World famous Swedish car making company – Volvo – is preparing to convert all its mainstay models – two sedans and three SUVs into full-fledged electric vehicles. The carmaker is all set to introduce a swanky electric van to cater to Asian markets and boost sales in the region. By 2030, Volvo is expected to launch at least six new electric vehicles. Likewise, their Australian unit said that it plans to sell solely electric cars by 2026. The Swedish brand hit the headline in 2017 when it became one of the first mainstream car manufacturers to announce that it no longer planned to sell combustion-powered engines. After that, Volvo has taken comprehensive measures toward a complete electric shift by merging its combustion engine program with sister firm Geely.
Brief overview of Volvo’s EV plans
The new battery-powered electric car being planned for the next four years is the Volvo-branded MPV, which is premised on an automobile that Zeely’s Zeekr brand sells in China. Termed the Zeekr 009, it is a massive, battery-driven electric van offering three rows of seating. The vehicle competes against counterparts like the Toyota Alphard. Moreover, Volvo also has plans to work on developing sedans and the ensuing people-mover model in its Shanghai research and development epicenter. The hub, which has increased its design team by three times, was recently shifted to a larger building.
The first electric vehicle planned by Volvo is the new EX90 sport-utility crossover. It was unveiled in late 2023 and is expected to hit showrooms by early 2024. Other battery-driven vehicles in the cards include electric versions of Volvo’s mainstay – the XC90, XC60, and XC40, coupled with the S60 and S90 sedans. The mainline vehicles will follow Volvo’s simple and sleek design cues, but the novel MPV will target buyers through a more dynamic structure, something inspired by Zeekr 009. An anonymous source says that unique and new features include a massive, LED-illuminated grille.
Collaborations with other EV makers
Volvo developed and sold its hybrid and gasoline powertrain to Geely, a Chinese EV maker. Thus, the Chinese carmaker has decided to amalgamate all its gasoline powertrain assets, including those from Volvo, with factories made of Renault, to create a new and innovative company dedicated to gasoline and hybrid engines. Geely and Renault are working to execute a deal to rope in Saudi Aramco as an investor and partner in the unique expedition, as reported by Reuters.
The Canadian government establishes rules and security protocols that improve people’s safety on roads, at home, and everywhere. The transport department of Canada has recently announced a new road-safety protocol, which requires hybrid and electric vehicle owners to equip their vehicles with a noise system.
Since these vehicles have motors that operate quietly, especially when you are driving at low speeds, this presents security risks for pedestrians. People with vision impairments or cyclists are at an increased risk of collision with these vehicles. Unlike gasoline vehicles, these vehicles don’t make much noise on the road. While that reduces noise pollution, it also increases safety risks for pedestrians.
Now, every hybrid or electric vehicle owner has to install some kind of noise-making device on the vehicle that is triggered when the driving speed is below a certain threshold. This isn’t just for hybrid and electric cars, but all cars—from SUVs to trucks—need a noise tool. Due to the growing number of accidents on the road, the government had to take action to make the roads safer for cyclists, pedestrians, and those with physical impairments.
Equipping Vehicles with Sound Emitters
A majority of cars (except hybrid and electric vehicles) emit a normal, consistent sound when the vehicle is slowing down or taking a turn. The sound doesn’t fade when the speed goes down. However, electric and hybrid vehicles are not equipped with built-in sound emitters that can produce a continuous sound when the vehicle takes a break or slows down.
There’s no regulation regarding the type of tune used in the vehicle, but the government has set standards for the volume and the pitch. The sound must be loud enough to alert the pedestrians of the vehicle behind or ahead of them. It should be clear enough for people to guess the car’s speed just by hearing the sound. Although some hybrid car owners have already installed sound emitters, the government has made it mandatory for all vehicles, including new cars, to have a sound emitter. The new rule came into effect on December 21, 2022, and applies to all vehicles weighing 4.536 kgs and below. These artificial noise emitters must produce the same pitch and volume of sound as the natural sound system in gas-powered cars.
The measure was taken after evaluating the increasing death rates in traffic. Blind people or those who rely on the car’s sound for navigating traffic often face difficulty assessing hybrid and electric vehicles. The Canadian government has followed the safety standards, which are already in effect in the US and most parts of the world.
EVs make the same noise as gas vehicles when they are driven at high speeds. We are talking about the tire noise. The problem occurs when you drive them at low speeds, and it’s difficult for pedestrians to identify a vehicle without sound, especially at night, in dim light, or in poor weather. This safety measure is for people with disability and vision problems. But it will benefit every pedestrian and cyclist.
Back in 2020, Canada set a goal to develop an electric vehicle battery ecosystem, which is steadily becoming a reality. The country’s very first battery and cathode manufacturing plants are under construction and were allocated $3.8 billion from the national critical minerals strategy budget.
With increased demand for electric vehicles in Canada, the need for lithium to make special EV batteries has increased in the last few years. Canada has an abundance of battery metals, which can be used as an advantage in becoming the leading manufacturer of specialised chips for EV batteries. Currently, Australia is the world’s largest lithium producer. While François-Philippe Champagne, Canadian Industry Minister is confident Canada will take over, Patricia Mohr, former vice-president of economics at Scotiabank, Canada feels there’s still time for that to happen.
Based on Mohr’s analysis, Canada will become a major supplier of critical minerals in the second half of this decade.
Impact of the US new Inflation Reduction Act
On the other hand, several believe that the newly introduced Inflation Reduction Act in the US will boost Canadian mining efforts. The act allocates tax credits for electric vehicles that were either sourced for or assembled in North America.
Simultaneously, demand for electric vehicles in Canada has grown by 46 percent this year, compared to just 11 percent in 2021. Another issue that Minister Champagne highlighted during his interview was the auto industry chip shortage. New cars need specialised chips that control everything in the car from the navigation panel to the headlights. Champagne believes that Canada can become the leading supplier of chips. We’re still facing a global shortage due to reduced chip production during initial days of the lockdown.
Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA Ltd, a company that builds space equipment for Canadarm, has a strategy in place to tackle the shortage. His company will break their contracts into smaller chunks to manage costs and supply chain schedules.
Some unfortunate news about Canada’s EV Readiness Index
Canada dropped to the 13th place from 8th in 2021 in the newly updated EV Readiness Index. It assesses the supply, demand, and policies for EVs for 14 nations and Canada’s currently in the second-last position. While Canada allocated a record amount towards the country’s first battery and cathode manufacturing plants, other countries have been more proactive in decarbonising the roads. EV companies including Tesla, Stromvolt Americas, and LG are building factories in Canada but local production plans, infrastructure, and consumer demand due to lack of charging stations on travelling routes has dulled the spark.
Power outages don’t happen in Ontario often but when they do, they can cause major inconveniences. When Ford first introduced their plans for the F-150 Lightning electric pickup, they mentioned a home integration system that can be used to power your home, charge another EV, or anything else that requires electricity.
Ford just announced the price of the backup system and surprisingly, it’s priced generously. The Home Integration System will cost you $3895 before installation. Back in March 2022, Ford unveiled their bidirectional home charging station called Ford Charge Station Pro for the F-150 Lightning truck. Compared to other at-home charging stations currently available on the market, the Ford Pro costs $1,699.95. It has two unique features that others don’t offer. It is rated 80 amp, twice as much as other EV chargers and has bidirectional charge capacity. We’re seeing more and more brands introduce bidirectional chargers including the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Ford’s offering two ranges of the pickup truck – F-150 Lightning Extended Range and Standard Range F-150 Lightning. At 80 amps of max current, the at-home charger can add 48 kilometres an hour to the extended range and 30 kilometres an hour to the standard range.
When paired with the Ford Home Integration System, the charging station can supply up to 9.6 kW to your home. The charger only has one competitor in the market – Wallbox Quasar 2, which is compatible with most EVs.
Ford electric pickup truck owners expected to spend US$5,200 plus installation fees
The Home Integration System and Ford Charging Station Pro will together cost Standard Range F-150 Lightning owners US$5,200 plus installation. Canadian pricing has not been released yet. Owners of F-150 Lightning Extended Range will receive a complimentary charger but will still have to pay for the Home Integration System. While it seems like the costs are adding up and making the pickup truck more expensive, when compared to Tesla’s Powerwall, it is a great deal. The Tesla Powerwall costs $11,500 and can only hold 14.4kWh, which is about 1/10th of the battery of a 300 mile F-150.
Ford hasn’t yet announced if they’ll be offering this technology for the Mustang Mach-E and E-Transit vans but we hope they do!
2022 is going to be a massive year for the electric vehicle industry. Global giants, Sony and Honda announced on March 4, 2022 that they will team up to develop and sell electric vehicles. They’ve also invited other automobile companies to join their project. With the aim of launching their first product in 2025, the two companies have divided responsibilities to streamline the process.
Joint venture of automobile innovation
Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony CEO, said that in this venture they would like to lead the mobility evolution by combining their technology and experience with Honda’s long experience in mobility development and vehicle body manufacturing technologies.
During the press conference, which was held in Tokyo, Japan, Toshihiro Mibe, Honda CEO, said that they don’t plan to take this venture public anytime soon but are open to that idea. This partnership comes at the exact time Honda has been under pressure for developing carbon-free automobiles. Sony, on the other hand, wants to transform into an important player in next generation vehicles. While they didn’t reveal any financial data, they promised that their product will be equipped with features beyond the traditional ones offered today.
This announcement comes weeks after Sony announced that they’re forming a new company, Sony Mobility, to enter the EV market. They also released the prototype for their very first SUV, VISION-S 02.
Other tech companies expanding into the EV industry
Baidu and Xiaomi, two major Chinese technology companies, announced recently that they’ve formed an electric vehicle brand as well. Xiaomi announced they’ll be investing $10 billion over the next 10 years in their company, Xiaomi EV, Inc. It is already 300 employees strong.
Baidu formed a joint venture with Chinese automobile maker Geely. It is called Jidu and Baidu just recently invested $400 million after they received $300 million in funding in initial capital last year. It will be used towards research, development, and mass manufacturing.
Competition on rise in the EV market
The main focus of this competition is going to be about making batteries cheaper, faster, and less vulnerable to raw material shortages. Today, batteries cost one-third of the total making costs. Automakers and tech companies understand that there’s a big demand for electric vehicles and are investing in EV startups, so they aren’t left behind.
Tesla, which has the biggest market share in the EV industry, still depends on Asian markets for their batteries. US President Biden has encouraged companies to move their battery supply chain to the country, so political and geographical factors don’t interrupt the production.
If you’ve been following the news, you know there are some amazing companies promoting sustainable technologies. In 2022, we’re seeing a lot of traditional automotive companies like Ford and General Motors make the switch and launch eco-friendly electric vehicles. It’s obvious that there’s a huge demand for EVs. Tesla’s sales doubled to 960,172 vehicles in 2021 and is expected to cross 1 million this year. There are plenty of players, big and small, in the electric vehicle market. Some promising, some not so promising.
Let’s take a look at some promising and not-so-promising EV startups of 2022:
Promising EV Startups
1. Rivian
Rivian win’s the list after its R1T pickup was named Motor Trend Truck of the Year, which is now on sale. It received early investments from Amazon and Ford, which put the EV brand on the global map. Production delays in 2021 made us doubt Rivian’s promise but it still has a huge market value of $90 billion, more than well-established big leaders including Ford and General Motors.
2. Lucid
Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of Lucid, is most well-known for giving the world Tesla Model S. He left Tesla just three years later to become Lucid’s CTO and become their CEO in 2019. Lucid currently has five models of Lucid Air in the market, all of which are sedans. The price tag? The lowest model starts at $105,000 and has a 653 kilometres driving range. However, they are planning to release more mainstream SUVs and sedans in the near future.
3. Nio
Nio is a popular Chinese EV brand trying to enter the North American market. While they struggled back in 2019 to get investments, steady sales, swapping the battery for longer driving, and their car designs has made it a brand to watch out for. They have a unique business model where they are creating an ecosystem of EV cars, charging solutions (NIO Power), subscription services (BaaS), NIO Life, NIO Spaces, and NIO House. To be honest, the business model is quite unique and would make or break their position in the North American market.
Not-so-promising EV Startups
1. Atlis
An EV startup focusing on commercial and fleet clientele, Atlis is currently developing an unusual battery-tech. These are square cells that can hold up to 1 megawatt of energy and could charge their EV as quickly as filling gas. It sounds too good to be true, so we aren’t too sure about this EV brand.
2. Canoo
Remember the old VW Microbus? Canoo’s minivan pushes its occupant right at the front and has placed the batteries at the bottom. While this creates a massive space inside the car, we doubt people would want to buy outdated-looking minivans.
3. Byton
When Byton was first introduced in the market, it looked promising. Their M-byte concept launched at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show impressed many but constant management turnover, lack of cash flow, and the pandemic weakened the company. They recently shut down their US headquarters and moved back to China.
Stay updated with the latest news from the EV industry here at Wieser Electric.
Canada aims to become zero-emission by 2050 and Federal Environment Minister, Steven Guilbeault, has started putting a plan in place. Currently, road transportation accounts for 20% of total greenhouse gases emitted in Canada. According to the plan, the federal government wants 50% of all new vehicles sold by 2030 to be zero-emission and 100% by 2035.
Only 3% of cars registered in Canada are EV or zero-emission. The Canada-wide EV sales quote mandate will come into effect by late 2022 or early 2023. Guilbeault has already held several consultation sessions for expert advice on the mandate, how it will affect the Canadian auto industry, and whether there should be an interim goal before 2030.
Provincial sales quota mandate is working wonders
Quebec implemented the EV sales quota mandate in 2018 and British Columbia introduced it in 2020. Both provinces have seen a drastic increase of electric cars sold compared to the rest of the nation. Three out of four new EVs purchased in Canada were in Quebec and British Columbia in 2020. They also offer rebates to incentivise EV sales. According to the mandate, carmakers have to pay $5,000 for every car they aren’t able to sell from their quota.
Seeing the success, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and all four Atlantic provinces have introduced EV rebates in the last 18 months. Sales in Ontario went considerably down after the provincial government stopped the EV rebate. Before 2018, 19% of national sales came from Ontario. Waiting for auto deliveries has been the worst amidst the global supply chain crisis.
Becoming a leader in EV sales
Whether Canada implements the mandate or not, EV sales will continue to rise but won’t benefit the federal government. Norway’s EV rebates have made the country a leader in global sales. In 2020, 75% of cars sold in Norway were electric vehicles. Many European Union countries are increasing their rebates to make EVs more affordable. Germany recently passed a law that requires every gas station to have an EV charging station.
Omar Alghabra, Canada’s transportation minister, said that introducing the mandate will not only change consumer behaviour but also the supply chain system and rules and regulations in the auto industry.
Another critical aspect is preparing car dealerships. They will need EV charging stations and train staff on sales and maintenance. While introducing a mandate will help Canada lower greenhouse gases emission, dealerships should be given enough time to make changes and also switch their pricing model to continue profiting from the sales.
Thinking of buying an electric vehicle? Installing a wall charger at home takes away the pressure of driving up to a public EV charging station. Plug in at night and wake up to a fully-charged car in the morning.
Wieser Electric is your local licensed electric car charger installer in Kingston, Belleville, Trenton, Quinte West, Cobourg, Napanee, Gananoque, Lansdowne, Brockville, Smith Falls, Perth, Kemptville, and Tweed, Ontario. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Ford has got us excited about their all electric F-150 Lightning. Here’s some good news for all Ford truck fans out there : The F-150 Lighting will be able to charge other F-150 Lightnings.
Linda Zhang, Chief Engineer, the brains behind the F-150 Lightning, mentioned during the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show that Ford went through multiple challenges to ensure the new EV truck ranks high on performance and practicality.
According to Zhang, Ford is experimenting with charging other EVs with the Lightning however other EV models don’t currently have the Mach-E system, which is needed to transmit and accept electricity. Zhang had this idea after the launch of the 2021 Ford F-150 PowerBoost.
In other news
There’s been an interesting turn of events regarding the collaboration between Ford and Rivian to make a new Ford electric vehicle. A Ford spokesperson mentioned that after extensive discussions with Rivian, both have jointly decided to not pursue any EV development.
Ford owns 12% of the company, which became public in November 2021. Rivian is currently worth one and a half times more than the Michigan automaker.
Rivian Electric Truck
Other than that, Ford’s continuing with their plan of increasing EV production. Recently, the company’s CEO, Jim Farley tweeted that they will produce 600,000 electric vehicles every year until 2023. They took this decision to meet the rise in demand across America.
With many people starting to make the switch already, the future is bright for EVs across North America. Apart from being eco-friendly alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles, the ability to charge EVs at home is a major selling point.
Wieser Electric is Kingston’s leading electric vehicle charger installer. We’d love to answer any questions you have about at-home EV charging.
Send us an email at david@wieserelectric.ca or call us at 613-985-0046 for more information.
By 2025, General Motors is expected to launch 30 new electric cars with an aim of building a zero-emissions future. Back in January 2021, the company announced that they plan to be 100% carbon neutral by 2040 and start selling zero-emission vehicles by 2035.
GM reported $122.5 billion in annual global revenue in 2020, around $15 billion less than 2019’s total revenue of $137.2 billion. They expect to double their sales by 2030, most of which will be through electric car sales.
Diversifying into new markets
Auto insurance, autonomous vehicle ride hailing, delivery services, and defense contracting are some of the new markets GM plans to enter by the end of this decade. They’re expected to boost their annual revenue by $50 billion once they start selling rides through their robotaxi unit.
Another major announcement made by GM on Wednesday was about Ultra Cruise, a sophisticated hands-free, driver assist technology that’s expected to hit the market in 2023. With electric vehicle buyers on the rise, GM expects to make most of its profit from the electric car market.
Electric GMC Hummer pickup
Making electric vehicles more affordable
While General Motors tops car sales in the US, they rank poorly against Tesla when it comes to electric vehicles. Ever since launching the Chevrolet Bolt in December 2016, GM has only sold 100,000 units. On the other hand, Tesla has sold more than 627,000 cars across the globe.
Get ready to welcome some high-end EVs from General Motors by 2022 including GMC Hummer pickup, Cadillac Lyriq EV, and Chevrolet Silverado EV.
The audience also got a sneak peek into some of GM’s more affordable electric vehicles. They will be launching a small Chevrolet SUV priced at US$ 30,000 and an electric Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck that will have a driving range of 640 kilometers per charge.
On Wednesday, GM revealed plans to upgrade its Ultium battery technology to make it more energy dense. It will lower costs by 60% compared to present-day EV batteries. They will feature a Nickel Cobalt Manganese Aluminum chemistry and use 70% less cobalt. GM is also committed to recycle 100% of the returned batteries in their attempt to be zero-emission. Their Lordstown, Ohio plant will be mass-producing the batteries through a joint venture with LG Energy Solution.
Investing in the future of zero-emission vehicles
Until now, GM has invested over $300 million in their Lake Orion, Michigan facility, $2 billion in Spring Hill, and $2.2 billion in Detroit-Hamtramck for easier and faster assembly of EVs. They’ve invested another $40 million Pontiac Stamping for quicker installation of Flexible Fabrication manufacturing. Another $28 million will go towards their battery testing lab expansion located in Warren, Michigan. Overall, the company will be creating 38,000 new jobs within the next decade.
In 2020, Canada only sold 54,353 new electric vehicles, just 3.5% of the total number of new cars sold. While the pandemic is one strong reason for the low numbers, there are many more reasons people stray away from an electric vehicle.
Electric cars have a shorter range than gas-powered cars, so going on long trips can be inconvenient, especially when there’s a lack of charging stations. Other than that, these cars take almost an hour to charge. Electric vehicle sales are expected to boost in comping years, despite these advantages. Canada faces a huge deficit in public charging stations, which most people rely on for a quick charge.
Canadian government’s huge investment in electric vehicle infrastructure
Canada has around 6,000 charging stations spread across the country that supports the 3 percent EVs currently on the road. The government has also invested over $1 billion since 2015 to build the infrastructure. They have also been offering multiple incentives and tax rebates.
They plan to ensure all vehicles on the road will be zero emission by 2035 (it was set for 2040 earlier). This only means that there’ll be over 35 million zero emission electric cars that’ll require charging stations.
Currently, the Canadian government is offering a generous subsidy to build electric vehicle charging stations. Chevrolet announced in June 2021 that they’re offering a $750 credit to EV owners. FLO, a Quebec City-based startup, owns these charging stations. They own the most number of charging stations in Canada.
Removing another roadblock
To make the electric vehicle industry in Canada a success, EV automakers should allow car owners to charge at privately owned charging stations. It would also be the first step towards allowing EV car owners to charge at a public station without needing any apps. Wieser Electric specialises in charging station and residential wall connector installations in Kingston and surrounding areas. Contact us today for a free consultation with our licensed and experienced electrician.
