****** UPDATED APRIL EDITION ****** Please note the first version contained a placeholder for the 2023 Annual General Meeting section.  The copy is now finalized. Thank you. 

Happy Spring EV Society members and friends, 

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. 

2023 Annual General Meeting 

EV Society's Annual General Meeting took place on March 31, 2023.  EV Society President Jon Seary chaired the meeting, and began with an update on our activities over the last year.  A highlight was the country saw approximately 10% of new vehicle registrations were electric in Q4 of 2022.

Matt Stevens was presented with the Howard Hutt Award, recognizing for his contribution to the hybrid and electric vehicle industry.  Matt’s contribution to EV adoption included his work as co-founder and CEO of FleetCarma, and volunteer efforts with EV Society.

The financial report for 2022 showed a rise in net income from $3,000 to $13,000.  While membership fees are one source of income, a corporate sponsorship program is also being finalized.  Plans for the new year include hiring full-time staff to improve communications and benefits to members.

The elections committee reported seven open seats on the board.  Six successful applicants came forward, including three existing board members who renewed their terms.  The Board welcomed Tara Champion, Joe Butler, and Noah Zanbilowicz as new directors.

Jon took a moment to give thanks to Wilf Steimle for his dedication and hard work in establishing the EV Society.  His comments were echoed by the other directors in attendance.

Fourth Annual Howard Hutt Award

Electric Vehicle Society established the “Howard Hutt Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Electric Transportation” to recognize individuals who have engaged in outstanding efforts towards the advancement of electric transportation in Canada.

We are excited to announce Matt Stevens as the recipient of the 4^th Annual Howard Hutt Award.  Matt is honoured for his nearly 20 years of work on hybrid and electric vehicles, ranging from cars to trucks to lunar rovers. 

One of Matt’s most notable achievements was as co-founder and CEO of FleetCarma (CrossChasm Technologies Inc.), which was originally a consulting firm providing design and prototyping services for EVs but transitioned to developing EV fleet telematics.  FleetCarma helped utilities capture the necessary real-world data to prepare for widespread vehicle electrification and begin shaping EV load.  Over an eight year period, FleetCarma became the global leader in EV telematics. In 2018, FleetCarma was sold to Geotab and Matt led the integration of the fleet-focused product line in 2019.  From 2018 to 2021, Matt was Vice President, Electric Vehicles where he led all aspects of Geotab’s EV fleet products. He was responsible for the development of products that enable organizations to successfully integrate, operate and scale electric vehicles in their fleets.  For a number of years, Matt served as executive sponsor and board advisor at Geotab, supporting Geotab’s Customer Sustainability efforts focused on helping fleets around the world reduce their carbon footprint.  

EV Society thanks Matt for his efforts and is proud to present the 4^th Annual Howard Hutt Award to him this year!

A Special Offer From One of Our Corporate Members

EV Society is excited to share our latest member benefit from corporate member Electric Vehicle Network (EV Net)! EV Net is a used EV sales and rental company located in Etobicoke, Ontario. EV Net's mission is to make electric cars easy and affordable, for anyone!

EV Net is generously offering the following to active EV Society members:

• A one-time (per customer) 25% discount on any EV rental, up to 2 weeks.
• A multi-use 15% discount on any EV rental.
• Free WeatherTech mats with any used EV purchase.

To take advantage of this offer and to learn more, have your membership number ready and visit evnet.ca/evsociety.

EV & Charging Expo 2023

We’re on the brink of an EV revolution that will affect infrastructure development across the board. As we inch closer to the Canadian government’s target of only selling zero-emission vehicles by 2035, we need to be prepared for the implications this transition will have on how large corporations adopt EV fleets to comply with government regulations and reduce their carbon footprint.

Electric Autonomy – a mission-driven media platform – is organizing a first-of-its-kind EV and Charging Expo in Toronto this May bringing industry leaders, policy makers, developers, and manufacturers together under one roof to network, connect, and engage in meaningful conversations around the transition to clean energy and improve Canada’s preparedness for this major shift. The EV Expo will feature numerous exhibitors including ABB, Petro Canada, and Swtch; and will include keynote speakers from leading companies in the industry, providing attendees with the opportunity to explore innovations in EV charging stations, battery technology, and renewable energy solutions.

EV Society members receive 30% off the EXPO PASS with promo code: EVSociety30

From the Northumberland Chapter:

We recently held an EV School Outreach presentation at William Academy high school, and we're excited to share a few pictures from the event. Our plan is to make similar presentations to all eight high schools in Northumberland County. We highly recommend that other EV chapters develop similar programs and invite local media outlets such as newspapers, radio, and TV stations to publicize them. It's a great way to spread awareness and educate the community about the benefits of EVs.

David Kuhnke, Chapter Lead, EV Society - Northumberland

david.kuhnke@evsociety.ca

Electric Vehicle Society-Northumberland

We love hearing about the great work that our EV chapter members are doing! If your chapter has had recent successes or highlights that you'd like to share with us, please send them our way. We'd be thrilled to feature your stories and inspire others in the EV community. Sharing your accomplishments can help encourage and motivate others to make a positive impact on the environment through electric vehicles.

OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

Thank you to our corporate members. Click the link below to see more. 

EPS: 36,  Will EV Charging Break the Grid? with Guest Speaker Matthew Sachs - COO, Peak Power

 The expected growth of EVs and the associated demand from charging has the potential to break our electricity grid, or revolutionize it. There are a number of strategies to manage the impacts of EV charging demand, but the one with the most potential is Vehicle-to-Grid technology, which reimagines Electric Vehicles as mobile generating stations that can generate revenue while parked. During this webinar we will discuss Peak Power’s experience with Vehicle-to-Grid technologies.

Matthew Sachs is COO of Peak Power, an energy storage services provider focused on delivering innovative solutions to offset the most expensive hours of electric demand for utilities and building owners. 

Peak has developed an industry leading software platform that uses machine learning to optimize the operation of behind-the-meter energy storage systems and other distributed energy resources including electric vehicles.

 Peak Power’s “Peak Drive” project is one of North America’s largest demonstrations of the commercial applications of Vehicle-to-Grid technology.

Don’t miss out! Register to receive your personal link to the webinar below.

Turning Over a New LEAF...

Moving from working 5 days a week to working zero days a week can seem like a major move ... and very often one that is avoided for as long as possible. From a career to Retirement ... that is the rub!

So, along with retiring from a 40-something year career as as Electrical Engineer and Computer Software Developer, I entered the retirement phase of my life by trading in my "gas Guzzler", first on a series of Prius' hybrids, followed by a Prius with an after-market 5 kwh Li-Ion battery pack in the trunk. Then, my excellent intention was to modify this Electric Hybrid Prius to become a totally electric Prius by removing the engine, transmission and gas tank and replacing these with more Li-Ion batteries.

Excellent plan, right?

Well, it was ... until Nissan came out with their all-electric car, the LEAF, initially in 2012. Originally in the mid- $40,000 bracket, I was a tad slow picking up on this opportunity. 

But mid-2013 changed all of that. 

Thanks to Erik Haltrecht for sharing this story with us. 

Interesting Article: Electric vehicles and equipment for mining decarbonization

The article below illustrates that the mining industry is a next new frontier for electrification and decarbonization.  

Canada is a global leader in both electric mining equipment (EME) applications and the manufacturing of EME.

That said, mining is a high risks sector.  Environmental and social plus decarbonization considerations rank highest among these risks.

However, EME has high up-front costs.  These are compensated by an array of lifecycle advantages and alleviated with battery as a service packages, separated from the purchase price. 

It is not just that EME brings emissions down by up to 70%.

Ventilation cost reductions are prominent among EME advantages, The evacuation of  diesel fumes and contaminants and heat from diesel equipment represent 25% to 40% of operating expenditures and 40% to 50% of energy consumption.

Lower ventilation requirements, diesel curtailment, energy efficiency, lower maintenance, better haulage capacity can add up to a combined annual savings several millions of dollars per mine. 

Too, high on the benefits list is the health and working conditions of employees.  The elimination of toxic fumes; diesel engine heat; droning noises; and severe vibrations of equipment; and conditions conducive to lung cancer, are so favourable that once EME is tried, few employees want to go back to traditional equipment.  

There are now a wide array of Canadian mines using EME.  Many of these Canadian mining applications are described in the article which follows, thus offering a sense of the order of magnitude of the EME potential.  

Renewables have reached their tipping point; electric vehicles will follow close behind; and mining decarbonization falls within the next frontiers.

- Will Dubitsky

OUR AFFILIATES

Thank you to our affiliates. Click the link below to see more. 

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