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In the market for a car here in Canada. Really loved the idea of an electric car / plug in hybrid but it feels like EVs are just not adequately designed for Ca

In the market for a car here in Canada. Really loved the idea of an electric car / plug in hybrid but it feels like EVs are just not adequately designed for Canada. The main issues are (A) not enough charging infrastructure (fixable) and (B) poor battery performance in cold weather. I think the cold weather thing could be fixable but from my perspective it seems like EVs are designed with California in mind so there seems to be little incentive to fix those issues. Additionally Canada wants all new cars to be EVs by somewhere around 2030 but it seems like a not very well thought out plan. Personally I ended up going with a standard hybrid. - Fantastic mileage in the city. - Good cold weather performance. - Highest reliability by consumers reports and other publications. - No range anxiety. - Battery lasts a very long time since it is used less and stays at a medium charge.

bryanlarsen 3y ago
We went for a Model Y. The heat pump is way more efficient in the winter than resistive heating. Combine that with starting out at room temperature because it's garaged, and we see little winter range loss. We never have charging issues, and we've gone to rural Saskatchewan, tourist Quebec and all parts in between. The trans-Canada has great supercharger coverage, rural Saskatchewan has welders you can unplug and tourist Quebec has chargers at the hotels. I bet our battery lasts longer than yours. 99% of driving is local, we plug in at 50% and charge to 80%, which is a lot easier on a big battery like ours than the small battery you have. Even on road trips it basically stays between 20 and 80.
- 3vidence 3y ago
  Not really going to argue your points (they seem well researched!), however I think for most consumers there's still that last level of "thinking" required to feel comfortable having an EV as a primary vehicle. Including as you mentioned having a heated garage compared to people such as myself who have to rely on street parking which can comprise both the battery distance and the ability to consistently charge. Lastly I do think there's a catagory of people who take pride in figuring out how to make systems work for them specifically (in this case EVs in Canada). I myself am that way about many things in my life but when it comes to my vehicle i just want it to work. It's good to know that your experience is working though and hope for EV coverage to expand in the future.

bryanlarsen 3y ago

We went for a Model Y. The heat pump is way more efficient in the winter than resistive heating. Combine that with starting out at room temperature because it's garaged, and we see little winter range loss. We never have charging issues, and we've gone to rural Saskatchewan, tourist Quebec and all parts in between. The trans-Canada has great supercharger coverage, rural Saskatchewan has welders you can unplug and tourist Quebec has chargers at the hotels. I bet our battery lasts longer than yours. 99% of driving is local, we plug in at 50% and charge to 80%, which is a lot easier on a big battery like ours than the small battery you have. Even on road trips it basically stays between 20 and 80.

3vidence 3y ago
Not really going to argue your points (they seem well researched!), however I think for most consumers there's still that last level of "thinking" required to feel comfortable having an EV as a primary vehicle. Including as you mentioned having a heated garage compared to people such as myself who have to rely on street parking which can comprise both the battery distance and the ability to consistently charge. Lastly I do think there's a catagory of people who take pride in figuring out how to make systems work for them specifically (in this case EVs in Canada). I myself am that way about many things in my life but when it comes to my vehicle i just want it to work. It's good to know that your experience is working though and hope for EV coverage to expand in the future.