Hello! Back here on our second week of delivering news from the EV world to your inbox. 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!

Also, if you would like to contribute, have any feedback or comments please email me:

FIRST!

Chargers… there seems to be a bunch of different electric vehicle chargers - from different manufacturers and different characteristics… What are the different chargers and what are their advantages? I made a quick table below for reference/information:

Information sources: 1.https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy-efficiency/spotlight-energy-efficiency/2021/04/18/electric-vehicle-chargers-the-basics/23564

2.https://chargehub.com/en/electric-car-charging-guide.html#charginglevels

Canada

• According to a survey for Transport Canada, Montreal’s Dunsky Energy and Climate Advisors indicate that EV availability in Canada is lagging. The variety of EVs available is getting better as more brands develop their EV offerings but supply of these vehicles are currently limited which is an obstacle for potential EV adopters who would like to test drive. Internal combustion engines (ICEs) are more readily available on the car dealer lot than EVs. Although, a lot of lots are quite empty due to vehicle supply shortages caused by the processing chip shortage. For the full report: CLICK HERE

• In a response via Twitter, Elon Musk indicates that the full self driving (FSD) beta in Tesla vehicles, will be available in Canada in the next 2-4 weeks. This will be the first time the beta is available outside of the US. The FSD beta does not make the vehicle fully autonomous and still requires driver input. The beta software is a 10,600$ add-on for users. Full article: LINK

• This one seems a little crazy and out-there. Canadian company Daymak Avvenire is set to release a 3-wheeled fully electric vehicle called the Daymak Spiritus. Daymak is a manufacturer of smaller electric vehicles, such as e-bikes and scooters, as well as off-road vehicles. Not only will the Spiritus be fully electric with solar panels but also have the capability to mine cryptocurrency while charging. This leads to more questions than answers regarding the infrastructure and resources required to mine the cryptocurrency. Aldo Baiocchi, president of Daymak indicates that during tests, they were able mine almost 9$ CAD per day which is nearly 270$ per month - which the president says could go towards your lease payment of the vehicle. But what about the volatility and instability of cryptocurrencies at the moment? The price range for the Spiritus is HUGE depending on which model you go for: the Deluxe version will be ~29000$ and the Ultimate will be ~188000$ - why the huge price difference between the 2 models? Everything from performance and range to customizability. After reviewing the website and seeing the numbers as well as an expected delivery date of between 2023-2025 - I am quite skeptical. With patents pending, hundreds of questions left unanswered and Daymak creating a personal flying vehicle… I believe this will either be an absolute bust or a unicorn. I have reached out to Daymak with quite a bit of questions and hopefully they will reply and I can provide an update. WEBSITE LINK ARTICLE LINK

• Frontiers North Adventures has announced plans to replace all twelve of its custom-built, diesel-engined, 40-passenger Tundra Buggies with zero-emission electric vehicles.They have currently retrofitted one of their Tundra Buggies but their plan to retrofit all of their buggies to electric is great news! Frontiers North Adventures is based in Churchill, Manitoba where tourists flock to see the travelling polar bears along the southern region of the Hudson Bay.

• The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has been making it’s way to customers’ doors and the reception has been incredibly positive. Reviews are coming in from customers and reviewers alike and the conclusion has been: Watch out Tesla! Edmunds even placed the Ioniq 5 as the number 1 electric vehicle - you can read their in-depth review HERE. What are some key reasons that the Ioniq5 is a winner? Here is a quick breakdown:

  • Relatively low costs for the Essential trim (45000$) and qualifies for the 5000$ federal rebate. 354km range.

  • Available All-Wheel Drive model (55000$) with 412km range.

  • Lots of the latest technology.

  • Stylish exterior.

  • Efficient motors.

EV Around the World 🌏

• The Volkswagen Group and Bosch have come together to partner on electric vehicle battery production in Europe. Bosch, who already manufactures electric vehicle chargers will help Volkswagen become independent and self-sufficient in the production of batteries for their electric vehicles. Initial plans for the partnership are the development of processes and components for battery cells and systems. Their offerings will not be limited to the Volkswagen group but to other manufacturers as well. Finalized details of the partnership and establishment of their goals should be formed by the end of 2022. LINKDid you know that Volkswagen Group is the parent company of all of these other brands?

• Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) is launching a 1-minute battery swapping service for electric vehicles called "EVOGO”. Here is a cool video presentation if you are interested: Link.CATL says its "Choco-SEB" which is it’s battery replacement pack is compatible with 80% of the global battery-electric vehicles (BEV) available on the market. CATL utilizes sodium-ion technology in lieu of the traditional lithium-ion technology that most people are familiar with today. Sodium, on the periodic table, is located directly beside lithium therefore they share some characteristics - more on sodium-ion batteries can be found here: LINKCATL is currently in phase 1 of the production of its new EV battery factory in China. Once completed, the plant will be the world's largest EV battery factory.The plant will be more than three times the size of Tesla's Gigafactory in Nevada. Full article: LINK

• General Motors is looking to get the Cadillac Lyriq on the market as soon as possible to avoid getting left in the dust in the EV space as their competitors are launching successful models throughout the US and Canada. The company has accelerated their timeline by approximately 9 months. The Lyriq will be base priced just below 70,000$.General Motors President Mark Reuss said in a LinkedIn post that the final production version is expected to be delivered to customers in just a few months. The Lyriq was initially scheduled to arrive in late 2022.  The Lyriq is being built as GM's Spring Hill Manufacturing facility in Tennessee. The automaker announced in Oct 2020 that it was investing $2 billion in the plant to build fully-electric vehicles there.The Lyriq is one of the most anticipated new vehicles from GM and its luxury Cadillac division as it will be GM’s first competitor in the luxury-electric vehicle category. The launch and success of the Lyriq will truly show if GM/Cadillac can better compete within the electric vehicle space. Following the launch of the Lyriq, GM's Cadillac division will offer the Symboliq, Celestiq, Escalade EV as well as a compact SUV by 2025.The Cadillac Lyriq is built on GM's new modular electric vehicle architecture, which is powered by the automaker's new Ultium batteries. The Ultium battery system is part of the structural element of the Lyriq and for other models as well. It creates a lower centre of gravity and near 50/50 weight distribution to improve ride and handling.The automaker also confirmed that the Lyriq will be offered in a dual-motor all-wheel-drive version and offer over 480 kilometres of range on a full charge.The Lyriq is probably the number EV that I have been anticipating. I’m not sure if it’s the look, technology or what, but this is definitely an EV to keep your eye on!

QuickEV

• Wallbox plans to sell its EV home charger, Pulsar Plus, in Canada. LINK

• Blink Charging will supply EV Chargers to GM Dealerships in Canada LINK

• Uber has pledged that by 2030, 100% of its trips will be electric in Canada LINK

• Here is a snapshot of most hyped EVs based on global search data LINK

• EV manufacturer Polestar sets sales target of 65K EVs for 2022 LINK

• For the first time, in Europe EV sales have surpassed diesel sales LINK

• The Tesla Cybertruck has been delayed once again until 2023.

EV Meme of the Week: