Automotive News Canada - September 2021 - 28

28
09.21
28
FINAL ASSEMBLY
* SEPTEMBER 2021
LETTING LOOSE A BIT ON THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF AUTOMOTIVE
Plugging away on the tundra
Manitoba company
unveils electric
off-road tour bus
THE WINNIPEG-BASED
excursion company Frontiers
North Adventures has unveiled
a proof-of-concept battery-powered
vehicle capable of ferrying
vacationers around in an
eco-friendly fashion.
The EV Tundra Buggy is
expected to take visitors to
Manitoba's far north on tours
to see polar bears and the
northern lights, according to
driving.ca. The vehicle is a
converted version of a diesel
off-road bus that the company
uses and is powered by a
repurposed lithium-ion battery
pack from a city bus.
The project was made possible
through Manitoba's
Conservation and Climate Fund
and the Vehicle Technology
Centre, a nonprofit devoted
to supporting the province's
heavy-vehicle manufacturing
sector. Red River College in
Winnipeg also provided in-kind
support and technical services
through its Vehicle Technology
and Energy Centre.
The made-in-Manitoba bus
will support sustainable tourism
in the province's sub-Arctic,
said Manitoba Conservation
and Climate Minister Sarah
Guillemard. - ANC
The EV Tundra Buggy is a diesel converted to battery power.
PHOTO: RED RIVER COLLEGE
At Cdn $4.9 million, Neal Peart's
classic-car collection didn't exactly
sell for a song.
PHOTOS: GOODING & CO.
SAY WHAT?
This Ram 1500 couldn't dodge a
lightning strike that started a fire.
PHOTO: RICHER FIRE DEPARTMENT
'A bit of
a shock'
A Ram went bam
when lightning
struck the antenna
A THUNDER BAY COUPLE received
a shocking surprise when their pickup
was hit by lightning during a drive
through rural Manitoba last month.
According to tbnewswatch.com,
Andy Agarand and his wife were driving
on the TransCanada Highway in
their Ram 1500 when lightning hit the
vehicle's radio antenna. The strike
shut off the electronics and started an
electrical fire behind the instrument
panel, prompting the pair to flee as
the blaze spread inside the cabin. The
incident occurred in Richer, about 55
kilometres east of Winnipeg.
Richer Deputy Fire Chief David
Reith told Manitoba's CJOB radio
that lightning strikes in cars are
uncommon.
" Typically, your vehicle is a very
safe if not the safest place to be for
lightning or high-voltage-type situations,
so it was a bit of a shock. "
The couple was unhurt. - ANC
'
THE LIMELIGHT FOR
NEIL PEART'S CARS
He named his seven
cars the 'Silver
Surfers,' after driving
the California coast
A NUMBER OF RARE RIDES THAT
were owned by the
late Rush drummer
and lyricist
Neil Peart sold
for a combined
Cdn $4.9 million
at an auction in
August.
Peart, who died
Jan. 7, 2020, after
a three-anda-half-year
battle
with
brain cancer, was an enthusiastic
classic-car collector and slowly
acquired a roster of dream cars
during his career with the Toronto
band. He dubbed his seven-car collection
the " Silver Surfers, " a nickname
that came to him one day as
he was driving down the California
coast.
The auction, hosted Aug. 13
and 14 by Gooding & Co. in Pebble
Beach, Calif., led with Peart's 1970
Lamborghini Miura P400 S, which
sold for Cdn $1.67 million. His 1964
Aston Martin DB5, did not meet its
reserve price and failed to sell.
- ANC
The drummer of
Rush, Neil Peart,
was a classic-car
enthusiast.
Skate-of-the-art ice resurfacing
Rink-goers will
breathe easier with
zero-emission machines
London, Ont., ice rinks soon will no longer
contain the familiar aroma of the Zamboni's
natural-gas fumes. PHOTO: CITY OF LONDON
THE CITY OF LONDON, ONT.,
put its first electric Zamboni into
service in August and plans to
deploy three more at its skating
rinks by fall.
According to The London Free
Press, the city will eventually
replace all 13 of its natural-gas-powered
ice-resurfacing machines to
improve air quality. The program
is supported by London's Climate
Emergency Action Plan.
Jon-Paul McGonigle, the city's
director of recreation and sport,
We're
turning the
Titanic here.
And it's just not
going to happen
quickly.
Sam Fiorani of U.S.-based
AutoForecast Solutions on
solving the ongoing chip
crisis, as heard on the
Sept. 3 Automotive News
Canada podcast.
THIS NUMBER
$44,100
The base price of the new
Mazda MX-30 electric
crossover that launches in
fall. The MX-30 is the first
battery-electric vehicle offered
by Mazda in Canada and will
have an estimated range of
about 160 kilometres.
said an electric Zamboni " reduces 19
tonnes of emissions annually. " They
also have lower operating costs and
require less maintenance. An electric
Zamboni costs about $125,000,
roughly one-third more than an
equivalent machine powered by natural
gas.
London officials say the city will
be one of the first in North America
to produce close to zero emissions
from its ice-resurfacing fleet once all
are put into service. - ANC
'
http://www.driving.ca http://www.tbnewswatch.com
Automotive News Canada - September 2021

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