It’s called “electric stress.”I had never actually heard that term before, so it was all new to me. My operative buddy told me about it over bacon and eggs, at the Blackfoot Truckstop Diner.He was recently on a classified mission in Ukraine and he had to attend a meeting at a secret military facility in Kyiv. His host and driver, a high-level Ukrainian military official, had just bought a fancy new Volkswagen electric vehicle and he wanted to show it off.My buddy, who goes by the name, Mr. Wolf, said the vehicle, an SUV, is impressive. Lots of lights and cool electric technology. An amazing piece of automotive advancement on wheels by any measure.A vehicle that Justin, Chrystia and Steve would just love and drool over. Our magical electric car future! (Add unicorns here.)Anyway … off they went … the owner boasted, that it could go 300 kilometres without having to plug in again. But then, they had to turn on the heat. Mr. Wolf, no stranger to technology, especially spy tech, saw the power indicator drop faster.Yes, said the driver, it draws more power. So, they get to the destination, only to discover it was shut down for security reasons. Zelensky is there. Nobody allowed in. The meeting was then moved, to another secret location, across town. Keep in mind, Kyiv is a big town.So, they turn around, head to the new destination. That is when Mr. Wolf noticed something. With the power dropping, the driver was experiencing what is now called, “electric stress,” or, you could call it, “electric anxiety.”He said it was obvious, the driver was sweating it out. Big-time. .It is important to note there are not a lot of EV charging stations in Kyiv, Ukraine. It is, after all, Ukraine. A mix of old and new.Mr. Wolf was to learn, when the sun sets and you need to turn on the lights, or any electrical doodad, the power drops even faster.Blast the stereo? Don’t even think about it, pal. It was then the driver said, “Uh, I’m sorry, but it looks like we will have to head back to the charger, I don’t think we’re going to make it.”They simply didn’t have the power to make it to the destination and then back to the charging station. They would end up being towed.And so they did. They went back and got into a regular gas-powered vehicle and made it on time.Turning the focus back on Canada... The Liberal government has published draft regulations requiring that all new passenger vehicles and light trucks sold in Canada after 2035 be electric zero-emission vehicles. The rules will be phased in gradually, starting with a 20% requirement in 2026.Ladies and gents, we are not ready for electric vehicles to take over our roads. Technologically speaking, we are just not there, yet. We aren’t. Nor do we have the needed infrastructure. Yet.Note, in mighty Ontario … the Doug Ford government scrapped buyer incentive programs for EVs and also removed an incentive program that helped homeowners install their own charging equipment. He also deleted electric vehicle charging station requirements in Ontario’s building code and ripped out a couple dozen public electric vehicle charging stations that had already been installed. Go figure.Why did Ford do this? At the time, he said: “It only benefitted millionaires who could afford Teslas.”Justin, of course, remains undeterred by his critics, who believe the government’s environmental policies will likely contribute to high inflation and undermine oil and gas production in the West.To me, it’s an obvious choice. Make a push for the middle ground — hybrid vehicles. This actually makes sense.That technology is surging ahead and I believe it is the right way to go. It works and it’s doable.Every cab driver, whether it was in Paris, in Washington DC, or Beirut, or Cairo or Istanbul, that I've driven with, all said hybrids are great vehicles. Safe, reliable technology, that might even possibly cheer up the gloomy Glum Gretas of the world.We all know that a transition is happening. But a top-down, government controlled transition — in other words, transition by force, no matter how it affects Canada’s economy — is just plain stupid.No, it’s worse than that. It is sheer idiocy. But then, look at the idiots who are currently running our country.My buddy, Mr. Wolf, got a look at that electric future in Kyiv, where he had first-hand experienced “electric stress.”The fear of getting stranded and not getting to where you’re going. Now, imagine driving in -30C weather and being stranded on the Deerfoot?For any length of time! Watching your electrical power drop, like a rock, because you don’t want to freeze to death.And yes, there is some hope.Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, bless her heart, appears to be a big fan of hydrogen fuel cell zero-emission vehicles, after driving one on loan from Edmonton International Airport in July."They're pretty zippy. They work pretty well," Smith said during a radio interview on QR77, after driving to Taste of Edmonton, an outdoor festival."I think our solution for zero-emission vehicles is hydrogen — and they're already here," she said.According to the CBC, Alberta commissioned an analysis into the potential conversion of all or part of the government's 3,400-vehicle fleet to hydrogen — from sheriffs' cruisers to Alberta Forestry and Parks ranger trucks.Alberta might even try to woo Toyota or Hyundai "to come to our province to build a car manufacturing plant," said Smith.Unlike Ontario, Alberta has hundreds of charging stations and nearly 9,000 electric vehicles on our roads. This, of course, is a good thing.We are not the knuckle-dragging Neanderthals that Ottawa thinks we are. However, we are falling behind in technology. By that I mean, it is nearly 2024 and we still don’t have a high-speed train, connecting Calgary and Edmonton.A no-brainer, that should be completed. Yes, they are expensive, no, they don’t pay for themselves, they have to be subsidized continually, and yes, they do spur development along rail lines. Google the high-speed rail recently built in Spain, there is good and bad, but mostly good.Talk to anyone who has been to Europe or Asia. They will all tell you of experiencing amazing high-speed train service. It is life changing. Calgary doesn’t even have an LRT to the airport, a must-have in any major metropolis that claims to be cutting edge.Instead, there is talk of a rail line from Calgary to Banff, to bring yet more tourists to an already over-burdened Banff National Park, adding more threats to the flora and fauna we so treasure for future generations.The world is changing, and it’s time to shift gears. Artificial intelligence is coming as well and that will have a huge impact on the world’s economy.We either get onboard or put our heads in the sand.According to some estimates, AI will contribute more than US$15 trillion to the global economy by 2030. And if the Liberals are still in power, no doubt, they will screw that up too.Hopefully, our pal Justin will be drop-kicked thru the uprights in the next federal election and saner heads will prevail.Sophie dumped him and we should too. It’s pretty much our only hope.
