Canada is killing the electric car
Canadian-based Dynasty electric cars is ending production in Canada and moving over seas. Very soon Canadian-based electric car company Zenn may choose to give up on Canada and move production as well. Why? The Canadian dollar reaching parity with the US dollar did not help much (imports from Canada are now much more expensive in the US) but the major reason is Canada's regulatory agency won't let Zenn
CBC News gave Harry Baergen, a senior regulatory enforcement engineer at Transport Canada, a call and asked if Zenn meet regulations. Harry said "They haven't met our requirements yet, no." When asked about the specific regulation Harry said "They've showed us that it meets requirements as an LSV (low-speed vehicle)." So... ah, what's the problem, Harry? Harry says "Our definition is presently being clarified because there is a little bit of a broadness in it."
Zenn's founder Ian Clifford says it's a "different story ... every time" from Transport Canada and they get "road blocks thrown up in front of us every attempt." Ian says it's getting to the point now where we're almost giving up on Canada." Danny Epp, general manager at Dynasty electric cars has already given up saying the company is "not getting any support from the federal level."
Good luck with production overseas Dynasty. You might want to look into Asia and specifically countries like Thailand which has an eco car program. Unlike Canada, Thailand is actually changing laws to support electric car companies. This is another reason electric cars will become common place in Asia before it's normal in the Western world. You can watch the video of the CBC report below the fold.
Update: Dynasty is sold in Canada.
[Source: CBC News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
R. Hiebert 2:05PM (6/23/2008)
The electric car goes against the red-neck attitude Canadians have on the road. Many urbanites also commute more than half an hour to work and are used to putting pedal to the medal. If getting off petroleum is next to impossible, using synthetics is a cost effective option.
RH
http://www.lubedealer.com/hiebert
Reply
jerry parish 12:38PM (9/08/2008)
Canada and going green never greed very thing is just a smoke screen in this country just the way our govment wants it.
jerry parish Brockville ontario
Reply
Amir kara fallah 1:16AM (11/30/2008)
To make electric-car elecric-truck can walk around world with no stop
HELLO
I have invention record[since/25/7/2000/ register N.5865/in syria] of electrical system install in electric-car its load 1 ton and we try to make the load greater.the invention supplies the electric-car with its need of electricity permanently day and night during parking and driving .by using this system ,could produced friendly environment electrical-cars [with the same specifications of the using cars now]free from exhaust gas and not need oil or fuel there is no need to stop car for battery recharging[recharge battery automatical].this system can be used in the production of electric generators with different power .we ready to agreement with you ,and to execute invention in my laboratories. because I have not enough money.The invention depend on electro-magnetic capacity addition moment of inertia [two parts{ mechanical part} ,{electrical part}]
the invention consist of new electric - charger[my design ] and two groups of batteries.
batteries.group / A / batteries. group / B /
how it work ( general view ) ?
when / A /battery group supply the electric engine of car by the electric .
in the same time the / B / in charging . when / A / be empty , the / B / will be supplying the electric engine of car by the electric , and / A / in charging.
the employ materials [iron,copper,plastic] my purpose from these invention to make the air is clean ,[in other apply possible use it to provide the factories by its electric[ use it in the stationary case easier than the mobile case] if we execute the invention possible say good-by smoke and pollution, possible you sent watcher to see and finance,
to explain the invention we need to long meeting because it not easy. unable to explain it by writing in any way we use in it the gravity law ,the electro-magnetic capacity ,moment of inertia ,levers laws ,we consume the electric power and gravity power to produce electric quantity more than consumed electric power and we consume all the used gravity power ,as you know the gravity power is free I can not explain more. transport price possibly become
approximately free may use it in the ship
designer
ENG.Amir kara fallah-syria
Reply
susan.kraemer 2:14PM (10/28/2007)
Its due to "The Resource Curse".
Any country that begins to make money from oil, becomes prone to increasingly prone to becoming an "Oil"igarchy, that is oil-company control of legislation and government.
Canada is going increasingly to the Right after the tar sands oil discovery and now with the Arctic melting, they are duking it out with us and the (also newly Oil-rich) Russians for oil exploration rights underneath.
Just as our oil companies back after Carter rewrote NHTSA legislation restricting us to having no choice but to buying gas guzzlers, so now goes Canada.
Reply
ug 2:25PM (10/28/2007)
If they could only make an EV1 class of vehicle, then this wouldn't be an issue.
The big issues is that small companies can not make cars that pass safety inspections, or batteries good enough for highway speeds and good range.
As it is now, they are stuck in a NEV deadzone which is a very small market. Even if they did sell cars, few would buy them.
Reply
anony mouse 7:09PM (10/28/2007)
It would be nice if a Canadian car companies could be allowed to sell the few cars that the Canadian market wants. It used to be the case that provincial governments, at least, would give tax breaks and assorted other benefits to companies wishing to try their hand at auto production. Having spent many of my formative years in New Brunswick, I have remember my grandmother sitting in a Bricklin on display in Hartland.
It does seem an odd position for the Canadian government to be against job creation in the auto sector.
Reply
Domenick 7:10PM (10/28/2007)
#3 was my post. >_
Reply
mike baz 7:56PM (10/30/2007)
Canada has universal health care. It's very weary, I would think, of allowing NEV's onto it's roads. Modern crash test requirements make it near impossible for small start ups to get their cars to market
Reply
MetroMPG.com 4:50PM (10/30/2007)
Correction: Transport Canada's regulatory squabbles are apparently solely with ZENN.
Dynasty can and has sold its vehicles legally in Canada (in B.C., where they're made, er... *were* made).
You can check Dynasty's site for confirmation - http://itiselectric.com
The CBC report failed to report the actual issue that T.C. has with the ZENN vehicles, but it's certainly not a blanket prohibition of NEVs in general.
Reply
Lascelles Linton 4:24AM (11/03/2007)
MetroMPG.com, Corrected. Thanks.
Reply
mike baz 10:28PM (11/03/2007)
Government did a reversal yesterday due to massive public pressure and call ins after the CBC interview. ZENN is now allowed to sell to Canadians.
Reply
Lascelles Linton 8:50AM (11/03/2007)
Mike, That story is in the que but I will add you as tipster anyway. Thanks :D
Reply