ZEV range

The range of ZEVs, more specifically, electric cars, is an important consideration because there is no extensive network of charging stations in municipalities in North America with the exception of about 10 cities in the US (San Francisco, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Riverside, Detroit, Phoenix and Washington, D. C.). Among these, only a few cities can boast of a wide network of DC fast-chargers, or chargers that can charge the average electric car to 80% in 30 minutes. Fortunately, a few cars available now have a range of nearly 400 km or more per charge. Other battery-only electric vehicles, or BEVs, have range from 100 km to 200 km.

However, it is important to keep in mind that on average Canadians drive 49 to 54 km a day and hence most BEVs have sufficient range for daily use, but more and more charging stations are being installed (for a map of charging stations in Canada, visit the CAA, Plugshare, Le Circuit Electrique, Ontario MOT, Telsa websites). 

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As an exercise, we asked how far one could drive (the actual distance achieved would depend on the driving conditions and the way one drives, as with conventional cars) from some major city centres with a car that has a range of 300 km. The maps below show how far one could potentially travel on a full charge (indicated by shaded area).

Oneway from downtown Toronto: One could potentially drive to Kingston, Buffalo, London or Tobermory without recharging.

toronto oneway_0.jpg

Roundtrip from-to Toronto:

toronto roundtrip.jpg

Oneway from Calgary: You could get to Banff National Park or Medicine Hat without recharging.

calgary oneway.jpg

Oneway from Vancouver: From here, one could drive to Seattle and Tacoma without recharging...

vancouver oneway.jpg

Oneway from Halifax:

halifax oneway.jpg

Oneway from Montreal: One could drive to Quebec City or Ottawa without recharging.

montreal oneway.jpg

While range may be an issue with some electric vehicles, already a few models can achieve a range of nearly or over 400 km. With the right mix of policies, including a nation-wide ZEV mandate, this range or higher could become the norm. 

 

Maps credit: Free map tools