Tag: Electric Vehicles (EV)

GM’s BrightDrop begins production at Canada’s first large-scale EV plant

December 6, 2022 / Robert

The first BrightDrop electric delivery vans rolled off the Ontario assembly line Monday, December 5.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford joined GM at the opening of Canada’s first full-scale electric-vehicle manufacturing plant.

The GM plant in Ingersoll had been assembling gasoline-powered vehicles for more than three decades.

The plant will now build BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric delivery vans. GM aims to have as many as 50,000 of them rolling off this assembly line per year by 2025.

The announcement means Canada is the BrightDrop’s first international market.

BrightDrop also announced DHL Express was its first Canadian customer. DHL plans to add its first BrightDrop Zevo electric delivery vans to its fleet early next year.

Sources » BrightDrop Press Release / GM Investor Relations / Reuters / Just Auto / Detroit Free Press / Green Car Congress / Electric Autonomy Canada / Canada Auto World / TechCrunch / The Verge / AFP via Barrons

Motor vehicle registrations were up in 2021

December 1, 2022 / Robert

The total number of road motor vehicles registered in Canada increased to 26.2 million in 2021, up 1.9% compared with 2020.

At 24.1 million, light-duty vehicles (LDV) accounted for 9 out of every 10 motor vehicles registered in 2021, with passenger cars remaining the most common type.

While there are more electric vehicles being registered across the country, British Columbia and Quebec lead the way.

Canadians’ heightened focus on clean energy is reflected in the type of fuel used by vehicles. While 94.9% of all registered light-duty vehicles remained motor gasoline in 2021, there were 303,073 hybrid electric vehicles as well as 152,685 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 95,896 plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs) registered. All three of these categories grew sharply from 2020 to 2021, with notable increases for PHEVs (+24.4%) and BEVs (+48.1%).

Stellantis plans $US2.8 billion overhaul of two Canadian factories to build EVs

May 4, 2022 / Robert

MSNBC »

Auto giant Stellantis will invest about $2.8 billion to overhaul two Canadian factories to build fully electric and hybrid vehicles, the company said on Monday, as part of its $35 billion global commitment to electrification and related initiatives.
The revamp will allow the automaker to build such versions of several of its upcoming models using new “multi-energy” architectures. The company also will add a battery lab to its existing research and development facility in Windsor, Ontario, creating 650 new jobs.
Retooling of the company’s Windsor assembly plant is expected to begin in 2023, with a revamp and modernization of a second plant in Brampton, Ontario, to follow the next year. Both revamped factories are to be up and running by 2025, Stellantis said.

More at Green Car Reports / Motor Trend / BNN Bloomberg / Electric Autonomy

Britishvolt plans to build a 60 Gigawatt hours (GWh) battery cell factory in Quebec to serve the North American EV industry

October 8, 2021 / Robert

The UK-based technology and manufacturing firm is incorporated in Canada, has a Montreal office and tells Electric Autonomy in an exclusive interview that it is close to securing premises in Quebec for its second gigafactory to serve the North American EV industry and plans to expand into cathodes and R&D

This is the second such announcement this week.

High purchase prices are stopping most Canadians from buying electric vehicles (EV)

October 1, 2021 / Robert

John Shmuel, BNN Bloomberg »

The survey, which was conducted by Leger Marketing earlier this month, asked 1,511 Canadians if they were planning to purchase a new electric vehicle in the near future. It found that just over one in four, or 26 per cent of Canadians, are planning to do so. On the other hand, 19 per cent of Canadians are planning to buy a gas/diesel/hybrid card for their next purchase.
Those who aren’t planning on buying an EV were asked what the biggest reason for their decision was. By far, it was the price of these vehicles: 31 per cent of this group cited cost as the main reason for not electrifying their ride. Another 59 per cent of respondents cited it as a concern, but not the main one. Other reasons for not wanting to buy an electric vehicle included lack of infrastructure (18 per cent), range concerns (16 per cent), and battery life and replacement (13 per cent).
What’s interesting is that it’s clear that government incentives for EVs are the most powerful tool right now to drive adoption. When asked if further government incentives would convince them to buy an electric vehicle, 78 per cent of those surveyed said yes.