EV Canada Newsletter: Cybertruck has closed reservations from outside of North America

Weekly Recap Issue #18 - Tuesday, May 17th, 2022

Goooood morning, EV family! Welcome to this weeks edition of the EV Canada Newsletter! Thank you so much for rocking with me today. I hope you had a great weekend and a good kick-off to the week already. Tomorrow is hump day so really Friday is just around the corner as we head into a long weekend!

Let’s see what’s new from this past week:

Canada

Cybertruck orders are being limited to within North America.

Tesla Cybertruck hopefuls who are located outside North America are no longer able to make a reservation for the Cybertruck. Those within North America can still place orders on the Cybertruck, which is expected to start deliveries near the end of 2023 (but it wouldn’t be a surprise if delivery dates got pushed further).

The Cybertruck was officially revealed back in 2019 and at that time customers could reserve a vehicle. 3 years later and a rollercoaster of announcements later customers are finally starting to see some progress. The Cybertruck was delayed as Tesla made the decision to focus on growing Model Y production.

The Cybertruck was unveiled back in 2019. The electric pickup truck was already supposed to be in production, but the automaker delayed the program as it focused on growing Model Y production.

Utility Hero

The Cybertruck production is set to start at the beginning of 2023 and although reservations are closed to those outside of North America, CEO Elon Musk indicated that Tesla received 250,000 reservations for the Cybertruck in the first week after it’s unveiling. Reservations for the Cybertruck seem to be quite steady as well, with an estimation of close to 1.5 million total reservations.

Check out this video: Tesla Model Y Used Buying Guide.

With the long wait times for a new EVs increasing everyday you may decide to purchase a used EV instead. However you might be surprised that used EVs might cost as much, or more, than a brand new one. With demand for EVs outweighing supply, this scenario is making EV adoption tough on even the most passionate EV-Owner-Wannabes. You might decide to bite the bullet and purchase a used EV to avoid the long wait and get into your “new-to-you” EV now. After some initial searching you come across the Tesla Model Y and set your sights on purchasing one. But what should you be looking for (or avoiding) when scoping out a used Model Y? Has there been significant changes since release in 2020? Check out this video, to learn more!

If you like this rundown/summary of what’s going on with EVs in Canada please share it with someone (or people) that you think might enjoy it as well!

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EV Around the World 🌏

Uber adds “Comfort Electric” to ride options.

If you have used your Uber app lately to catch a ride, you may have noticed that Uber has launched a new product called “Comfort Electric”. This allows Uber users to specifically request electric vehicles. This is Ubers way of promoting electric vehicles and getting people to ride in electric vehicles, more specifically the Tesla and Polestar vehicles that Uber has encouraging Uber drivers to purchase.

Uber’s commitment to electrification is note-worthy. In 2020 they announced a $800-Million dollar USD (Over ~$1 Billion CAD) to support electrification and aim to be all-electric by 2040 (quite some time from now).

Uber has also partnered with Arrival to design EVs specifically for ride-sharing. There are not much details on when those vehicles will come to market (if they ever do) but we are hopeful!

Uber has also ordered approximately 50,000 Tesla vehicles which will be available to drivers through their partnership with Hertz by 2023. Uber as similar partnership with Polestar vehicles, but the current timeline is longer.

The “Comfort Green” option is listed above Uber Green (as Uber Green also suggests PHEVs as well as BEVs) and is list below Uber Black. The “Comfort Green” definitely comes as a premium compared to other options.

Uber is also including a Charging Map directly to the Driver app to help Uber EV drivers find charging solutions near them.

The Volkswagen Group has announced plans to launch an all-electric pickup truck and an all electric SUV under the iconic Scout brand.

Brands have been electrifying iconic models lately (Mustang, Hummer, DeLorean etc) and Volkswagen have decided to jump on the bandwagon (excuse the pun) by reviving the Scout brand as an all electric truck and SUV.

Volkswagen will not introduce the Scout EVs directly, but will have an independent company formed to design, engineer and manufacturer the vehicles.

As reported by InsideEV “A separate business unit for the Scout EVs does not mean that everything will be designed from scratch, as the company will have access to the Volkswagen Group "tech platforms" to leverage synergies.”

The first set of prototypes are expected to be unveiled in 2023 with production only beginning in 2026 - so try not to get too excited.

The Scout EVs are expected to have a starting price of approximately $50,000 CAD but with production only beginning in 2026, that is sure to change.

QuickEV

EV Meme/Tweet of the Week

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