Advertise on podcast: Plugged In

We kick off season 10 of the Plugged In podcast with Canadian EV expert Ken Bokor offering up his top five new EVs. That’s more difficult as it sounds as there are over 40 all-new, all-electrics arriving in Canadian showrooms in the next year. As always, Ken, who hosts the EV Revolution Show on YouTube, brings a consumer-focused lens to his picks, with insights into why these EVs will stand out from the crowded pack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all knew and expected government EV rebate and incentive programs would end, but is now a good time to expect electric vehicles to stand on their own against less-expensive ICE vehicles? To get some perspective on this, and on other issues facing Canada’s automotive industry — and as you know there are many — Global Automakers of Canada CEO and president David Adams provides some great insights into where the EV segment is going in Canada, what needs to be done to keep the adoption momentum going, and of course, tariffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you haven’t been paying attention, here’s a newsflash: Kia is making some of the most stylish and most technologically advanced all-electric vehicles available in Canada. And the great news is, as you’ll hear from Kia Canada vice-president and COO Elias El-Achhab on this episode of our special View from the C-Suite podcast series, there are two more all-new Kia EVs coming to Canada very soon.  He’ll also explain why Kia Canada is investing in public charging, and recount his first-ever experience with electric vehicles way back in the mid-Nineties. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One couldn’t fault Toyota for feeling a little smug these days, as they are reaping the benefits — or at least not suffering as other automakers — of not pushing all their chips into the all-electric vehicle pot. They certainly took a lot of heat these past few years for not pivoting quicker to build and sell EVs, but now that wait-and-see attitude seems to be paying off. On this episode of our special View from the C-Suite podcast series, Toyota Canada President and CEO Cyril Dimitris sits down to talk about how the company plans to keep its very strong electrified vehicle sales in 2024 going through 2025 and beyond. One of many success stories is the all-electric Toyota BZ4x, which will soon be available in provinces besides B.C. and Quebec, where it has been on sale for a year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of our special View from the C-Suite podcast series, Audi Canada President and VW Groups Canada and CEO Vito Paladino joins the podcast to talk about why headwinds will not slow these automaker’s all-electric vehicle plans.  He also explains why he welcomes the challenge of Chinese-built EVs, and how he’s not too concerned about the disappearance of government incentives and rebates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ford of Canada sells three all-electric vehicles, the F-150 Lightning pickup truck, the E-Transit cargo van and the Mustang March-E, the latter of which outsold it’s gasoline powered stablemates three-to- one in 2024.  That all contributed to a fantastic sales year last year for Ford’s EV segment, posting an amazing 66.1 per cent increase. On this episode of our special View from the C-Suite series, Andrew McCredie talks with Paul Roy, the man who oversees Ford of Canada’s Model e program.  Among many talking points, Paul cites the federal and provincial incentives, that have been paused, as integral to maintaining an upward trajectory of EV sales in this country. Without them, he expects sales to dip in the coming year, but has no doubt that electric vehicles will continue to find new buyers across the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Flamand of Hyundai Canada sits down with Andrew McCredie to talk about his company’s strong presence in the EV sector in Canada and what the future looks like in that segment.  His company is firing on all kilowatts with 2024 being a very strong sales year for Hyundai in Canada. Hyundai sales improved 13.9 per cent over 2023.  And on the electrified front — that being a mix of hybrids, plug-hybrids and all- electrics — Hyundai delivered 45,159 vehicles to Canadian customers, representing a whopping 35.1 per cent year-over-year increase. Hear his plans how to keep that strong trend going into 2025 and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Way back in 2019, Volvo committed to building nothing but ‘electrified’ vehicles by 2022, and hit that mark with a mix of mild-hybrids, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles. The global brand also laid out plans to build nothing but vehicles with a plug by 2023, but last year adjusted that to 90 per cent with the remaining 10 per cent to consist of mild hybrid models. On this episode of our special View from the C-Suite podcast series, Volvo Canada managing director Matt Girgis joins us to talk about the brand’s strong EV sales in 2024 and how they plan to build on that momentum despite EV incentives going away. We also talk about what role governments at all level can play in furthering EV adoption in Canada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve heard about the electric vehicle revolution, but what about the electric landscaping revolution? Since 2000 a New Westminster, BC company called The Silent Gardener has committed to reducing its carbon footprint in a business that traditionally has relied heavily on fossil fuels to get the job done. Today, its entire fleet of work vehicles is all-electric, as is all the landscaping equipment. Company owner Sheldon Ridout joins the podcast today to tell us about the philosophy behind his enterprise, how he and his employees manage relying just on electricity to power their work trucks and landscaping equipment, and his thoughts on the latest vehicle to join the fleet, a 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facing the very real prospect of tumbling into outright irrelevance, storied marque Jaguar is rolling the dice on a complete transformation. The plan, with the first new model expected in late 2026, involves becoming a low-volume, high price, all-electric automaker going toe to toe with high-end automakers Bentley, Aston Martin and even Rolls-Royce.  On today’s episode of the Plugged In Podcast, David Booth, a lifelong Jaguar fan incidentally, questions not only the plan itself but more importantly, the timing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Battery degradation. Like range anxiety, charging infrastructure and cold-weather running, how long a new electric vehicle’s battery will last is one of the very real concerns would-be, first-time EV buyers have when considering to go all-electric. Battery degradation is a big deal. No one wants to see their range go from say, 400 kilometres to 300 kilometres during the life of their vehicle. On this week’s episode we’re diving into some real-world battery degradation data with Charlotte Argue, a senior manager with Geotab who recently wrote an extensive paper on the subject based on information compiled by the company over the last five years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the more contentious issues surrounding electric vehicles in Canada are so-called ZEV mandates, which sets target dates for EV sales. Several provinces have such mandates, including British Columbia and Quebec, but it is the federal government mandate that has really puts stakes in the ground.  As a reminder, Canada’s zero emission vehicle mandate requires automakers ensure that 20 per cent in 2026, 60 per cent in 2030 and 100 per cent in 2035 of their vehicles sold in Canada are ZEVs. The PBO report set out to find if other words are these ZEV targets are realistic.  The short answer, according to the report findings, is they are not. To discuss this and other issues — including Chinese EVs — is Global Automakers of Canada president David Adams, an industry expert specializes in analyzing the disruption and evolution of both the automobile and the automotive industry in Canada. That includes zero emission vehicles and their adoption as well as the regulatory environment necessary to support the adoption of automated and connected vehicles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Misinformation. Add that to hunger, thirst and war as existential threats to our survival. In this age of dubious news sources, weaponized artificial intelligence and bad state actors, society has never been so polarized.  That’s certainly true of the electric vehicle segment, where bogus studies from both sides of the issue muddy the waters and further confuse consumers. Our guest Dan Caesar, and the team he leads at Fully Charged and Everything Electric, has made it a career to provide honest reporting and balanced viewpoints to the pressing issue of sustainable living, driving and, well, existing.  We start off with a chat about the past, present and future of EVs then transition to discussing the upcoming Everything Electric Show, taking place in Vancouver in early September. And at the end of the episode, which marks the end of Season 8 of Plugged In, Andrew provides a code to get you 20 per cent off tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just as electric vehicles are seen as a sustainable solution to the world’s transportation needs, solar energy is considered essential to achieving our planet’s clean energy needs.  Which makes the combination of the two seem only natural. That’s certainly what GoSun founder and CEO Patrick Sherwin thought, and the result is a clever, roof-mounted and expandable solar power panel that plugs directly into the vehicle that is carrying it.  It’s an obvious solution for off-grid camping, van lifers and work sites, but it’s also an elegant solution of using the sun’s rays to charge up your car’s battery pack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

User-case is a term often associated with electric vehicles, as while some people’s needs and requirements of a vehicle can be perfectly suited to an EV, others will find major shortfalls in going all-electric.  The same is true for heavy trucks and buses, and one of the clear winning user cases for an EV bus is the variety that picks up and drops off school children. To prove that point, Ontario-based Pollution Probe teamed with several partners on the Calgary Electric School Bus Pilot Program.  The eight-month, real-world test saw an all-electric Blue Bird bus do daily routine routes for a number of months in Calgary. Most importantly, many of those school days were in the depths of a Prairie winter, so the findings are relevant for many school districts across Canada. Our guest on today’s Plugged In podcast is Cedric Smith, Pollution Probe’s director of transportation and one of the key players in the pilot program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices