Ontario, whose goal is to have one plug-in vehicle in every 20 cars on its roads by 2020, announced this summer that next July it will offer rebates of up to $10,000 to the buyers of plug-in hybrids or all-electric vehicles.
Electric-car revolution starts taking shape at Montreal conference
By Lynn Moore, Canwest News ServiceSeptember 26, 2009
MONTREAL - Enthusiasts of the current electric-vehicle revolution envision about 500,000 of them on Canadian highways by 2018. Some wonder if there is a niche market for electric snowmobiles, while others explore military applications for electric vehicles.
Opportunities seem plentiful in the global push to electrify transportation, but so do the challenges, noted Al Cormier, executive director of Electric Mobility Canada, the force behind next week's Plug-In Hybrid and Electric Vehicles conference and trade show in Montreal.
What is clearly required is a convergence of technology, industry and government along with common strategies to ensure that Canada plays a significant role in the overhaul of the transportation sector, Cormier said.
"The lynchpin event of the conference will be the unveiling of the Electric Vehicle Technology Road Map for Canada," Cormier said in an interview.
It's a list of strategic initiatives that should begin to be implemented by mid-2010 that is to be unveiled Monday in Montreal by the federal government. It will identify the technologies, policies and regulations needed to get 500, 000 highway-capable plug-in electric drive vehicles on Canadian roads by 2018, as well as what may be a larger number of hybrid-electric vehicles.
While there is optimism about e-transport, basic issues have yet to be resolved such as the depth of consumer support for expensive cars that do have the range or the consumer-friendly infrastructure that gas-powered vehicles do. Where will the recharging centres be located? How will consumers pay for recharging away from home? Can electrical grids handle the demands of plugged- in fleets and commuters lifestyles, especially in cold climates such as Canada's?
Even battery technologies are still duking it out. Although lithium batteries appear to be a leading contender, unresolved issues remain, including whether there is enough lithium to do the job.
Lithium demand is the wild card, said Kerry Knoll, CEO of Canadian Lithium Corp., one of the conference speakers. There is also a political aspect to the matter as the U.S. will surely not want to swap its dependence on foreign oil for a dependence on imported lithium or imported batteries.
Key players in the emerging sector, such as the Ontario and Quebec governments, will discuss what they have learned as they try to chart the course to e-transport.
Ontario, whose goal is to have one plug-in vehicle in every 20 cars on its roads by 2020, announced this summer that next July it will offer rebates of up to $10,000 to the buyers of plug-in hybrids or all-electric vehicles.
In Quebec, where the Charest government is looking to the day when Quebec's hydroelectricity powers Quebec-built electric vehicles, Hydro-Quebec is now helping to test the Ford Escape plug-in hybrid.
About 300 participants are expected at the Plug-In Hybrid and Electric Vehicles event, which wraps up Wednesday.
Montreal Gazette |
