Tag: ev

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Ford almost doubling F-150 Lighting production, still won’t meet demand

Ford can’t keep up with the demand for the upcoming Lightning electric F-150 truck, and it just doubled its production goals for 2022.

The legacy automaker has increased the Lightning Truck’s output to 150,000 per year to help meet the demand of its 200,000 reservation holders. The company’s press release says that it will start offering reservation holders the opportunity to buy the truck over the next few months. Roughly 50,000 pre-order holders will need to turn down the opportunity to buy the truck or there won’t be enough available at launch.

Ford is hoping to build out its EV production capacity over the next two years to build over 600,000 EVs per year by 2025. While the Lighting production is just beginning, Ford is also hoping to bump up the Mach-E output to 200,000 cars by 2023.

Source: Ford

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Nissan investing $17.6 billion in EV development

Nissan is moving forward with its plan to shift to manufacturing electric vehicles (EVs) with a new five-year strategy and a $17.6 billion USD (roughly $22 billion  CAD) investment in the space.

The legacy car marker says it aims to release 15 new EVs by 2030, resulting in half of the automaker’s lineup being electric. On top of that, Nissan has a plan to develop another eight EVs to continue to electrify its fleet into the future. TechCrunch reports that Nissan previously claimed it wanted every new vehicle it manufacturers by 2030 to be electric.

Nissan also outlined plans to build a solid-state battery pilot plant in Yokohama, Japan as early as 2024. Further, the company hopes to release a new generation of batteries that can charge EVs much faster by 2028.

Of course, Nissan is also looking to push its pro-pilot assist tech to more vehicles by 2026, and it also mentions that it’s working on the next-generation of its driver assistance tech that uses LIDAR for a 2030 release.

Image credit: Nissan 

Source: TechCrunch

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Subaru steps into the EV space with the Solterra

After building some hype back in the spring, Subaru has finally revealed its first all-electric vehicle, the 2022 Solterra.

The crossover is coming to Canada next year, but the automaker has yet to share the price. However, it’s not the flashiest EV we’ve ever seen, so I’m holding out hope that it won’t be priced too high compared to the existing gasoline Outback ($31,000 CAD).

The automaker says the car will come in both front- and all-wheel drive versions. The single motor design will only have 201 horse power, but the larger option is pushing 214 horses. Both versions share the same 71.4 kWh battery that can push the base model for an estimated 530km, and the dual-motor option aims for 460km. To charge, the car supports DC fast-charging up to 150kW, so we’d expect that to take around an hour to top up on a fast charger.

There isn’t much more info out on the car yet, but the interior looks pretty standard compared to most other modern cars on the roads today.

source: The Verge 

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Hyundai releases Canadian pricing for anticipated Ioniq 5 electric vehicle

After months of rumours, Hyundai has finally released Canadian pricing for its 2022 Ioniq 5 crossover electric vehicle (EV).

Hyundai says that the first Ioniq 5 cars will start arriving in its showrooms in December, with initial vehicles going to the 2,000 Canadians that have pre-ordered the car.

Below is Canadian pricing for the Ioniq 5:

Essential (354km range) — $44,999
Preferred (354km range) — $46,999
Preferred Long Range (489km range) — $51,999
Preferred AWD Long Range (415km range) — $54,999
Preferred AWD LR  w/Ultimate Package (400km) — $59,999

The base model Ioniq 5 with a 58kWh battery starting at $44,999 in Canada is a very competitive price point in the EV space, especially considering Hyundai’s Kona EV starts at $38,000 and Tesla’s reasonably capable Model 3 offering starts at $56,000.

It’s also worth noting that in Quebec, the Ioniq 5 qualifies for an $8,000 incentive from the provincial government and a $5,000 rebate from the federal government. On the other hand, British Columbia buyers can get $5,000 off from Ottawa and $3,000 from the provincial government. All provinces and territories qualify for the $5,000 federal rebate and some other provinces, particularly the Atlantic islands, also offer EV rebates.

While the Ioniq 5 looks like a hatchback, it’s primarily being marketed by Hyundai as a small utility vehicle thanks to its large wheelbase and expansive interior.

The inside of the car features a standard dashboard and two large screens. In terms of fast charging, the Ioniq 5 can be plugged into a 350Kw fast charger to charge its battery from 10 percent to 80 percent in just 18 minutes.

There’s a significant amount of hype surrounding the Ioniq 5, with many praising its long-range, charging speeds and unique throwback design.

Source: Hyundai Image credit: Hyundai

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Ford begins selling electric motors, shows off vintage EV truck

To help vintage car owners electrify their vehicles, Ford has started selling a new electric crate motor that can be used to modernize vintage rides.

The legacy automaker is selling this little motor for $3,900 USD (roughly $4,800 CAD). The motor doesn’t come with a battery or any of the other parts you’d need to actually fully convert a standard car, however. Still, it’s a powerful little engine with 317ft/lbs of torque.

This isn’t the only way to do an electric conversion though. For example, in late 2020, GM released a similar type of motor, and I’d expect more companies to jump into the conversation market as the world slowly switches to electric vehicles.

If you’re interested in this project, Ford is demoing it in a stunning looking 1978 Ford F100 that’s not only sporting two of the company’s new motors, but also a Mustang Mach-E battery pack and touch screen display.

Source: Ford Via: Engadget

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Tesla increases price of Model Y in Canada with delayed expected delivery

Tesla, like other automakers, is experiencing a shortage of semiconductors, which has resulted in a price hike for its vehicles in the United States. That cost hike is now hitting Canadian buyers with the recent increase in Tesla Model Y pricing.

The Model Y Long Range now starts at $74,990, up from $70,990 two weeks ago. The high cost of the car also makes it ineligible for any provincial or federal electric vehicle tax rebates in Canada.

The exact vehicle was priced at $69,990 in mid-August 2021. See images below for reference:

Further, compared to last year’s prices, Tesla has increased the cost of other models, including:

  • Model S Long Range — Mid 2020 price: $105,990 — Current price: $121,990 — Expected delivery: June
  • Model X Long Range — Mid 2020 price: $112,990 — Current price: $132,990 — Expected delivery: September
  • Model 3 Standard Range Plus — Mid 2020 price: $52,990 — Current price: $54,990 — Expected delivery: June

While the semiconductor shortage is one of the primary reasons behind the price increase, the growing demand for Tesla vehicles is a contributing factor too. The Model Y Long Range was sold out in Canada in August, with expected delivery dates for January. A quick peek on Tesla’s website now indicates that the EV will be delivered in May, five months after what Tesla initially promised. Further, bugs plaguing Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software aren’t helping the company either.

On the other hand, Tesla has finally started shipping new Model X vehicles with yoke steering wheels, with Canadian deliveries expected soon.

Source: Tesla

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LG to pay for GM’s Chevy Bolt recall

GM may be struggling to recall and replace almost all of its Chevy Bolt batteries, but a new report claims that the automaker won’t be footing the bill.

A report from Engadget says that LG will offset $1.9 billion USD (roughly, $2.3 billion CAD). GM estimates that the recall will cost $2 billion USD (about $2.5 billion CAD), so while the automaker has to pay a bit, LG covers the bulk of the cost.

This deal is likely GM trying to push the blame from its failing cars onto LG, who built the defective batteries. Hopefully, this will work, and consumers won’t turn on GM’s EV offerings.

If you’re unfamiliar, GM has calling back the Chevy Bolt EUV and car since some models were suffering from battery fires. The recall started with only some models but quickly extended to include many more Bolt models than originally anticipated.

GM says that it will have the recall refunded later, so it will be reflected in its Q3 2021 earnings report.

Source: Engadget

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Survey finds one in four Canadians want an EV, but price remains an issue

Image source: Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Electric_vehicle_charging_station_at_Pippinger_Flur_10.jpg

A new survey shows that while a solid chunk of Canadians are interested in making the switch to an electric vehicle (EV), the cost of purchasing one remains a major barrier.

Out of a survey of 1,551 Canadians, nearly 26 percent said they planned on purchasing an EV, according to a post on Tesla North drawing on a recent Bloomberg article.

That said, a 31 percent of respondents in the Leger Marketing survey confided that price is the main reason why they would not be buying an EV.

Moreover, a whooping 59 percent of folks surveyed said while cost is not their primary barrier to buying an EV, the steep price tag is still among the list of considerations keeping them from making the purchase.

Lack of charging infrastructure, concerns about range, and worries about battery replacement and longevity clocked in at 18 percent, 16 percent and 13 percent respectively.

In the recent 2021 federal election, all the major political parties made significant commitments to EV vehicles and zero-emission laws.

For their part, the newly-reelected Liberal Party promised that a minimum of half of all passenger vehicles sold in Canada will be zero-emission by 2030 and 100 percent by 2035.

The party also pledged to build 50,000 charging stations, and offer $5,000 in federal incentives for people who purchase zero-emission vehicles, as well as $5,000 in grants and $40,000 in interest-free loans towards retrofitting initiatives.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Source: Tesla North Via: Bloomberg

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Rolls-Royce switching to all electric by 2030

Luxury automaker Rolls-Royce will stop building gasoline-powered cars by 2030 as it moves to go fully electric. The legacy manufacturer even has plans to release its first electric vehicle (EV) in 2023.

This follows other high-end automakers like Jaguar Land Rover and Bentley. The latter is also moving to an all-electric line by 2030, and the former will be fully electrified by 2025.

The first fully electric Rolls-Royce is set to be called the Spectre and will hit the roads at the end of 2023.

BMW owns the luxury automaker, but it’s only pledging to go 50 percent electric by 2030. It also holds the car brand Mini, which plans to go fully electric by 2030.

At this stage in the move towards EVs, it’s no longer surprising to see a company like Bentley shift to all-electric. If you’re interested in more pictures of the automaker’s Spectre EV, you can visit the Rolls-Royce website. That said, beyond images, the company hasn’t revealed much else about the vehicle.

Source: Rolls-Royce, Reuters

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Tesla drivers aren’t watching the road when ‘self-driving’ software is on

In news that manages to be simultaneously unsurprising and terrifying, researchers from MIT have found that drivers pay less attention to the road when Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ software is switched on.

According to the study published in Accident Analysis & Prevention, “visual behavior patterns change before and after” drivers activate the electric car’s autopilot software.

Specifically, the study found that drivers didn’t look out the windshield as much, noting that “non-driving related glances to the down/center-stack areas were the most frequent and the longest,” with nearly a quarter (22 percent) of those glances lasting longer than two seconds.

The “down/center-stack areas” would be around the spot where Tesla has decided to install a suped-up infotainment system in its moving vehicles, featuring a sizable screen and an AMD chip so you can play The Witcher 3 while blasting down the 401.

This is something of a big deal considering that — despite its ambitious name — Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving” software isn’t actually full self-driving software.

Rather, it’s an automated driving assistant, as TechCrunch and Engadget both reminded readers, like cruise control or self-parking proximity sensors.

This means that even with the autopilot software turned on, drivers must still keep their hands on the wheel and — most importantly — pay attention to the road.

Lucky for Canada, Tesla began beta testing its autopilot software in Canadian-owned vehicles in mid-September.

The ethicality of beta-testing a “self-driving” car unsupervised on public roads, using regular drivers who are apparently scientifically proven to be less attentive behind the wheel than usual when the software is activated, is a whole other conversation.

Here’s very much hoping that the recent update rolled out to some Tesla vehicles, which seems to have improved the car’s on-screen visuals and on-road driving, is enough to prevent any major accidents or injuries in Canada.

Source: TechCrunch, Engadget, MIT