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CAA takes the green route

Century-old auto organization tests high-tech electric vehicles

By: Geoff Kirbyson

Posted: 01/17/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

The CAA's Ken Francis puts a Nissan Leaf through its paces. Electric vehicles are nearly silent while operating.

CAA Manitoba has seen the future and it is electric.

The more than century-old organization, best known for its team of tow-truck operators who boost vehicles in the dead of winter, has purchased a pair of electric cars.

A 2011 Mitsubishi i-MiEV and a 2012 Nissan Leaf are being put through rigorous testing to see how they respond to Winnipeg's weather.

Liz Peters, CAA Manitoba's public and government affairs manager, said it wants to be ahead of the curve when it comes to the vehicles on the province's roads.

"For more than 100 years in Manitoba we have been the people that drivers come to when they have questions about their cars. We know that with more electric vehicles on the roads in the coming months and years, people are going to be coming to us with questions about the new technologies," she said.

"It's important for us to bone up on everything that has to do with electric so we can be those experts and we can be sharing that advice before they choose to buy one."

CAA will unveil its electric vehicles at an event today.

Once you're inside one, there are a few distinct differences you'll notice. First, it hardly makes a sound when it moves, even when you slam your foot down on the accelerator. (Even in an electric car, it's still called a "gas" pedal.) Second, at the end of your trip, a gauge on your dash will show you how much you've saved in greenhouse gases, using a tree as a metric.

Buying an electric car will certainly be an issue for many drivers. The Leaf costs about $44,000 while the i-MiEV will set you back more than $32,000.

More than one-third of the total cost is attributable to the battery, Peters said.

But the majority of the expense with these vehicles is upfront. She said CAA's early testing shows it will cost less than a penny per kilometre to drive.

Once fully charged, an electronic vehicle will go somewhere between 100 and 160 km before needing to be plugged in.

"There's always a little range anxiety that new (electric) car owners feel," Peters said. "I would recommend one of these vehicles if you live within the city limits or just outside."

As for charging, there are three levels. The first comes from the same kind of outlet that you might use to plug in your vacuum cleaner and that takes 20 hours. The second is similar to a plug-in for appliances, which takes seven or eight hours.

The third level, which isn't available in Manitoba, costs between $60,000 and $100,000 to install and takes less than a half-hour to charge.

"If you were to drive to Calgary (in an electric car), which is normally an 18-hour drive, it would take you six days because every 100 km or so, you'd have to stop and find somewhere to get a full charge," she said.

The good news, Peters said, is as the technology improves and more people purchase electric vehicles, the price will come down and the efficiency of the batteries will go up.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 17, 2012 A2

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