Electric Vehicles On the Rise
There’s a rising tide towards the electrification of Canadian vehicles. Consider this: statistics released by the Canada Energy Regulator revealed that 5.3 per cent of vehicle registrations in Canada during 2021 were electric vehicles (EVs). That figure may sound low at first but it’s up from 2.9 per cent in 2019, near- ly doubling the number of registrations in just two years. Further, it was only one per cent two years be- fore then. That rapid increase shows EVs are no long- er a niche product. But on the flip side, clearly the vast majority of Canadians still aren’t sold on EVs. If you’re among them, maybe more information is needed to help you consider making the switch. Let’s explore the topic starting with the basics. Did you know there are three basic types of electrified vehicles? First, there’s the classic hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) you’ve been hearing about in the news for decades. As the word suggests, it combines different systems, hybridizing traditional gasoline power with other pro- pulsion from an electric battery. HEVs replenish that
(electric) battery with regenerative braking, con- verting kinetic energy, plus with power from the in- ternal combustion engine (ICE). In short, HEVs can de- liver fantastic fuel economy, but you need gas to drive one. At the other extreme, there’s the battery electric vehicle (BEV), which takes zero gasoline. They run fully on a huge electric battery which sits beneath the floor, anchoring the ride. You can recharge a BEV by plugging in at home using a Level 1 or Level 2 char- ger that plugs into a 120- or 240-volt electrical out- let. You can also recharge by plugging into a Level 2 or Level 3 (DC fast charging) public charging station. These can be found at many highway service stations, local gas stations, retailers and municipal buildings. Some high-speed chargers can replenish a battery to 80 per cent within 20 to 60 minutes. Typically you’d plan a re-charging visit, integrating with an app on your phone. Between these two types of partial and fully electrified vehicles lies the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).
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