- How Canadians’ EV expectations may not match reality
- Lessons from behind the wheel of the Genesis GV60
- Toyota facing class-action suit over #CableGate RAV4 electric component problem
- Motor Mouth: Why EV stocks are racing for the basement
- DeLorean’s EVolved Alpha5 electric car to debut in full this August
The automotive industry is quickly shifting toward an electric future with new technology, new products, new policies, and new questions surfacing every day.
Keep pace with the conversation with our roundup of the biggest EV-related stories, debuts, and reviews from the past month.
How Canadians’ EV expectations may not match reality
Harry Constantine charging his Chevrolet Bolt at the Mountain Equipment Company head office in Vancouver. Photo by Arlen Redekop /Postmedia
The question of if and when to go electric is complicated, but still a question that’s being asked by more and more consumers these days. And the answers for Canadians may vary depending on where they look. For example, a study conducted by J.D. Power Canada this spring suggests that more than half (53 per cent) of Canadians remain bearish on the impending EV revolution, stating that they are either “very unlikely” or “somewhat unlikely” to consider an EV for their next purchase, compared to the “very likely” or “somewhat likely” sentiment of 50 per cent of surveyed Americans.
In our massively expansive and sparsely populated nation, the issues of inventory, charging infrastructure, and range all likely contribute to the malaise. Perceived range in particular seems a sticking point for Canadians, with 65 per cent of them citing it as the reason for being “somewhat unlikely” or “very unlikely” to soon purchase an EV. Price also comes into the equation for more Canadians than Americans, even with the available national and provincial rebates.
“The good news is that EV consideration increases dramatically across a number of metrics once consumers are either better informed on the capabilities of the newest EVs or, better yet, have personal experience with them,” said J.D. Power Canada’s J.D. Ney.
And indeed being “better informed on the capabilities” may be the key to winning Canadians over. At the University of Geneva in Switzerland, researchers recently looked at the thought processes impeding the EV switch and found that “car owners systematically underestimate the capacity of electric driving ranges to meet their daily needs.” The study didn’t include Canadian drivers, but measured German and American motorists’ EV needs to identify an “ideal range” of 250 km, which is 50 km more than is required for 90 per cent of electric vehicle trips in the two nations. Put another way: most “range anxiety” is probably unfounded.
“The trend is to increase (range) performance, but we have observed that a greater range, beyond 300 kilometres for example, does not increase the fit to daily needs,” said Mario Herberz, one of the authors of the study. “It would only have a minimal impact on the number of additional trips that can be completed with one electric charge. Increasing the size of the batteries is therefore not a key element in the energy transition.”
Is more and better information the true missing piece in Canada’s EV evolution? Time (and more studies involving actual Canucks) will tell.
Lessons from behind the wheel of the Genesis GV60
Different isn’t always better, but it can be. In the case of the Genesis GV60, the brand’s first EV and smallest SUV, for example, there’s a decided divergence from the typical “beige” attitude of electric vehicle design. And from the colour itself.
Clearly a Genesis with its low-set diamond-shaped grille and dual-lines headlights, the GV60 strikes out in a class of its own with a daring colour palette and excitingly novel interior design. First Drive reviewer Clayton Seams remarks how the GV60 looks “like an EV designed by people who had never seen another EV,” which in this case is a spectacular thing.
The interior includes a floating center console, flat floor, a crystal-ball-cum-gear-selector, and a standard panoramic glass sunroof, all of which contribute to its airy vibe. Other fun and functional features include a sliding drawer-style glove box and a camera set in the driver’s B-pillar that can unlock the car using facial recognition technology.
The electric SUV – standard with AWD in Canada – starts at $71,000 for the Advanced Trim that’s outfitted with a 74-kw front motor paired with a 160-kw rear motor for a total output of 314 hp and 446 lb-ft of torque, and a range of 399 km. The Performance trims tops the options at $79,000 and comes with 160-kw motors front and rear good for 429 hp and 446 lb-ft of torque without the use of “Boost Mode,” which adds another chunk of power and twist and can push the Performance to 96 km/h in 4 seconds even. Range drops with power, however, down to 378 km for the Performance.
Learn more about Hyundai’s initial take on the electric SUV in the full review here.
Toyota facing class-action suit over #CableGate RAV4 electric component problem
My first and last Toyota and here’s the icing on the lemon https://t.co/QCwVbNAF8D @ToyotaCanada you falsely advertise the range on the RAV, gaslight your customers and now you’re ignoring a safety issue. #toyota #cablegate
— Jean (@stitch63) April 23, 2022
Toyota is facing legal repercussions over an alleged issue with a high-voltage cable that runs down the vehicle to provide power to the electric components of RAV4 Hybrid and RAV4 Prime models from 2019 through 2021. The Internet has dubbed the problem #CableGate and is claiming that the Japanese automaker turned a blind eye to the issue that can result in a power failure in the rear electric motor, despite the problem being raised by a number of owners and drivers on various online forums and communities. That is, until a Montreal owner lawyered up and filed a class-action suit—
French-language publication La Presse reported earlier this year how a Montreal-based RAV4 owner is seeking $7,000 for the cost of the repairs and $300 in punitive damages after their vehicle allegedly lost power to its electric rear motor when the cable in question became corroded. That requested sum matches up nicely with another alleged #CableGate case reported by the Toronto Star where the owner was handed an almost $7,000 bill for repairs that were not covered by Toyota’s eight-year or 160,000-km hybrid component warranty, but by the three-year/60,000-km warranty which had expired.
As an online petition to convince Toyota to cover the cost of repairs continued to gather signatures, the Canadian branch of the brand issued the following statement to Canadians:
“We strongly encourage all of our customers to have their vehicles regularly maintained at their local Toyota dealership. In cases where there is a concern about a product or part that is no longer under warranty, we evaluate each situation on a case-by-case basis.”
Motor Mouth: Why EV stocks are racing for the basement
Tesla CEO Elon Musk at the ‘Cyber Rodeo’ opening of the brand’s new Giga Texas plant Photo by Tesla
New and exciting technology makes for fun headlines, but doesn’t always make for great products. This may be part of the logic behind the absolutely tanking stock prices of electric-vehicle companies such as Tesla, Rivian, and Nikola.
Driving’s proudly opinionated expert David Booth (a.k.a. Motor Mouth) took a deep dive into the bloodletting currently flooding the floor of the EV industry and the reasons behind it, essentially concluding that the brands are facing a number of issues including the fact that many perceive them as ‘tech companies’ rather than actual automakers, as well as the currently skyrocketing interest rates slapping anyone with a financing plan hard in the wallet.
At Tesla, these factors (plus its cultish leader’s ongoing Twitter affair) have driven stock prices down from its 2021 peak of US$1,243.49 to a price of US$725.50 at the time of writing—and that’s up over 10 points from its position earlier this spring! Things are even more dire at Rivian, which lost a frightening 80 per cent of its value, causing former stakeholder Ford to dump shares.
Then there’s would-be EV pickup pioneers Lordstown, which was forced to sell its assembly plant to Foxconn just to survive the bloodbath. Foxconn will allegedly build a number of EVs at the plant, including the Lordstown Endurance pickup and the Fisker Pear EV, but we aren’t holding our breath for production as the brand has been unsuccessfully attempting to get things going for a number of years now.
Read the full op-ed here to learn why Booth at least isn’t quite ready to write Tesla and their ilk off completely just yet.
DeLorean’s EVolved Alpha5 electric car to debut in full this August
2023 DeLorean Motor Company Alpha5 Photo by DeLorean Motor Company
The Texas-based company that has been making DeLorean aftermarket parts under the original brand name for decades has revealed its first actual vehicle, the Alpha5, which is the official predecessor to the famed DMC-12.
Its soft reveal in late May had Back to the Future fans drooling all over each other as they ogled the ItalDesign-created gullwing doors and fast yet familiar profile with a 0.23 coefficient of drag and two extra seats in the back. With that whisper of wind resistance, the Alpha5 is projected to reach a range of 480 km and a top speed of 250 km/h, with the first 142 km/h coming in under 4.5 seconds.
A “luxury” hashtag appended to a Tweet preview of the car suggests the Texas-based brand will be taking a more upscale approach than its forebear. And visuals of the car’s interior confirm the dash will bear a sizable centre tablet and thin digital cluster positioned in front of the driver along with a pair of sleek knobs (likely) for climate controls.
The DeLorean EVolved is scheduled to be fully revealed in August at the Pebble Beach concours.
Keyword: EV News Roundup: Mismatched EV expectations and the uncompromising Genesis GV60