EV Canada Newsletter: Tesla in Canada, Canada EV "readiness", Ariel Hipercar & more!

Weekly Recap Issue #30 - Tuesday, September 6th, 2022

Tried to send this out yesterday but my email service provider was down… so here it is!

Happy Tuesday evening! Hope everyone enjoyed their Labour Day long weekend!

This week is a busy week for those going back to school or those of us that have little ones returning to school. So whether you’re hitting the books yourself or have little ones entering the classroom, I wish you a successful school year!

Canada

Tesla showing strong interest in Canadian resources and EV abilities.

Tesla's careers page features a new job listing that suggests the electric vehicle maker is hiring a recruiter for Montreal, Quebec. The job posting has fueled speculation that Tesla may be planning to build a new Canadian facility in the area.

Tesla's potential new facility in Canada has generated a lot of interest since Elon Musk responded positively to the idea of ​​a potential gigafactory in the country during the 2022 Cyber Rodeo. During the meeting, Musk was discussing future Gigafactory locations when the audience suggested Canada as a location. Musk replied, "I'm half Canadian. Maybe I should. "

While Musk's comments at the time seemed to be made in jest, a filing from a Tesla lobbyist in July suggested that the company does indeed consider Canada a potential manufacturing location. More recent reports show Tesla has communicated on multiple occasions with the Canadian government in the past six months.

Tesla did not reveal whether the company is actually interested in building a vehicle or battery manufacturing plant in Canada, although company filings and job postings suggest that there is significant interest in the country. However, it should be noted that Tesla is no stranger to setting up facilities in Canada, as the company funds lithium-ion battery research in Nova Scotia. The electric vehicle maker also owns Hibar Tesla Toronto Automation.

According to Natural Resources Canada, “Canada has some of the largest known reserves and resources (measured and indicated) of rare earths in the world…but producing REEs requires complex separation and refining processes.” This could be yet another reason that Tesla and other EV manufacturers would be interested in setting up shop - similar to how Volkswagen and Mercedes have signed memorandums of understanding with the Canadian government.

Having Tesla be more direct, whether it be with their own vehicle manufacturing facility or battery facility in Canada would be great to increase employment and revenue for the province the facility is built and Canada as a whole.

Check out this review of the VinFast VF8 - and the VinFast company.This is the most up close and personal review that I have come across.

Goodyear launches EV specific all-season and high performance tires.

As the demand for EVs continues to grow, so will the demand for tires manufactured specifically for EVs. EV tires need to be able to handle the higher weight of EVs and of course, maintain or increase an EVs rated range. With that in mind, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has launched the all-new Goodyear ElectricDrive all-season tire and two new sizes for its ultra-high performance tire, the Goodyear ElectricDrive GT. With the addition of four new sizes to its EV tire lineup, Goodyear ElectricDrive is now a fit for 44% more battery electric vehicles.

The new Goodyear ElectricDrive comes with a 60,000-mile tread life limited warranty, V speed rating and is available in sizes 215/50R17 95V XL and 215/55R17 94V SL. This all-season tire is built for commuter touring sedans and CUVs, making it a fit for vehicles like the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Bolt and Volt and the Kia Niro EV.

“Goodyear remains focused on offering innovative products and technologies for the EV segment and providing drivers with the quality, performance and enhanced treadwear they expect from our brands,” said Michiel Kramer, director, Consumer Product Marketing.

Goodyear’s ElectricDrive tires are engineered with a load index to account for the heavier load capacity of EVs and features SoundComfort Technology designed to help reduce the level of interior vehicle noise. The new EV tire also features a specialized tread compound for all-season traction and long-lasting tread life, while an asymmetric tread pattern provides confident handling for wet or dry road conditions.

Additionally, Goodyear launched two new sizes for its ElectricDrive GT tire that was originally introduced in December 2021.

“The addition of the new ElectricDrive GT sizes allow us to meet the unique needs of more electric vehicle drivers with premium, performance Goodyear products,” said Kramer.

The ElectricDrive GT comes with a 40,000-mile tread life limited warranty, W speed rating and is now available in sizes 255/45R19 104W XL, 235/45R18 98W XL and 235/40R19 96W XL.

Canada unprepared for electric vehicle growth.

The firm Ernst & Young (EY), a multinational professional services group, has prepared a study to measure a country’s “readiness” for EVs. This year, Canada has fallen 5 spots in the EY index, despite the governments increased efforts.

Canada is ranked 13 of 14 countries (compared to 8th last year). EY’s analysis considered supply, demand and policies for EVs. Canada has signed MOUs with various EV manufacturers and has created partnership with multiple battery producers but looking at the entire EV picture - it is not enough.

Canada, rich in electric battery resources has allocated a record $3.8 billion in its 2022 federal budget to create a steady focus on the EV lifecycle. Canada is also looking to benefit from the US’ Inflation Reduction Act, which provides tax credits for EVs that either source their critical minerals from North America or are assembled in the region.

The EY report indicates that Canada’s EV launch plans have been in line with other nations, but it’s lagging in local production plans, infrastructure and consumer demand.

Via a survey by EY linked to their EV readiness index, about 46 per cent of Canadians said they would prefer to buy an EV for their next vehicle purchase, which is 11 per cent higher than in 2021, but lower than the global overall average of 52 per cent.

Canadians have indicated that the upfront purchase cost and the lack of charging stations on travelling routes as the biggest obstacle to EV adoption. Canadians are seeking to make the switch to EVs mainly for environmental reasons and are also trying to avoid the rising/unstable gas prices for ICEs.

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

EV Around the World 🌏

Maserati GranTurismo Folgore exterior design fully revealed.The electric gran tourer will do 0 to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds.

Ariel reveals electric Hipercar.

British sports car manufacturer Ariel introduces the Ariel Hipercar, which takes the brand into the electric sports car segment. The vehicle is still considered a prototype and is expected to deliver customer examples in 2024.

The Hipercar will be available in either all-wheel drive with four electric motors or rear-wheel drive with two motors. The four-motor configuration will deliver 1,180 hp (880 kilowatts). Ariel claims the vehicle will hit 100 km/h in 2.09 seconds and 160 km/h in 4.4 seconds. The Hipercar comes with a 62 kilowatt-hour battery made by Cosworth with an estimated range of 241 kilometers. To increase this figure, Ariel will offer an optional Cosworth turbine range extender.

The vehicle travels on an aluminum monocoque with carbon fiber body panels. With four motors, the estimated weight would be 1,500 kilograms and the two motor variant would be less than 1,400 kilograms. The suspension consists of double wishbones of unequal length at each corner with Bilstein shock absorbers. The AP Racing brakes have six pistons at the front and four pistons at the rear. To tailor the driving experience to the driver, the level of regenerative braking, traction control and torque vectoring can be adjusted.

Ariel states that the Hipercar's exterior style comes from the requirements to achieve the necessary air resistance and cooling. It has vertical fins that extend from each corner and another that runs along the center line. The roof mounted blade directs the air to the turbine.

Hipercar stands for High-Performance Carbon Reduction, but the actual model name might be different. While this is a prototype, the company says the vehicle wears production-intent bodywork. Final pricing isn't available yet, but Ariel intends the number to be below £1 million ($150-million CAD). Production will take place in Somerset, England, where the Atom and Nomad are currently produced.

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