance costs or perhaps even ban them.

[Nouvellecosse]

I feel like the Micra is good in some ways but I was always disappointed that its fuel economy wasn't better given its small size and modest power output. Autotrader.ca has it as 8.7/6.8/7.9 L/100 km cty/hwy/combined which is poorer than not only many small hatchbacks but even larger non-hybrid cars like the Toyota Camry. They have the 4 cylinder non-hybrid Camry at 8.4/6.0/7.3 L/100 km cty/hwy/combined. Sure a sedan has a more aerodynamic shape which would affect highway economy, but come on.

[urbandreamer]

The enemy of fun is weight. Since electric vehicles and SUVs are heavy, they'll never be much fun to drive outside of a straight line acceleration. The Micra uses older engines from Renault so fuel economy may not be as good as a $50,000 Camry. Considering the initial base price for the Micra S (I got mine used with under 40,000km for $5900), and the fact I've driven on many amazing yet empty roads across Canada and the US, most SUV/sportscar/luxury drivers are wasting their money, as they spend most of their time on a tedious commute or in the driveway.

I compared the aesthetics of the concrete and lack of landscaping of the Bow River through central Calgary to a sewage canal - compared to the attractive central design of Vancouver or Montreal, Calgary is a dump lol.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

The enemy of fun is weight. Since electric vehicles and SUVs are heavy, they'll never be much fun to drive outside of a straight line acceleration. The Micra uses older engines from Renault so fuel economy may not be as good as a $50,000 Camry. Considering the initial base price for the Micra S (I got mine used with under 40,000km for $5900), and the fact I've driven on many amazing yet empty roads across Canada and the US, most SUV/sportscar/luxury drivers are wasting their money, as they spend most of their time on a tedious commute or in the driveway.

I compared the aesthetics of the concrete and lack of landscaping of the Bow River through central Calgary to a sewage canal - compared to the attractive central design of Vancouver or Montreal, Calgary is a dump lol.

The base model of the 4-cylinder Camry starts mid $30k, but that's kind of irrelevant. Unless you're talking about special technologies such as hybrids, being more expensive doesn't usually make for better fuel economy. In fact, the opposite is true. The most fuel efficient non-hybrid is the Mitsubishi Mirage which competes with the Micra for being one of the cheapest new cars recently sold in Canada. The Micra just isn't very efficient for its size. No need for excuses, it just is what it is. Every vehicle has its strengths and weaknesses and efficiency isn't its strength.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

The enemy of fun is weight. Since electric vehicles and SUVs are heavy, they'll never be much fun to drive outside of a straight line acceleration. The Micra uses older engines from Renault so fuel economy may not be as good as a $50,000 Camry. Considering the initial base price for the Micra S (I got mine used with under 40,000km for $5900), and the fact I've driven on many amazing yet empty roads across Canada and the US, most SUV/sportscar/luxury drivers are wasting their money, as they spend most of their time on a tedious commute or in the driveway.

I compared the aesthetics of the concrete and lack of landscaping of the Bow River through central Calgary to a sewage canal - compared to the attractive central design of Vancouver or Montreal, Calgary is a dump lol.

I guess it depends on one's idea of fun. This looks like fun to me:

• Video Link

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

The enemy of fun is weight. Since electric vehicles and SUVs are heavy, they'll never be much fun to drive outside of a straight line acceleration.

I'm not sure where this view comes from. Centre of Gravity is a bigger factor in nimbleness than weight. And EVs are better on that than their gasoline counterparts most of the time.

What makes small cars fun to drive is usually the lower CG, a driver position closer to the Centre of Gravity and a static margin where the Centre of Mass is closer to the centre of gravity. With the exception of the driver sitting closer to the centre, a lot of the rest should be similar for BEVs with floor mounted batteries. So like for like the the BEV version should usually beat the gas version on manoeuvrability. Of course, if you're comparing a Hummer EV to Micra, the latter will probably fare better.

Not a direct comparison, but the Moose test should prove useful here:

• Video Link

[jonny24]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

The enemy of fun is weight. Since electric vehicles and SUVs are heavy, they'll never be much fun to drive outside of a straight line acceleration.

Anything is fun, if you drive it in a fun fashion. It's finding the limits, whatever those limits are. Unless you're trying to do it faster than somebody else, it doesn't really matter if it's a Micra, Corolla, Silverado, or a lawnmower.

Got a little sideways + muddy in a freshly harvested wheat field in my Silverado this weekend. THAT was fun

[WarrenC12]

Somebody going hard on the Nissan Micra is absolutely hilarious.