I just read an article where two Canadian car owners were in need of new batteries for their electric vehicles. One was fully electric, the other was a hybrid. The full EV required $23,000 worth of battery replacements after only four years. The hybrid owner required $20,000 for his battery replacements. The EV owner had no choice: Either replace the batteries or stop driving the vehicle. The hybrid owner on the other hand was able to decline the battery replacements and simply motor along using the gasoline portion of his vehicle making his hybrid simply a gas powered unit..But, there's also another problem. China produces the vast majority of the Lithium-ion batteries used in EV’s and hybrids etc. In the future China could (and possibly will) use this fact as leverage against Canada (and the world, for that matter.) If Canada wants to pursue a swift migration to EV’s in urban settings, then we must have the ability to make our own batteries here, rather than relying on a foreign source. This is not rocket science. And it must be addressed immediately. Otherwise, Canada should stop all EV promotion until such time as the infrastructure exists that makes the transition viable. Further, prudence dictates that we refrain from building too many charging stations, just yet..China, after all, has been declared an official threat. The head of Great Britain's Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) Sir Jeremy Fleming said recently: "China’s great strength combined with fear is driving them into actions that could represent a huge threat to us all. They see nations as either potential adversaries or potential client states, to be threatened, bribed, or coerced.".Has all this entirely eluded the Prime Minister of Canada? Could somebody tell the PMO in Ottawa that this rather disturbing eventuality will happen in the not so distant future? It is only a question of when it is in China's best interest to flex their Lithium-Ion muscles. Canada’s current relationship with China is not all that secure and will undoubtedly become even less so as time marches on. In spite of our prime minister extolling the virtues of China pivoting their economy on a dime, what could so easily happen would pivot our economy and our transportation industry on its head..I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that China also produces the vast majority of solar panels used worldwide and guess what? Solar panels are replaced every 20 to 30 years as they degrade when left in a natural environment. Again, we are headed for calamity if we don’t look at building our own homegrown solutions for this disaster waiting in the wings. I mean, if you know you are about to be extorted and you could stop it, would you not do everything you possibly could to prevent it from happening?.I would also be remiss if I did not point out the rather huge pachyderm in the room and that being these products that we depend on China for are in fact produced in China. It is no secret that China is the largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world and that fact will remain as China continues to build coal-fired power plants and increases their use of gas-powered automobiles. China currently leads this dubious record with approximately 307 million cars, of which only about 8 million are EVs..Is China trustworthy as a trade partner? We thought Russia was and that changed overnight. If our federal government hasn’t got the moxie to act now, they should do the honourable thing, which would be call an election and see if the people agree with them. Of course, even as I write what I just did, I realize that the words honourable and Justin Trudeau don't fit well in the same sentence..But, you know what I mean.
