13018 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

I would not have rented the car if I had known it came equipped with all that garbage. The rental agency said they didn’t want me in the car I had booked, that as an American I wouldn’t be impressed.

I said ok, I’ll get what you recommend, lol. I don’t remember what it was, but they called it a full size SUV. It’s no Escalade, whatever it was.

[LJ]

My last rental, in the UK, was insane. The thing screamed at me at shook the wheel when it sensed dangers that weren't actually there.

 

The info screen even flashed red on a couple of occasions, believing that I had been in an accident, and asked me to confirm via toggle that everyone was OK.

 

We were just cruising down a freeway but the 'AI' thought we rolled or slammed into a wall 

 

Afterwards I looked up chats full of drivers angry at all the tech in these cars, that does more harm than good.

And you missed the worst thing - you can't shut off the idle engine killer. First button I hit is that one to turn it off.

[Victoria Watcher]

‘That was $9000’: B.C. cuts electric vehicle rebates

 

 

“We had a PST exemption on pre-owned vehicles in Canada. That ended May 1st and now as of May 15th, the [B.C.] government is going to pull away all of the electric programs so there will be no government support to help the consumer purchase an electric vehicle anymore.”

 

With federal and provincial government rebates that totaled up to $9,000, B.C. led the country in electric vehicle sales in 2024. But now both rebates that helped offset the initial cost of going electric are being cut.

 

[...]

 

According to B.C. Premier David Eby, B.C.’s rebate program is on pause, to review that it’s working.

 

“What we want to make sure is we are not sending money to Elon Musk through this program. That we are actually supporting British Columbians getting into zero emission vehicles in the province in a real and practical way,” Eby told a press conference on May 1.

 

So far B.C. has not adjusted its mandate to car dealers that requires they make electric vehicles 90% of their sales by 2030.

 

 

https://cheknews.ca/...-sales-1253057/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 May 2025 - 01:26 AM.

[Barrister]

Somehow, I am still really happy driving my old Morgan. But I guess I just dont appreciate all the wonderful new electronics.

[dasmo]

They sent billions to a corporation that was convicted of killing people…..

[Victoria Watcher]

Somehow, I am still really happy driving my old Morgan. But I guess I just dont appreciate all the wonderful new electronics.

What year is it? How do you buy a new Morgan in North America?

[Barrister]

It is a 1990 and it runs brilliantly. Obviously a perfect summer car.

[Victoria Watcher]

https://x.com/Harman...783330012106786

 

[Barrister]

I dont think that electric pickups are really there yet but I can see that they might be in a few years. I have driven a BYD passenger car in Europe and was totally impressed by it. Pickups might take longer. I am wondering if the electrics have developed to the point that we no longer need to mandate them but just let the free market select the cars?

[Victoria Watcher]

Tesla stick up 25% in the last 30 days.

To the moon!

[Barrister]

Teslas sales in China are really horrible. If this decline continues then maybe Tesla might have to consider reducing its footprint.

[Victoria Watcher]

It follows a call for power in 2024, which resulted in the confirmation of 10 new renewable-energy projects partly owned by First Nations.

 

Penner said news of the second call so soon after the first is a signal the government is aware there is a “serious issue” and it’s trying to respond.

 

Still, Penner said it will take some years for the projects to come online.

 

In the meantime, he said B.C. should look at measures to curtail electricity demand, such as removing or moderating electric vehicle mandates and using natural gas rather than American electricity to fill the gaps.

 

https://vancouversun...o-power-concern

[Mike K.]

Remember when Doug Ford tariffed electricity destined for the US, for like a day?

[Barrister]

Honda announced that it is "delaying" its EV plant in Ontario for at least two years.

More likely it will build it in the US. This is a sign of things to come for Canada's car manufacturing sector. Over time and not all that much time it is likely that car manufacturing will be moved back to the US.

 

Even if a new deal is struck, I suspect that most of the car companies will invest in the US rather than Canada with the uncertainty of tariffs in the future. The high tariffs on steel and aluminum are also really hurting Ontario and Quebec. Does anyone have any idea what sort of jobs losses we might be looking at between the three industries? 

 

It may be time to seriously consider opening up the Canadian market to Chinese cars especially since China imposed a 100% retaliatory tariff on some Canadian agricultural products. As shocking as I find it, China might be a more reliable trade partner than the US at this point. 

[Victoria Watcher]

The high tariffs on steel and aluminum are also really hurting Ontario and Quebec. Does anyone have any idea what sort of jobs losses we might be looking at between the three industries? 

 

 

Impact by sector:

 

• The manufacturing sector lost 31,000 jobs, most of them in Ontario, where the country’s automotive plants are located.
• Windsor, a border city with Detroit and heavily reliant on the auto industry, saw its unemployment rate rise to 10.7%, an increase of 1.4 percentage points.

 

 

https://mundonow.com...o-6-9-in-april/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 May 2025 - 07:11 AM.

[Mike K.]

There will be an economic migration from Ontario to the western provinces, I imagine.

[Matt R.]

Why do we tariff Chinese ev’s at all? We don’t have a domestic industry to protect, do we?

[Matt R.]

There will be an economic migration from Ontario to the western provinces, I imagine.

Good. Business is booming and I’m hiring.

[Victoria Watcher]

The carts are legal for street use in Victoria, Oak Bay, ­Esquimalt and designated parts of Saanich, on any street with a speed limit of 50 km/h or under.

 

 

https://www.timescol...ctoria-10650998

 

 

 

So this type of vehicle is presumably allowed for anyone that owns one?   Are there any being driven around now by local owners?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 May 2025 - 11:50 AM.

[Mike K.]

Never, ever have I seen a golf cart cruising down a local street.

Something seems crazy about this. Haven’t we spent decades making vehicles safer for occupants, then suddenly golf carts are permitted on local roads? So odd.