Automotive News Canada - September 2022 - 10

10
09.22
OPINION
EV charging hits
(or misses) home
THE RISE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES
has many moving parts, and we don't
necessarily mean the ones found
beneath the body panels.
It seems like every day that
Automotive News Canada is reporting
on new battery technology, supply-chain
partnerships and infrastructure
challenges.
Problem: Condos
and apartments
need EV charging.
Also a problem:
EV technology is
rapidly changing.
In this issue, for example, automakers
are striking mineral deals in
Canada to make sure they can build
batteries for their EVs. If you told me
two years ago this would happen, I
wouldn't have believed you. That's
how rapid the change is right now.
Acquiring minerals will largely govern
the rate at which automakers can
build EVs to sell. Put simply, no minerals,
no EVs.
In another
story on charging
infrastructure,
there's no cohesive
national plan
for adding
charging stations
to new residential
developments.
This is an
issue since nearly half of Canadians
live in condominiums, rental apartments
and other homes that lack private
driveways.
Some cities are requiring installation
in buildings, but that's hit or miss,
and more miss than hit.
There's still a long way to go until
2035 when all new passenger vehicles
sold will have to be zero emissions.
How much will change before
then? How many more moving parts
will there be?
For infrastructure, it seems logical
to at least wire new multiunit buildings
for EV chargers, and to have a national
strategy or code to do so.
Brian Kingston of the Canadian
Vehicle Manufacturers Association,
which lobbies for the Detroit Three in
Canada, thinks it's imperative.
" There's just simply no way that
someone will ... purchase an EV if
they realize that their home is not
able to accommodate a charger. "
We agree, for now, but how should
that happen when the technology is a
fast-moving target?
For example, if charge times can
be brought down to, say, 20 minutes
at 240 volts AC, does a new building
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
JEFF
MELNYCHUK
really need a charging station for each
parking spot? Can there just be a few
that residents can book for 20 minutes
when needed? Consider that
we've never had a gasoline supply at
home for our internal-combustion
vehicles.
I'm sure some readers would argue
that if there's robust charging infrastructure
outside the home, then
home charging is not necessary. That
infrastructure, by the way, is another
moving part of the EV picture.
And what if hydrogen becomes the
dominant form of power? Then
there's no plug needed. Hydrogen is a
long-term play, but there will be many
breakthroughs in battery-electric technology
to reduce charging times and
increase range. We're already seeing
that with solid-state batteries, which
are much more energy dense and
faster charging than current lithium
ion technology.
So, what are multiunit developers
to do? They don't want to spend
money if they don't have to, and forcing
them to install charging stations
for vehicles that have been mandated
by the federal government doesn't
seem fair, especially if the charging
stations are not being used. But if the
tenants want to plug in, then it makes
sense to at least have the available
power on the parking level to do that,
no matter what form that takes.
According to a story on Page 17,
the obstacles are likely greater for
existing buildings that need to be retrofitted
at significant expense.
It's a tough call when technology is
evolving and charging infrastructure is
being built elsewhere for our daily
commutes. And what if the next federal
government abandons the 2035
sales target and lets the market dictate
EV adoption? Don't forget, EV
momentum - from vehicle manufacturing
to battery plants to the supply
chain - is being driven by the feds.
Like we said, the rise of electric
vehicles has many moving parts that
can't be predicted. - ANC
ROXANNE ROSE'S ENTHUSIASM
about life in an auto parts plant is
infectious.
Auto plants are
high-tech powerhouses,
yet they
can't attract
enough employees.
" I'm in a plant right now in
North Carolina that I can honestly
tell you it takes my breath away, "
Rose, global vice-president, human
resources at Linamar Group, told
Vancouver correspondent Steve Mertl.
" It is so automated, it is so clean. When you walk
through and see all the technology, things in motion,
it's extremely exciting. "
Rose, featured in a Page 1 story highlighting the
industry's chronic labour
crunch, is right: Factories
today are high-tech power
houses. They're gearing up
for revolutionary change in a
sector whose future will be
shaped by electric and
self-driving vehicles.
Yet, Linamar, like other
industry employers, continues
to grapple with skilled labour shortages. At any given
time, the Guelph, Ont., supplier has 500 to 700
openings, said Rose.
Across the sector, " we're probably short about
10,000 people, " said Flavio Volpe, president of the
Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association.
The shortage is so dire, many employers, from
parts makers to new-vehicle dealers, are increasingly
relying on immigration and foreign workers to fill jobs
in Canada. An aging population, immigration backlogs
and the growing demand for work-from-home employment
are among the key factors contributing to scarcity
of labour. But a major culprit is the industry's
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Auto industry's 'bad rap'
repels potential workers
MACALUSO
MANAGING EDITOR
GRACE
inability to shed a negative image
that equates skilled trades and factories
with grimy, mindless work.
" Trades in general have had a bad
rap for years, " said Alan McClelland,
dean of automotive programs for the
School of Transportation at
Centennial College in Toronto.
" The number of people going into trades programs
hasn't grown dramatically over the last 30 or 40
years. "
Rose is among stakeholders who say the industry
bears much of the responsibility for changing the narrative,
especially among youth.
Linamar, she said, sends young
staff into schools to talk up the sector.
" It
takes time and resources to
change an industry's reputation and
deliver a consistent message, " she
said.
A key part of the message that
should resonate with the young is
the potential to thwart climate
change as electric powertrains supplant
the internal combustion
engine, and also the potential for
self-driving technology to enhance
road safety and transform mobility,
especially for the elderly and disabled.
The competition for talent will intensify as the
industry shifts to EVs, which will require new skills and
training for the next generation of auto workers. But
as evidenced by Rose's passion for today's auto
Rose:
" It takes
time to
change an
industry's
reputation. "
SUPPLIED
PHOTO
plant, the industry has one hell of a story to tell.
- ANC
Payne ushers in a new
era of union leadership
THIS ISN'T YOUR GRANDAD'S
union.
Unifor is not the CAW. Heck,
even Unifor itself continues to
evolve. This is the world in which
we live, where nothing remains
the same.
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Union leaders
are no longer
bargaining
only with the
corporate suits
across the table.
It's why Lana Payne defeated
Scott Doherty, assistant to the
national president, and Dave
Cassidy, president of Local 444,
in the union's August presidential
race.
People asked me in the leadup
to the election what I thought
of Cassidy's chances. I worked
with him for a time at Windsor,
Assembly in
Ontario. I've
socialized
with Dave. I
like Dave. A
lot.
But I
always
described
Dave as " an
old-school
candidate. " He's loud, prone to
dropping the occasional f-bomb,
and he's union proud. He's got a
dog's bark about him. He's everything
the union used to be. A
sound clip for radio. A pull quote
for print. And defiant in the face
of corporations that employ his
members. He's cut from the
DIGITAL AND
MOBILE EDITOR
GREG
LAYSON
same cloth as Ken Lewenza, who
steered the CAW from 2008 to
2013, the year it merged with
the Communications, Energy and
Paperworkers Union of Canada to
form Unifor.
But the time for that type of
leader has passed. Jerry Dias was
the bridge leading to Payne. He
possessed a little bit of Kenny
and predecessor Buzz Hargrove.
But Dias also had a lot of politician
in him. He was a shrewd
negotiator and he was coy with
the media.
Union leaders are no longer
bargaining with just the corporate
suits across the table. They're
involved in crafting government
policy and they have a hand in
free-trade negotiations. And they
have a say in how to handle new
laws in foreign lands such as the
U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.
Mexico, China and other lowcost
manufacturing regions are
breathing down Canada's neck.
Mining and tech sectors are part
of an ever-expanding automotive
industry. There are more chips on
the table than ever before.
Kicking, screaming and striking
aren't necessarily the best ways
for a union to negotiate anymore.
Shaking hands, kissing babies
and even working with
Conservative governments are all
part of the gig today.
Payne strikes me as the right
leader to come along at the right
time.
She seems measured, experienced
and forward thinking. She
has been part of Unifor's inner
workings and negotiations for
years. She's a woman. And that's
different. It's neither good nor
bad. It's just a fact that the union
elected its first female president.
This isn't the old boys' club
anymore, it's a union looking to
make progress. And the union
members sent the message that
they want change.
I have no doubt Payne will
wage strikes when necessary and
yell when she needs to get someone's
attention. But in listening to
her speak early in her reign, she
sounds calculated in her
approach and media savvy, yet
approachable. Almost - and
dare I say it - more like a politician
than an old-school union
boss. - ANC

Automotive News Canada - September 2022

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