Toronto, Ontario – In this week’s electric and autonomous vehicle report, VinFast prepares to enter the Canadian EV market later this year, Nova Scotia makes strides in connecting more communities to the EV charging grid and General Motors unveiled its champion in the electric pickup race.
New player has joined
Vietnamese EV startup VinFast unveiled its full five-model lineup this week at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, all of which are headed to Canadian roads, starting with two SUVs later this year.
Founded four years ago as a licensed producer for BMW and General Motors, VinFast plans to eliminate ICE vehicles from its lineup by the end of 2022 in order to focus solely on electrified mobility.
Canadian pricing for the VF8 and VF9 SUVs is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, but the company did confirm that all of its vehicles will come with a warranty of 10 years or 200,000 km, whichever comes first.
VinFast also announced a battery lease program that will allow drivers to exchange their EV’s battery when its recharging capacity falls below 70 percent.
Charging up the coast
More than 200 EV chargers are on the way to Nova Scotia thanks to a federal grant of $1.2 million bestowed on Clean Foundation, an environmental non-profit.
There are currently 146 charging units available in Nova Scotia, and representatives from Clean Foundation feel that 250 more will make a big difference for EV adoption in the province.
“We expect it will be very popular,” said Sarah Balloch, the manager of transportation for the Clean Foundation. “I’m excited to see charging grow all over the province in a variety of ways—workplaces, multi-unit residential buildings and on streets.”
Private and public organizations will be able to apply for funding from Clean Foundation starting Feb.7 to have Level 2 chargers installed at their request.
Depending on the type of vehicle, Level 2 chargers provide between 16 and 97 kilometres of range per hour of charging time, according to Natural Resources Canada.
Striking back at lightning
General Motors has unveiled its answer to Ford’s highly anticipated F-150 Lightning pickup, announcing the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV which boasts up to 400 miles of range (about 644 km), up to 664 horsepower, and up to 10,000 pounds’ worth of tow rating.
As it stands, GM is showing off the truck in two trim variants: the $105,000USD fully-loaded RST model and the $39,900 base model.
Chevy says these two prices represent the bookends of the Silverado EV pricing spectrum and that upcoming trim levels will fall between.
The RST model will come standard with GM’s Super Cruise self-driving platform, allowing for hands-free driving on pre-mapped freeways.
Reservations for the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV are now open, though GM doesn’t plan on starting production until the second quarter of 2023.
