Revolution or EVolution?

Cool Tips for a Hot Planet

Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.

Mark Twain said something like that when he read his own prematurely published obit. Earlier this year we were hearing similar bleak news about electric vehicle sales, when they dipped slightly as a percentage of new car sales.

But lately, sales of zero emission vehicles (including plug-in hybrids) have rebounded to about 13 per cent of the Canadian market. They were three per cent when I bought my electric Hyundai Kona in 2019.

Why the increase? One, driving an electric vehicle (EV) saves money – on fuel, and on repairs, because electric engines have so few moving parts. Annual savings average $3,000, by some estimates. If I keep my car for 10 years, that’s like getting a $30,000 rebate.

Two, driving electric means no planet-heating, air polluting tailpipe emissions.

Then there’s reliability. A German study recently showed that EVs had 30 per cent fewer breakdowns. The only part of electric cars that was as prone to failure as gas cars was the small 12-volt battery that powers the door locks, starter, lights and sound system.

As for the large battery, many EVs have battery warranties like mine – eight years or 160,000 km. Few need to be replaced outside of that. In fact, now we’re hearing that the batteries will outlast the body of the car. I’ve read about some older models with close to 500,000 km on the battery.

Most of those batteries require mining for cobalt, nickel and lithium. Fortunately, battery recycling now reclaims up to 95 per cent of those minerals, which can then be reused, indefinitely, to make new batteries. Projections from American research group RMI show that by 2050 or even earlier, virtually no mining will be needed.

What about those car fires? Anyone concerned about that should drive electric. Forbes recently cited studies showing gas cars were far more likely to burst into flames.

While EVs are catching on, not catching fire, some people are reluctant to take the plunge. One reason: upfront costs. In Europe, there are some 11 models with price tags below C$46,000. In Canada, only three. But we have over a dozen that start at $100,000+. Recently, some manufacturers have slowed production, blaming lower demand for EVs. Hmm. Wonder why that is.

Rebates help. In addition to a $5,000 federal grant for cars under $55,000, provinces like B.C. and Quebec have their own. That has helped EVs in those provinces reach at least 20 per cent of new car sales. In Ontario, it’s less than half of that. Those cold Scandinavian countries, with their many incentives, have topped 50 per cent.

Increasing public chargers will also help. Their numbers are growing, but not fast enough. Like most EV drivers, I usually charge at home, but on a road trip I appreciate those public chargers.

I also appreciate getting up to 480 km on a full charge in mild weather (about 20-30 per cent less in winter). Some newer EVs go much farther, and charge much faster.

Despite those improvements, some people still question this clean driving transformation. But at the turn of the last century, the transition to gas cars was much more challenging. No gas stations, no paved roads. Skeptics were vocal back then too, with one banker saying to a would-be car maker: “You’re crazy if you think this fool contraption…will ever displace the horse.”