Automotive News Canada - October 2024 - 8

8
* OCTOBER 2024
Poll: 59% of Canadians
oppose federal ZEV push
Commissioned by the
Canadian Taxpayers
Federation, the survey
shows divides by age,
region and between
rural/urban residents
By GREG LAYSON
DIGITAL AND MOBILE EDITOR
THREE IN FIVE CANADIANS
oppose the federal government's legislation
that requires zero-emission
vehicles account for 100 per cent of
light-duty sales by 2035, according to
a new Leger survey.
Under the mandate, ZEVs must
make up an escalating percentage of
sales every year, beginning at 20 per
cent for 2026 and arriving at 100 per
cent in 2035. The legislation effectively
bans the sale of vehicles powered
by internal combustion engines after
that time.
The Leger survey,
commissioned
by the Canadian
Taxpayers
Federation (CTF),
found that 59 per
cent of Canadians
disapprove of the
mandate.
" The results of
the poll are clear:
Canadians don't
want the government
to ban new
gas and diesel vehicles, "
CTF Federal
Director Franco
Terrazzano said
in a statement.
" Canadians want
Terrazzano:
Ottawa's
plan to ban
new ICE
and diesel
vehicles
will cost
taxpayers " a
fortune. "
FILE PHOTO
the option to buy new gas-powered
minivans and diesel work trucks,
and taxpayers know this ban will
cost us a fortune. "
Leger's online survey polled 1,612
Canadians over the age of 18 between
Sept. 20 and 22, inclusive. The survey
had a margin of error no greater than
plus or minus 2.4 per cent 19 times
out of 20.
Canadians were asked if they support
or oppose the federal ban on the
sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles.
The results of the poll show that
59 per cent oppose the ban, 29 per
cent support the ban and 12 per cent
don't know.
Leger's online survey polled 1,612 Canadians over the age of 18 from
Sept. 20 to 22, and found that opposition to the federal ZEV plan was
highest among Canadians age 35 and older (63 per cent), those in
Western Canada (66 per cent) and rural residents (72 per cent).
PHOTO: GREG LAYSON.
The results also show a divide.
Disagreement with the legislation,
which was passed in December 2023
and tweaked in March 2024, is highest
among Canadians age 35 and
older (63 per cent), Western Canada
(66 per cent), where pickup sales
dominate, and rural residents (72 per
cent), for whom charging infrastructure
and range anxiety remain concerns.
URBANITES
FAVOUR MANDATE
The biggest swath of support came
from urban residents and people
aged 18-34. For both groups, 37 per
cent approved of the legislation.
The Leger poll comes just three
months after J.D. Power Canada
released its own study, showing
Canadians are cool to the idea of EV
ownership.
Little more than a quarter of
new-vehicle shoppers in Canada said
they would consider an EV for their
next purchase, according to the study
released May 30, with 10.9 per cent
of those surveyed saying they are
" very likely " to consider an EV and a
another 17.6 per cent " somewhat likely "
to consider one.
By contrast, 52 per cent of wouldbe
buyers said they are " very unlikely "
to consider an EV and 19.6 per
cent said they were " somewhat
unlikely. "
Range anxiety, limited charging
infrastructure and cost are the main
sticking points cited by skeptics in
the J.D. Power survey.
Under federal legislation, automakers
will be awarded credits for
their ZEV sales.
Companies that outperform the
ZEV sales target generate credits that
can be traded or banked for up to five
model years. Companies that do not
meet ZEV sales targets generate a
deficit that must be discharged within
three model years. No accumulated
or banked credits can be used to
offset a deficit in model year 2035 and
beyond.
The penalties for automakers that
don't sell enough ZEVs is monetary,
but the cost is unknown.
Automakers that are in a creditdeficit
situation can purchase them
from other automakers. The price
will be determined by the market at
that time.
COSTLY FOR CONSUMERS
Another compliance pathway is
to invest in charging infrastructure.
Automakers will be given one credit
for every $20,000 invested. The
idea is to incentivize construction
of fast-charging EV infrastructure.
Terrazzano is concerned the policy
- and everything that comes
with EV ownership and building an
EV ecosystem - will cost consumers.
" Canadians
have every reason to
worry their tax and power bills will
increase to pay for all the subsidies,
charging stations, power plants
and transmission lines required for
[Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau's
ban. "
The prime minister, he added,
" should listen to Canadians, take
this poll as a wake-up call and scrap
his ban on new gas and diesel vehicles. "
- ANC
Sales of 2021-24 Volkswagen ID4s have been halted in
Canada for a door handle problem. A fix is expected by
early 2025. PHOTO: VOLKSWAGEN
U.S. government backs battery materials supplier with $17.4M
Funding will support
scale-up of production and
'accelerate' partnerships,
company CEO says
By DAVID KENNEDY
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
NANO ONE MATERIALS CORP. IS THE
latest player in the Canadian battery supply
chain to secure funding from the U.S.
Department of Defense (DoD).
Nano One, which developed a more efficient
process to produce cathode active
materials (CAM), said it will use
the US $12.9 million (Cdn $17.4
million) to support scale-up work
under way at its facilities in
Quebec and British Columbia.
The DoD backing will " accelerate
our partnerships, sales pipeline
and commercialization, " CEO Dan
Blondal said in a release.
In August, Washington earmarked
US $20 million (Cdn
$27 million) for Electra Battery
Materials Corp. to further construction
at its planned Northern
Ontario cobalt refinery. Other
Canadian companies that received
funding include critical-metals proBlondal:
The
DoD
recognizes
Nano One
for its " deep
know-how. "
FILE PHOTO
ducer Fortune Minerals Ltd. and
graphite miners Lomiko Metals
Inc. and Graphite One Inc.
Nano One recently narrowed
its focus to producing materials
for lithium iron phosphate (LFP)
batteries, which are less costly
than nickel-manganese-cobalt
(NMC) batteries found in most
EVs in North America. The chemistry
has quickly gained ground
in China, overtaking NMC.
" DoD's due diligence not
only confirms emerging market
demand for LFP and its importance
to a strong industrial base
for energy security, but also recognizes
Nano One for its deep know-how. "
Blondal said.
Nano One said its new CAM process
eliminates several steps in production,
driving down costs and eliminating wastewater
treatment. The company is fine-tuning
the " one-pot " technology through work
at its pilot-scale plant in Candiac, Que., and
research hub in the Vancouver suburb of
Burnaby.
DoD said the funding for Nano One supports
the department's objective of securing
domestic production of critical materials.
Canada has been considered a " domestic
source " since 1992 and eligible for funding
through the Defense Production Act
Investments. - ANC
ID4 on hiatus
until 2025 over
door handles
VW doesn't have
a fix yet and is
recalling nearly
21,000 of the
EVs in Canada
By JACK WALSWORTH
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
VOLKSWAGEN ISSUED A
stop-sale on the ID4 electric
compact crossover
and halted production in
Chattanooga, Tenn., as the
brand searches for a remedy
to fix faulty door handles.
The
automaker is recalling
20,790 ID4s in Canada
and 98,806 in the United
States because the handles
have insufficient water
protection. Water seeping
in can lead to printed circuit-board
malfunctions
and cause an " open command "
to the door lock
while the vehicle is moving.
The recall affects all door
handles on 2021-24 ID4s.
The ID4 is VW's first volume
electric vehicle sold
in Canada and the United
States.
The stop-sale order
applies to new, unsold
ID4s as well as used inventory.
VW Canada told
Automotive News Canada
" the stop-sale does apply in
Canada until the recall has
been completed. "
Andrew Savvas,
VW's head of U.S. sales,
told sibling publication
Automotive News the automaker
is aiming to have a
remedy in place by the start
of 2025.
" It's now about being
fully committed to fix the
car as soon as possible and
get it back on the road, "
Savvas said.
VW said in a statement
that it will temporarily
stop ID4 production until a
repair is available, and that
200 employees were furloughed
starting Sept. 23.
" We are supporting them
by supplementing unemployment
from the state of
Tennessee so they will still
receive 80 per cent of their
base compensation and will
continue to be covered by
all current benefits during
this time, " said the statement.
" We are also exploring
ways to support our
dealers while we determine
a remedy for our customers. "
The
recall also impacts
ID4s that were built in
Zwickau, Germany, according
to documents posted
on the U.S. National
Highway Traffic Safety
Administration's recall
database. Production for
North America shifted to
Chattanooga from Zwickau
in 2022.
U.S. sales of the ID4 fell
28 per cent to 11,857 in the
first half of 2024, according
to the Automotive News
Research & Data Center.
Sales in Canada were up
104 per cent to 5,333 vehicles.
- ANC
Automotive News Canada - October 2024

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