1st long trip in my I6

[R P]

Just got home (Vancouver) from a trip to Manitoba. Drove to Brandon to pick up my sister and then straight north to Minitonas. Bit of an adventure at times, and learned a lot. Overall, great trip, and car performed well in all respects. It is a very good trip car.

Weather to there was terrible, rained pretty well all the way, and encountered some fierce head winds in Saskatchewan. Was doing 120 kph most of the way on the flatlands, but had to scale back to 100 kph once to make it to Swift Current, and reached the charging station with only 20 kms to spare. Wind was so strong, had trouble opening the door to get out of the car. Have never been in such a wind before. At 120 kph into the wind my avg consumption was 30 kWh/100kms, normally about 20 or 21 at that speed. High temp for the day was only 11C. Slower speeds in BC and in the mountains, often got it down to 16 or into the 15s.

I learned some useful features on the car. I used the onboard nav for everything incl finding charging stations. Worked really well. I would set my route to my preferred station. But enroute, I could also look at alternate stations, by tapping the near destination, along the route, or closest buttons. I learned a plan B was essential as I encountered a lot of stations that were not working. Petro-Canada was really disappointing.

I really like the driver assist. Just had to touch the steering wheel lightly every few minutes, or softly rest my left thumb on the bottom of the wheel. It made driving more relaxing and less tiring on a long leg. Seats were also very comfortable.

At my final destination in Minitonas/Swan River there were no charging stations at all, not even L2s. Anyway I knew that and brought along my 240v EVSE, and with an adapter charged at my brother's welding outlet. Did the job.

Needless to say the people in Manitoba are very much anti-EV and when I told them about the close call with almost running out of juice, that just confirmed their bias.

I also noticed the almost complete absence of Teslas in Sask and Man, very unlike here in Vancouver. Saw quite a few Ioniq 5s and a few Ioniq 6s (to my surprise). And quite a few Kona EVs incl some 2024s.

My return home was uneventful, because I already knew the best charging stations, and which ones to avoid. I enjoyed the 130 KPH leg from Kamloops to Hope, up and down some steep hills, and lots of curves. Car was made for that. But was nice to get home, though, to a balmy 33C.

 

[electriceddy]

Petro-Canada was really disappointing.

More like a bad joke. The EV charger near my location has been down for over a year. Even when it once worked, it was riddled with defects ie: initiation failures, slow charging rates and expensive.
The latest word from Petro-Can is they will be closing some stations - ones w/out a car wash and convenience store:
“We’ve learned that our customers appreciate a site with a ‘full offer’,” notes Shannon Wing, GM of retail sales and operations for Petro‑Canada, in a February 2024 statement. “They can fill or charge up, grab a bite to eat, get a car wash and pop into a convenience store all in one stop.

The increase in amenities will mean that Petro-Canada will shut down some refuelling sites permanently if there is not space to expand."

Which ones? Read on:
"The Petro-Canada spokesperson declined to publicly disclose where the company is closing charging stations."
How inspiring

Needless to say the people in Manitoba are very much anti-EV

Hopefully the new Manitoba EV rebate program will help adoption. Better if the rebate can be tweaked for up front on purchase however to reduce financing costs rather than mail in cheque, and as you said...the charging network needs work to support this.

I also noticed the almost complete absence of Teslas in Sask and Man, very unlike here in Vancouver.

There was a time when commuting to work. I would count the Teslas, maybe one or on a good day possibly 2.
Times have changed, now I lose count how many I see at every traffic light stop.
Good to see actually

 

[insightman]

“They can fill or charge up, grab a bite to eat, get a car wash and pop into a convenience store all in one stop.”

Unless Petro-Can puts EVSEs in their car washes (doubtful), washing one's EV is going to extend the charging stop, not offer something to do instead of watching the charge-meter. If there's a line of EVs waiting to charge, the car-wash option is even less inviting.

 

[R P]

I would say that half the Petro-Canada locations were not working at all or only had one station working, but not at full speed, mostly at only 87 - 90 kW, didn't matter if they were 350 kW or 200 (most common). But for some reason one actually worked very well, and that was in Medicine Hat. Saw 228 kW charge rate at that one.

The On The Run ones, while not super fast, mostly charged at a steady 103 -105 kW right to 80%, which was acceptable. They now show the station battery %, so you can choose one that is not near empty. The only other really fast charger was in Regina at the Victoria Shopping Centre. It is an Electrify Canada and also charged at 228 kW. It was a little expensive, though, at .60 per kWh. On the Run was only .40, same as BC Hydro 100 kW ones.

But yeah, they really need to improve the charging infrastructure if they want people to buy EVs. BC has lots of them, but even here they are not many 350 ones (that work).

 

[R P]

Unless Petro-Can puts EVSEs in their car washes (doubtful), washing one's EV is going to extend the charging stop, not offer something to do instead of watching the charge-meter. If there's a line of EVs waiting to charge, the car-wash option is even less inviting.

On The Run (Chevron and Fas-Gas) has all the amenities, incl car wash. They give you free coffee if you charge, and 20% off at their Triple Os restaurants (White Spot). They have really good food (and cheap) compared to the other fast food places. Tried a couple Tim Hortons, and they were terrible. Don't understand what people see in them, as they are always busy.

 

[R P]

Which ones? Read on:
"The Petro-Canada spokesperson declined to publicly disclose where the company is closing charging stations."
How inspiring

They said they were closing some due to low demand. Well, maybe demand would be higher if they worked and charged closer to their spec'd rate. Petro-Canada started off really good a few years ago, but since then have totally fallen apart. With their bad reputation now, they will have a tough time winning EVs back again.

I would say competition does work, and On the Run is proof of that. I talked to others charging there, and they were happy with them, and also no longer had any use for Petro-Canada.

 

[Joe is old but not dead]

I would say that half the Petro-Canada locations were not working at all or only had one station working, but not at full speed, mostly at only 87 - 90 kW, didn't matter if they were 350 kW or 200 (most common). But for some reason one actually worked very well, and that was in Medicine Hat. Saw 228 kW charge rate at that one.

The On The Run ones, while not super fast, mostly charged at a steady 103 -105 kW right to 80%, which was acceptable. They now show the station battery %, so you can choose one that is not near empty. The only other really fast charger was in Regina at the Victoria Shopping Centre. It is an Electrify Canada and also charged at 228 kW. It was a little expensive, though, at .60 per kWh. On the Run was only .40, same as BC Hydro 100 kW ones.

But yeah, they really need to improve the charging infrastructure if they want people to buy EVs. BC has lots of them, but even here they are not many 350 ones (that work).

I am new to EVs. I just bought a 6 in the US and they gave me 2 years of Electrifly America charging for free. The Electrifly America app shows what chargers are working and if they are occupied. The closest charger not in my garage is about 80 miles round trip from my house but I had to drive there to charge the first week until I got a L2 charger installed in my garage. The Electrifly America charger worked very well but slowed down above 50% charge.