ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Alarm Bells

According to the chair of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the sheer weight of EV battery packs makes the average EV weigh significantly more than many personal vehicles, particularly for electric SUVs and pickups. The increased weight may mean EVs protect their occupants well—which means the opposite for pedestrians, cyclists or drivers in smaller cars. With some OEMs switching to lithium-iron phosphate batteries, which are even heavier than the current industry-standard, have some analysts more concerned for the severity of future accidents. “I’m hopeful that some of these vehicle masses don’t keep going up and up,” said the VP of Vehicle Research Centre at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Holding A Charge

According to an industry study from Recurrent, most electric vehicle batteries are still in their original cars. The company took data from 15,000+ EV owners to uncover that, when recalls are removed from the equation, Nissan LEAF models and Tesla Model S vehicles see the highest number of battery replacements, on average. The Nissan LEAF and Tesla Model S are two of the oldest models in the fleet tracked by Recurrent, said the site, so it makes sense they would have the highest number of battery replacements. When recalls on the 2017 Chevy Bolt and 2019/20 Hyundai Kona are taken out of consideration, Recurrent found that, the older the vehicle, a battery replacement was more likely. Non-recall replacements are the highest in the 2013, 2013 and 2015 Tesla Model S and the 2012 Nissan Leaf.

PEAK REGISTRATION

New data from StatsCanada says that, even though zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) registrations fell in the last quarter of 2022, the total market share of ZEVs across Canada has increased nearly one percent. There were 27,754 new battery EVs registered in Q4 2022, making up eight percent of vehicles sold in the quarter. In Q3 2022, 29,376 EVs were registered—which actually represented less of the total market share at 7.4 percent of total vehicles registered, due to higher overall registration numbers in the quarter. There were 5,645 new plug-in hybrid vehicle registrations in Q4 2022, representing 1.6 percent of the market share.

Global Numbers

A report from the International Energy Agency says that EVs will account for 18 percent of car sales globally in 2023, growing from just four percent of global car sales in 2020. The Financial Times reported in April that global EV sales had already crossed the ten million mark. If these predictions turn out to be true, the Energy Agency believes oil demand could be reduced by more than five million barrels per day, globally.

TESLA’S PRICE TAG

Tesla has plans to use cheaper, iron-based batteries in electric semilight trucks and future passenger cars, the OEM announced in late March. Tesla currently uses nickel-based batteries but could switch to the generally cheaper lithium-iron phosphate battery in future models, according to the OEM’s Master Plan Part 3 paper. The proposal outlines the use of lithium-iron phosphate batteries in “short range” heavy electric trucks Tesla calls the “Semi Light”. Tesla intends to use the battery tech in the Model Y and Model 3 eventually, though it has not provided a timeline.

Model Y Wave

A cheaper rear-wheel drive Model Y variety is headed to Canada, and it’s coming from Shanghai, China-based production lines, Reuters reported in April. The incoming delivery of Shanghai-built Model Ys were sold for approximately $10,000 less than the long-range Model Y equivalent. The delivery marks the first official connection between Tesla’s largest and most cost-efficient gigafactory and the North American market.

replied, “False,” in a tweeted response.

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CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?!

CAN IT STEER? STICKY SALESMAN

Ever wondered if a roll of toilet paper could steer a car? What about a Panasonic flat-screen? Or a bottle of water? Instagram user @dejonsvids has made it his mission to answer those often-asked questions, with a whole portfolio of videos where the steering wheel is replaced by, well, anything but. He’s confirmed that a roll of TP can steer a car—as can a freshly-sharpened kitchen knife, a plastic clothes hanger, a box of tissue and much, much more.

Back in November 2022, a Brampton, Ontario driver was pulled over in a barely-driveable BMW that appeared to be held together by duct tape and determination. When police questioned why the driver—who had a suspended license, no insurance and six other violations on record— he said he was simply en route to sell his car, so no problems here.

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We Are Infinite

Sometimes it’s not enough to simply crack a window—you’ve got to stick your whole body out the sunroof to truly satisfy the urge for fresh air. Whether you relate or not, someone does, as Ontario police caught a woman cruising at 100 kilometres per hour with her entire body sticking out the sunroof. She stays in the position for the entirety of a 30-second clip posted to Twitter…so we know she wasn’t sneaking a quick fix. All in all, she was charged with not wearing a seatbelt.

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We wonder how many flies she caught. (PHOTO: OPP Highway Safety Division)

Wheely Big

You know what would make a Tesla a whole lot better? 10-foot wagon wheels. The members of YouTube channel WhistlinDiesel clearly felt the same, ‘cause the crew posted a video of a Tesla Model 3 outfitted with 10-foot wagon wheels back in mid-March. The overarching goal of the project was to flip the Tesla completely upside down while maintaining drivability—a feat achieved in the full 13-minute video.