tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34793607793567510742024-02-07T21:55:19.567-05:00Stephen Bieda’s EV BlogA a tech savvy social entrepreneur with vehicle marketing, sales and communications expertise in the clean tech space.Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-59355318566391299612018-01-04T21:50:00.002-05:002018-01-04T21:50:23.531-05:00<br />
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FORD MOTOR CO. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally kisses the hood of the new Ford Focus Electric upon its introduction at the International Consumer Electronics Show Friday.<br /><br />Julie Jacobson/The Associated Press<br /><br />Electric cars are coming to Canada and the country isn’t ready for them, an industry group warns.<br /><br />Electric Mobility Canada warns in a position paper Canada needs a relatively modest $79 million over the next two years to start setting the technical standards and building the infrastructure needed for that revolution.<br /><br />Electric car advocates say without that kind of action, Canada will lose its chance to cash in on an environmental revolution.<br /><br />“This is a huge opportunity for us,” said Stoney Creek-based consultant Stephen Bieda. “This kind of clean technology is huge in its potential for jobs.”<br /><br />Bieda, a former board member of Electric Mobility, met Friday with Hamilton East-Stoney Creek MP Wayne Marston in an effort to line up support from Opposition MPs to nudge the Harper government into making the right decisions....Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-80798949689935867742018-01-04T21:49:00.001-05:002018-01-04T21:49:06.537-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>EV Future Gets a Jump Start</b></div>
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Toronto Star Wheels May 11, 2012<br /><br />By Henry Stancu<br /><br />The electric car is no longer just a fleeting concept. It is the future and it is now.<br /><br />Just as the telephone, computers and the Internet made the world a global village, electric vehicles on land, sea and in the air will alter the way we travel and power our communities.<br /><br />“We’re at a paradigm shift in the history of transportation and energy,” said Stephen Bieda, director of communications and marketing at Hamilton’s McMaster University, speaking about the McMaster Institute for Automotive Research and Technology (MacAUTO)..<br /><br />“Rarely do you see such massive infrastructural pieces of society intersecting like this,” he told Toronto Star Wheels this week. “This is extremely exciting. I’ve been involved in electric vehicles for more than 20 years and I’m certain we’re not going to see this go away. It is the future, the next Industrial Revolution, to borrow a page from Jeremy Rifkin.”<br /><br />RECAP: AJAC Eco-Run Fuel Economy Test<br /><br />(Rifkin is the principal architect of the Third Industrial Revolution, an economic sustainability plan addressing the challenges of the global economic crisis, energy security, and climate change.)<br /><br />On Thursday the university held a news conference to announce the $26 million McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC), which when completed this time next year will have brought together the largest team of automotive tech researchers in North America backed by about $150 million in funding.<br /><br />The occasion was the second last stop of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada’s Brighton-to-London Eco-Run, a public experiment to demonstrate and highlight the range of fuel-economy options that are already available to consumers.<br /><br />The 23 fuel-efficient, hybrid and electric cars driven by automotive journalists, including three representing Toronto Star Wheels, rallied around the rose garden in front of McMaster’s stately University Hall before heading to Fanshawe College in London.<br /><br />By the time MacAUTOs new 80,000 square-foot facility is completed next spring, about 150 graduate students, professors and technicians will be engaged in research backed by about $150 million in funding from the university, federal government programs, automotive and electric technology industry partners and sponsors.<br /><br />The program got its greatest boost a year ago when the leading U.S. developer of electric powertrain technology, Dr. Ali Emadi, joined McMaster’s mechanical engineering department.<br /><br />Emadi, who holds the title of Canadian Excellence Research Chair in Hybrid Technology and is MacAUTO’s director, has helped to raise the learning institution’s auto tech program to a higher level.<br /><br />“He’s a real visionary, someone who transcends academia and brings a lot of industry and practical experience. Dr. Emadi has that gleam in his eye of someone who knows something and inspires others because he’s able to excite teamwork and passion,” Bieda said.<br /><br />The program’s goal is much more than just researching electric vehicles, batteries, power generation, and other electric vehicle components.<br /><br />“We are really quite bullish on the future of electrification beyond just affecting transportation,” Bieda said.<br /><br />“It’s interconnected with the energy system. The energy internet is what is emerging, so we’re talking about the vehicle to grid technology’s transformation — doing what the internet has done to communication to empower and democratize people in a way nobody ever anticipated,” he added.<br /><br />Driven by the ever-increasing price of gasoline and the need for cleaner and greener fuel, research and development of electric-powered mobility and greater battery storage capacity will revolutionize the transfer and storage of energy and connect everyone to the power grid.<br /><br />“At certain times of the day we produce far more energy than is needed and at other times not enough. When you add electric cars to the mix it allows everyone to store energy and deliver to the grid when necessary. It allows people to sell back energy,” said Bieda.<br /><br />Just as increased memory storage keeps advancing the power of modern computers; energy storage is the key to expanding battery capacity and vehicle range.<br /><br />With the aid of a $3.5 million grant provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), General Motors, Heka Electronics and Bruker Ltd., Dr. Gillian Goward, an associate professor of chemistry, heads McMaster’s advanced research project into higher battery capacity.<br /><br />“She’s using magnetic technology and the Titan microscope — the most powerful — to measure battery life and degradation at the molecular level. It’s pretty advanced research,” Bieda said.<br /><br />Researchers believe the next Industrial Revolution will do more than just create more efficient and clean ways to travel, store and use energy, but it will also mean more jobs.<br /><br />“Not only is it exciting from a job creation standpoint, but because the technology is pretty sophisticated it requires training that will produce higher paying jobs,” Bieda said.<br /><br />“The nature of this vehicle to grid and battery vehicle technology is that things can be localized and not made by an offshore workforce. The whole renovation process that’s going to be required for buildings to accommodate electric vehicles, charging stations and the renovation of the infrastructure means jobs.Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-38389117894047762652018-01-04T21:44:00.002-05:002018-01-04T21:44:54.812-05:00<br />
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<a href="http://www.wheels.ca/news/corvette-hits-the-big-6-0/">Corvette hits the big 6-0</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.wheels.ca/news/corvette-hits-the-big-6-0/">The car heralded as "America's Sports Car" is turning 60 and we’re looking at its past, present and future.</a><br /><br />Toronto Star Wheels June 1, 2012<br /><br />Henry Stancu<div>
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“In my opinion an electric Corvette would be pretty cool because it’s a lighter weight vehicle that lends itself to the battery technology and limitations as far as range goes,” said Stephen Bieda, director of communications and marketing at Hamilton’s McMaster Institute for Automotive Research and Technology.<br /><br />“We were at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last month competing with our McMaster SAE hybrid team, where we unfortunately finished ninth due of electrical problems, but the high-performance side of the spectrum is where the innovations come from, so it’s a perfect fit for cars like Corvettes, Mustangs and Porches,” he said.<br /><br />Hybrid, all electric and more fuel efficient cars are here to stay but it may be hard to picture…or at least hear and feel the noiseless throb of an Electra Vette engine at a race track.<br /><br />“There are ways of making electric motors sound tough, but it does run contrary to ecological sustainability for traffic and congestion,” Bieda added.Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-53320224135477994892018-01-04T21:43:00.004-05:002018-01-04T21:43:44.833-05:00Hamilton Environmental Summit - Stephen Bieda incite presentation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDPM0dUr5kwK8yfMXfoM8exzjkjytMaadounmWGvDV_wZ1NSbPCzLCYOlkeXJQtRFvsHTSJhyobEHP_UpXI7pviW19il2Ki9XyVtjsynjSJiPq4QdnvIsVJxm4Uo1TKI_MtQLE9R0SNFW/s1600/Stephen_Hamilton_Economic_Summit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDPM0dUr5kwK8yfMXfoM8exzjkjytMaadounmWGvDV_wZ1NSbPCzLCYOlkeXJQtRFvsHTSJhyobEHP_UpXI7pviW19il2Ki9XyVtjsynjSJiPq4QdnvIsVJxm4Uo1TKI_MtQLE9R0SNFW/s1600/Stephen_Hamilton_Economic_Summit.jpg" /></a></div>
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June 2013Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-12807887159088556542018-01-04T21:41:00.003-05:002018-01-04T21:41:42.992-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hamilton Electric Vehicle Charging Stations</div>
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June 24, 2013<br /><br />The York Boulevard Parkade is home to Hamilton's newest Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. "Top Up" charging for electric vehicles will be free during the pilot project to help the city gage the uptake and usage of this environmentally friendly way of commuting.Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-11635948137465260832018-01-04T21:39:00.003-05:002018-01-04T21:39:56.818-05:00Radio interview with Stephen Bieda. Slideshow highlights from the E-Mazing Race.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The E-Mazing Race - Electric Vehicle Rally - radio interview and video slideshow</h1>
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Radio interview with Stephen Bieda. Slideshow highlights from the E-Mazing Race.</div>
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September 4, 2013<br /><br />Scott Thompson<br /><br />Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-41769127877100634872018-01-04T21:37:00.002-05:002018-01-04T21:37:16.604-05:00Radio Interview with Stephen Bieda on Ontario Electric Vehicle Charging<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mzWOyuSD53euteQVdI5qk5xdCXJhLKBkUHRuE42ejO3clAmkqb0Hq3pXnSDzAZPvsdsvvqDX7nIBYuIEZ1sk1xs4w3k4dSTS1ITgA8h7PJrGTFk9MB9gXLEK-571ZhlF0FX3A6Dg-YLs/s1600/610_CKTB_Interview_Stephen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="576" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mzWOyuSD53euteQVdI5qk5xdCXJhLKBkUHRuE42ejO3clAmkqb0Hq3pXnSDzAZPvsdsvvqDX7nIBYuIEZ1sk1xs4w3k4dSTS1ITgA8h7PJrGTFk9MB9gXLEK-571ZhlF0FX3A6Dg-YLs/s320/610_CKTB_Interview_Stephen.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xLZYMt8Ygw">Radio Interview with Stephen Bieda on Ontario Electric Vehicle Charging </a><br />
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An informational interview covering the $20 million investment by the Ontario government into 500 electric vehicle charging stations to be deployed across the province in an effort to mitigate climate change.Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-48144725977993674742014-11-07T11:40:00.004-05:002014-12-01T16:48:26.857-05:00Powering the Paradigm Shift to Sustainable Transportation - SkySMART by Shweeb<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit;">When I worked at McMaster University’s Institute for Automotive Research & Technology (MacAUTO) as Director of Marketing & Communications, I was commissioned to research thousands of technological innovations in history and to design an infographic titled </span><em style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Powering Sustainable Energy Systems Through Innovative Research & Technology Convergence"</em><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit;">. I loved the project as it employed some desktop publishing skills I picked up over the decades and it gave me a chance to collaborate with one of the world’s top electro-mechanical engineers and authors of several books Dr. Ali Emadi.</span></div>
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The high resolution version of the infographic I cannot distribute online (only in presentations) depicts the most game-changing technologies from 1800 to present in three paradigms: Transportation, Energy Power Systems & IT. This infographic I am proud to say is on display at the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC) in Hamilton, ON.<br />
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One of the many story lines that one notices in the infographic is that for the first time in history we are embarking on a period of massive technological convergence (1+1=3 synergy) that will change the world like never before. Reflecting now on this project that I spent several months on, I can say to you with confidence that <a href="http://shweeb-can.com/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.298039); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">SkySMART by Shweeb</a> belongs on the next generation of the infographic and more importantly in cities around the world. SkySMART may prove to one of the most disruptive technologies to be introduced this generation with huge implications for mitigating climate change while spurring along the cleantech economy through infrastructure building projects. SkySMART is not just a transportation system but a energy producing system incorporating solar on top of the guideway and at stations a la <a href="http://www.solarroadways.com/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.298039); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Solar Roadways</a>. The guideway can also be the conduit for unsightly overhead telephone wires, fibre optic cables and everything else that is costly to put underground or tends to be destroyed during the increasingly more common flooding events caused by climate change.</div>
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If you look at the Danes, the Dutch and other cycling based societies, you see tremendous mental, physical and economic benefits directly associated with active lifestyles. Just ditching your car and starting to cycle to work is not the whole answer however, because bicycles take up a lot of surface level space and North American cities weren’t built for bike lanes. In Japan, they have resulted to building huge underground bicycle vending carousels (<a href="http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/amazing-look-at-japan-s-high-tech-underground-bike-parking-system" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.298039); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Eco Cycle</a>) that swallow up and spit out bikes as an alternative to inefficient bike racks everywhere. </div>
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SkySMART is better, because it is a 3D cycling-based monorail transit solution (up to 4 guideways 80 ft high) using wasted air space above boulevards, streets and sidewalks. SkySMART is envisioned to be a national public utility and employs gamification to incentivize people to pedal. Those that pedal pay less AND travel 10 kph faster! Our research studies show the system can move up to 10,000 people per hour using clean renewable energies for creature comforts inside each fully teched-out two, five or twelve person pod variation. SkySMART is an on demand service too, so no waiting— it leaves when you arrive! SkySMART also nicely complements other forms of mass transit.<br />
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The media loves the Shweeb SkySMART story and rightfully so for all of the above reasons and because it is so cool and Jetsons-like. Whizzing over gridlocked traffic is a dream we all have had for generations, but now it is finally possible due in part to Google Robocar (driveless car) technology and other advancements with renewable energy and battery technologies.<br />
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With the lost productivity numbers of $6 Billion per year due to gridlock in the Greater Toronto Area alone it is clear we need better transit. One of the tastiest bits of the SkySMART by Shweeb technology, is that it is powered by renewables and human pedal power reducing the operational costs dramatically compared to other forms of transit. </div>
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<strong style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Benefits of SkySMART by Shweeb</strong></div>
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• Significant public health care cost savings</div>
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• Emissions free travel lowers GHG output</div>
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• Up to 30% less capital intensive than other transit systems</div>
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• Creates local green jobs</div>
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• Uses locally produced electricity & human power</div>
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• Fun to use</div>
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• Reduces stress and anxiety for commuters</div>
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• Saves consumers money vs paying for gas/ parking</div>
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• Requires less maintenance than other forms of transit</div>
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• 90%+ based on proven technology</div>
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• Provides a unique green investment opportunity with an excellent ROI</div>
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Everywhere I go know I see places where SkySMART guideway systems should run, to help us put an end to the madness created by increased urbanization, growing populations and perpetual increase in the overall pace of our unsustainable societal structure. The next time you see a boulevard in between streets, think about how this space could be better used with a 3D transit system getting people from malls to transit stations or from urban centres to airports. The possibilities are endless and the technology is 90% off the shelf. All that is needed now is investors, so we can build it!</div>
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See <a href="http://www.corporateknights.com/channels/transportation/transit-can-move-forward-without-investors/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.298039); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: blue;">Corporate Knights Article - “Transit Can’t Move Forward Without Investors”</span></a></div>
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You can help today by contributing to the <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sustainable-solar-pedal-transit-by-shweeb-skysmart/x/8875078" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.298039); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: blue;">SkySMART by Shweeb Indiegogo campaign</span></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">Shweeb-Can Corporation website: www.shweeb-can.com</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">For blog posts by Stephen Bieda go to http://sbieda.tumblr.com/.</span></div>
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Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-22360681218774152572014-09-27T08:24:00.000-04:002015-01-22T08:01:42.230-05:00The Impacts of the Human Inability to Grasp the Concept of Time Outside the Natural Lifespan<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkArpfKNcrbz7z4Oeq3xMRrvv_mR8MD3rX2jb3LAvdhqDIpl95_FUIeZBdCmVA8zw7OiVKP7Olrh71cFGlFo-PDG3d2RvPNLncaNGarJwUt0STSWrfVzH4LjkUyWx9uN4kJByccYtzSL-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-27+at+8.15.52+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkArpfKNcrbz7z4Oeq3xMRrvv_mR8MD3rX2jb3LAvdhqDIpl95_FUIeZBdCmVA8zw7OiVKP7Olrh71cFGlFo-PDG3d2RvPNLncaNGarJwUt0STSWrfVzH4LjkUyWx9uN4kJByccYtzSL-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-27+at+8.15.52+AM.png" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEct9gs9mRV8s2eluwnhiw1RAEQ0-uahOgOqEgfB0TB1BXTTa0SzBmt1MN9Nc9Sj-n5igcSud4BYPyR7gr8Tm4R8VR367l26oWoSZdNIMPEiNm_MQ38USJS3E99V6XW4A9db2D-mIi0Sfu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-27+at+8.15.10+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEct9gs9mRV8s2eluwnhiw1RAEQ0-uahOgOqEgfB0TB1BXTTa0SzBmt1MN9Nc9Sj-n5igcSud4BYPyR7gr8Tm4R8VR367l26oWoSZdNIMPEiNm_MQ38USJS3E99V6XW4A9db2D-mIi0Sfu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-27+at+8.15.10+AM.png" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If our focus is on the very short time
scale economic actions, and not on weighing the impacts of our actions within
the context of the impact on our environment, then we are effectively working
towards the shortening of our existence as a species. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If preservation of our
species is the ultimate collective goal then we must have nothing less than
universal unalienable environmental rights established in 100% of global
jurisdictions. The right to a clean and healthy environment must forever be the
most fundamental principle of society. The common denominator is the human
time-scale, therefore the shortest length of time we must weigh our environmental
and economic impacts upon, are no less than one human generation. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A more risk
averse and less potentially catastrophic set of economic and geo-political plans would be based on a period of
centuries or millennial periods of time. Unfortunately our species seems to have tremendous difficulty thinking beyond the human generation time frame.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-41201087143856140882014-06-23T14:01:00.002-04:002014-12-18T12:07:05.241-05:00Democracy, Corporatism & the Treadmill of Maximizing Shareholder ReturnsDemocracy is not in the cards for corporatists. The pandering, sensationalism and distraction techniques are correlated with the rules of the game being skewed in favour of the interests of the publicly traded corporations, or so they think. The power and influence pendulum has swung too far to the right due to tax laws which changed back in the 70s.<br /><br /> Corporations dictate public policy-making and what stories make headlines because profit maximization is their be all and end all. They don’t all do it because they are immoral, but because the corporate tax laws are such, that there is no other choice. Once you are on the treadmill of maximizing shareholder return, you just have to exploit every resource and market you can and work your PR engine to mitigate public discontent. It is sort of a ‘be careful what you wish for’ type scenario. This is what happens when blind faith in an overly simplistic trickle down/ free market economics strategy becomes the soothing sound byte that inoculates the minds of constituents for far too long.<br /><br /> Roger Martin author of Fixing the Game: Bubbles, Crashes, and What Capitalism Can Learn from the NFL, has the backstory and a solution worth studying. <br /><br /> Ironically, putting shareholder returns ahead of customer satisfaction is simply moronic for both individuals and corporations in the long run. The basic problem is the definition of “long-run” in the minds of the public has gone from decades to days, or even minutes. Knee jerk impulse rules the day.<br /><br /> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jim-harris/ipcc-report-climate-change_b_4252752.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jim-harris/ipcc-report-climate-change_b_4252752.html</a>Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-32645092270651863792013-05-16T09:25:00.001-04:002015-01-22T07:52:40.584-05:00Why Tesla Motors Should Sponsor Youth Sports -- Now<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is my response to Forbes contributor Bob Cook's article titled: "Why Tesla Motors Should Sponsor Youth Sports -- Now" published May 15, 2013.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/bobcook/2013/05/15/why-tesla-motors-should-sponsor-youth-sports-now/?commentId=comment_blogAndPostId/blog/comment/1366-2609-1123">http://www.forbes.com/sites/bobcook/2013/05/15/why-tesla-motors-should-sponsor-youth-sports-now/?commentId=comment_blogAndPostId/blog/comment/1366-2609-1123</a><br /><br />As a former dealership owner and longtime dealer advocate that fought the good fight against oppressive OEMs for a decade, I am concerned about Tesla’s direct selling strategy. But, full disclosure after selling the family dealership, I became an electric vehicle industry consultant and I love Tesla cars. I also love the hope Tesla brings for more sustainable forms of transportation and I love Elon’s entrepreneurial spirit.<br /><br />Like many industry insiders, my concern is that Tesla is circumventing the dealer franchise laws, laws which support the rights of small and medium sized privately owned businesses, at least in the short term (more on this last bit later).<br /><br />Small businesses employ the majority of people in North America and do not typically outsource jobs and are not in the position to dodge human rights or squirrel away profits in tax havens. Dealerships are among the single largest groups of employers in North America. And on the flip side, one only needs to look to Bangladesh for copious examples of publicly traded corporations with abysmal records on corporate social responsibility. Why is this? Well, because global companies have mutilated tax laws everywhere to maximize shareholder return.<br /><br />Now, I am not saying Tesla outsources or has a questionable human rights record whatsoever! On the contrary, I suspect they are highly responsible in these areas. What I am saying is there needs to be a way to protect dealerships because as described in the “Why Tesla Motors Should Sponsor Youth Sports — Now” article, dealerships often do support local community efforts and create local jobs.<br /><br />Recently, some of Mr. Musk’s hi-tech chums like Michael Dell, have interestingly made efforts to shift back to privately owned by buying up stock. Sure Tesla is not in the position to make such radical moves in its corporate structure with only one quarter of profit under their belt, but wouldn’t it be great to hear something on the corporate social responsibility side from Tesla? An outside the box strategy would be to differentiate itself from other publicly traded/narrowly focused shareholder return motivated companies, that gobble natural resources and eventually exploit human rights at will.<br /><br />The missing piece of the puzzle for me and others to adopt a totally fresh auto brand like Tesla that embraces clean technology, would be a company that is not publicly traded or even privately owned, but a co-operative. What a novel auto company that would be, one that wholly embraces sustainability for the benefit of all and addresses the hollowing out of the middle class!<br /><br />Now with all this said, what has been stated by Tesla is that breaking into the auto industry as a start-up, is like breaking into Fort Knox (I paraphrase). The reason for the most part is the intensely competitive nature of a very mature auto industry. So this is why I tend to favour the approach that has been tabled in Texas where the direct selling bar might be temporarily lowered to a 5,000 vehicle per year level. This allows an upstart like Tesla to not have to bare the massive costs of setting up franchises from the word go. To me it sounds like Tesla knows that at some point they will have to invest in setting up traditional franchises, but for now, they need a chance–a lower cost route. This makes good sense to me to from a Competition Bureau or Anti-Combines Act perspective, because is reduces oligopolistic forces and allows innovation to accelerate. Lower the bar for a period and then, once you are on your feet thou shalt comply!<br /><br />So let’s hope Mr. Musk and Tesla continue to build incredible zero emissions cars that transform thinking not just from and enviro-technological perspective, but also raise the bar on corporate social responsibility.</span>Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-37655545213470916872011-11-01T08:52:00.000-04:002011-11-01T08:52:02.620-04:00Revenge Of The Electric Car A Big Deal | EarthTechlingUnfortunately I had to miss the premiere of Revenge of the Electric Car in Toronto last month.<br />
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No word on the ROTEC site on when it will be coming around again either leaves me considering organizing a viewing of my own with fellow EV enthusiasts in the Hamilton, ON area. Anyone have Chelsey Sexton's cell number?<br />
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Walking the green carpet into the theatre sounds rather cool too. If you have interest in seeing ROTEC before it hits DVD or online mass distribution sometime next year drop me a line and I will add your name to my contact list.Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-79162635374896705012011-11-01T08:46:00.000-04:002011-11-01T08:46:59.465-04:00Revenge Of The Electric Car A Big Deal | EarthTechling<a href="http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/10/revenge-of-the-electric-car-a-big-deal/">Revenge Of The Electric Car A Big Deal | EarthTechling</a>:<br /><br /><a style="font-size:13px" href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pengoopmcjnbflcjbmoeodbmoflcgjlk">'via Blog this'</a>Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-35881525486470722682011-06-12T13:55:00.015-04:002011-06-14T10:14:22.605-04:00Green Fleet Expo comes to Hamilton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cvent.com/events/green-fleet-expo-vi/event-summary-75b2f29d06a9496bbc40397069366415.aspx?i=62ae6fc6-cb5e-4b1e-84e2-1f309c15b709"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vvbLk5NtUEuRbGuxyHzpIYZWFqi2ruc2JBwBPygU4t-PUa8RbDTTu4qbYiaZS6VXAg4a1Q241eNe0OVLyvWKGpc_zMwOP6BoKCLWMIBL-1yZ_TSzGlQCU6jLZ01Pb1SjZaRPt7UTL83T/s1600/greenfleetexpo-logo.jpg" /></span></a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>2011 Hamilton, Ontario</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Courtyard by Marriott and the Warplane Heritage Museum, co-hosted the 6th Annual Green Fleet Expo (GFX) in Hamilton June 2-3, 2011. With over 300 delegates this year, attendance was up over GFX V, which was hosted at Centennial College in Toronto last June. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The GFX is organized by the City of Hamilton, City of Toronto,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.fleetchallenge.ca/">Fleet Challenge Ontario</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and The Ministry of Transportation. The GFX</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051;"> is the premier show for fleet managers interested in greening their fleets in Ontario with delegates from all across Canada in attendance.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXw6yqeWQ-P7PF18X_MfADTU6Dvo1UT1d2QG0Aqsk5ru4ZXopvh3TNvPtD2TIokCPCkzxa2goC1A5qhzFT_3AKrhw3SVpz9pifmq2UFq6kyVdNYSQsve_cgcThvhUCR8m6KZM8493VgZZX/s1600/IMG_9785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXw6yqeWQ-P7PF18X_MfADTU6Dvo1UT1d2QG0Aqsk5ru4ZXopvh3TNvPtD2TIokCPCkzxa2goC1A5qhzFT_3AKrhw3SVpz9pifmq2UFq6kyVdNYSQsve_cgcThvhUCR8m6KZM8493VgZZX/s320/IMG_9785.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>From left to right: </b>Carol Layton, Deputy Minister of Transportation, Neil Sentance, Assistant Deputy Minister Ontario Public Service Green Office, Mike Goodale, Assistant Deputy Minister Ministry of Transportation, Jon Norman, Director, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Ron Campbell, Director Ministry of Environment</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051;">Informative presentations, expert panels and plenty of networking took place at the Courtyard Marriott on day one while product displays and a Ride and Drive with some of the latest electric vehicles, hybrids, and PHEVs were featured on day two amongst one of the finest collections of restored military aircraft in the nation at the humbling confines of the massive Warplane Heritage Museum.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnSNY0ZPwkzvM6Xk63SJd8fl0vk2kPP5YbpSPz0K8zdhM2qA32rSfhuNPPEPw45J0Y2zIPKP2oWmw-fXG0P576N6G-DI-1Z5iaiuRPYrP4L0kXWdO9FRKfSQG9PMftWTMe1bu4SP9s3Nf/s1600/Chris+Hill+%2528left%2529+Steve+Clark+Canada+Post+%2528centre%2529+e-Star+2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnSNY0ZPwkzvM6Xk63SJd8fl0vk2kPP5YbpSPz0K8zdhM2qA32rSfhuNPPEPw45J0Y2zIPKP2oWmw-fXG0P576N6G-DI-1Z5iaiuRPYrP4L0kXWdO9FRKfSQG9PMftWTMe1bu4SP9s3Nf/s320/Chris+Hill+%2528left%2529+Steve+Clark+Canada+Post+%2528centre%2529+e-Star+2011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">On display at the Warplane Heritage Museum was an assorment of electric passenger vehicles and heavy-duty trucks like </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Canada Post's electric E-Star delivery truck</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"></span>From Left: Chris Hill, City of Hamilton, Steve Clark of Canada Post and Mark McGrew Navistar</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051;">For electric vehicle industry advocates and enthusiasts of electrified transportation, it is crucial to see government and corporate fleets, as the essential pilot projects for the launching of new green vehicle technologies. For fleet management, it is all about "TCO" (total cost of ownership) and environmental responsibility which is why City and Corporate Fleet managers are the most critical part of accelerating the adoption of PHEVs, BEVs and other emerging technologies like hydrogen fuel cell. </span></span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b><i>Tips from Fleet Manager Pros - Generating Green Fleet Buy-in</i></b></u></span></blockquote><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>Extend oil change intervals where possible from 5,000 kms to 10-12,000 kms</i></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>For procurement use the LA4 Standard for comparing the range and performance of passenger light-duty EVs</i></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>Set goals of converting 10%+ fleet vehicles to hybrid, plug-in hybrid or EV by next budget period</i></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>Don't let staff use drive thrus to eliminate idling (lower GHGs)</i></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>In BC join <a href="http://www.e3fleet.com/">EC3 Fleet</a></i></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Subscribe to the <a href="http://www.fleetchallenge.ca/content/newsletter">Fleet Challenge Ontario newsletter</a></i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>Set performance based conservation benchmarks</i></span></span></li>
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>i.e. reduce diesel usage by up to 9,000 lts through ground-based solar</i></span></span></li>
</ul></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051;">On Thursday morning, the GFX kicked off with presentations on advanced fuel saving technology for heavy-duty vehicles from Rolf Lockwood of <a href="http://www.todaystrucking.com/">Today's Trucking</a>, followed by Al Cormier from <a href="http://www.emc-mec.ca/">Elecctric Mobility Canada</a> speaking on the task of implementing Canada's Electric Vehicle Technology Road Map. These presentations lead up to an exchange of best practices for lowering operating costs for City and Corporate fleets through the selection of the lowest GHG emitting vehicles available. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051;">A number of City Fleet Managers and City fleet staff were present to share their Green Fleet success stories including: Bill Barr from the City of Guelph, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yvan Lupien</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the C</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ity of Ottawa, the City of Hamilton's Chris Hill, and Doug Smith of the City of Vancouver. City of Toronto's Gerry Pietschmann was present however he did present.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoiv3kddSVlsCcDYs4pDcU4tSGmTrpDAHXbC6hnyeIcFSyjzVALAG_oVSD6Mum7s7vD1ijwg60ulFh3RVbGpw3goUjVlPTy9Yjg1Q55TcEFbtN2lgKLq86bjfUSDWZKMl9H5KoyM6wsDw/s1600/IMG_9758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoiv3kddSVlsCcDYs4pDcU4tSGmTrpDAHXbC6hnyeIcFSyjzVALAG_oVSD6Mum7s7vD1ijwg60ulFh3RVbGpw3goUjVlPTy9Yjg1Q55TcEFbtN2lgKLq86bjfUSDWZKMl9H5KoyM6wsDw/s320/IMG_9758.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Leading city Fleet Managers from across Canada:</b> Doug Smith of the City of Vancouver, Bill Barr from City of Guelph, Yvan Lupien from the City of Ottawa and Chris Hill City of Hamilton</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051;"></span>During Cormier's EMC presentation, delegates learned that 60% of energy in Canada comes from renewable sources while in the US, only 20% of energy comes from renewables. He further noted that Canada is in good company amongst other eco-energy leader likes Norway and Germany. Cormier also made the prediction that battery leasing will be increasingly crucial to the adoption of EVs in Canada and that battery pricing will fall to $300-$400/kW/hr in one to two years.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051;"></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Al Cormier - CEO of Electric Mobility Canada</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>For more on why fleets are the key to the new green transportation technology equation see the <a href="http://www.emc-mec.ca/files/EarlyAdopterProgramOntario.pdf">early adoptor background on the EMC</a> website.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the morning break, Tom Odell of Toronto Hydro discussed their electric vehicle test program called </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.smartexperience.ca/">SmartExperience</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Before getting to the heart of the current technology, Odell led in with a brief reminder for delegates that in the mid 1800's there was no less than three competing transportation technologies: ICE, electric and the often forgotten--steam power!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIuPrgE1CUDrQKj01pENXIpJsqmrBdil_9DiFDFsbR8dscTSY860SUA_0ymwx48VdmLzkiGzrCZQPib_q2sxuFQWtTePZEowBWtBheUmOPG9ZVL_wIvXWFdpMbFBN2Mlu0LGsOdEzy25h/s1600/IMG_9742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIuPrgE1CUDrQKj01pENXIpJsqmrBdil_9DiFDFsbR8dscTSY860SUA_0ymwx48VdmLzkiGzrCZQPib_q2sxuFQWtTePZEowBWtBheUmOPG9ZVL_wIvXWFdpMbFBN2Mlu0LGsOdEzy25h/s320/IMG_9742.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tom Odell of Toronto Hydro speaking on <a href="http://www.smartexperience.ca/">SmartExperience</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Odell explained that Toronto Hydro has 45 SmartCar electrics coming to Canada for the hydro smart program. The retrofitted SmartCars will be available on a four year lease for $545/mo and 15 of the vehicles will be awarded as a part of their ambassador program. If that sounds expensive, think about the fact that there are no added fuel costs to pile on. The purpose of the program is to acquire data from the <a href="http://www.crosschasm.com/">CrossChasm</a> equipped vehicles so that the charging load impact on the grid can be better understood. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CrossChasm is a Waterloo, ON based start-up specializing in powertrain design, vehicle simulation, control systems and fleet validation for hybrids and full battery electric vehicles. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From By Odell's calculations, these SmartCar electrics will operate at one-fifth the cost of their ICE counterparts. Toronto Hydro further estimates that the City of Toronto can accomodate 125,000 electric cars or approximately 10% of all vehicles in the City based on current energy supply utilizing smart charging and smartgrid technologies to permit charging in off peak hours.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_w29zarcbhcY5kOapigPXU5T9XECIP2iC6U6KePqDuBdqoifz6VImgmUPZ38dJZDPktC8vI65BORCFPlFbluIbcyoPqwSkzwzlooDNBkHD0H_HX7eCLbT-Qxp50dx8UWvOh6O5JsfYdx/s1600/Carol-Layton-speaks-%2540-GFX-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_w29zarcbhcY5kOapigPXU5T9XECIP2iC6U6KePqDuBdqoifz6VImgmUPZ38dJZDPktC8vI65BORCFPlFbluIbcyoPqwSkzwzlooDNBkHD0H_HX7eCLbT-Qxp50dx8UWvOh6O5JsfYdx/s320/Carol-Layton-speaks-%2540-GFX-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deputy Minister of Transportation Carol Layton addressing the issue of re-introducing provincial incentives for electric motorcycles. In 2009, street electric motorcycles were eligible for an 8% PST refund amounting to over $1,000 in savings but in spring 2010 under a shuffled provincial ministry the refund was rescinded.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051;">Available in the Ride and Drive, was the <a href="http://www.mitsubishi-motors.ca/en/i-miev/">Mitsubishi iMiEV</a> with a newly announced Canadian MSRP of $35,998 or $2,397 less than the longer range Nissan Leaf which also announced Canadian pricing last month ($38,398). Mitsubishi's new EV Fleet Manager David Murphy was onsite and clearly pumped about the fleet opportunities for the iMiEV. With 18 years experience in the automotive fleet business, Murphy knows the ropes. As I had a chance to sit with Murphy and talk shop on the iMiEV roll-out in Canada, he explained that consumers should begin to see the Mitsubishi 135 km all-electric iMiEV beginning November 2011. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1B77XHp2RXXWG4wZtrQ3gDfLMWmULjjwSlLNnEKgDPaDq6PbS_8Z6UAHNdunTG2E-NxQ9NrVGvSGfE2LUxpcypjr9rlQ89gtbAaloVSbiYW3_IiTDk8OVnUrurUjEqE-ZQ0eKBuYPCXW/s1600/IMG_9720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1B77XHp2RXXWG4wZtrQ3gDfLMWmULjjwSlLNnEKgDPaDq6PbS_8Z6UAHNdunTG2E-NxQ9NrVGvSGfE2LUxpcypjr9rlQ89gtbAaloVSbiYW3_IiTDk8OVnUrurUjEqE-ZQ0eKBuYPCXW/s320/IMG_9720.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051;">I got to drive the iMiEV at last year's GFX at Centennial College and was very impressed with the simplicity of the vehicle and the spirited acceleration. It was a little strange however, driving a right hand drive vehicle for the first time. The iMiEVs in Canada last year were right hand drive Japanese models, so getting used to the signal controls was odd indeed.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolf Lockwood from Today's Trucking takes a questions from Roger Smith of Fleet Challenge Ontario</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although I did not get to attend the Ride and Drive on Friday at GFX VI by all accounts the event was a success and I look forward to attending again next year.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #565051;"> </span></span></div>Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-7727791414354367322011-05-31T10:37:00.010-04:002011-05-31T18:49:09.101-04:00You thought the Nissan Leaf Polar Bear ad was clever? Think again!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I could hardly stop laughing after watching this ad for the third time. The ad team must have had a hey day making this one.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_918528444"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsg4KrNrxug3TaC2np-ai8MBa25F-CHzUQjAc94KFyPthe4IqHaXC2VDfK2vMWalRkMpVbw13InlHaZOqYvDgEjGrjCx2fwxDaeNRYiIgdbMr64u1NGWTlFLYAmBUVhHurYAEwQ2Dvz0Br/s400/Filling-up-laptop-with-gas.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The laptop petrol filling station. Notice the sign above, "No Smoking, Flammable vapours"</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0sCCJFkEbE&feature=player_embedded#at=18">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0sCCJFkEbE&feature=player_embedded#at=18</a><br />
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Let's hope the next ad they come out with is not featuring "everything nuclear powered". Remember the post-9/11 in bad taste ads and movies that were scrapped or not released until years later?<br />
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</div>Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-33145426089472101502011-05-31T09:56:00.007-04:002011-10-17T13:21:14.588-04:00Plug-in Hybrid Chevy Tahoe charges up in Burlington, ON?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHM2xXvK8jeG6OeGtr9ntUoIVq5Kkf_6mTolsJax1uosToJ43r8RNbwuBg92-7kx1NV6cV0esYIQhd9F9CEfYtasdYJtd_YuQq5D0UMo9U0LW5coGdfq8r-IKDIP5ax7cyZiRBjcndIglf/s1600/DSC_0115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHM2xXvK8jeG6OeGtr9ntUoIVq5Kkf_6mTolsJax1uosToJ43r8RNbwuBg92-7kx1NV6cV0esYIQhd9F9CEfYtasdYJtd_YuQq5D0UMo9U0LW5coGdfq8r-IKDIP5ax7cyZiRBjcndIglf/s320/DSC_0115.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A plug-in hybrid Chevy Tahoe?</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sorry folks this is just a teaser. The above vehicle that LOOKS like it is being charged, is my 08 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid parked at the Pioneer Gas Station at the corner of Mainway and Appleby Line in Burlington, ON. Unfortunately, nobody is making Tahoe Hybrid conversion kits to PHEV yet. If you hear of any companies that roll out such a kit please let me know. I have been searching high and low now for two years.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BTW I have 165,000 kms on this vehicle without a single problem. I get about 830 kms to a tank. I chose it because I have the 'Brady Bunch' fam, so it is both the most responsible and practical vehicle for me.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Eaton level 1 charging station featured in the photo is one of the first ever EV charging stations in Canada. It was installed as a part of a pilot project called </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">GridSmartCity</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><sup>TM </sup></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">which was developed in conjunction with Burlington Hydro, Pioneer Gas, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f;">Rapid Electric Vehicle Technologies Inc., of Vancouver, BC and other stakeholders.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Funny thing is, there is no signage at this EV charging station to educate passersby on what this strange looking device is used for. Having closely evaluated a number of EV charging stations from a breadth of companies on a past mission to become an EV charging station sales rep, I can say that this particular unit is unique. On the back side of the station there is the familliar looking electrical metering device like on the side of your home with the round glass cover telling me this is a one of a kind prototype station. Eaton Corp has an office just up the street from this Pioneer Station on Mainway also which I have visited, so I know they have newer generation stations on the way that look a little more styled up for prime time. Have a look at the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.geindustrial.com/products/static/ecomagination-electric-vehicles/ge-wattstation.html">GE Wattstation</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> or the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://evsolutions.avinc.com/products/fleets/">Aerovironment Fleet Stattion</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and you will see what I mean. </span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I had to add this photo to the blog! A a bunch of politicians and biz leaders hugging a EV charging station. The first thing that came to mind was, can you imagine the same happenging back in 1888 in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiesloch" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Wiesloch">Wiesloch</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Germany">Germany</a> where the first petrol filling station was installed? Who would have wanted to hug a stinky gas pump? I am sure they did anyways."</span></span></i></blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">The GridSmartCity</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><sup>TM</sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">program is Burlington Hydro's efforts to transform today's electricity system into the smart grid of tomorrow. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">For more information on the GridSmartCity</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><sup>TM</sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"> program visit </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.gridsmartcity.com/" style="color: #003580; text-decoration: underline;">www.gridsmartcity.com</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only EV charging station in Canada listed on a Goggle search is Qualicum Beach, BC</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">"The first "drive-in" filling station, <a class="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gulf_Refining_Co.&action=edit&redlink=1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #ba0000; text-decoration: none;" title="Gulf Refining Co. (page does not exist)">Gulf Refining Co.</a>opened to the motoring public in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Pittsburgh">Pittsburgh</a> in 1913.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filling_station#cite_note-7" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0645ad;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; white-space: nowrap;">8</span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">]</span></a> </sup></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> Prior to this, automobile drivers pulled into almost any general or hardware store, or even blacksmith shops in order to fill up their tanks. On its first day, the station sold 30 gallons of gasoline at 27 cents per gallon." -- Wikipedia</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Having toured around Ontario always keeping my eyes open for EV charging stations, I can tell you that there are a few stations installed out there, but not many, and clearly, nobody has tapped into the notion of getting them listed on Google Maps. A quick search for electric vehicle charging stations in Canada reveals 1 lousy station! In the US, almost 2,000. The truth of the matter is, Better Place alone has already installed 15 in the GTA and of course the Eaton/Burlington Hydro/Pioneer one in Burlington brings the total to at least 16 in Ontario.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2PqU7XAhLUtzPNmBhHRFZxJZ03h1freUNlaznequQh8KMsdMCNa6Owr51xSnUEORYybjgIbPbxOAt71OIU8H_BWQxPEicvCnA8D9_63DQpq1CvXwz3gWfyTmp9UiPOCRxCj7RH5SQx64/s1600/EV-Charging-stations-in-Gol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2PqU7XAhLUtzPNmBhHRFZxJZ03h1freUNlaznequQh8KMsdMCNa6Owr51xSnUEORYybjgIbPbxOAt71OIU8H_BWQxPEicvCnA8D9_63DQpq1CvXwz3gWfyTmp9UiPOCRxCj7RH5SQx64/s400/EV-Charging-stations-in-Gol.jpg" width="400" /></a> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No EV charging stations on Google Maps in Golden Horseshoe! The only EV related reference of all the bogus red search dots is me--Precept EV in lowly Stoney Creek, ON</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Here is a short video of my first experience with a DC fast charging station at the Olympic Village in Vancouver.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I am building a list now of the known addresses for charge points so if you know of any other EV charging stations around the country please send me the physical address along with a photo and I will add it to Google Maps.</span></span></div>
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</span></span></div>Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-77897614611975738532011-05-28T12:20:00.002-04:002011-05-31T14:15:44.676-04:00Is your glass half Tesla?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<h2 class="postTitle" style="margin-bottom: 3px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">Having spent over 20 years in the electric vehicle industry including a stint with Zero</span></h2><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">Motorcycles as Canadian Director of Sales and Marketing and Board Member with </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">Electric Mobily Canada, I am not one to let a good EV thing pass. Do you agree that</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">EVs and sustainbility are a good thing? Not all the news is good, but it does depend </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">a lot on if your glass is half empty or half full.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">Cynics might say I am crazy for continuing to kick the EV and sustainability can as</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">there is just too much apathy out there and reason to choose an easier path towards</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">making a difference in this world. Today, I admit, when reading a post on Tesla stock</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">dropping $4.54, or 15% to $25.55, I felt a little bummed out.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">But wait! Reading on, I discovered that the cause for the stock drop was a general </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">sentiment that the Tesla team might be in over their heads because all the other auto</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">OEMs have embraced EVs stronger than expected and they just might run over Elon</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">Musk and his dreams of becoming the IT wunderkin gone auto exec that helped turn</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">the tide on saving the planet.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">So worst case at this very preliminary juncture in the North American EV rollout, is</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">that Tesla's gorgeous hi-performance Roadster and Model S may or may not survive</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">at least according to some analysts and become the uber sexy EV brand that </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">dominates the streets in ten years. We may just have to continue to listen to the </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">naysayers and critics snicker at the round of "quirky looking EV nerd-mobiles" that are</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">coming to market a little longer. </div>Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-37167766593855033162011-05-28T12:14:00.001-04:002011-05-28T12:18:43.775-04:00Range anxiety: an overcharged story<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<h2 class="postTitle" style="margin-bottom: 3px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">by Stephen Bieda on 01/03/11</span></h2><div class="entryContent" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="text-align: justify; width: 613px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(240, 240, 240); border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: initial; border-left-color: rgb(240, 240, 240); border-left-style: initial; border-left-width: initial; border-right-color: rgb(240, 240, 240); border-right-style: initial; border-right-width: initial; border-top-color: rgb(240, 240, 240); border-top-style: initial; border-top-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3.75pt; padding-left: 3.75pt; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 3.75pt; width: 603px;" valign="top" width="85%"><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I concur with the projection of the nation's leading EV advocacy group Electric</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mobility Canada, that 2.5% of vehicles on the road in Canada by 2018 will be</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">electric. That seems to be a reasonable target and in line with the original</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">Ontario government mandate of 1 in 20 by 2020 (5%).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What I have issue with, is so many EV cynics citing range anxiety as the </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Achilles heel of BEVs like the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi iMiEV. Back</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">in November, I was in Toronto at an EV industry conference participating</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">in a EV infrastructure round table break out session with a host of EV stake-</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">holders when the tiring range anxiety question was raised once again.<br />
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I maintain whether you own a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid, a </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">PHEV, a gas or a diesel vehicle, the issue of how far you can go before running</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">out of stored energy is always present and somewhere in the back of your </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">mind. The range anxiety issue is so overblown because cynics need something </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">to talk about and the fear of the unknown can always be relied on to strike a </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">chord with the public.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The real difference between a Nissan Leaf and its ICE platform brethren </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">the Nissan Versa, is the Leaf gets up to 160 km on a charge and the Versa up</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">to 620 km on a tank. So what! Most everyone by now has heard the much</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">quoted figure for the daily average commute is 64 kms round trip. How often</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">does anyone just hop in their car and drive aimlessly and not pay attention to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">their instrumentation? How likely is it that while you are driving your car that</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">you will have sudden memory loss forgetting that you car can only go X kms</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">before it requires more juice? If anything, those with a EV will be less likely </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">than ICE auto drivers to run out on the side of the road because they have the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">benefit of advanced iPod interface instrumentation and a heightened sense</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">of what their vehicles capabilities are or are not. Range anxiety is a red herring</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">folks!</span></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">We would all love to be able to mindlessly drive forever without charging up</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">but a fully electrified wireless highway network is still decades away.</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3479360779356751074.post-9296753805824912132011-05-28T12:08:00.003-04:002011-05-31T14:12:45.709-04:00Better Place launches EV Resource Centre in Canada at Evergreen Brick Works<div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For Paolo Alto, CA based Better Place, the world is at the brink of a quantum-shift in transporation and at their LEED Platinium certified Evergreen Brick Works offices, Better Place has already begun to make their mark following the March 11, 2011 grand opening of their demonstration facility and Canadian office.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <img align="baseline" alt="Evergreen Brick Works Better Place Montage" border="0" hspace="0" src="http://www.pbconsultinginc.com/Evergreen-BP-montage.jpg" /></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Better Place is supported by the Ontario Government and has partnered with two of Ontario's largest municipally-owned electric utilities, PowerStream Inc. and Veridian Connections Inc., as well as the City of Toronto. The last piece to this miraculous social engineering puzzle is the national charity Evergreen. Better Place's mission at the Evergreen Brick Works, to put it succinctly, is to deploy an EV charging network, promote EV education, and lay groundwork for EVs in Canada's most populous province.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><img align="baseline" alt="Better Place Dalton McGuinty Quote" border="2" hspace="0" src="http://www.pbconsultinginc.com/McGuinty-Quote-on-Better-Pl.gif" /> <img align="baseline" alt="Better place theatre room" border="0" height="171" hspace="0" src="http://www.pbconsultinginc.com/Better-place-theatre-room.jpg" style="height: 171px; width: 252px;" width="252" /></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Having spent 20 years working with electric vehicles myself including a recent stint with Santa Cruz California's electric motorcycle company Zero Motorcycles, I know how hard it is for visionaries like Martin Rovers of Better Place to penetrate the minds of 'piston-heads'. I like to say, the internal combustion diehards kowtow to the lords of the oil sands in fossil fuel addicted Canada.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was once a 'piston-head' myself, oblivious to the power and eco-possibilities of electrification until purchasing a Club Car electric golf cart back in 1990. We used the golf cart at my family dealership for use as a serene utility vehicle alternative for around the family farm. For many, technological advancements are hard pills to swallow requiring capital expenditures and fundamental shifts in thinking but for Better Place, it is really a matter of economic sense and environmental stewardship.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Martin Rovers, the Canadian-based Global Development Officer for Better Place, bares an impressive resume with a MSc in Physics from McMaster University, an MBA from the University of Toronto's Rottman School of Business and a career that began with the prestigious Boston Consulting Group (BCG). BCG has even followed Rovers' lead by also setting up shop at the mind expanding Evergreen Brick Works location a formerly abandoned 120 year old brick factory revitalized into a centre for nature, culture and community as boldly indicated on the main lobby wall.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><img align="baseline" alt="Stephen at Better Place charging demo" border="2" hspace="0" src="http://www.pbconsultinginc.com/Stephen_-Better-Place-demo-.gif" /> <img align="baseline" alt="Better Place EV charging sign" border="0" height="379" hspace="0" src="http://www.pbconsultinginc.com/EV-Charging-station-sign.jpg" style="height: 379px; width: 235px;" width="235" /></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Evergreen Brick Works is more broadly a centre for socio-economic innovation featuring nature walks, educational facilities for children, a farmer's market, a skating rink and some really hip urban graffiti art that graces the walls of the former industrial brick kiln factory. Amongst all this, there are many other companies involved in the green scene to act as economic engines at the Brick Works but I will let you delve into that on your own.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Having served on the Board with Electric Mobilty Canada (EMC), I myself have had the pleasure of meeting Rovers' a couple of times now and it is evident he is a man that lets his actions do the talking. Not one to jump in front of the camera unless required, as I discovered at my May 5, 2011 personal tour of the Better Place facility, I found Martin shooting the photos and me playing with the cool EV gadgetry at the Better Place interpretation centre. The fifth office floor of the Better Place Bayview Ave campus is just off the Don Valley Parkway in a neatly tucked away piece of the roughly 16 hectares (40 ares) of property. The campus is sheltered from the hustle and bustle of downtown, but convenient to get to. Once on site you can hardly believe you are in the heart of the city.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Upon arrival at the demonstration facility, I was asked by Rovers to engage with a touch screen interactive guest book and then sit down for an introductory video in the theatre room. The promotional piece showcases the incredible vision of Better Place founder Shai Agassi a man which has been recognized around the world and spoke at TED Talks, just to give you an idea of his level of pull. Pleasingly, the video featured Toronto specific content illustrating the 15 locations across southern Ontario that Better Place has already installed level II 40 amp charge stations in, including; Barrie, Vaughan, Bowmanville and Toronto.</span><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">EV converts admittedly will be disappointed by such stats since the US already has charging stations numbering in the thousands scattered about the country. This is by no means a dig against Rovers or Better Place in Canada, considering that there has been only limited support from the Province of Ontario and nothing Federally in Canada.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What eco-preneur Agassi has brought to the table in his Better Place model is nothing short of game changing because it addresses three fundamental hurdles that have plagued the acceptance of EVs. What Better Place has done is firstly removed the cost of a battery from the purchase price of the vehicle equation and re-distributed the capital cost of the battery into a monthly fee for use of the stored energy and recharging. This model has been juxtaposed to the nonsensical idea of buying a lifetime supply of gasoline at the time of purchasing your car. Imagine how much your car would cost if a lifetime of fuel cost was piled on at the time of initial purchase? What this new pricing model has effectively done is, make the electric vehicle cheaper to purchase than a gas car. You don't buy all the stored energy needed to propel the vehicle at the time of purchase, just the car itself. Yes you read correctly, this makes the EV cheaper to purchase than a gas car!</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Secondly, what BP has done through the genius of their five minute battery switching station process, is remove the range anxiety issue from the equation for motorists. The BP switching station is somewhat similar to driving your car into a car wash where the battery is swapped out through a robotic assembly line type process with a fully recharged battery. Taking about the same time as a gas refill or a car wash, the switching system allows a driver to extend their range and get to where they want to go without the 30 minute to 8 hour wait normally associated with battery recharging depending on the level two or three charging technology used. Thirdly, with the surge in fuel prices versus electricity and the implementation of the Better Place fee for recharge, the daily operational costs of the EV has been made equal or lower to that of driving a gasoline car.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/OHHvjsFm_88/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OHHvjsFm_88&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OHHvjsFm_88&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The switching station technology does not however eliminate the need for home-based charging. Since 90% of driving will be done by Canadians in the Southern Ontario area at least within the 160 km range limits of EVs such as a Nissan Leaf, the bulk of the recharging will take place at home overnight. The intent of the battery switching is for extended drives outside of a region, maybe to the cottage for the weekend for example.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Better Place battery switching technology however is only available in Israel, Tokyo and in Northern Europe at this point, do in large part to lack of government support and North American auto manufacturers not buying into to the battery standardization and switching process as of yet. Rovers' is hopeful that the Better Place facility at the Evergreen Brick Works will one day be a battery switching station hub, but he is not able to indicate a timeline on the completion of such critical pieces to the puzzle at this early juncture.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Getting these 15 charging stations installed was not without a lot of heavy lifting as Rovers explains, due to the present lack of Canadian Standards Association (CSA) blanket safety coverage for charging stations in Canada. To get the 15 charging stations safety approved that are installed across the GTA now, involved more costly and time consuming 'one off' approvals. As the electric vehicle industry advocacy group Electric Mobilty Canada (EMC) explains in their "Driving the Rapid Adoption of Electric Vehicles" white paper, a $2 million investment is needed from the Federal government to permit the CSA to proceed with safety inspections and broadly certify the charging hardware.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Quick Charges</span></u></b></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So far approximately 500 people have toured the new Better Place digs. Most of these being dignitaries, the media and EV greenies taking in the experience.</span></b></div><ul style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the lesser known reasons why folks escape the city to rural areas is because of noise and confusion of urban spaces caused by ICE transportation. With EVs there is none of the noise.</span></b></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Presently there are 2 million hybrid cars on the roads and 500 million gas cars.</span></b></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/btrplc/better-place-consumer-research-highlights-toronto">Better Place Toronto Consumer Research</a></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><a href="http://www.evergreen.ca/">www.evergreen.ca</a></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Having myself been at the cutting edge of new EV technology product roll outs, I asked Martin Rovers to describe his experience in trudging forward against the tide of climate change denying government and head office demands for deliverables, metrics and ROI. His response was characteristically understated, but his smile spoke volumes. I took that to mean that being an eco-preneur and EV activist means you need thick skin, the patience of Jobe and a long-term vision of the future to guide your way to the promised land.</span></div>Stephen Biedahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00592019018047181650noreply@blogger.com0