Saver: A Search for Value

Intro:

Josh was on a mission to find the best value and quality in a car. It led him to an EV. This is his story.

User Profile

Who: Josh Ward

Where: Oshawa, ON

How Many Years Driving an EV: 6

What Model: Chevrolet Bolt

Home Charging Station: Yes

Charging at off-peak times: Sometimes

Josh’s EV Journey

On Influence…

The decision to purchase the vehicle I typically drive now was dictated by price, and range as it related to my worst case typical scenario (winter commute driving).

I wanted good value for kWh, and at the time—and largely still to this day—the Bolt provides the best $/kWh, or to take it farther, because it’s relevant, the best $/real range (not just stated range).

The Bolt allowed me to commute to work and back (110km total) in the coldest weather, and still make it to work and back a second time in the event that I was ever unable to charge at home or at work due to charge station or power supply issues.

The Bolt was the first affordable EV with significant range that made my typical worst case commute scenario possible, from a range and financial perspective. With government grants (provincial) offering $14,000 off of the purchase of the vehicle, the cost-benefit (which was already in favour of the Bolt versus a similar vehicle for the 8 or so years of ownership I was calculating), became even greater.

The purchase price of 51K at the time was more than I wanted to spend on a vehicle, and the 14K grant was entirely responsible for swaying my decision from something less expensive (probably a hybrid). I typically do not purchase new cars, so this was a bit of a leap.

I purchased the car sight unseen, and without a test drive (none were available anywhere to test in Dec 2017), having only sat in another owner’s car to ensure fit. I purchased it from a dealership north of Montreal because that’s the only place I could find one before the Ontario grants ended.

Any advice for potential EV drivers, Josh?

Almost everything is better: maintenance is almost non-existent, ride quality is superior (noise, acceleration), and charging costs are nothing compared to gas costs.

More range would be nice, and faster Level 3 charging is a must as the industry evolves. But if I’m going really far (> 500 km) up north, I take my hybrid instead so that the rest of the family doesn’t have to wait with charging.

Prepare for a life changing experience.

All lawn equipment is cordless battery powered.

I’ve been vegetarian for over 20 years for environmental reasons.

Can’t do solar on my roof until it gets more efficient.

You won’t ever want to go back. It’s a much better driving experience. And goodbye to oil changes and gas stations. The battery lasts longer than you’ll be driving the car. Most charging happens at home overnight. The cars work extremely well for 99% of your needs, and are minor inconveniences (waiting to charge while you eat) on long trips.

Join a FB group or multiple FB groups related to the cars you’re interested in. You will learn more in an hour there than you will at a dealer.

And what about encouraging greater EV uptake?

A drop in price (25%) which we’re already seeing with the Bolt in the States, more vehicles available (happening), government subsidies (look at Norway), and improved tech (happening... bigger ranges, faster charges). The charge network is and will follow.

Need local municipalities to add requirements for EVSE rough-ins and power in MURBs, similar to Metro Vancouver.

Add developer requirements to implement EV rough-ins in all new developments. Follow the BC municipalities of Metro Vancouver (see recorded webinar from Clean Air Partnership).

The next National BC update won’t include direction on this, and the OBC doesn’t, so including in zoning bylaws is a necessary step. Huge costs for retrofitting MURBs, as opposed to doing at time of construction. Best practice is not to include charge stations, so cost isn’t necessarily prohibitive.

Increase or support the increase in level 3 stations along the highway network. Install significant numbers of level 2s at all region and city facilities.

Maintain awareness of tech evolution because it’s happening quickly.

Model the direction you want to see things go in. Electrify light duty fleet vehicles now.

On barriers to purchase….

I guess the biggest barrier was availability. There were none available within the provincial grant timeframe, so...

I mentioned I had to drive to north of Montreal, make phone calls with my limited French, and navigate back home in -30 weather, not knowing how it was affecting range and doing calculations about distance driven versus battery drawdown on the fly.

Final thoughts?

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