August 2021

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

Happy August and late summer! Hopefully everyone is enjoying the fading remnants of another unique COVID summer, with friends and family reconnecting in person, some events gradually restarting, and indoor gatherings increasing. For EV owners, this busy month for road trips and social gatherings means more EV route planning, and maybe over longer distances.

So here are a few EV road trip tips that may be helpful. If you are an RBC credit card customer, link up your card with Petro-Canada, and they will provide free electricity at any of their quick charge stations across the country, in a promo that runs all the way to April 2022. And not only with the credit cards noted in this article, but other low or no fee RBC ones as well, as I've found with mine. These PC DC quick chargers are not always reliable or available, but they can be very quick, and free road trip fuel is free road trip fuel!

Plus keep those PlugShare or ABRP links handy or apps updated, as they are especially useful this time of year, particularly for non-Tesla owners without access to Tesla Superchargers (yet).

Last month we talked about GM's recent offer to all new 2022 Chevrolet Bolt and Bolt EUV buyers to cover the cost of installing 240-volt power, up to $1,500 for standard installation up until the end of 2021, as a unique program in Canada. In fact, Audi Canada offers something similar for e-Tron buyers, and has since 2019, someone from Audi informed us. Called Audi's Home Charging Credit, it too is worth a maximum of $1,500.

With ever-shifting incentives, this is a good reminder for your next EV purchase to ask your dealer about whether their OEM offers a similar program - or whether they'll match these offers with a price discount in lieu of their own.

Be safe, have fun, and happy electric motoring!

Michael Bettencourt, EV Newsletter Managing Editor

Episode #15 - The The Politics of Electrification in Canada - Dr. Nathan Lemphers, Smart Prosperity Institute, Climate Politics researcher

August 3rd, 2021 - 7:30pm EDT

Our guest this month was Dr. Nathan Lemphers. Nathan presented on the politics of electrification in Canada and will focus on talking about the regional politics of EVs - why there are not the same opportunities for and challenges to EV adoption in different parts of Canada. He addressed ways to politically overcome some potential barriers to adoption.

Nathan is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Smart Prosperity Institute. His post-doctoral research examines the politics and policy of electric vehicles and the impact that this new technology will have on regional economies.

In 2019, Nathan was awarded his Doctorate from the University of Toronto ’s Department of Political Science. His doctoral research examined the climate politics of three major fossil fuel-exporting countries, Australia, Canada, and Norway. Nathan has been a senior campaigner at Oil Change International, where he advocated for scenario reform at the International Energy Agency, and a senior policy analyst at the Pembina Institute, where he worked on oil sands and pipeline policy issues. He has co-chaired the University of Toronto ’s Responsible Investment Committee and sat on the Community of Interest Panel of the Mining Association of Canada ’s Towards Sustainable Mining program.

Nathan also holds a Masters of City Planning from MIT and a B.Sc. from the University of Alberta.

If you were unable to attend the webinar, it was recorded and is available for viewing on the Electric Vehicle Society’s Youtube channel. Please visit and subscribe.

EV SOCIETY NEWS

EVS takes issue with 'delusional' Globe and Mail column by Eric Reguly on EVs, requests corrections

Every EV fan has come across misinformation about the electric vehicle world, but as EV Society president Wilf Steimle wrote recently "we generally don't spend time dispelling misinformation. However..." We were disappointed at a Globe and Mail business column titled:

The government’s 2035 electric vehicle mandate is delusional

We've linked to it above, as the article may be behind a paywall, but often available free from libraries or other online sources. Written by European Bureau chief and regular columnist Eric Reguly, it argued against the plan by the Canadian government to mandate zero emissions vehicles by 2035.

But more concerning than the overall negative opinion on EVs expressed were the incorrect facts and the familiar but largely discredited arguments used in a widely read and largely respected outlet to make his arguments: that EVs cost double the price of comparable ICE cars, they're not really green, EVs simply shift emissions from tailpipes to fossil fuel generating plants, and they will overly tax electrical grids.

We at EVS have sent over studies and counterpoints to The Globe on all these arguments, and have requested Corrections or an Update(s) addressing these points. The Globe's Public Editor that looks into needed corrections has responded that the author is away on vacation, but that she "doesn't see the need for a correction as it is a column and the two points you raise (actually three) are debatable."

It was a sobering reminder that even reputable outlets occasionally publish biased or out and out incorrect information (some more than The Globe, to be fair), highlighting the need for education and fact-based arguments. We're happy for any feedback on members' thoughts on EV Society's efforts for The Globe to correct the record, and whether we should continue to push for it with this and other misinformation we see. But in the meantime, the link below provides a detailed rebuttal of all the column's arguments from Electric Mobility Canada, who also publicly took exception to the 'delusional' headline and theories.

EV SOCIETY NEWS

Join in EV Society's education and advocacy efforts

Most folks reading this may already be EV Society members, but did you know there are different levels of EV Society membership? We're happy to offer Associate memberships for free to make thorough and accurate EV information available to all. But being a Full Member provides access to all member discounts, event and meeting invitations, and full voting rights, for only $30 a year - as a non-profit organization, we depend on these memberships and our volunteer efforts to run these education and EV advocacy campaigns. See details of all membership levels at the link below.

Oshawa Power offers $25 off electricity bill to EV owners

Oshawa Power has launched a new initiative that will provide EV owners and customers of the eastern GTA utility for a credit of $25 on their electricity bill in exchange for completing an Oshawa Power survey. Oshawa City mayor Dan Carter and Durham Regional Chair John Henry helped launch the new E-Mission mandate to not only help them assess how many EV owners in this city of 170,000, as well as in the region of roughly 700,000 residents.

Durham Region and Plug 'N Drive to offer trailer with EV test drives

As part of Durham Region's new E-Mission reduction mandate, as noted above, the region has contracted with Plug N' Drive to bring its EV Roadshow trailer - and EV test drive models - to various cities in Durham region in the month of August and September. Dates vary by location, but free test drives and EVSE information will be available, with COVID protocols in place. Appointments must be made, and while some dates are full, others are still available here.

Vehicles available for test drives will include the Chevrolet Bolt, the Kia Niro EV SX Touring, the Mini Cooper SE, Polestar 2 and Volvo XC40 Recharge. All will be sanitized before each test drive.

EV Society Barrie-Orillia in Green Living Barrie event

From David Van Alstyne, Barrie-Orillia Chapter Lead:

We had a very good day in Barrie participating in a public electric vehicle display during the “Open Air Dunlop” event. This event closed part of Dunlop Street in downtown Barrie for various events on the weekend and the Barrie-Orillia Chapter of the Electric Vehicle Society was invited to participate by partnering up with Green Living Barrie.

Andee Pelan, Executive Director of Living Green Barrie coordinated the event between their organization, the EV Society, and Firebird Community Cycle, a not-for-profit Corporation dedicated to the promotion of bicycle education, rebuilding, reusing,

Half of the eight EVs were owned by members of EVS while the other half were owned by members of Green Living Barrie. The electric vehicles displayed at the event included:

2-Tesla (Model S and Model 3)
1-Electric motorcycle – Zero DSR
1-Chevy Bolt
2-Nissan Leaf
1-Mini Cooper SE
1-Chevrolet Volt Plug-In Hybrid (EREV)

Most were parked at the EV Chargers located at 7 Heritage Park with the EVS tent, where we engaged with the public as a static display, no test drives or ride along due to concerns regarding COVID. This was an open air event and PPE was on hand and provided if requested.

The event was covered by CTV news (see the video) and by the on-line publication Barrie Today.

EV Society Northumberland Chapter Lead addresses Cobourg council

As the lead for the Northumberland chapter of the Electric Vehicle Society of Canada, David Kuhnke hopes to one day soon see more electric vehicle (EV) charging options in the Town of Cobourg, Ontario, roughly halfway between Toronto and Kingston.

Speaking on behalf of the chapter during a recent Cobourg council meeting, he said that the proposed EV charging network being reviewed by council is a “very good start in supporting Cobourg’s declaration of a climate change emergency.”

EV INDUSTRY NEWS

GM Canada announces Bolt battery module replacements, second recall

Owners of 2017 to mid-2019 Chevrolet Bolt models are facing a potentially serious battery fire issue, after more than a dozen early Bolts with Korean-built LG Chem batteries have caught fire, as comprehensively detailed here. GM announced in late July that it is now looking to test and if needed replace battery modules. GM first recalled the batteries back in November, with warnings not to charge to 100%, until a software fix was released, which finally came in May.

But after at least two subsequent fires in vehicles with the software 'fix,' GM Canada has issued another recall. Owners are now being advised by GM not to charge their vehicles past 90%, not to deplete their batteries past roughly 113 km of remaining range, and to continue to park their vehicles outside immediately after charging, and not to park their vehicles unattended overnight.

Plug-in vehicle sales reach 4.6% of new vehicle market in Q1: StatsCan

ELECTRIC AUTONOMY -- New data from Statistics Canada shows Canadians from coast-to-coast are continuing their steady adoption of electric vehicles and hybrids.

In the first quarter of this year, Canadians registered 11.8 per cent more new motor vehicles than in the same quarter in 2020. New zero-emission vehicle registrations — which combines plug-in hybrids and battery electric — saw a 1.1 per cent jump from the same quarter last year to 4.6 per cent (from 3.5 per cent).

Kia Canada puts unique musical spin on EV6 Canadian debut

Kia Canada chose a unique way to demonstrate this: the very first EV6 to arrive on Canadian soil powered the guitarist’s amp while Canadian singer-songwriter Fefe Dobson performed her upcoming single, Fckn In Love, in an exclusive live concert to commemorate the launch.

With new details coming out, though still not the price, it became apparent that the EV6 will come in as a slightly higher end offering than the Hyundai Ioniq 5, with which it shares a platform.

New Brunswick adds new $5,000, used and EVSE rebates; Atlantic Canada now all-in on EV rebates

DRIVING -- New Brunswick is the latest Canadian province to offer rebate initiatives to customers who purchase or lease certain electric vehicles. The program will cover certain EVs, plug-in hybrids, and even the scattered used car.

Drivers who purchase or lease new qualifying battery electric vehicles and long-range plug-in hybrid electric vehicles may receive up to $5,000, while those who elect to purchase or lease new short-range plug-in hybrids may receive up to $2,500. There’s also $2,500 and $1,000 on the table for purchasers of certain second-hand BEVs and PHEVs, respectively.