So Disillusioned with EVs in Canada

I no longer own an ICE car, only 2 BEVs. My Ioniq 6 will handle my trips, and is well suited for that. My Solterra handles my off-road requirements (very well actually). So all my needs are covered. We need two cars in our household anyway and I could not be happier with both cars.

It's interesting how we both have our favs now though. I drive the I6 mostly and my wife the Solterra. We occasionally drive the other, but our preferences are clear. The Solterra ride is a little more comfortable, while the I6 is a bit more sporty. So I am just fine if the wife likes the Solterra better.

 

I took a trip to Manitoba from Vancouver in September. What I found with the charging stations I used are:

• BC Hydro: generally good locations. 50kW and 100kW stations are so much yesterday's story, especially their 100kW stations that only supply 73kW max to my Ariya
• Petro Canada: didn't even bother. Too many not working
• Chevron Journie: frustrating waste of time as they would charge for mere minutes before closing down or having a pitiful charging rate
• Co-op (Prairies): usually at least one out of the 2 station would work. The 100kW stations maxed at 85kW. If both stations are used the power is shared between them so what is already an expensive rate becomes extremely expense. Found out later that when you are trying to get a problematic station to work with a credit card they take $20 each time you use your card. Ended up with over $100 in charges that took some days to be refunded.
• Electrify Canada: was the most reliable and would hit 127kW almost reaching Ariya's 130kW max. Found this out on the way back and wished I wasn't so adverse to using their stations on the way out.

Generally, a few simple things would help with charging stations:

• rubbish bin
• nearby toilets
• water to clean windows and car with
• some place to sit in the shade

 

Seems like 2 scenarios will happen.

Once Tesla is open to all manufacturers, it will allow for a better cross country experience as long as those stations don't end up clogged between Tesla vehicles and all the other manufacturer's.

Or it will force all the other DCFC stations to get the **** together and put up proper chargers or go bankrupt.

Hopefully the competition will force the second scenario to happen otherwise there will be a shortfall of stations as more EV's are on the road.

 

I'm with ya on the rant about non Tesla public charging. While most of my extended run charging sessions have gone ok a few were right on the brink of me having to call a tow to get home.. No thanks. I have a 24 year old Saturn Wagon 5 speed manual that I bought brand new and have maintained as a keep sake. It's back on duty for some of the long distance runs. I also have access to a sibling's 2012 Tucson and take it out now and then just to keep the battery charged and the brakes from rusting.

I use a 2018 Leaf S and it's a great car for what I use it for. I'm a self employed piano technician with most of my client base in urban/suburban locations so an EV is perfect. No expensive battery coolant changes with the Leaf as there's no cooling system. Nissan has taken much heat (ha ha) over this but I've never had a problem with battery overheating. It still has all the capacity bars showing but I know that's a bit of a fib as the maximum GOM range on warm summer days is down to 270 from 300km when new. The car was only rated for 240 combined so that's not too shabby.

That being said I'd like to move the Leaf along. I usually trade in or sell after 4 years in the business as the depreciation claim against income drops down. Also the Leaf uses an orphaned charging system (Chademo) which is on the way out. If you think CCS charging is difficult try Chademo. Looking for a replace vehicle there was nothing available last year and little this year. The few models that are starting to trickle into dealerships tend to be the high end loaded packages which I really don't want. They're not building the cars people want to buy. They're building the cars they want to sell.

Insofar as the Leaf is still solid as a rock at 93,000kms I may just deviate from past practices and hang on to it using the ICE cars for longer distances until the selection improves then we'll see.

 

If you like the Leaf have you looked at the MINI Cooper SE? Somewhat shorter range, but oh so fun to drive. And now that the next-gen MINI Cooper BEV is almost available (excluding the US), some deals may be had on the first SE.

 

NOPE: Too small for my usage. I need to be able to slide a grand piano action in for a trip to the shop. I also occasionally do music gigs which involves a full length digital keyboard, speaker cabinet and associated gear. The Leaf gets a little cramped but can do it.

I had my heart set on a Chevy Equinox but it looks like they're out of the picture for awhile. I was actually considering a Cadillac Lyric as at my age my next vehicle could be my last but I would have had to pony up $65,000 CDN$ + my Leaf as trade, and GM's fumbling out the gate with the Ultium platform kind of gave me cold feet.. Also showing up at client's places with a Cadillac might be sending the wrong message about my fees (heh heh). The old gassers aren't going to be around too many more years at which point I really want to go down to one vehicle and I'm sold on BEV only. Yeah, something like the Mini would be fun for shits and giggles if I was just carrying me around.

 

Based on the rates of the DC chargers (not incl Chevron) would it have been cheaper to drive an ICE car on your trip?

 

Having clocked over 230,000 kilometers on our Kona EV, I would not choose it again. Since 2019, it has been out of service for a year due to various repairs, including a six-month wait for battery replacement. The range reduces by up to 50% during our Prairie winters, which translates to about 140 km at extremely cold temperatures. This morning, the range was 152 km at a 96% SOC at -40°C.

 

With my Tesla Model 3, I plan to line the bottom with aluminized bubble wrap to help insulate it from extreme temperatures.

Bob Wilson

 

$ 300.63 total cost round trip (I don't know if this is cheaper than a ICE)
$ 0.07 per km

 

I don't know what your total kms were, but $300 doesn't sound too bad for there and back. I know charging station costs keep going up, and gas prices are down a bit for now.

I only have two BEVs now (no ICE car), so won't have a choice.

I would like to make a trip up north to the Yukon and maybe Alaska some time. Right now there is not much for charging between Stewart and the Watson Lake, no fast chargers. That's where we need BC Hydro to step up.

 

Im a strong advocate for longer range EVs so we can just skip half the chargers we would otherwise need. As millions of new EVs hit the road we will be playing catchup with Charger installs for at least a decade.

Give me the Lucid 500 mile range at 50k and I'm in.

Looks like Toyota is going to be first to USA market with solid state batteries , higher density , half the weight 2-3 times the range of todays evs. Toyota is claimg 725 miles and to market in 2026-7, I suspect will be closer to 600 miles but still a huge leap from where we are today.

So for you sounds like Hybrid is probbably most practical and just keep your eyes peeled for the first solid state mainstream EVs to hit USA/Canada market ..umm 3 years .(the idea is to be able to skip most DCFC chargers unless you are on a 1000 round mile round trip , then you just charge at the Hotel at your destination. Full batteyr on your return trip and skip DCFC


I'd buy an inexpensive used Hybrid instead of new , that allows you to save for a great downpayment on aNew EV in 3 years . I drove a Lincoln MKZ non plug in hybrid for a couple years on UBer as well. Excellent car 40 MPG . Looks sharp , front wheel drive plus snow tires you can get around easy. You cna get these Linkcoln MKZs for around 10k low miles

 

For me fast charging is what is most important for a trip car. I have an Ioniq 6, and it gives the highest miles per hour of charging on a trip of any car. This is a combination of good range and super fast charging.
https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/electric-car-charging.html

 

Yes it is, the problem for a lot of the Country is either lack of chargers, lack of fast chargers , non working chargers and derated chargers. If you live and travelalong a route where the hyper chargers always working then yes Ioniq 5, EV 6 etc.. those are the EVs to own

 

Yes, agree, depending on where you live. Here in BC, we are pretty good with chargers. You do run into some that don't work but there are enough others enroute that are usually available. And we have a lot of free fast chargers. At least I have not had a problem. The only place where chargers are sparse are way up in northern BC making it difficult to get to the Yukon and Alaska. Ironically, the Yukon has plenty of fast chargers and most are free. But there is a stretch between Stewart and Watson Lake where you would have to do some L2 charging.

 

Those solid-state batteries won't come in a $43,000 bZ4X. Expect something more like the $350K Lexus LFA.