Changan, Electrovaya teaming up to release electric cars onto Canadian streets?
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Nov 6th 2008 4:26PM
posted Nov 6th 2008 4:26PM
According to a report leaked by someone at Canadian electronics manufacturer Electrovaya, the company is teaming up with China's Changan Auto Group to bring a new electric car to our northern neighbor -- and it might be on the street as early as this year. Electrovaya is set to distribute the car (based on Changan's popular Ben Ben five-door) possibly making this the first automobile from the People's Republic to tap into the lucrative North American market. Of course, wheels like this won't make you any more popular with the ladies (you'd probably want a Linc Volt for that), but we're just happy that there are more green options out there.
[Via Autoblog]
[Via Autoblog]
Good thing they have free health care- electric cars are too quiete to hear coming most of the time...
*quiet
Actually, technically it's not free, since our own tax money pays for it.
It's universal health care.
Yeah, but the basic principle holds true. You don't need to pay for health care, the government does. It's just that the government takes a bit more cash in taxes from you.
Electric car do make tire noise when driving over 30.
You can ear the Prius when it's on electric only.
"most of the time"
Follow the only road in Canada!
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/104261
The noise thing is actually a real problem for a few of my friends (that are blind). There is no way for them to judge whether or not it is safe to cross a street if there is no noise from the car.
I'm an American who believed in the Canadian health care dream lots of Americans seemed to be stuck on. Then I researched it a bit. I do not want to pay 60 percent taxes and 15 percent sales tax just so I can wait 8 months for an appointment to do anything.
The health care really isn't free, but fees are scaled in regards to what your annual income is. I pay about $50 per month, but, considering how much it costs to simply walk in the door of an emergency room (about $300, not including anything such as tests or staying) if you don't have the Medical Plan, it is worth it.
There should be something they could do about the electric cars, but, anything that would make sound, would either be annoying or wear out easily.
"60 percent taxes and 15 percent sales tax"
I thought you said you researched it! Where in the world are you getting your figures?!
Sorry, my bad, I had put for the worst (prince edward island) for sales tax. Income tax I was imagining apparently.
Yeah, and American's actually spend more per capita in taxes for health care than Canadians do:
http://texasimpact.org/spending+more
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/22/3/89
(How the hell did that apostrophe get in there?)
Prius' aren't quiet at all. Actually, the loudest part of the car is the driver's man-purse sitting shotgun.
@Valicore
60% income tax? I did a little research of my own (as I doubt you actually did) and in about 15 seconds on google I found a Canadian tax calculator (http://lsminsurance.ca/calculators/canada/income-tax). I put in my gross income for the year and it quickly reported my income tax (I'm from Ontario) and what that tax is as a percentage of my gross income. Magic number: 19.08%. Sure is nice knowing that my public health care system isn't going to turn me away on a technicality or send me a bill for thousands upon thousands of dollars.
In fact, as an engineer, the single biggest reason I'd never work south of the border (aka the USA for those that are geographically challenged) is that I wouldn't want to take a risk with my health like that.
Dang, I pay more income tax in Illinois than I would in Ontario. My Illinois property tax is 4 times as much as my dads in Ontario. And I pay twice as much in property tax in Wisconsin. I'm moving back.
Asian Car Comparison Guide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ3oyo-irJ4
Oh noes! A practical, economical car. Cue all the repressed overcompensating Mustang owners to call it boring and wimpy.
p.s. engadget, "wheels like this won't make you any more popular with the ladies". I don't want any of the gold-diggers you're referring to.
That's what you say now....
Most chicks at my school would be more prone to choose the guy with the ecocar. Most guys I know aren't gonna wanna get with a chick who sleeps with guys on the basis of their cars anyway - at least not without a disinfectant bath and a comprehensive STI/STD test.
Here's a fact: chicks dig money. Ferraris, Porsches... Do you really think that they are impressed with the sexy lines and engine sounds? No. Buy a hybrid Escalade, and as long as it costs over 60,000 you'll be "more popular with the ladies."
so what you're saying is that chicks dig dudes with money? I'll tell ya what I'd do with a million dollars. Two chicks at the same time.
Chicks may dig money, but I prefer real women.
Asian Car Comparison Guide:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ3oyo-irJ4
Asian Car Comparison Guide:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ3oyo-irJ4
Sigh, again generalizations like that are stupid. There's plenty of evidence of many, many American drug recalls over the years. Does that mean American drugs are unsafe and that standards are extremely low? I'll try to explain this to you more clearly: this car is being sold in CANADA, and must adhere to CANADIAN safety standards. Keep the tin foil hat on.
Can we say coffin on wheels?
I wouldn't put any of my family in that (well maybe the mother-in-law).
You can keep your ford excursion. Me, I'll just drive all boring and safely within the speed limit and practice defensive driving. With the money I save I'll go enjoy some great food and maybe save a bit of cash during this recession.
After seeing this stuff I sure as hell won't be getting into one of those things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbe5ILICT4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5SRyG6UR2A
Oh and I originally saw that courtesy of Twitchy: http://www.engadget.com/profile/646348/
Who says I drive a huge SUV?
I drive a 4 door sedan. A 2008 Volvo S60 to be exact.
I would feel safer in a MINI. At least they have the European safety standards which this car is missing.
My family has an excursion!
Then again, there are eight of us, and it beats driving two cars everywhere we go.
btw, i get both kicks _and_ economy out of my Ninja 250. Sure I don't have a cage and airbags and stuff, but no substitute for skill, judgment, and common sense anyway. Faux sports cars seem really eye-rolling to me when I can get through the crushing CA traffic jams; _and_ enjoy the hell out of the twisties in the hills.
"...but no substitute for skill, judgment, and common sense anyway."
There are still other people on the roads you use. And not all of THEM have skill, judgement, and common sense. You can't stop them from causing an accident involving you.
European Safety Standards tests consist of an automated Mo-Ped t-boning you at 18km/h.
Here are some even scarier crash tests of older GM cars:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siT-SIfOnQw&feature=related
Seats becoming disconnected and dummies literally flying out of the cars. It's a wonder that are parents survived those days.
OMG You aren't seriously expecting us to accept 40 year old crash test for comparison? This is the 21st century and we need 21st century safety. A lot of people didn't survive crashes who otherwise would have if they had benefited from all the technology developed by those crash tests.
It's almost as stupid as you using safety tests of different cars from different years from different companies being sold in different countries as a basis for thinking that this particular car from Changan isn't safe- just because it's a Chinese company. If everyone followed your logic, we'd assume that the Chevrolet Malibu suck since the Ford Taurus sucks.
Not the same thing. Chinese industrial safety records are well documented and we've seen the horrific results. By contrast, IIHS and NHTSA standards are also well documented and you know the results of their scientific tests and high standards.
Asian Car Comparison Guide:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ3oyo-irJ4
@Skazer
Re, Malibu/Taurus comparison:
Well, actually.....
(I keed, I keed...)
It's okay, I don't need a fancy car to impress the ladies.
Does your reverse psychology actually work on human women ?
Not so much reverse psychology. A lot of it is about how the person acts and behaves.
Have you been around decent human women? Trust me, not all of them care about expensive cars and such. They do care if you are dressed nicely or not, and how confident you are.
I wouldn't know. I've only heard myths about these so-called 'women'.
lol
You should get out more. They are quite fun to be with. Try your work place(if you work). Avoid bars and clubs haha.
dude! no dipping your pen in the company ink!
I've poured my coffee into the company's cups a couple times only to find out why they really call it shitting where you eat, the hard way...
Asian Car Comparison Guide:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ3oyo-irJ4
great... more turds driving around the streets.
I'd rather them be driving in the streets; it keeps them from fornicating out of boredom and conceiving more turdlings like yourself.
I’m assuming that an electric car will work about as well at -30c as my cell phone does if left out in that temp over night. FAIL.
agreed. One of my teachers in highschool said that once a teacher(american one) came for afew days to Canada in the winter, and when he left he did a speech infront of the school. He said how impressed he was that everybody drove electric cars. the whole auditorium laughed. What people in warmer climates don't get is that if you don't have a block heater, chances are your car won't start half the time in winter (though i guess it depends where and which province you're in). Hell Ive had afew days that it was so cold that even with a block heater my car wouldn't start the next day (it was -64ºC with windchill, so something like -80ºF)
That story is even more terrible because I know it's totally possible. Come on though, electric cars? And people wonder why our high school kids are under prepared for life.
well, when it's 30 below, us Canadians typically use engine block heaters so that they'll start in the morning. Considering an electric car has to be plugged in anyway for charging, I think it's pretty safe to say that keeping the critical components sufficiently warm wouldn't be that tough.
Though I'm probably wrong...after all you clearly know more than the engineers who design all this shit.
There is nothing wrong with the look of this vehicle!!!
"wheels like this won't make you any more popular with the ladies" I totally disagree there are tonnes of chicks that love guys that think about the environment, they associate it with sensitivity, and they love the fact that we are helping to save furry little animals.
But, most of us don't meet chicks in libraries. Or, at all.
The article says it's a green car, but the one pictured is blue. Truth in advertising???
I never realized until now that your name was supposed to be taken with a ton of sarcasm.
lol, LR you're on fire today man
Drink at work. It helps.
The Ben Ben crash test
http://www.chinacartimes.com/2008/01/04/ben-ben-crash-test/
Chinese car test results on a Chinese car. Lovely. No mention of standards. I wonder what the impact speed was and the force. Let's see the NHTSA and IIHS tests for the car.
Asian Car Comparison Guide:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ3oyo-irJ4
I wonder. When trouble reports about this car start rolling in, will the factory simply close shop like Chinese factories are wont to do and relocate under a different name? Seriously, folks. They poison our pets, spike their own milk(on purpose, mind you, not by accident), fake UL stamps on electric products, put lead into children's toy and clothing paints and give us respiratory diseases that they refuse to acknowledge. Would anybody feel safe driving one of their cars based on their excellent product safety record so far?
i'm always happy to see electric cars, even when they are as ugly as this one
Debuting something like this in Canada is a good idea - smaller market to test it in first (vs the U.S.), plugs are already readily available in the midwest (blockheater users) and the Canadian auto sales industry is actually holding up (for now). Of course to really 'make' it they'll have to eventually sell well in the U.S. with its 10x market size.
To whoever said taxes are 60%/15% - what are you smoking? I live between California and Alberta and spent my first 25 years in Nova Scotia - I pay WAY more taxes in California (and Arnold is planning on increasing the sales tax to a combined 10.5% in L.A.!)...
Prince Edward Island does have 15.5% sales tax tho lol. for me in the South Bay the sales tax is going to go from 8.25% to 9.75%. I better get some donuts or something for this shit.
Asian Car Comparison Guide:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ3oyo-irJ4
Nothing really new here and Canada already has a resident electric car industry, such as the ZENN -
http://www.zenncars.com/
- and I understand the Company is investing time and money on a US Company with the hope of improved battery technology, too. Thing is, while the vehicles are built in Canada, we can't buy them here.
Now granted, it is, like the Changan product, no Camaro or Escalade (for which we can all be eternally grateful) but the bigger issue for products like the ZENN is the apparent protectionist laws favouring gas-powered vehicles over electric cars.
Consider: The ZENN, by law in the US and Canada, has a governor limiting its speed to 25 mph (40 kph) and because the car can not exceed this, Transport Canada has refused to clear the ZENN for public street use nationally, its argument it cannot keep up with faster traffic nor manage a freeway. Other speed-limited gas-powered vehicles (like small scooters and mopeds) are licensed without issue and the argument above is not used.
High speeds are often unachievable in urban environments (where vehicles like the ZENN shine) anyway, but its likely the top speed could be increased if needed - if allowed. But Transport Canada, the NHTSA and other industry lobbyists see no value in permitting these vehicles on our roads, despite the consumer interest.
If you hope to use your car as a chick magnet, this may not be the most obvious choice. On the other hand, if this electric member enhancement doesn't work for you or the ladies you're out to attract aren't impressed with your Green intent, maybe the money you save on purchase and fuel savings and able to spend on them will make you more appealing....