Driving an EV pickup
- Thread starter sly_karma
- Start date
Tomfoolery
Well-Known Member
Funny, I was just watching a video earlier of one of the Edison owners having a rant on the current state of the industry. He seems like a pretty good guy!
IronNoggin
Well-Known Member
Warning lights flashing on BC’s electric vehicle plan
Public vehicle charging stations are still popping up on urban BC streets, as sales of electric vehicles continue to decline with the cancellation of new-vehicle rebates up to $4,000.Rebates and subsidies for electric vehicles were being financed by the retail carbon tax, pioneered in BC and then imposed across the country by jet-set climate warrior Justin Trudeau. The federal zero-emission vehicle program ran out of money and was abruptly halted last January.
BC first offered electric vehicle subsidies in 2011, three years after launching its carbon tax on fuels. It pulled the plug on the program this past May, as Premier David Eby’s government matched Prime Minister Mark Carney’s abrupt cancellation of the federal carbon tax and lost billions in revenue.
Even before that, BC’s electric-powered share of new vehicle sales was declining. It now sits at just under ten percent in BC, still one of the highest in the country but only half of what car dealerships were mandated to sell starting next year.
BC Energy Minister Adrian Dix had a head-on collision with reality in mid-November, announcing that BC’s electric vehicle mandates are “no longer realistic.” Those are 20% of new sales for the 2026 model year, 90% by 2030, and 100% by 2035.
Were they ever realistic? Clearly they were not, given that BC lacks the thousands of additional charging stations that would be required, and the electricity to run them.
The enforcement mechanism was to fine car dealerships $20,000 for each vehicle they failed to sell up to the arbitrary target. The authoritarian style reminds me of Chairman Mao ordering peasants to take a Great Leap Forward by setting up little iron smelters in their backyards to meet a centrally planned production quota.
With vehicle makers and dealers shouting loudly that there is no way in the world they can meet the targets, Prime Minister Mark Carney also bumped into reality. In September, he announced he was suspending the federal Electric Vehicle Availability Standard, also at 20% of new sales for 2026 and rising to 100% by 2035.
The crack federal bureaucracy was ordered to conduct a 60-day review of the policy. The 60 days were up in early November, and a senior federal official told MPs at that time that the results would be released this winter, maybe even by the end of 2025. That’s cold comfort for car dealers who are already taking delivery of 2026 models, not knowing what the latest Maoist target might be.
In BC, Dix has indicated that he will be introducing amendments to the zero-emission vehicle mandate in the spring session of the legislature. That means changes could be in effect by March, by which time dealers would normally be mostly stocked up with 2026 models.
Carney’s “pause” was of course couched in the language of the political moment, that Canada’s auto industry is being battered by Donald Trump’s tariffs and needs a break. It’s true, Trump’s tariff program is designed to force vehicle makers to move production back to the US.
But here’s the problem. Canada doesn’t make any fully electric cars, so any mandate requiring a minimum sales quota can only help foreign producers like Tesla increase market share. Canada has grandiose plans to launch a massively subsidized electric vehicle battery industry, but that’s not going too well either.
BC Hydro is pressing ahead with the takeover of existing vehicle charging stations and has completed 30 more electric vehicle charging stations at rest areas, ferry landings, and visitor centres around the province. These will be “free to use,” but others being taken over by BC Hydro will charge a fee.
BC Hydro is also pleading with its residential customers to join its “Peak Saver” challenge program. Participants will receive an email notifying them of a peak demand event (like everyone getting home from work and making dinner?). If they can somehow reduce their electricity consumption by 20% during the peak period, which can last up to four hours, they can earn up to a $3 discount on their electricity bill.
These are the actions of a utility that has been forced to import substantial power from Alberta and the US in recent years and which has a backlog of industrial electricity applications that it can’t meet.
How does a huge increase in electric vehicle use fit with this situation?
FLETCHER: Warning lights flashing on BC’s electric vehicle plan
Public vehicle charging stations are still popping up on urban BC streets, as sales of electric vehicles continue to decline with the cancellation of new-vehicle rebates up to $4,000.
OldBlackDog
Well-Known Member
Ford has announced they are stopping production of the electric F150.
They are writing down 19.5 billion in EV investment’s.
They are writing down 19.5 billion in EV investment’s.
walleyes
Well-Known Member
Ford scraps fully-electric F-150 Lightning as mounting losses and falling demand hits EV plans
Ford Motor Co. is pivoting away from its once-ambitious electric vehicle plans amid financial losses and waning consumer demand for the vehicles in lieu of investment in more efficient gasoline-engines and hybrid EVs, the company said Monday.
Aces
Well-Known Member
I didn’t see this coming
sly_karma
Crew Member
Oh, so that VI premium isnt just on boats?
kaelc
Crew Member
The 999$ documentation fees are making me spit out my tea, but that might have been a vancouver dealer.
sly_karma
Crew Member
I'm sanguine about the end of Lightning production. Ford made a good product that became the top seller in the EV truck category, but those figures weren't as big as they hoped, so they decided to adjust their approach to electrification.
That doesn't make a material difference to the truck sitting in my driveway. It works beautifully for my purposes, and should do so for many years. The wear parts are common with all F150s, so will be easily available. There's over five years of warranty left on the battery, although on its current trajectory it will last a lot longer than that. Not sure what OTA update policy is from here, but mine only had two so far this year anyway, back in Q1 and Q2. The software platform is common with the Mach e, so theres a solid customer base to justify ongoing development and support.
The truck will take me to work today and do all the usual truck things I ask of it every day. I also have an Etec on my boat, which is parked next to my wife's Pontiac Vibe, so we're used to owning stuff that's no longer in production. Both continue to operate perfectly well; the machinery doesn't know the production line has shut down.
That doesn't make a material difference to the truck sitting in my driveway. It works beautifully for my purposes, and should do so for many years. The wear parts are common with all F150s, so will be easily available. There's over five years of warranty left on the battery, although on its current trajectory it will last a lot longer than that. Not sure what OTA update policy is from here, but mine only had two so far this year anyway, back in Q1 and Q2. The software platform is common with the Mach e, so theres a solid customer base to justify ongoing development and support.
The truck will take me to work today and do all the usual truck things I ask of it every day. I also have an Etec on my boat, which is parked next to my wife's Pontiac Vibe, so we're used to owning stuff that's no longer in production. Both continue to operate perfectly well; the machinery doesn't know the production line has shut down.
-Jim-
Active Member
I too think that Ford's Lightning was a good step into the new world of EV Trucks, and it does suit some folks very well. It was a bit of a Band-Aid building it onto the F-150 bones, but it got it to market quicker than a new platform. It seems the politicizing of EVs radically affected their implementation, and continues to do so with the adding / removal of subsidies both at the Consumer and Manufacturing levels. It doesn't help the tug of war over plug standards and the lack of charging infrastructure in BC.
I think there's probably going to be some heavy discounting of the any remaining Lightnings on the lots as demand will fall off further with this announcement.
I still look forward to your updates as time goes by.
walleyes
Well-Known Member
One of my supervisors just bought a Toyota Tundra hybrid about 4 months ago and he loves it. It’s his households second hybrid as his wife has been driving an suv hybrid a couple years now. They are sold on them. We just bought the wife a new Buick Enclave last spring and I am disappointed we didn’t look into hybrids before that buy, I think there is definitely something to them in the right place.
sly_karma
Crew Member
Funny, I think we have pretty good EV public charging service in southern BC. Along the hwy 1, 3 and 5 corridors it's now at the point where I don't plan much about where I'll charge, just stop when charge is getting down near 20% and/or bladder above 90%. There'll be somewhere handy with plugs available, same as gas stations. Yes you check your % charge before getting on the 140 km Revy to Golden stretch, but there's no gas stations along that part either.
My employer is going for every available Lightning on the south island right now, so there will be a fight over the last few available soon. Even without any rebates, we save thousands of $ on each truck every year. I think we have at least 30 or 40 in our fleet already with a few GMC EVs mixed in.
CiscoCat
Active Member
Ive been torn on what to do when my lease is up Next year. My lightning is fantastic but ive been on the fence about what direction to go. Do I stick with the lightning, go Back to diesel, try GMC EV pickup or the Hummer. Guess getting another lightning is off the table now.
The Lightning has probably been the best truck ive ever owned. The new hybrid idea sounds ok, I would hate to give up the frunk space for a generator also It would need to still have the onboard power capability to catch my attention.
Using a pure EV truck daily is awesome, but I get the short coming when you need to tow long distances. First world problems.
The Lightning has probably been the best truck ive ever owned. The new hybrid idea sounds ok, I would hate to give up the frunk space for a generator also It would need to still have the onboard power capability to catch my attention.
Using a pure EV truck daily is awesome, but I get the short coming when you need to tow long distances. First world problems.
Marley
Well-Known Member
I am disappointed. I have a few more years with my vehicle and I was planning on getting a Lightening. It is by far the best EV I have ever been in. I have ridden in a bunch of teslas, the cybertruck etc. They all lack what the Lightening offered which is looking like a normal vehicle but having all the advantages of being fully electric.
I live in Vancouver and work in the construction industry. Many contractors have Lightenings and love them. I understand they don’t work everywhere but for someone like me that has charging at home and at the office, rarely drives more than 100km in a day and needs to tow a boat 20 km on the weekend to fish they are perfect. A hybrid just seems like a step backwards.
I live in Vancouver and work in the construction industry. Many contractors have Lightenings and love them. I understand they don’t work everywhere but for someone like me that has charging at home and at the office, rarely drives more than 100km in a day and needs to tow a boat 20 km on the weekend to fish they are perfect. A hybrid just seems like a step backwards.
kaelc
Crew Member
This ad is almost as good as this thread for promoting EV's
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2017 Tesla model s free supercharging for life rare priced to sell
CA$18,000Listed about an hour ago in Kelowna, BC
About this vehicle
Driven 750,000 km
