Innovative EVery Mile of the Way

2010-10-14

The popularity of going “green”, which has coincided with an accelerated buzz for Electric Vehicles (EVs) in Canada, is showing no signs of letting its foot off the gas. By 2018, it is estimated there will be at least 500,000 highwaycapable electric-drive vehicles on Canadian roads. The expected amount to be sold in Canada would suggest a demand for standardization practices to support this growing technology.

In order to ensure effective and trustworthy vehicles, these innovative machines must be built, distributed and operated, according to specific standards.

“Electrical Vehicles are being adopted by most industrialized nations globally,” said Al Cormier, executive director of Electric Mobility Canada. Canada currently does not have complete standards for EVs, only standards for internal combustion vehicles which are automobiles run solely on conventional fuels such as gas or diesel.

“Everybody is getting in the game so they’re coming, but they can’t easily come to Canada until the standards are developed and adopted so they can be sold here,” said Cormier. EVs are expected to have a large impact on the way Canadians view the transportation sector and its effects on the environment. Energy security, countering oil stock depletion, as well as reducing gas emissions, are just a few of the reasons why EVs are quickly becoming so popular.

“If it’s a plug-in electric vehicle, it can probably reduce emissions by as much as 80 per cent,” said Cormier, adding that the current hybrid cars on the market can already reduce emissions by up to 50 per cent, depending on travel patterns.

CanmetENERGY of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) represents a team of researchers and scientists working to develop advanced battery technology and related vehicle components for hybrid and electric vehicles. The goal of CanmetENERGY is to develop safety, codes and standards which play a large role in moving the technologies into the market.

The importance and value of standardization is recognized by many Canadian EV professionals working to establish a nation-wide form of certification for this technology. “Most countries have adopted very strong programs and policies regarding accelerated electric vehicles. And most are working on required standards to make them happen,” said Cormier.

If the sale of hybrid cars across the country is any indication, it is clear Canadians are moving towards more environmentally-friendly lifestyles. “I think a lot of it fits into the direction and the policy of our government and that is to be a greener society and a smarter society,” said Cliff Rondeau, the Project Manager for Alternative Energy Vehicles at the Canadian Standards Association.

“Everybody’s coming out with Hybrids. All the automakers have some form of electric-type vehicle now so just based on that, the popularity is there and I think it’s going to continue to increase over the next little while,” added Rondeau.

Before the expected flood of electric cars hits the Canadian market, the recently released electric-hybrid autos are acting almost as transitional vehicles, offering a mixture of a conventional internal combustion engine, along with an electric propulsion system. Regardless of whether the technology is electric or electric-hybrid, standardization will help motor this sector towards greater efficiencies for Canadian consumers.

A strong infrastructure for a new generation of automobiles will require establishing safety regulations to ensure consumer confidence when investing in this technology. “What standardization does is it certainly addresses the safety issues because now you’re dealing with potentially, in some cases, lethal voltages,” says Rondeau. “If you’re a consumer plugging it in at night you want to be safe,” he adds.

An industry standard—entitled, Recommended Practice for Measuring the Exhaust Emissions and Fuel Economy of Hybrid-Electric Vehicles, Including Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (SAE J1711) —was developed in August 2010 by the Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE) to address the measurement of emissions and the fuel economy of hybrid vehicles. The standard is expected to be used for government-mandated laboratory tests conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as well as by NRCan. SAE J1711 was developed to more accurately evaluate vehicles under a wider range of cycles.

“Our course of action is to look to the U.S.,” explains Rondeau. “To come up with a harmonization plan so we have one set of standards across North America.” Rondeau envisions Canadian standardization practices becoming more involved in the years to come.

“The neat thing about Electric Vehicles is that the energy source is here, and it’s now. We use electricity everyday,” says Rondeau. Availability combined with the current popularity of driving green are among the many factors propelling EV innovation: to go all the way.

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This article first appeared in Volume 37 of CONSENSUS Magazine, 2010. The information it contains was accurate at the time of publication but has not been updated or revised since, and may not reflect the latest updates on the topic. If you have specific questions or concerns about the content, please contact the Standards Council of Canada.

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