75 Replies to “Leading The Charge”

    1. “4Based on full charge. USA targeted range reflecting current capability based on analytical projection consistent with US EPA MCT drive cycle methodology. Actual range varies with conditions such as external elements, driving behaviors, vehicle maintenance, and lithium-ion battery age”

      or as they used to say-your mileage may vary. Best practice is to maintain charge between 20% and 80% to avoid shortening the life of the battery pack. Consensus regarding cold weather derating of battery charge in Canadian winter is ~30-40%. All-in-all you would be lucky to get 100km range in winter (with NO heat.)

  4. For a small utility vehicle making a few short trips within a city it actually makes some economic sense. Given that the truck isn’t moving much (jobsite and back) and is on the charger whenever it is at home, then it might actually have a useful function. Plus, for a small contractor in a residential area, having a quiet source of electric power is handy.

    Now, the whole bursting into flames without warning thing is another matter. It’ll be interesting to see how the general liability insurance market reacts to these…

      1. The jubilant advertising sheet claims prices start under $45,000.00 … so … what *ahem* … features … ran the price up another $28,580.00? Heated seats?

        1. The heated sear option probably requires a super extra capacity battery would be my guess. No taking a break in a running truck with the heater on at a cold construction site if you want to get home I would imagine. I wonder how much a load of tools would decrease the range by?

        2. That’s US, this one’s in Canada, but if you want windows, tires, doors, and seats it’s gonna cost a lot more…

    2. Sort of agree, I have talked to several UPS and Amazon drivers, in vehicles sort of like this, ie lightly loaded cargo, some racks and stuff to organize but not like a plumbers van or maintenance vehicle and the drivers report typical daily routes of 60-120 miles, so the battery here will just barely cover that need, assuming little AC/heat/headlights usage and the ability to FULLY charge overnight back at the depot. So cost of operation will have to include the capital costs of chargers and the several hundred kw (more?) upgrade to the business electrical supply. Long term may be cheaper to operate per mile but will require some accounting work to parse out versus IC trucks. This would be for delivery vehicles and light maintenance businesses with 2-20 such vehicles in operation. The electrical upgrade for businesses with more than 3-4 such vehicles needed heavy overnite charging to full status will be significant $$.

  5. So….if you lived in Rosetown and needed to make a Costco run to S’toon, you’d have to find someplace to charge up for the return leg. This is assuming of course that you’d even make it into town. Electric cars: the Pet Rock of the new millennium.

      1. Electric cars: the Pet Rock of the new millennium.

        Too bad you didn’t copyright that sentence. I will borrow and reuse with gusto. 😉

    1. New government approved housing projects?

      Imagine the cool radiation this could give off…

  9. Looks fine for an airport shuttle service. Not an excuse to demand everyone else owns one or else their racist misogynists.

    1. “Hey buddy, I got a plane to catch. Sorry sir, we have to recharge for an hour”.

      That’ll go over well.

      1. Don’t worry, the flight will be delayed, at least one of the pilots will come down with ‘unexplained’ myocarditis and they’ll lose your luggage and give it to charity.

        1. are you talking about Air Canada again?? Their motto is
          “WE AREN’T HAPPY UNTIL YOU AREN’T HAPPY “

    3. Yes, in large cities they have big airports with lots of hotels within 5 – 10 minutes from the drop off and pickup areas.

      Some hotels have more than one shuttle similar in size to these at their disposal usually running on the 1/2 hour. This is what I am referring to.

  12. And you know when they say 203 km you can expect 1/3 of that….in the summer….with no wind….carrying no load.

  16. For anyone thinking of buying a vehicle (like a Savana) I would wait 6-9 months as the market seems poised to crash. And if you’re thinking of an EV that gets 203 km on a charge, multiply by 0.6 and subtract 50 for winter driving.

    1. I drive a very similar vehicle for work. Range when temp is 50-100 F is about 140 miles. When temp is 30-45 F, the range is more like 90-100 miles. Of course, if you want to run the heater, the range is further reduced.

      Actually, it is not a bad vehicle for short delivery trips in a mild climate, but not so great otherwise.

  17. 203 km under optimal conditions. That is a lot of money for very limited usefulness.
    Buy this when: someone else is paying
    you have unlimited back-up vehicles
    the boss gets some kind of credit for buying it. “look we are green”
    you won’t get punished for not getting to the work site on time
    you are the government

    1. “look we are green”

      How so?
      I cannot imagine how we can get more “green” by buying and driving an electric vechicle.
      I can imagine that the CO2 emitted by a “ICE” vehicle at least contributes to plant growth and thus more “green”.

      But I am not a biologist so do your own research.

  19. Ive beat me to it, Kate. I would never buy one.
    Or
    Buy a big diesel generator and put it in the back. Or go redneck and hang it off the back of the trailer with coat hanger wire and run a 110 volt extension cord to the van. I bet someone had done similar project already. A side benefit is that your sleeping quarters would have heat.

    Seriously, I am NOT suggesting anyone try this (I can hear my lawyer in my head.).

    Highway trucks can be equipped with APUs that supply charging, AC, and heat to save hours on the engine and fuel. These are extremely effective when temperatures get extreme and legal with anti-idling laws in all jurisdictions. In commercial use they pay for themselves in about a year or so.

  21. I don’t know why y’all are making fun of this. It’ll fit right in with the WEF plan when we all live in 15 minute cities. I’ll bet they can’t get enough of them in Oxford.

  22. The attached literature said “under $45,000”. in Can $61,000.

    Price goes up, mileage goes down.

    Seems about right.

  23. I can’t believe they listed the range. As a salesman, I’d be embarrassed. How can you even promote something that useless?

    1. Bonus is those never caught on fire unlike the Stanley Steamers of the day.
      Jay Leno knows.

    2. That’s about right. It’s interesting when you research the range capabilities of battery powered cars from a hundred years ago. Their range isn’t greatly worse that many of today’s EVs. Today’s will go faster and have better creature comforts other than heat when needed, but their range isn’t much different.

  26. At least they are being more “honest” regarding the range than other manufacturers.

    You can count on at least half of that in winter, so long as you don’t turn on the heater or defroster.

  27. Perhaps you could better afford to just Fed Ex your dogs to shows … rent a van at the venue … and all fly home again?

  28. Rated in miles per charging hour, which is about 10-15…
    An airport shuttle? You know how many miles those usually get? Seconded only by taxi cabs.. they’d need at least 2, there’s 100k and with diminishing battery capacity..
    Someone mentioned a service van, how far will it go as a decked out plumbers van, full of tools and supplies and a hot water heater or furnace?
    Will the plumber give you a discount to let him charge up off your house power?
    What if he “forgot something at the shop” and has to go back?
    “Well, I forgot my **, see you tomorrow, lady, thanks for the charge!”

  29. The Hutterites that would have bought that wouldn’t make it across the colony without needing a charge

  34. I think that particular van will spend the rest of its life on that lot. There’s nowhere for it to go within charging range.

    I love the fact that these are being marketed as fleet vehicles for delivery, when a full charge won’t even get you through a regular delivery shift.

    1. It is effectively marooned, it was probably trailered there! It can’t function in its environs without specialized support..
      In “the old days” the industrial revolution removed many of the limitations of where and how we could exist and the things that we could do. We adapted the machines to fit our lifestyle, now we are adapting our lifestyle to fit the machines..
      Full circle.

    1. And if everyone switches to electric you can bet there will be a $500 to $1000 registration charge to pay for road construction and maintenance. That’s currently hidden in the fuel price for gas or diesel.

  39. Reminiscent of the Canadian tradition of traveling by canoe…except the portages take ten hours.

  40. The sad part is..

    These are vehicles for people who don’t need vehicles.. If 200 km is good enough for you why even bother with the cost and hassle of owning the thing.. Your not doing anything that home delivery or a UBER cant solve for a small fraction of the cost..

    1. Bingo. Buy a 2010 E350 with 250k on the odometer for 10K and fugetaboutit. The bonus is your customers will think you’re frugal instead of stupid.

  41. Stay with fossil fuel model IMO. I’d even send you the funds for the first fill up if it sweetens the deal.

    bverwey

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