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There’s something that a lot of automotive aftermarket leaders constantly remind industry pros: Electric vehicles are already here. They’re not a far-off fantasy, a pipe dream or a fad. These vehicles are already among us.

The caveat is that there isn’t a lot of them. But with half a million vehicles having at least some kind of electric motor attached to it — be it as a battery electric, hybrid or plug-in hybrid — it’s enough to take notice.

The Toyota Prius, a hybrid, has been around for more than 20 years. The electric Nissan Leaf has been around for more than 10 years. The Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid, has been around for just as long. BMW’s electric i3 was released in 2013. Electric vehicles won the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada’s Car and Utility Vehicle of the Year award — the BMW i4 and the Hyundai Ioniq 5, respectively. It’s the first time EVs won top categories in the same year.

So the technology is not new or a surprise at this point. And more are coming. Just under 10 per cent of all new vehicle registrations last year were zero-emission models, a number that has been growing rapidly in recent years.

So even if you haven’t seen an EV roll into your shop, you may soon. And what will you say to that customer? Will you send their business elsewhere? Or will you have the space, technician training and tools in place to service that customer?

Hopefully, it will be the latter. Maybe not in the immediate future but soon enough.

And that’s what EV World is here to help you with. This is our first issue. We will be bringing you perspectives of those immersed in the EV field, tips and strategies on navigating the technology, technical and related guides and more.

And we’re focusing on how this impacts the automotive aftermarket.

That is important to us — providing the aftermarket with what is needed as we journey forward. There’s plenty of news about what the automakers are doing and its effect on dealers. While we’ll keep you abreast of OE developments, there hasn’t been enough of a focus on how this will impact you — the professionals who are working independently to keep these vehicles safe and on the road.

The aftermarket is in a unique position, as MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers president and CEO Paul McCarthy pointed out recently. The long, fat tail of the internal combustion engine era will keep aftermarket businesses busy for decades to come. At the same time, the industry will need prepare for EV development and adapt to service these vehicles.

President & Managing Partner | Delon Rashid Head of Sales & Managing Partner | Peter Bulmer

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48 Lumsden Crescent, Whitby, ON, L1R 1G5

Or, as Kevin FitzPatrick senior vice president of North America operations with Opus IVS pointed out, “Today it's a business decision; tomorrow, it's going to be less of a business decision — it's going to be an absolute need.”

As the industry transitions, we hope you find EV World to be a valued and trusted partner along the way.

Adam Malik Managing Editor, CARS

ISSN 2368-9129 Online 2368-9137

LETTERS What’s on your mind?

We want to hear from you about anything you read in EV World magazine. Send your email to adam@turnkey.media

Desire For Evs Rises With Gas Prices

I find this article interesting. EVs only appeal to the top 4% of Canadians who are able to afford them. Personally, I feel the concept has merit but EVs are being promoted far too fast. Quality issues plague some of the manufacturers because they are being pushed to market. The biggest draw back is the operating range in our climate does not make them attractive. Also our infrastructure will not support charging. How will EV owners charge their vehicles in an apartment complex or town house complex? The cost of bringing electricity there will be prohibitive. How will electric vehicles pay for using our roads. Taxes on gasoline and diesel fuels are put towards road infrastructure so how will electric vehicles pay their share?

Bob Ward, The Auto Guys

WHAT’S ACTUALLY HOLDING BACK EV PURCHASES

In the article, they keep referring to average daily use. What happens when I need to go beyond average daily use and visit my daughters in Ottawa or Peterborough do I rent a gas vehicle or have an internal combustion engine vehicle as a second vehicle. I can’t afford to have extra vehicles. I believe that might be your “cognitive bias” that is holding back your logical buyer.

Fred Dierickx, Autotech Auto Sales and Services

A few things have to change for the adoption rate to increase besides supply. First off, the marketing has to focus on what customers want most, less maintenance, convenience, etc. Yes, saving the planet is important, and people really want to do their part, but that does not sell cars. The next area is the non-Tesla charging network. Volume is one thing, but reliability is another. You can’t have the single charger at the rest stop down for repairs. We don’t have all the gas pumps down at the same time. And lastly, a single payment processor. Having 10 different apps with funds on all of them is a real turn-off. I own one EV and one ICE.

Shawn Greenberg, Seamless Auto Care

Canada Tightens Up Ev Transition Plan

This is ridiculous that the government is pushing EVs down our throats. Not everyone can afford to buy one of these. Where is all the electricity going to come from? We will end up like California over-loading the grid. We have trouble now when it is a hot summer telling us to cut back on the AC.

Kevin Lochhead, Reader

There’s no denying that EVs are coming. But the current version of them aren’t ready for the mainstream yet. We’re having these forced down our throats by people who don’t have to worry about these problems and don’t understand the technology. When will we see an honest study comparing the impact of modern internal combustion engines to the devastating (both environmentally and socially) impacts of the mining required for EV materials in third world countries?

Geoff, Reader

How Much Zevs Grew In 2022

Prospective buyers need to do their homework before purchasing an electric vehicle. One needs to think about the raw material supply needed for battery production and who controls it. Also the depreciation factor is important. Battery replacement costs will often exceed the value of the vehicle at that time so over time the vehicle will not be a good investment. People do not consider the infrastructure needed for charging them. It is far behind demand. Also they do not work well in cold climates. Manufacturers may not disclose any of these details. Manufacturers need to do more development before releasing EVs to the public.

Bob Ward, The Auto Guys

EV COST CONCERNS DOWN, INTEREST UP

I do see a future for EVs but I feel we are putting the cart before the horse. Let’s stop and think about our infrastructure that is currently close to being overloaded especially in the summer months. Let’s stop and think about the people that live in apartment buildings and high rise condos. How are they going to be able to charge their EVs? How about older areas of our cities that don’t have the electrical capacity or houses that will need major upgrades to the electrical panels to support a charger. Are there an abundance of charge stations? Is there a reliable raw material supply for batteries? Are we able to manufacture them without relying on foreign countries? Can most consumers afford to purchase an EV? How is the quality of EVs? Are there many recalls on them? How about the driving range of them especially in the winter months? Lets slow down and get things right so EVs will have a future and consumers will be happy with them. I will definitely purchase one when more of these concerns are addressed.

Bob Ward, The Auto Guys

Demand For Zevs Booms In 2022

ZERO-EMISSION VEHICLES grew 42.6 per cent in 2022 compared to the year before, according to a report from S&P Global Mobility.

These vehicles — which included battery electrics, hybrids and plug-in hybrids — were one of every 11 new vehicle registrations in Canada in 2022. Its share of 8.9 per cent is up from 5.6 per cent the year before.

Battery electric vehicle volume was up 65.4 per cent — a year-over-year increase of 39 per cent — bringing its market share to 7 per cent.

British Columbia once again led the country in new BEV registrations with 15 per cent. But it was Quebec that led in volume, accounting for 36.7 per cent of overall ZEV volume in 2022.

The rise in ZEV registrations comes as the number of light vehicles entering the market drops.

“These figures demonstrate a clear demand for electric and sustainable transportation in Canada,” the quarterly report said.

Ontario saw nearly double (95 per cent) the number of ZEV registrations in 2022 compared with the previous year. The province made up 31.5 per cent of all ZEV registrations in Canada. When looking at BEVs, volume grew 121 per cent, a feat S&P called “impressive” for the year.

Vancouver (22.5 per cent adoption), Montreal (16 per cent) and Toronto (9.4 per cent) make up 58 per cent of ZEV volume in Canada. Toronto had the fastest growth with a 107 per cent volume increase.

Rural communities are also adopting ZEVs at an increasing pace as well. In 2022, the rural ZEV adoption rate in 6.5 per cent, an increase from the 4.4 per cent rate in 2021.

Canada Tightens Up Ev Transition Plan

NEW REGULATIONS PUT in place towards the end of last year mean that one-in-five of all passenger vehicles sold in Canada need to be electric by 2026.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced the proposal in late December and was made official days later. Furthermore, the mandate will hit 60 per cent by 2030 — up from initial expectations of half. Five years after that, all passenger vehicles sold in Canada must be electric.

Manufacturers or importers that don’t meet the baseline could see a phased-in penalty system under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

For 20 per cent of new vehicles in Canada sold to be electric, some work needs to be done. The federal government did announce it would invest in 50,000 more EV charging stations across the country, for almost 85,000 federally-funded chargers across Canada, by 2027. Under the regulations, the government will track sales by issuing credits for vehicle sales.

Volkswagen Battery Plant Coming To Ontario

THE VOLKSWAGEN GROUP and its battery company PowerCo selected St. Thomas, Ontario, to establish Volkswagen’s first overseas gigafactory for cell manufacturing.

The group manages a portfolio of ten companies. The plant is slated to be up and running in 2027.

“Our North American strategy is a key priority in our 10-pointplan that we’ve laid out last year,” said Oliver Blume, CEO of Volkswagen Group.

“With the decisions for cell production in Canada and a Scout site in South Carolina we’re fast-forwarding the execution of our North American strategy.”

More Ev Brands Coming

ELECTRIC VEHICLES MAKE up a small percentage of the total vehicle car parc. But they’ll soon be here in an almost-tidal wave effect as more players enter the market, according to an industry expert.

Just because EVs aren’t plentiful, “they are coming,” Todd Campau, automotive aftermarket practice lead at S&P Global Mobility, said at AAPEX 2022 “You do need to have a plan for your business and what you’re going to execute as electric vehicles emerge.”

Don’t stress, but be pragmatic in your plans, he advised. “But definitely get your plans moving for electric vehicles because they will be part of your marketplace.”

And they all won’t be Tesla vehicles rolling into your shop. While Tesla has about 71 per cent of the market in the U.S., that number will shrink to about 10 per cent, Campau predicted. Partly because Teslas can be considered a luxury brand — the cost of the Model 3 is in the same neighbourhood as a BMW 3 Series.

“And while they talked about wanting to be a mainstream brand, they behave like they’re a luxury brand,” he pointed out during his presentation, 5 Trends impacting the North American Aftermarket.

But there’s also the fact that new entrants are getting ready to make a splash — not just traditional automakers. “We’re going to see a huge model proliferation on EVs. We’re going from about 26 to over 250 by 2030,” Campau pointed out.

Not all brands will survive. There will be mergers and acquisitions. There will be change within the bigger change that’s taking place. “It’s probably not sustainable at 250 different models.”

Again, Campau stressed it will take time before EVs are a significant part of the car parc. He compared them to light trucks, which took 20 years to get to its current market share where they are now three out of every four vehicles sold.

“All of this just to illustrate that, without some form of step to push us to electric vehicles or some sort of a [change] where electric vehicles get so compelling, that we all want to run out time. It’s going to take time for the fleet to switch over,” he said. “It’s a huge leap.”

Checking Ev Battery Health

JUST HOW HEALTHY is that battery on an electric vehicle? That’s not just a key question for current owners but especially for those looking at the used market.

vsNew, Inc. recently announced the launch of its EV and Hybrid Battery Health Reports which grade the condition of an EV or hybrid battery compared to when it was new. This helps accurately assess the condition of the battery, adding transparency to the sales process of a used EV or hybrid.

The company’s technology reads information directly from the vehicle’s battery management system (BMS) through the CAN bus. This provides hundreds of data points to accurately assess the battery’s overall condition, percentage of degradation and overall replacement risk. Battery health assessment goes down to the cell/module level.

“The team at vsNEW has worked with CAN bus data across OEMs for over 10 years and our expertise has allowed us to develop technology to create accurate vsNew Battery Health Reports for EVs and hybrids that use the car’s internal data to prove unique insights into a battery’s health,” said Sachin Chaudhry, the company’s co-founder. “And because of our expertise in auto data, we can provide reports across most OEMs including Tesla.”

PREP FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, GROUP URGES

CANADA HAS CROSSED the tipping point for electric vehicles and sitting idle on necessary infrastructure isn’t an option, an energy management company recently urged.

EVs are no longer a novelty, EnerSavings noted in a recent announcement. So getting a move on ensuring the necessary infrastructure is in place to transition Canadians from internal combustion engine vehicles to those that are battery-powered is essential right now, the company argued.

EnerSavings noted that is has assessed more than 1,000 buildings across Canada. Without proper planning, it said, 99 per cent of buildings in Canada won’t have the electrical capacity to support a full network of EV charging stations.

“The time to have a serious conversation about the future of powering our vehicles is now,” said Kevin Lisso, co-founder and chief executive officer of EnerSavings. “The electric vehicle future is no longer a hope or a theory; it’s here now. The infrastructure supporting vehicles on our roadways is about to become obsolete. We must take steps today to ensure we are ready when the ‘net zero’ future arrives.”

He highlighted the many condos and apartment buildings that occupy major urban centres across Canada — and the parking that is attached to those buildings.

“Suppose everybody is going to be driving an EV within a generation. In that case, every single one of those parking spaces is going to need a charger with the appropriate equipment to support the additional load that is going to be put on the power grid.”

Predicting Ev Market Size In 10 Years

AN INDUSTRY ANALYST projected that battery electric vehicles will have a 10 per cent market share by 2025 and grow to 57 per cent 10 years from now.

And there’s no reason why that shouldn’t happen, according to Daniel Ross, senior automotive analyst at Canadian Black Book.

“Every OEM out there has either got plans or has EVs out there and is developing more to make it before that mandated 2035 timeframe,” he added.

He’s referring to the federal government mandate of all passenger vehicles sold in Canada being a zero-emission vehicle by the middle of the next decade.

Will consumers buy in? Yes, Ross believes so. The main reason is that vehicle range is at a level where most people feel comfortable, at about 400 km.

“The level of range across the board is pretty high,” he said. “We’re around 400-500 kilometres on most vehicles out there — 400 is the real breaking point in terms of when consideration can be had for a lot of users out there of EVs.”

And range is expected to grow to a point where such concerns are lessened.

“We’re at a point now where most consumers can get behind this range and see that it sustains your day-to-day life,” Ross said.

EVS, HYBRIDS TO HAVE MINIMUM SOUND LEVELS

AT LOW SPEEDS, electric and hybrid vehicles make virtually no noise thanks to quiet motors. But that won’t be the case any longer.

The federal government is amending the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations to mandate minimum levels of noise from hybrid and electric vehicles.

As of now, the government pointed out, it is hard to detect the presence of these vehicles. This creates potentially dangerous scenarios for pedestrians, cyclists and those with disabilities.

Under the new requirements, all hybrid and electric vehicles are now required to have sound emitters that would produce noise at low speeds. Automakers can choose the type of sound the vehicle makes but the volume and pitch must allow a road user to hear if a vehicle is speeding up or slowing down.

Some automakers have voluntarily added sound emitters to hybrids and EVs already. The new requirement, which came into effect towards the end of last year, makes the sound emitters mandatory equipment on all new light-duty passenger vehicles sold in Canada.

The noise requirements align with United States and international standards. U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires EVs and hybrids to produce sounds ranging from 43 to 64 decibels when they are moving at less than 30 km/h.

Group Issues Ev Infrastructure Proposals

THE CSA GROUP,which develops standards, testing, inspection and certifications, published a new report through its CSA Public Policy Centre. The report, Charging Ahead: Toward an equitable and reliable electric vehicle network in Canada, looks at Canada’s current charging infrastructure and examines issues around infrastructure deployment.

“Vehicle electrification should benefit all Canadians,” said Sunil Johal, vice president of public policy at CSA Group. “If the future of mobility is electric, we must build a Canada-wide EV charging network that works for everyone.”

Co-operation between governments, charging network operators and utilities is key, especially by working together early on in the planning stages, the report said. Equity and reliability need to be prioritized.

Four policy considerations for federal policymakers need to be kept in mind as they set out to build an effective and inclusive EV charging network in Canada:

❏ Deploying charging infrastructure equitably to serve communities well

❏ Incorporating barrier-free access design at early stages of planning, designing for physical disabilities as well as cognitive and invisible disabilities

❏ Ensuring reliability for all drivers to improve the driver experience and maintain confidence in EV technology

❏ Promoting inclusive payment options, without barriers such as subscription requirements and fees

“Government leaders can support an inclusive transition to lowcarbon transportation in Canada,” Johal said. “Vehicle electrification offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not only address climate change, but also tackle the inequities that have existed in transportation for years.”

Most Canadians Prefer Evs

MORE THAN HALF of Canadians would prefer to drive an electric vehicle over an internal combustion engine vehicle, says a study.

Financial comparison website Compare the Market surveyed Canadians, Australians and Americans about vehicle preferences. The majority (51.4 per cent) said they want an EV while a third (34.1 per cent) wanted a traditional gas-powered vehicle. The remaining 14.5 per cent had no preference.

These findings are in line with Australians’ feelings, but the inverse from the U.S. Most Americans prefer ICE (53 per cent) and a third (34 per cent) want an EV; 13 per cent having no preference.

For Canadians, the main roadblock to buying an EV was due to purchase price (60.5 per cent), followed by battery life/replacement costs (57.6 per cent) and driving range (49.2 per cent).

Most Canadians want to spend less than $24,999 — 31 per cent of Canadians want to be under this number when buying an ICE vehicle, while 21 per cent of EV shoppers said the same.

EV buyers were more willing spend more than ICE shoppers. For example, 10 per cent of shoppers were willing to spend more than $85,000 on an EV, compared to 3 per cent of ICE vehicle shoppers.

NOTABLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ICE, EV OWNERS

ELECTRIC VEHICLE OWNERS have a different level of expectations from their automotive repairer than those who drive gas-powered vehicles, according to an expert.

For instance, they’re digital natives. They use their mobile device as the key to their vehicle. And they’re not afraid to use the internet to educate themselves on how their car should work, noted Jake Rodenroth, manager of body repair program operations at Lucid Motors.

“As a repairer, product knowledge is king and understanding exactly how the cars are built and being able to talk intelligently about them is key,” he said at the MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers Technology Conference.

Even when approaching their vehicles, some are used to having it light up and the door handles present themselves After being in a shop, it should continue to do these things.

“We have to make sure that all of those things boot the way they’re supposed to so the owner has a seamless experience,” Rodenroth said.

Repairers need to think about installing charging infrastructure in their shops. So that means looking at what you can do in your shop

“Some vehicle owners use their portable chargers in their home garages. And quite honestly, they’re not thinking about you when they drop the car off,” Rodenroth said. “So they may leave that portable charger at their house. And if you don’t have the ability to charge the car, it becomes a bad customer experience.”