Plugged In

We kick off season 10 of the Plugged In podcast with Canadian EV expert Ken Bokor offering up his top five new EVs. That’s more difficult as it sounds as there are over 40 all-new, all-electrics arriving in Canadian showrooms in the next year.

As always, Ken, who hosts the EV Revolution Show on YouTube, brings a consumer-focused lens to his picks, with insights into why these EVs will stand out from the crowded pack.

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We all knew and expected government EV rebate and incentive programs would end, but is now a good time to expect electric vehicles to stand on their own against less-expensive ICE vehicles?

To get some perspective on this, and on other issues facing Canada’s automotive industry — and as you know there are many — Global Automakers of Canada CEO and president David Adams provides some great insights into where the EV segment is going in Canada, what needs to be done to keep the adoption momentum going, and of course, tariffs.

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Steve Flamand of Hyundai Canada sits down with Andrew McCredie to talk about his company’s strong presence in the EV sector in Canada and what the future looks like in that segment. 

His company is firing on all kilowatts with 2024 being a very strong sales year for Hyundai in Canada. Hyundai sales improved 13.9 per cent over 2023. 

And on the electrified front — that being a mix of hybrids, plug-hybrids and all- electrics — Hyundai delivered 45,159 vehicles to Canadian customers, representing a whopping 35.1 per cent year-over-year increase. Hear his plans how to keep that strong trend going into 2025 and beyond.

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One couldn’t fault Toyota for feeling a little smug these days, as they are reaping the benefits — or at least not suffering as other automakers — of not pushing all their chips into the all-electric vehicle pot. They certainly took a lot of heat these past few years for not pivoting quicker to build and sell EVs, but now that wait-and-see attitude seems to be paying off.

On this episode of our special View from the C-Suite podcast series, Toyota Canada President and CEO Cyril Dimitris sits down to talk about how the company plans to keep its very strong electrified vehicle sales in 2024 going through 2025 and beyond. One of many success stories is the all-electric Toyota BZ4x, which will soon be available in provinces besides B.C. and Quebec, where it has been on sale for a year.

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If you haven’t been paying attention, here’s a newsflash: Kia is making some of the most stylish and most technologically advanced all-electric vehicles available in Canada.

And the great news is, as you’ll hear from Kia Canada vice-president and COO Elias El-Achhab on this episode of our special View from the C-Suite podcast series, there are two more all-new Kia EVs coming to Canada very soon. 

He’ll also explain why Kia Canada is investing in public charging, and recount his first-ever experience with electric vehicles way back in the mid-Nineties.

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On this episode of our special View from the C-Suite podcast series, Audi Canada President and VW Groups Canada and CEO Vito Paladino joins the podcast to talk about why headwinds will not slow these automaker’s all-electric vehicle plans. 

He also explains why he welcomes the challenge of Chinese-built EVs, and how he’s not too concerned about the disappearance of government incentives and rebates.

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Way back in 2019, Volvo committed to building nothing but ‘electrified’ vehicles by 2022, and hit that mark with a mix of mild-hybrids, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles. The global brand also laid out plans to build nothing but vehicles with a plug by 2023, but last year adjusted that to 90 per cent with the remaining 10 per cent to consist of mild hybrid models.

On this episode of our special View from the C-Suite podcast series, Volvo Canada managing director Matt Girgis joins us to talk about the brand’s strong EV sales in 2024 and how they plan to build on that momentum despite EV incentives going away. We also talk about what role governments at all level can play in furthering EV adoption in Canada.

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Ford of Canada sells three all-electric vehicles, the F-150 Lightning pickup truck, the E-Transit cargo van and the Mustang March-E, the latter of which outsold it’s gasoline powered stablemates three-to- one in 2024. 

That all contributed to a fantastic sales year last year for Ford’s EV segment, posting an amazing 66.1 per cent increase. On this episode of our special View from the C-Suite series, Andrew McCredie talks with Paul Roy, the man who oversees Ford of Canada’s Model e program. 

Among many talking points, Paul cites the federal and provincial incentives, that have been paused, as integral to maintaining an upward trajectory of EV sales in this country. Without them, he expects sales to dip in the coming year, but has no doubt that electric vehicles will continue to find new buyers across the country.

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You’ve heard about the electric vehicle revolution, but what about the electric landscaping revolution? Since 2000 a New Westminster, BC company called The Silent Gardener has committed to reducing its carbon footprint in a business that traditionally has relied heavily on fossil fuels to get the job done. Today, its entire fleet of work vehicles is all-electric, as is all the landscaping equipment.

Company owner Sheldon Ridout joins the podcast today to tell us about the philosophy behind his enterprise, how he and his employees manage relying just on electricity to power their work trucks and landscaping equipment, and his thoughts on the latest vehicle to join the fleet, a 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning.

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Facing the very real prospect of tumbling into outright irrelevance, storied marque Jaguar is rolling the dice on a complete transformation. The plan, with the first new model expected in late 2026, involves becoming a low-volume, high price, all-electric automaker going toe to toe with high-end automakers Bentley, Aston Martin and even Rolls-Royce. 

On today’s episode of the Plugged In Podcast, David Booth, a lifelong Jaguar fan incidentally, questions not only the plan itself but more importantly, the timing.

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