Can an EV handle a Canadian winter?

BOUCHERVILLE, QUEBEC - The upcoming three-year trial of 50 electric Mitsubishi cars in this South Shore city is “at the heart” of Hydro-Québec’s move toward the electrification of ground transport, a senior director of the utility said.

Although Hydro-Québec is involved in tests with four different manufacturers of electric or hybrid vehicles, the $4.5-million Mitsubishi project is the largest test in Canada, said Pierre-Luc Desgagné, head of strategic planning and government affairs.

“We will have real-life experience with real people driving those cars, so the data provided will be very” significant, he said.

Desgagné made his remarks as the all-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV made its debut in Boucherville. That emissions-free car, right off the assembly line in Japan, is on a 7,500-kilometre cross-Canada promotional tour.

The first five i-MiEV test cars are to arrive in Boucherville in December – in time to taste a real winter – followed by another 10 in the spring. The rest of the cars will follow in several batches.

The first cars will be used by employees of the municipality, the utility and local industries. Subsequently, local businesspeople and residents will have access to the test cars.

One key goal of the project is to see how the i-MiEV handles a Quebec winter, another is to determine whether Quebecers warm up to an ultra-quiet vehicle that comes with its own plug.

MitsubishiÂ’s i-MiEV, which holds four people, can travel up to 120 kilometres per charge.

Its three-way battery charge system means it will take 14 hours to charge if plugged into a 110-volt system, seven hours to charge if plugged into 220 volts and 30 minutes to gain an 80-per-cent charge if plugged into a “quick charger.”

Hydro-Québec figures that about 80 per cent of the recharging of the test vehicles will occur at the workplace or at home.

The test project will help determine where the public quick-chargers should be located and best methods to show consumers how much, or little, electricity the vehicles require.

Although consumer behaviour will be scrutinized, Hydro-Québec already knows that “the customer will want a very simple and seamless experience,” Desgagné said.

The project will also assess the electric vehiclesÂ’ impact on the provinceÂ’s electricity grid.

Boucherville was selected as the project’s host municipality in part because of its proximity to Hydro-Québec’s research institute and the site of an upcoming trial related to the so-called “smart-grid,” a more interactive grid that is seen as working well with plug-in vehicles.

The i-MiEV, which stands for Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle, is sold in Japan for the equivalent of about $42,000, said Tomoki Yanagawa, a Mitsubishi Canada vice-president.

When the vehicle arrives in Canadian showrooms sometime in late 2011, it should be priced in between $30,000 and $40,000, said Yanagawa, adding that costs – mostly related to the battery – should fall as production numbers rise.

Related News

spain wind power

Spain's power demand in April plummets under COVID-19 lockdown

MADRID - Demand for electricity in Spain dropped by 17.3% year-on-year to an estimated 17,104 GWh in April while the country’s economy slowed down under the national state of emergency and lockdown measures imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19.

According to the latest estimates by Spanish grid operator Red Electrica de Espana (REE), the decline in demand was registered across Spain’s entire national territory. On the mainland, it decreased by 17% to 16,191 GWh, while on the Balearic and the Canary Islands it plunged by 27.6% and 20.3%, respectively.

Renewables accounted for 47.9% of the total national electricity production in April.…

READ MORE
Hydrogen 7

BMW boss says hydrogen, not electric, will be "hippest thing" to drive

READ MORE

alberta-ends-moratorium-on-renewable-energy-projects

Alberta Ends Moratorium on Renewable Energy Projects

READ MORE

energy secretary rick perry

Coal CEO blasts federal agency's decision on power grid

READ MORE

new-era-for-churchill-falls

A New Era for Churchill Falls: Newfoundland and Labrador Secures Billions in Landmark Deal with Quebec

READ MORE