How does charging work?
It’s as simple as plugging in to almost any available outlet (with the proper adaptor). The best and most convenient place to charge is at home. Use your car all day. Charge it at night while you sleep. It’s like having your own private gas station in your garage and you wake up every day with a full battery. Public charging stations are also an option when you’re on the go. There are public charging stations in all areas of Saskatchewan with new chargers popping up everyday at hotels, malls, and even traditional gas stations.
What type of connection do I use to charge?
Charging rates vary quite a bit depending on the Level of charger you’re using.
- Plug your car into any standard 110/120V outlet for a slow charge or to keep your battery warm in the winter. Typically you’ll receive up to 8kms of range per hour of charging with a full charge taking 24+hrs. Great for home use for your average commuter or for emergency charging needs.
- Most commonly having a NEMA 14-50 (oven/dryer style plug) or SAE J1772 outlet, these 220/240V chargers are often installed at home or found in public locations all over Saskatchewan. You’ll receive 30-80kms per hour of charging with a full charge taking 3-12hours depending on the station. Great for home use, local charging, or topping up your battery at your destination of travel.
- These Fast Charging stations come in a variety of standards with CCS, CHAdeMO, and Tesla Supercharger as available options. As your best charging option for travelling, the newest of these stations will charge at a rate up to 1600kms per hour and can give you an 80% charge in as little as 15 minutes! (Note: Your EV may need an adaptor to use some Level 3 chargers).
How far can I go?
Most Electric Vehicles offer a range between 350km and 550km. These ranges, coupled with fast charging stations, make road trips possible!
Where can I charge?
There are numerous charging stations across Saskatchewan with many more planned. For a list of current and planned charging stations, click here!
Does it work in winter?
Electric cars work great even in brutal Saskatchewan winters. Your car will run fine even on a -40 C day. Plugging in on these cold days (as you would with a gas vehicle) will help improve efficiency by keeping your battery warm before you’re ready to drive. Electric vehicles also have dedicated heaters and don’t rely on engine heat to warm the cabin, so they warm up incredibly fast. Your range is reduced in cold weather but this range loss can be mitigated by plugging in to keep your battery warm.
Is it expensive to fill up?
In most cases, filling up an EV is drastically cheaper than a comparable gas-powered vehicle.
Example:
A Tesla Model 3 with a 75kwh battery has an EPA rated range of 500kms. With the current cost of electricity in Saskatchewan at roughly 14.5 cents per kwh (April 2019). This means that the cost to charge your battery from empty to full would be $0.145 x 75 = $10.88. That’s $10.88 to drive 500kms!
Is it expensive to maintain?
Electric cars have very few moving parts. While a typical combustion engine has about 200 moving parts, a typical electric drive train has roughly 20. Less moving parts results in less maintenance. No engine oil or transmission fluids to change. No spark plugs or timing belt to replace. For most EVs, yearly maintenance is simply topping washer fluid, putting on new wiper blades, and rotating tires.
Will I need to replace my battery?
Battery replacement is not common in electric vehicles. Battery degradation is usually very minimal with range only being reduced by 5-10% after hundreds of thousands of kms. In the rare case a battery needs to be replaced, they are often covered under warranty. The cost of battery replacement is difficult to predict as battery technology is advancing very quickly so a comparable battery even a few years down the road would be much cheaper than current battery costs.
Aren’t electric cars boring?
Not anymore! Nowadays electric cars are cool, eye-catching, and insanely fun to drive. They offer instant torque which means VERY QUICK acceleration. The fastest accelerating production car in the world is a Tesla Model S P100 which can go from 0 to 100 km in 2.6 seconds!
Most manufacturers are also able to update software in your car using over the air (OTA) updates that can actually improve the performance, range, efficiency, and functionality of your car as you own it.
