Toronto, Ontario – In this week’s electric and autonomous vehicle report, Wallbox expands its operations into Canada, Sudbury held its first conference to discuss battery materials in the region and consumer EV registrations appear to be on a sharp rise.
A Box on a Wall
Canadian EV owners now have the option for a simpler at-home charging experience now that Wallbox has announced that it is expanding its operations northward.
Drivers are now able to buy a new 40 or 48-amp 240V Wallbox Pulsar Plus charger for home-use straight from the Best Buy website for $924.99 and $999.99 respectively. The unit is compatible with every EV currently on the market, though Tesla users will require an adapter.
Being both Bluetooth and WiFi compatible, the Pulsar Plus allows users to remotely manage and monitor their vehicle’s charging process via a smartphone or digital assistant.
In addition to being stocked through Best Buy, Wallbox has plans to open a Mississauga, Ont. warehouse which is expected to give the company a more concrete foothold in the Canadian EV charger market.
Underground Insights
Sudbury, Ont. held its first ever EV conference in May’s last full week, attempting to show off why the northern city is poised to be the future of battery development.
Held on May 25 and 26 at Science North, the “BEV In-Depth: Mines to Mobility” conference brought together educators, policymakers, recyclers and industry leaders from the worlds of automotive and mining for a summit on how to put the city on the map as a hub for battery materials.
“A lot of people don’t realize that the minerals we mine locally are part of the batteries required for electric vehicles,” said Sudbury’s climate change co-ordinator, Jennifer Babin-Fenske.
“This conference is that marriage between the mining industry and the electric vehicle push. Our mining companies are already using (electric vehicle) technology underground, and now we want to try to encourage people to adopt it above ground as well.”
Steepening the Curve
The latest numbers on EV registrations in Canada have come in and indicate that about one out of every 12 vehicles registered between Jan. 1 and March 31 is electric, making up 8.3 percent of total vehicle registrations during that period.
According to data provided by London-based consulting firm IHS Markit, this figure is up from the 6.5 percent of EV registrations recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021.
That fourth quarter figure is itself up from 5.6 percent of registrations recorded in the third quarter of 2021, marking a notable steepening of the curve toward more rapid EV adoption.
“Inventory constraints, new BEV and PHEV entrants, and increased fuel prices have accelerated the uptake of BEV and PHEV vehicles in the Canadian market,” stated IHS Markit in its quarterly “Automotive Insights” report.
