Thirteen. Thousand. Dollars. Since last Wednesday, that’s how much you can get in government rebates for buying a new electric car in Quebec. Want to shop for yours? Good timing: this weekend, Place Bonaventure welcomes the Montreal Electric Vehicle Show’s third edition. Can’t make it? No problem: there’s a repeat in Quebec City at the end of May. Last year, the second edition of the Montreal Electric Vehicle Show drew almost 25,000 people in a weekend. That is no less one-tenth of all the visitors the Montreal International Auto Show generally attracts… in 10 days. And last year, the MEVS – get used to it: that’s what they called the Montreal Electric Vehicle Show – was the scene of 2,000 road tests of electric and plug-in hybrid cars and other electric-powered vehicles of all types. The show would have proposed e-boat rides right in Métropole de Montréal’s biggest pool if the event would have been held at the Stade Olympique, instead of the downtown Place Bonaventure. Yeah, that’s how crazy we are in Quebec. Remember, la Belle Province is the first and still the only one in Canada with an adopted ZEV standard. Since last summer, when Ontario’s Doug Ford government cancelled its electric incentive program, Quebec is back to being the province with the most generous electric rebates, up to $8000 from the provincial level. Add the $5,000 from the federal level since May 1st and that $13,000 slashed off a $41,700 Nissan Leaf or on a $44,800 Chevrolet Bolt gives a nice little jolt. How many wheels do you want: 2, 6 or… none? MEVS, in its third year, opening today (May 3) and going until the end of Sunday (May 5) at Place Bonaventure, is a one-stop shop to learn everything about current electric options, no matter if it powers two, four, six or… no wheels at all. Indeed, beyond the cars we already know, there will be e-motorcycles, e-ATVs, e-karts, e-surf boards, e-buses, e-forklifts… even e-fat-bikes (that one could well become our favourite!). MEVS organizers claim it is the largest EV show in Canada, with 110 exhibitors ranging from solar energy equipment manufacturers to portable battery charger makers, as well as e-insurance and e-financing companies. You don’t want to miss… MEVS also features a bunch of conferences that you don’t want to miss if you are EV-Curious, EV-committed, EV-enthusiast or even EV-uncertain. CAA Quebec, one of the major partners of the event, and if you only have half an hour to sat through a (French…) exposé, you want it to be from Jesse Caron, the automobile expert from the Quebec’s Automotive Association who will Tell it like it is while presenting: EV à la portée de tous: mythe ou réalité? The two other (French, again) conferences you may want to attend are Simon-Pierre Rioux, president of the Association des véhicules électriques du Québec (AVEQ), will go back into a century of EV innovation; and Bruno Marcoux, consultant for e-Racine, will discuss about the pros and cons of buying a used EV (remember that Quebec offers provincial rebates up to $4,000 for those as well). What: Montreal Electric Vehicle Show Where: Place Bonaventure, Montreal, 800 de la Gauchetière Street W. When: Friday, May 3: 1pm – 9pm Saturday, May 4: 10am – 6pm Sunday, May 5: 10am – 5pm General Admission: $15 ($10 for CAA-Quebec members) Parking… free: Electric autonomous buses Kelios will shuttle the visitors for free between the P-10 field of Casino de Montreal and Place
Origin: The biggest Electric Vehicle Show is this weekend – in Montreal
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Tesla gets creative with Model 3 pricing to qualify for federal electric vehicle rebates
Tesla’s Model 3 now qualifies for Ottawa’s electric vehicle rebate program.SeongJoon Cho / Bloomberg Tesla has announced that it will be dropping the retail price of its popular Model 3 electric vehicle to $44,999 in Canada, in a move that appears to just barely qualify the car for a $5,000 government incentive for green vehicles. The incentive was announced in the federal budget in March, and starting May 1 car buyers can take advantage of the subsidy. When the subsidy was first announced, it looked as though Tesla vehicles — the most popular electric cars on the market — would fail to qualify because Ottawa would only offer subsidies for vehicles with a price tag of less than $45,000, and in March the Tesla Model 3 was listed for $47,600. But in the past couple months, it appears that Tesla has gotten creative with its vehicle pricing to qualify for the rebate. The company is now selling a Model 3 vehicle with a range of just 150 kilometres, far less than the 386-kilometre range listed for the standard base model. That new ultra-short-range model comes in at $44,999. But the price-tag contortionism doesn’t stop there. The federal program specifies that vehicles with a base price of less than $45,000 qualify, even if they have add-ons of up to $10,000, bringing the total price of the vehicle to $55,000. This means that a standard Tesla Model 3 with a retail price of $53,700 will also qualify for the rebate. The federal government appears to endorse this pricing scheme because the Model 3 is now officially listed among the vehicles that qualify. John Zhang, an analyst with research firm IDC, said that Tesla is going out of its way to convince customers that they absolutely should not buy the 150-kilometre car. “The 150 km range is really just a deterrence that Tesla is trying to create in order to minimize the number customers purchasing these 150-km range Model 3s. Because there needs to be a base model that’s under the $45K mark in order for the higher-priced variant to qualify for the rebate as well, that’s essentially what Tesla did,” Zhang said. “Another piece of evidence that Tesla is deterring customers to buy this model is that you can’t order that specific car online. The order needs to be placed either over the phone or at a Tesla store. So essentially, Tesla wants customers to purchase the higher priced Standard Range Plus model, which has a range of 386 km.” Zhang also said that the 150-km version actually ships with the same battery pack as the 386 km version, and the range is only limited by a software lock, so customers can pay to upgrade their car after purchase. We can’t help but wonder how much that unlocking will cost, and how long it takes before some entrepreneurial software engineers take matters into their own hands with cheaper third-party solutions. Zhang said this isn’t the first time Tesla has engaged in this kind of pricing. “Tesla did this in Germany before in a similar situation. From a policy standpoint, the fact that the rebate was excluding the best-selling electric car in Canada partially defeated the purpose of putting the incentive in the first place, which is to promote/increase EV adoption,” he said. “Now that the base Model 3 is included, it’s levelling the playing field and customers have another choice when making their purchase
Origin: Tesla gets creative with Model 3 pricing to qualify for federal electric vehicle rebates
GM says it’s definitely building an electric pickup
2019 GMC Sierra AT4Costa Mouzouris After recently backing away from partnership talks with EV truck-maker Rivian only to have Ford jump in, and following a trail of hints at an electrified SUV or pickup, GM has announced it’ll be developing an electric pickup truck of its own. CEO Mary Barra confirmed the company’s plans to enter a product into the electric pickup segment during an investor call this week. It’s basically a no-brainer for GM as much of the competition already announced their plans to produce electric pickups. This includes Ford, which just last week made public its plans to drop $500 million into Rivian in addition to previous announcements to develop a hybrid and EV F-150, and Tesla, which is also getting into the pickup game. The GM truck—likely a Sierra or Silverado as both of the current generations were built to work with other power sources, namely electricity—will line up beside GM’s other current and future E-vehicles, including the upcoming nameless electric Caddy SUV and the Chevrolet Bolt. That’s about all we’ve got for details at the moment: It’ll be a pickup, it’ll be a GM and it’ll be electric. But it probably won’t be here anytime soon.
Origin: GM says it’s definitely building an electric pickup
Nissan Leaf electric car price increased in UK
Nissan has raised the price of its Leaf electric hatchback in the UK by nearly 7%. The Volkswagen e-Golf rival is now available from £27,995 – an increase of £1805 – in entry-level Acenta trim. This includes the £3500 government subsidy for electric vehicle (EV) buyers. Justifying the increase, a Nissan spokesperson said: “Nissan frequently evaluates the price point of its models and adjusts them according to market demands and other influences, such as inflation and cost base.” Despite the increase in cost of purchasing a Leaf outright, Nissan claims it will now be cheaper to lease one on a PCP finance basis (how the majority of Leafs are sold) as a result of improved residual values in EVs. Alongside the pricing changes, the Japanese manufacturer has expanded the Leaf range by putting the e+ variant into mainstream production, following a successful limited launch earlier this year. With a 62kWh battery pack and a 214bhp electric motor, the e+ offers 239 miles of range on the WLTP test cycle – 62 miles more than the standard 40kWh model. The 2019 Leaf has also gained an 8.0in touchscreen (up from the 7.0in unit in the launch model) with the latest version of the firm’s infotainment software and sat-nav as standard. The Leaf retains a 36% share of the UK’s fast-growing EV market, despite Nissan experiencing a 32% drop in overall sales here from 2017 to
Origin: Nissan Leaf electric car price increased in UK
RAC develops mobile charger to deliver EV Boost to electric vehicles
RAC develops mobile charger to deliver ‘EV Boost’ to electric vehicles The EV Boost system can be rolled-out across RAC’s patrol fleet In readiness for the UK’s expected electric vehicle boom, the RAC has developed its EV Boost system – the first lightweight mobile EV-charger capable of giving stranded out-of-charge cars a power boost from one of its standard orange roadside rescue vans. The bespoke solution can be rolled-out to hundreds of patrol vehicles ensuring the RAC can match the scale of demand as electric vehicle ownership grows in the coming years. The first six Ford Transit Custom patrol vans equipped with the new EV generators will take to the roads in June in London, Birmingham and Manchester and will be rolled-out to areas with high call-outs. The charger, which was developed by the RAC’s technical experts in partnership with automotive engineering firm Original Ltd, is capable of delivering a ‘top-up’ roadside charge from a standard Euro 6 diesel RAC patrol van sufficient to get a stranded EV safely to a nearby charge point. The RAC EV Boost charger works with all Type 1 and Type 2 connections ensuring it will charge 99% of electric vehicles on UK roads today. EVs present a particular challenge as many cannot be towed normally and ideally should be transported with all wheels off the ground which usually requires a flat-bed vehicle. So, if an electric car runs out of charge in a busy urban location, such as a red route in London or even just a narrow road, it can’t be towed to the nearest charge point – and is likely to cause traffic jams and frustration. RAC head of roadside rescue innovation Chris Millward said: “Our solution enables our patrols to help stranded EV drivers at the roadside with a power boost, equivalent to a top-up from a fuel can for a petrol or diesel car, to get them on their way again. “With nothing like it on the market the real challenge was to develop a mobile EV-charger system which is compact and light enough to fit into our normal patrol vehicles without compromising on space so we can still carry all the normal parts and tools to help our patrols continue to fix four out of five vehicles at the roadside. “Other solutions that are available require valuable van space to be taken up by heavy portable chargers that negatively affect fuel economy and also need to be recharged after use. Our on-demand solution means that the power is always available when needed. “The number of electric vehicles on the road will grow rapidly in the next few years, in particular we are seeing increased interest and take-up from business and fleet managers, so it is critical that we have an effective mobile power source for these cars in an emergency giving EV-owners complete peace of mind. The new mobile RAC EV Boost charger has also been well received by our manufacturer partners. “We also expect it will help address the anxiety some potential EV buyers have about the current charging infrastructure and vehicle range. The RAC is constantly looking to evolve and invest in technology to meet the changing needs of drivers and their modern vehicles, and this EV-charger fits perfectly with this strategy.” Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder of Zap-Map, the UK’s leading EV charging map, said: “It’s great to see the RAC leading the way and introducing this new mobile EV charging system to its fleet of vans. Whilst the UK public charging network already has over 14,000 public charge points and is growing at a rapid rate, this service will give electric car drivers additional confidence as they plan longer electric journeys.” Erik Fairbairn, Pod Point CEO and Founder, said: “The number of EVs on UK roads is increasing exponentially and it’s great to see the RAC adapting its patrol vehicles accordingly. Range anxiety is a common phenomenon, particularly among those new to EVs, and this mobile charger will help reassure drivers that there is help available in the unlikely event that they do run out of charge.”
Origin: RAC develops mobile charger to deliver EV Boost to electric vehicles
Ford investing US$500M in electric vehicle startup Rivian
2019 Rivian R1T Electric TruckHandout / Rivian Ford is sinking a half-billion dollars into electric vehicle startup Rivian in a deal that has the companies working together on a new Ford EV based on Rivian underpinnings. Ford will become a minority partner in Rivian, which is based outside of Detroit and recently rolled out a new electric pickup truck and an SUV that will go on sale late next year. In a statement, Ford CEO Jim Hackett says the partnership will bring a fresh approach to Ford’s intelligent and electric vehicles. He also says Rivian will benefit from Ford’s manufacturing expertise and resources. Rivian will remain an independent company, but Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of automotive, will get a seat on the startup’s seven-member board. The deal is still subject to regulatory approval. Rivian has a large engineering and administrative operation in the Detroit suburb of Plymouth Township, Mich., as well as outposts in San Jose and Irvine, Calif., and Surrey, England. The company also is starting manufacturing operations in a 2.6-million square-foot factory in Normal, Ill., that was once used by Mitsubishi. The company’s R1T pickup and R1S SUV are supposed to have more than 400 miles (640 kilometres) of range on a single charge. The five-seat pickup is aimed at the market for off-road capable trucks with outdoorsy features, a market Tesla has not yet entered. A basic truck with smaller 230-mile (370 kilometres) battery pack will start under US$70,000. A truck with the longer-range battery will be around US$90,000. The R1T and R1S will first roll out in the U.S., then to other
Origin: Ford investing US$500M in electric vehicle startup Rivian
GM talks with Amazon-backed electric truckmaker may be dead
2019 Rivian R1T Electric TruckHandout / Rivian It’s becoming clearer why electric truck-making startup Rivian may have spurned the chance to form a partnership with General Motors: The company appears to be doing just fine on its own. With a US$700 million funding round led by Amazon.com just completed, Rivian has six vehicles planned by 2025—and that’s just the models that will be sold under the Rivian brand. The startup also will be making several models for other companies, founder R.J. Scaringe said in an interview at the New York auto show. One of them is related to the Amazon deal, Scaringe said, declining to give more detail. Scaringe’s grand plan helps explain why talks that would have given GM a stake have reportedly fallen apart. With both consumers and businesses showing interest, Rivian is rebuffing a deal that may have required a level of exclusivity that would have kept it from building vehicles for others. “In general, my reason for starting Rivian was to do big things without anything preventing us from doing that,” Scaringe said, while declining to discuss talks with GM specifically. GM and Rivian came close to a deal that could have benefited both companies. GM would have been able to lend engineering and manufacturing expertise. In return, Rivian may have helped the largest U.S. automaker get an electric pickup to market quicker. With those talks in the past, Scaringe has big ambitions. He said that by 2025, Rivian’s plant – a former Mitsubishi factory in Normal, Illinois, bought for just US$13 million – will make the half-dozen different pickups and sport utility vehicles of varying sizes. None of the vehicles Rivian has in the pipeline will be a sedan, Scaringe said. All of them will be larger pickup and SUVs because those vehicles are popular and burn the most fuel. Rivian’s electric-vehicle platform, which Scaringe prefers to refer to as a “skateboard,” is a big part of his vision to deliver returns to those who’ve backed him. In addition to retailing trucks and SUVs, he’s open to selling the technology to others for a myriad of applications, such as stationary batteries. The company, headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan, is drawing significant interest from consumers. As Tesla did with the Model 3 sedan, Rivian has been taking $1,000 deposits for the R1T pickup and R1S SUV that will go on sale starting in the fall of 2020. Rivian invited all depositors to check out the company’s vehicles at an event Tuesday at Classic Car Club Manhattan. While Scaringe said he figured he would draw a limited audience from the New York Metro area, about 1,200 people showed up, with some visiting from as far away as Hawaii. Rivian has more than 1,200 pre-orders, Scaringe said, though he declined to say how many. He’s already looking for ways to expand production in Normal. A little more than half the depositors want the pickup
Origin: GM talks with Amazon-backed electric truckmaker may be dead
Toyota launches China-only electric C-HR
Toyota has revealed an electric variant of its C-HR compact SUV exclusively for the Chinese market. Unveiled at the Shanghai motor show alongside the identical Izoa, which will be produced by Chinese company FAW, the C-HR EV will go on sale in 2020. The new model, first announced at the Beijing motor show last year, is the first electric Toyota to become available in China, and the first to use the firm’s new TNGA platform as featured on the new Corolla. Performance and powertrain details are unconfirmed, but subtle styling revisions such as the absence of a front grille differentiate the new EV from its conventionally fuelled sibling. The unveiling is the first step in Toyota’s plan to introduce 10 electrified models in China over the next five years, in line with Chinese government requirements for manufacturers to electrify a percentage of their line-ups. The C-HR is sold in the UK with conventional petrol and petrol-electric hybrid powertrains. Last month Toyota unveiled Chinese-market plug-in hybrid variants of the Corolla and FAW-built Levin, which joined the electric C-HR on Toyota’s Shanghai stand, alongside the Rhombus – a futuristic EV urban EV designed by Chinese firm TMEC. Moritaka Yoshida, Toyota executive vice-president, spoke of the firm’s intentions to use the Chinese market as a testbed for new hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. “Since 2017, Toyota has been conducting demonstration tests with the Mirai in China,” he said. “We are considering the local introduction of other fuel cell vehicles such as the FC Coaster.” The car maker plans to sell 5.5 million electrified vehicles worldwide by
Origin: Toyota launches China-only electric C-HR
Volkswagen hints at upcoming rugged electric 4×4
Volkswagen is considering an all-electric off-roader as part of its new ID family of vehicles, design boss Klaus Bischoff has confirmed. The firm will later this year launch the production version of the ID hatch, the first machine built on its new MEB platform – and it will be followed by a string of fully electric models on that architecture in the coming years. Speaking on the eve of the Shanghai motor show, where the firm launched a new ID Roomzz large SUV concept, Bischoff responded to a question about Volkswagen producing a more traditional MEB-based 4×4 by saying: “Maybe one of the next ID family members is a more rugged thing than we have seen.” At Geneva, Volkswagen launched an ID Buggy concept, which is intended as a small-volume lifestyle machine that could be produced by partners. However, it also serves as a proof of concept for a possible electric off-roader. The instant torque of an electric car would be ideally suited to off-road driving, and the MEB platform has been designed to house a powertrain with electric motors on each axle, offering all-wheel drive. A dedicated MEB off-roader would offer substantially more ground clearance than the ID Crozz SUV concept Volkswagen previously revealed – and Bischoff admitted this could cause design issues. “The higher and more boxy you go, the harder the aerodynamics are – it’s the biggest hurdle,” he said. “You can lose 60km of range by doing this.” With such a model likely to be a few years away, Volkswagen would have time to address the range issues with more advanced battery technology. Volkswagen recently showcased a concept of a remote EV charging station, which uses recycled ID car batteries, as a way of installing charging points in remote locations away from power infrastructure. That system could also make the concept of an electric off-roader a more viable production proposition from
Origin: Volkswagen hints at upcoming rugged electric 4×4
Tesla just made it harder to buy its cheapest US$35,000 electric car
Tesla announced a series of changes to its vehicle lineup and pricing mid-April, including making it tougher to buy its newly available entry-level US$35,000 car. All Tesla vehicles now come with the Autopilot driver-assistance system as standard, the company said in a blog post late Thursday. The Model 3 with Standard Plus battery used to cost US$37,500, plus US$3,000 for Autopilot. I t now costs US$39,500 with Autopilot included. And a standard Model 3 costing US$35,000 just became harder for customers to actually order. Deliveries of the vehicle at that price point – the big promise of the Model 3 when it was first unveiled in March 2016 – are just beginning this weekend. Customers who want this version from now on won’t be able to get from Tesla’s online ordering menu — they’ll have to call or visit a store instead. Tesla’s constantly shifting approach to its lineup and retail strategy has rattled investors and stoked confusion. Ten days after signaling an almost complete withdrawal from physical stores, the company backtracked and said more locations would stay open than planned. The carmaker is now backing away from its online-only ordering approach with the standard Model 3. Tesla is also offering a Model 3 lease for the first time, though with a big caveat. Customers won’t have the option to buy the car at the end of the lease because the company plans to use the vehicles in a forthcoming Tesla ride-hailing network, according to the blog post. On its ordering website, Tesla’s default options are for customers to make a US$3,000 down payment and spend a total of US$4,199 at signing of a three-year, 10,000-mile annual lease. The monthly payment due on that basis is US$504. CEO Elon Musk first talked about his vision of a Tesla shared-vehicle fleet when he unveiled his Master Plan Part Deux in July 2016. After the company scheduled an event later this month for Musk and other executives to tout Tesla’s self-driving technology, the CEO hinted at the plan
Origin: Tesla just made it harder to buy its cheapest US$35,000 electric car
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