How badly will this hurt E-V sales?

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Business opportunity for a barge operator?
 
It seems mostly reasonable. Damage to battery area could cause shorting and possible fire. But sometimes cars can be immobilized by software/firmware problems and need to be towed to a dealer, similar things happen to modern ICE vehicles as well. Neither would pose a problem on a ferry, the vehicle is bricked.

We need a process in place where authorized persons can assess vehicles as safe or unsafe prior to sailing.
 
This is a huge fiasco. Besides having limited range and not sufficient charging infrastructure, now you have a vehicle that poses a huge safety risk to the public. Tome to dump the EV plan.

I hear the bell a-ringin’! ☠️
 
Haverodwilltravel said:
This is a huge fiasco. Besides having limited range and not sufficient charging infrastructure, now you have a vehicle that poses a huge safety risk to the public. Tome to dump the EV plan.

I hear the bell a-ringin’! ☠️
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Your perceptions appear to be more in line with your beliefs than based in reality. There are ~200,000 EVs on BC roads; that would be a lot of angry voices if they're as bad as you think. The uproar in the media would be loud. But there's... nothing much. People are just driving their EVs.

The charging infrastructure is there, but you don't notice something you're not looking for. I just towed my boat back from the coast to the Okanagan yesterday, loads of options and no lineups. Two stops instead of the usual one in the gas days.
 
islandboy said:
Business opportunity for a barge operator?
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Seaspan, and other service providers will fill the gap.

sly_karma said:
Your perceptions appear to be more in line with your beliefs than based in reality. There are ~200,000 EVs on BC roads; that would be a lot of angry voices if they're as bad as you think. The uproar in the media would be loud. But there's... nothing much. People are just driving their EVs.

The charging infrastructure is there, but you don't notice something you're not looking for. I just towed my boat back from the coast to the Okanagan yesterday, loads of options and no lineups. Two stops instead of the usual one in the gas days.
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Yes, I’m patiently waiting and watching used prices on EV’s come down. If North American car manufactures actually built high quality and long lasting gas and diesels but years of cost and corner cutting give me no warm and fuzzies for the companies or their products. I’d prefer a 500km range to get me to courtenay and back without charging but might bullet before those come down in price. I’ll ride my electric bike over to Hornby, who needs a car on the gulf islands anyways.
 
Haverodwilltravel said:
Death knell?……
Residents who live on the smaller Islands would be crazy to buy one. If your EV was disabled you cannot tow it off the island. How would one even junk one???


cheknews.ca

Transport Canada change forces BC Ferries to prohibit damaged EVs

BC Ferries is now prohibiting many electric vehicles from sailing on board its vessels due to a Transport Canada regulation preventing damaged vehicles from being transported.
cheknews.ca cheknews.ca
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Not many will consider this as a reason not to buy an EV. Insurance or the EV builder will have to worry about it.
 
sly_karma said:
It seems mostly reasonable. Damage to battery area could cause shorting and possible fire. But sometimes cars can be immobilized by software/firmware problems and need to be towed to a dealer, similar things happen to modern ICE vehicles as well. Neither would pose a problem on a ferry, the vehicle is bricked.

We need a process in place where authorized persons can assess vehicles as safe or unsafe prior to sailing.
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Do the ferries ever ask if you are in an EV? And if so, do they put you in an open/uncovered space?
 
Aquaholic said:
And if so, do they put you in an open/uncovered space?
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BCF needs to weld on some outboard parking. Then when the EVs melt through the floor they'll just drop in the ocean instead of the engine room. 🐟🚙🐟🐟 🤣🤣
 
The EVs in question are ones that have been damaged, not ones in perfect running condition. Not sure how many of you have seen these batteries burn, but and EV battery fire in an enclosed ferry deck would be a disaster.
 
Aquaholic said:
Do the ferries ever ask if you are in an EV? And if so, do they put you in an open/uncovered space?
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They don't ask.

BC Ferries and Washington State Ferries between them move about 18 million motor vehicles annually. Number of EV fires they've had to date: 0.

The move to ban damaged EVs is reasonable, as most of the handful of EV fires are caused by accident or debris damage to battery casings. Risk of fire on a vehicle in normal running condition is very low, two orders of magnitude lower than for gasoline vehicles.

2023 worldwide insurance industry study results:
- ICE passenger vehicle fire rate: 1530 per 100,000 vehicles insured; 0.1%
- Passenger EV fire rate: 25 per 100K vehicles insured; 0.0012%

Electric Vehicle Fires: A cause for concern? – Allied World Insurance https://share.google/TVYvCsbjlnFVFEgQm

Given that this is a first generation technology, you'd expect fire safety record to improve even further, just as it has over a century for ICE drivetrains. Already there is a move to LiFePO and other alternate battery chemistries in an effort to reduce consequences from a fire.
 
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This isn’t a bad thing. We are not talking about a scraped fender or a dent on a bumper. This is for major damage with leaking batteries, damaged wire etc. I don’t want a vehicle with battery acid dripping from it on a boat that I’m on. Basically it’s for total losses that are being towed on.

Op makes a point junking on from an island is a new challenge. But as a couple smart dudes mentioned up in the thread, there are some potential solutions there.
 
Another headline that entices readers to click and read, making it appear that ALL EV's are going to have challenges getting on a ferry. As Sly-Karma, who has real world experience, pointed out, this does not apply to any vehicle that is on the road in good condition. Perception and reality have never been further apart than in 2025, and this is just another example. On that note, we will set this thread aside and get back to enjoying some fishing talk.
 
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