A Message from the President

In 2016, a small group of us envisioned resurrecting the Electric Vehicle Society to be a place where EV owners and EV groups across Canada could join forces to help accelerate EV adoption. I helped launch that vision with a cross-country EV tour (at a time with only level 2 chargers), where I met with owners and early-adopter groups across the country to better understand their work and concerns so that we could build an organization that represented all of us and accomplish goals that wouldn't be possible individually. Six years later, that small group has grown to nearly 3,000 members and close to 30 chapters and affiliates from coast to coast. All have worked together tirelessly to educate our families, friends, neighbours, business owners, and every level of government about the benefits of electric vehicles. We've had so many important 'wins' that wouldn't have been possible had we not united to work on a common goal.

Today, we regularly advocate for supportive EV policy in Ottawa and have a robust suite of education and outreach initiatives, including the very popular Canada Talks EV's webinar series. This has been an amazing accomplishment for an organization that relies solely on the gracious contribution of time from its members and volunteers.

I've been honoured to serve as the Chair of the Board and President during this time. I am proud to be a Canadian and have witnessed how we've united around a common cause and passion regardless of our political allegiance, race, gender, age, religion, or other affiliation. This is my Canada: a place where we support and respect one another; in that unity, we have the strength and can accomplish what we dream of – a place where EVs are accessible to all.

There is, however, much more important work to be done, and our Board of directors has given us a mandate to hire full-time paid staff who can help with the crucial tasks that so many of us volunteer to do. To support the transition to paid staff who will help build programmes, deliver value for our members, develop policy to help us advocate for present and future EV owners, and support the many of you who volunteer to make EV Society 'our' Canadian organization, the Board has set three short-term goals that will develop the funding we need:  

• Enhance the benefits you receive as full paid members of EV Society. As a Full paid member, you currently are entitled to discounts on important products such as tires and car insurance in some regions. We've already begun building a committee to develop even more great perks for you. (and, as always, if you have an interest in being part of this initiative, please let us know that you'd like to join the committee)

• We've regularly written applications for government grants or other sponsorships. We are proud to announce that we've received our first grant to support a programme documenting municipal EV initiatives to be shared with (& hopefully adopted by) regional governments across Canada. We will build on this win and are forming a fundraising and sponsorship committee to help raise funds for our first full-time hired support staff. (As before, if you have experience in writing grant proposals or fundraising and would like to join this committee, please let us know.)

• We're launching our first formal membership drive with an amazing 'Guinness World Records' worthy undertaking this month – look further below in this newsletter for the exciting details of this feat! (I'd be remiss if I didn't again ask for your help with the membership drive. If you'd like to volunteer, please let us know. If you're a 'free' associate member, please consider joining as a paid member to support our work and receive the many member benefits that are on the horizon. Or, if you're already a Full member, please spread the word to friends and family, especially those considering an EV, who can benefit the most from our work, and ask them to join.)

The effort needed to make this important leap to an organization with paid staff is enormous. After many years of serving as your President and Board Chair, the time has come to divide the roles. I am so excited to announce that the Board has chosen Jon Seary, a fellow board member and lead of Drive Electric NL, as our new President. Jon has moved mountains in Newfoundland, and we couldn't have found a candidate better suited to guide us through this important transition.

As we move forward and continue to advocate for policy to support existing EV owners and build education programs for future owners, we will honour the guiding principles and culture that have served us so well and resulted in strong relationships with government and industry. We will continue to work respectfully with all stakeholders to find common ground so that we can continue to deliver results for our members and the EV community, present and future.

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Wilf, CBW.

EV Society Chairman

EV Society Past-President

Thank You's

Our long-time volunteer Dave VanAlstyne has stepped down from his role as Secretary-Treasurer. We are so thankful for all the time and energy Dave has contributed to EV Society over the years. His role as an officer on the board has been valuable in moving EV Society to where it is today. Dave will continue to lead the Barrie-Orillia Chapter, and you can stop by to say hello at a future event in the area. You will be missed on the calls Dave!

We’re happy to announce that Spencer Wright has stepped in as our new Secretary, joining Troy Persaud as the new Treasurer.

EV Society at EVVE 2022

EV Society was honoured to attend Electric Mobility Canada’s (EMC) first in-person conference since the start of covid-19 in September at the Beanfield Centre in Toronto.

The conference was a jam-packed three-day event centred around the theme of “My Canada Drives Electric,” EMC’s 2030 EV action plan.

The roster of panellists and keynote speakers included Julie Dabrusin (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Resources and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change), Steven Guilbeault (Minister of the Environment and Climate Change), and Omar Alghabra (Minister of Transportation).

Hundreds of attendees engaged with industry experts and thought leaders on various presentations around EV Adoption in Canada, including:

• Consumer Confidence in EVs before and after purchase
• EV battery supply chain potential and ecosystem in Canada
• Electric Mobility in Canada vs. Europe
• Advancing Public Charging and Charging of the Future
• Charging in Mult-Unit Residential Buildings (MURB) and Rentals
• Electrifying Transit
• EV Fleets
• Electrifying Medium and Heavy Duty Zero-Emission Vehicles
• Next-Generation Battery Technology and Electric Motors

Members of EV Society’s Board of Directors were in attendance to promote EV Society and network with delegates from the EV industry and policy-makers to further EV Society’s ongoing mission and activities.

EV Society continues to support EMC’s ongoing efforts to help advance EV adoption in Canada.

Building Public EV Charging Infrastructure

New Membership Fee Announcement

As more and more drivers in Canada switch to electric vehicles, EV Society’s role to ensure all Canadians can make this change continues to grow.  As the only national voice for EV owners and future owners, we help educate decision makers, provide policy recommendations and seek to overcome challenges to adoption throughout the country.

We are beginning the transition from a volunteer run organization to staffed positions.  Our priority continues to be our advocacy efforts - this is what ensures EV adoption can grow in Canada.  We are also working to increase the benefits we can offer to our chapters and to our members across the country.  

As we make this transition to adequately staff our growing ambitions, our board of directors has voted to increase our annual membership fee to $50.00.  With this increase members will begin to see added member benefits, with the ultimate goal of increasing visibility and membership growth.  Please continue to share the word about the EVS so we can reach our organizational goals together.

Ford F-150 Lightning Tour with Jon Seary

Hi everyone,

I’m checking in from Victoria, BC, with news that Wednesday, October 19, marks the official start of the first cross Canada run in an electric truck! I have the brand new Drive Electric NL F-150 Lightning here, delivered to our start point, all decaled up to hit the road to St. John’s. Our goal is to show Canadians that EVs are built for long road trips, even coast-to-coast trips, regardless of the season or temperatures. 

Our launch ceremony, hosted by the Victoria EV Association, included a stop at the “other” Mile Zero, a lovely lunch, and a dip in the Pacific. Thursday we’ll be underway east with an EV escort.

We’ll be stopping along the way to chat with EV associations, EV owners and future owners across the country. As a bonus, we’ve equipped the truck with our Jura F9 espresso machine, so we can serve a hot Americano right from the front trunk.

Special thanks to the Victoria EV Association, and Glenn Garry; and to Rolf and Silke from TeslaXCanada who hosted us. You may remember them as the couple who drove their Tesla with a trailer across Canada in 2016 - long before we had fast chargers anywhere in Atlantic Canada or much of the country.

I am delighted to have my mother accompanying me on this trip, as our official photojournalist and record keeper. Looking forward to chatting with everyone along the way - let the fun begin!

PAST EVENT: Caledon Chapter at the Town of Halton Go Green Event  

On Saturday October 1st, over 200 people stopped by outside of the Halton Hills Public Library and Cultural Centre to attend the Farmers Market and see the electric cars. 

PAST EVENT: Windsor-Essex chapter update from Pino Mastroianni 

EV Society Windsor-Essex held a meet-up on October 8^th along the Detroit river front in support of a Local members’ effort in filming a documentary.  Patrick Pinsonneault (Mr. Tesla Canada) is working on this documentary called “Tipping Point” that covers many stories from Malibu Beach, Phoenix, Detroit, Windsor, Chatham and Niagara Falls. It is filmed by Marvin Hayes and featuring Mr. Tesla Canada, Carl Medlock, Peter Gruber and local EV Society members and includes the past, present and future. 

Windsor-Essex members gathered for the filming with participation from well known EV advocates Sandy Munro, Cyril Wheeler, Sue Okray  and Paul D (Tesla11ven). I think we were a little star struck. 

Everyone braved the cold temps and met up for more than three hours, with great conversation we did not want to end.  Somehow we succeeded to film the needed interviews and footage. Thanks everyone for participating!

PAST EVENT: Barrie-Orillia Chapter update from Dave VanAlstyne    

Chapter Participation: EV Society Northumberland update by David Kuhnke

Three members of the EVS Northumberland chapter participated on a ZEV Ad Hoc committee established by the Town of Cobourg.

Our final report was presented to Council on Mon Oct 3.  We will now have to wait until after the municipal elections to start the next steps.  Here’s what John Draper (a local council news blogger)  had to say about Cobourg’s report from the ZEV Ad Hoc committee on how to electrify Cobourg’s municipal fleet; “Although the report is long, it is a thorough and comprehensive analysis of the issues and is worth a read. Not only that, it was done by an advisory committee and did not involve a consultant.” 

Read more here.

National Drive Electric Week  

EV Society Board member, Jason Cruickshank attended various NDEW events in Western Canada. Jason and his family visited Regina, Winnipeg and Saskatoon where they had the chance to see their EV friends and some unique vehicles on display during the events. 

Update from Salt Lake Island  

As early as 1996, a business Entrepreneur, Tony Seba, predicted that the adoption of fully electric vehicles would be a disruptive technology.  That they would catch business analysts by surprise, with an S curve rather than straight line adoption.  What is an S curve for EV’s?  For the first few years, there is a gradual increase with the early adopters.  Then, as the word gets out of the benefits of electric driving, the purchase rate accelerates, even exponentially as the purchase of gas and diesel vehicles declines.  Finally,  there is market saturation, rate of interest peaks and the sales curve flattens out.  The S curve has been seen from the adoption of radial tires to cell phones.  

On Salt Spring Island, with our environmental mindset, we were early adopters (starting in 2012), and in 2020, we discovered we had the highest passenger car EV ownership (by population) of any community in BC.  But with only 2.2% of the passenger vehicle ownership, we were yet to enter the steeper mid-section of the S curve and still had a long way to go to reach the community Climate Action Plan 2.0 - 2030 objective of 50% reduction in passenger vehicle emissions since 2007.

Where are we now? By referencing the ICBCs Open Data License Report of vehicle ownership statistics for 2021 Salt Spring increased EV ownership by 108 cars in one year to a total of 380.  That 380 total represents a growth rate of almost 40% over 2020 and  guess what, after some analysis, we believe we are still the highest EV passenger vehicle ownership (by population) of any region in BC.  As of the end of 2021, EV’s represent over 5.4% of all passenger vehicles on SSI, and that is a lot of quiet driving, inexpensive fill ups. avoided oil. changes and cleaner air.  And that was with a pandemic, supply chain issues and dealers having very little inventory to meet the increasing demand.  Without these business challenges, the ownership number would have certainly been much higher.  Now there are long wait lists at the dealers, used units are difficult to find and due to demand, are holding their value (or even increasing).   

We plan to include the emerging growth of commercial vehicles in our count next year.

OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

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EPS: 30,  Preparing Your EV for Winter 

This episode will address cold weather operation of your electric vehicle including, the effects of cold weather on a vehicle and battery, what can you do to prepare your car for the cold and winter conditions (tires, undercoating, charging etc..), and preconditioning.  Our guest will also share some driving tips for winter and advice for charging in cold weather.  Plus, we can expect lots more "hot EV tips" for a cold winter day!

David Giles is a mechanic and Electric Vehicle Specialist.  With over 30 years in the industry, he holds a Red Seal AST certification and several other certifications involving advance vehicle technology.  Dave is a frequent speaker at automotive conferences involving battery electric vehicles and advanced systems such as ADAS and automatous tech.

Dave has helped develop innovative solutions for electric drive systems and wheelchair accessibility for vehicles.  He has also helped provide skills upgrading to licensed technicians and apprentices

His passion is to continue to learn and help find solutions for exciting and sustainable transportation for the future.

Register to hear from Dave Giles,  All EV Canada on November 1st, 7:30 PM EST.

Mark Marmer; Putting his Signature on Electric Vehicles and EV Charging

Starting out in the electrical trade back in 1973, Mark Marmer has always been intrigued by emerging technologies as well as the people driving them forward.  

In 1985, Mark established his own company, Signature Electric.  Mark was always on the lookout for innovative and interesting ways to improve his clients’ electrical systems, in order to increase quality and even save energy.  Moreover, Mark has always been energized by looking for innovative solutions for his clients to achieve their goals of energy conservation, environmental responsibility, and sustainability.  This pioneering mindset has helped grow Signature Electric’s vision in bringing the future of electricity to today.  

Today, Mark and his company are on the leading edge of solving complex electrical challenges for clients, especially EV charging solutions.  Over the last eight years, his team has installed chargers of all brands and settings, including multi-residential and public charging.  Mark is also super active in promoting EVs through his blog, YouTube channel, speaking engagements, and ongoing networking with industry and government.  He also proudly serves on EV Society’s Board of Directors, where his expertise and connections in charging systems brings a unique perspective around the adoption of electric vehicles.  

As a dedicated EV driver for over six years, Mark currently owns three battery-electric vehicles (BEV).  He’s also among the first to install an in-home Tesla Powerwall.  As well as one of the few Canadians to see the rollout of the Tesla semi-truck.

EV Society congratulates and celebrates Mark’s pioneering and ongoing efforts to promote EVs and EV Charging solutions to help accelerate EV adoption in Canada.

Music Video for a New EV Song - Request from Chris Frye

Calling All Electric Vehicle Owners! Outside of my work for NRCan I have a musical project and I’ve just released a song celebrating all things EV.  It’s called Plug You In, and you can find it here if you’re interested.

Previous to beginning my work with government 15 years ago, I was a touring, professional musician, and my primary group (The Bills) even garnered a couple of JUNO nominations along the way. So I still play as a kind of semi-pro hobby!

Now I’ve been inspired to combine my work and passion for EVs with this song, and I’m making a grassroots music video, for which I’m inviting drivers and e-bikers to submit short clips of their electric mobility choice in locations across the country. I have a pro film editor in Montreal who will compile the amateur clips into a music video.

OUR AFFILIATES

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Thank you for reading, and if you appreciate the efforts of EV Society to act as a voice of influence across Canada for electric vehicle ownership, please share this newsletter and encourage your friends, family and colleagues to become full members. Signing up as a paid member provides funding to help us advocate on behalf of EV supporters like you. We could not operate without the support of our members, so thank you!

We want to hear from you. When you have an interesting story or related topic you’d like to share with the community here, please email us at Contact@EVSociety.ca. 

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