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Electric Cars Cause Some Climate Change But Relatively Little
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 Apr 23, 2013 - Vancouver Observer - A picture is worth a ton of words. The chart summarizes a wide range of vehicles, showing that if you drive a Prius in Alberta, it actually nets less CO2 generation than an EV. But it has to be a Prius and it has to be in Alberta. In Quebec and BC a Prius actually emits 3 times *more* CO2 than an EV over its lifetime! (more ...)
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B.C. plugging in to electric vehicle fast chargers
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Jan 17, 2013 - The following BC locations have been identified for deploying DC CHAdeMO 50kW fast chargers which can charge a 25kWh battery from depleted to 80% in less than 30 minutes:
Vancouver - Science World, North Vancouver - Crown St nr 2nd Narrows, North Vancouver - Lower Lonsdale, Squamish - across from Municipal Hall, Whistler - Conference Centre, Nanaimo - downtown waterfront, Duncan - Island Savings, Saanich - Uptown Shopping Centre, Surrey - Surrey Museum, 177 & 56 Ave, Langley - Events Centre, 78 & 200 St, Hope - Hope Visitor Centre, Merritt - Tourism Info Booth, and one more location TBA. (more ...)
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Fast Charge - March 2013 Auto Show
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| Mar 28, 2013 - Brandt Norman of F&M Installations demoed the 50 kW ABB CHAdeMO charger for VEVA folks at the March 2013 Vancouver Auto Show. The highest rate is on an empty battery. Our test vehicle which was at an indicated 70% state of charge showed a charge rate on the panel of 390v at 32 amps, or 12 kilowatts. Past 80% the vehicle tapers the charge rate to what a regular L2 charger would do so one should move on to a L2 charger if someone is waiting. In under 10 minutes the panel showed a somewhat confusing total of 1,700 kWh consumed. It was then we realised that the EVSE software was EU spec, where decimal points are shown as commas! Of course the car must be OFF before charging. The trick to plugging the hefty interlocked connector in is to simply push in carefully till the locking lever starts to move, and only then can you squeeze it to latch and then push the START button on the EVSE panel. To unlock, you *must* push the STOP button on the EVSE panel, and only then the thumb button on the connector.
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Trevor Linden plays cabbie to promote electric cars
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| Nov 8, 2012 - CTV News - He doesn’t usually drive a cab, but today former Vancouver Canuck Trevor Linden spent the day test driving an electric vehicle and offering free rides.It’s all part of a new initiative by the British Columbia Automobile Association to educate the public about the technology and the benefits of owning an electric vehicle. Even Linden himself was willing to admit, he knew very little before connecting with BCAA. Link (more ...)
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Apply for funding for your charging station today! Sep 28 Deadline.
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| Sep 5, 2012 - Under the Charging Stations incentive, regional districts, municipalities, First Nations, businesses, public institutions and other organizations can apply for funding to cover 75% of the cost of purchase and installation of charging stations in BC, to a maximum of $4,000 per station. Applications are accepted up to midnight Sep 28 for the final round of the Community Charging Infrastructure (CCI) Fund Charging Stations Incentive. Of the 570 Charging Stations that will be funded under the program, only 120 remain! Apply now as space is limited. Info: Contact Charlotte Argue at the Fraser Basin Council. (more ...)
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Sunshine Coast Revenge Screening Shows EVs
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| Apr 26, 2012 - sustainablecoast.ca - The Gibsons, BC screening of Revenge of the Electric Car at the Heritage Theatre attracted several EVs. VEVA member and EV pioneer Joanna Zilsel of Gibsons was there with her electric S-10 along with some local electric bikes and scooters. The other panelists were local John Henderson, Pat Walker of Roberts Creek (Toyota pickup conversion) and Fred Wisseman of Victoria (Nissan Leaf). Bruce Boland came from Abbotsford with his Nissan Leaf as did Craig Slagel. Henderson's Tesla coupe and visitor Jerry Kroll's Fisker Karma were special attractions at the event. Currently there are two charging stations in Sechelt, Olson Electric and Grumpy Cat Cottage and more will be coming. (more ...)
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Sparky the Electric Boat Launched
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| Dec 18, 2011 - VEVA member Dave Elderton today launched Sparky the electric boat for her first run up to Buntzen Bay on Indian Arm, Northeast of Vancouver. Based on a Hobie Cat 16x8 ft platform, with a electrified outboard motor and 5 kWh in GBS batteries, it has a safe cruising range of 15 miles at 7.5 knots at a fill-up cost of less than 50 cents. It will be used as a fairweather commuter to Deep Cove, a trip of 6 miles. See video. (more ...)
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Come to the Monthly VEVA Meeting
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Next meeting is JUNE 19 from 7:00-9:30pm
Location:350 E 2nd, Vancouver. Room to left of main entrance - Look for the VEVA Banner
Agenda:TBA
May 15 meeting recap:
*Charlotte Argue from Fraser Basin Council reported CCIF funded EVSE installation progress in B.C. - 170 locations, 350+ charge points. City of Vancouver will install 67 charge points, separately funded
*Sean Allan from Powertech talked about the CHAdeMO fast-charge EVSE installations at Powertech (functioning as of today) and Powertech's 3 under-construction CHAdeMOs at the Surrey Arts Centre, Science World in Vancouver and Squamish Municipal Hall. Phase 1 will see 13 installed, Phase 2 will see another 17!
*Hazel Rempel from Nedco electrical distribution talked about Leviton who has a line of EVSE Chargers.
*Dale Lutz talked about his visit to the TESLA Factory
Members - Please note that meeting videos for the months that we took them are now online - log into Members' Area for the links. We will be mostly posting audio from now on in our Members' Area.
Past Meetings
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Events Calendar
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Our Community EVents
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Sat May 18 (10:00am to 4:00pm)
FVHRS Cloverdale Station open house.
Location: Cloverdale, 176 A st
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Sat May 18 (11:00 - 14:00)
Saturday Coffee at Brentwood Town Centre
Location: Burnaby, Brentwood Town Centre 2nd Floor Parking
Sponsor: VEVA
Admission: Coffee Cost
Brentwood Town Centre has 2 Charge Point Charge stations on the 2nd floor parking outside of Starbucks and London Drugs. Coffee break from 11:00 to 14:00 also a good food court in the Mall.
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Other Event Links ...
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LIVE NEWS  via EVWORLD.COM
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Toyota Reportedly Increasing Lithium Battery Production Six-Fold
20 May 2013
Lighter, smaller lithium batteries will enable Toyota to improve fuel economy of their hybrids what currently use heavier nickel-metal hydride batteries more ...
Japan Prepares for Hydrogen Car Future
20 May 2013
Despite costing five times as much as a standard gasoline station, 13 Japanese companies are planning to build out 100 hydrogen fueling stations. more ...
100,000 Electric-Drive Cars Now On American Roads
19 May 2013
Plug In America pre-emptively celebrates the sale of the 100,000th electric-drive car sold in the United States on or around May 20, 2013. more ...
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EV FAQt
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An EV creates no pollution where there are mostly renewable energy sources and it has been shown that even when fossil-fuel is burned to generate electricity EVs result is a cleaner environment. Link
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A 1912 Production Electric Car
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Shown above is VEVA's 1912 Detroit Electric.
This car was owned by Mrs. Florence French of Victoria, BC from 1912
till the 1950s. It was driven regularly until the mid-1950s.
Electric cars were popular with the ladies due to the ease of starting,
quietness and smoke-free cleanliness. The original Nickel-Iron batteries
were replaced in the late 1990s because the cases were deteriorated - but
they still worked fine!
View a photo of the Detroit at home in the
Stave Falls BC Hydro powerhouse museum, also built in 1912! It's near Mission, BC at
31338 Dewdney Trunk Road. Call ahead at 604-462-1222 for hours.
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A 2012 Production Electric Car
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Nissan Leaf
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As of 2012, 100 years after the Detroit Electric rolled off the assembly line,
The Nissan LEAF electric car is now in production in Japan. As of 2012, it is
the world's best selling electric car. The LEAF has a real-world range
of 100-160 km, depending on road conditions and driving style. With charging
stations being installed at a great rate starting in 2012, including some planned
Level 3 chargers which provide an adequate charge from empty in less than an hour,
this is the pure electric with the most promise for the masses.
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Charging Station Density to Increase 8-Fold in 2 Years
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| May 18, 2013 - A recent IMS Research paper shows that the chicken and egg charging station vs EV adoption dilemma will sort itself out within a very short time. The current network of 135,000 stations is forecast to grow to 10 million by 2020, with highest rates of growth in North America, China, Japan and Germany. link (more ...)
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Energy ROI - Scientific American Apr 2013
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 Apr 16, 2013 - From newsstands around the world comes this revealing graphic which shows the sheer folly of most of the fuel alternatives for transportation. Interesting to note that you can drive an electric car solely on the energy it would take to refine crude in order to drive a similar sized gas car the same distance.
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Gas-GNC-Electricity Life Cycle GHG Emissions Compared
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| Feb 21, 2013 - The Colorado Southwest Energy Efficiency Project has released a new report comparing GHG vehicle emissions for fuel types Gas, GNC and Electricity. Press release here - click on link for full report. (more ...)
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Canadian Electric Superbike Amarok P1 Going to TTXGP in 250cc Class
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| Dec 8, 2012 - Lennoxville, Quebec firm Amarok Consulting has unveiled the Amarok P1, Canada's first electric superbike. Powered by two Agni 95R DC motors coupled with 7.5 KwH of lithium batteries, the Amarok P1 weighs only 325 lbs, making it one of the lightest electric sport motorcycles in existence, according to its manufacturer. (more ...)
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EMC EV2012 Conference Proceedings Online
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| Nov 5, 2012 - One of the largest EV conferences wrapped up Oct 26. Annually, EMC (Electric Mobility Canada) hosts the conference in a major Canadian city, attracting over 500 delegates and some mighty impressive research and white papers. Many of these presentations are now online. (more ...)
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Nickel Iron Battery, 21st Century Version
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| Jul 18, 2012 - A nanophosphate graphene version of the Edison nickel iron battery has been developed at Stanford. This version has the long lifetime of the original, offering tens of thousands of cycles over 100 years. The difference is that this one has a charge time of 2 minutes and a discharge time of 30 seconds! The specific energy is 120 Wh/kg, on a par with today's lithium and a specific power of 15 kW/kg. See Abstract in Nature.com. (more ...)
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Life After GM - Bob Lutz Makes Extra Large EVs
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| Feb 4, 2012 - Now like Tim Hortons, VIA Motors is making Extra Large size EVs. These are your favorite North American work pickup trucks and vans built new with a 40-mile plug-in range and, and just like the Chevy Volt, there's a gas generator in there for extended range. Powertrain warranties are 8 years. We guess that makes the Smart EV an Extra Small. (more ...)
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