Canada needs to boost charging infrastructure to encourage more people to buy EVs, study says


Naimul Karim
Mon, August 28, 2023

BRITAIN-TRANSPORT-AUTOMOBILE-ELECTRIC-VEHICLES

Canada needs to boost its charging infrastructure and tackle “range anxiety” to encourage more people to buy electric vehicles, according to an annual study conducted by global accounting firm Ernst & Young Global Ltd. (EY).

The study said 55 per cent of the 15,000 people surveyed in 20 countries were interested in buying EVs, which is a slight increase from 52 per cent last year. The interest level in Canada increased to 52 per cent, up from 46 per cent last year, but that is still behind the global average.

This “gap” between Canada and the world is closing, Jennifer Rogers, EY Canada’s National Automotive and Transportation Leader said, but the nation’s progress as far as EVs are concerned has been a “little bit slow,” which could primarily be because Canadians are still not confident enough to travel long distances in an EV — or range anxiety.

“There is a lot of talk about the critical minerals, the supply chain around electric vehicles, the manufacturing of them in Canada, but I still think there is a big lag in terms of the infrastructure side of things in order to really get consumers on board that move to EVs,” she said. “We won’t move fast enough without there being a noticeable impact in that area.”

Light-duty vehicles, such as passenger cars, SUVs and light trucks, account for about half of Canada’s emissions from the transportation sector, according to government data. To meet Canada’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, the government is forcing the car industry to only sell zero-emission vehicles, such as EVs, by 2035.

New zero-emission vehicles made up 8.6 per cent of all new motor vehicles registered in the first quarter of 2023, which is an increase of about one percentage point from the first quarter of 2022, but a decline from the fourth quarter when it was 9.6 per cent.

People are “anxious” about access to charging outside of their homes, Rogers said. “The public charging infrastructure is still relatively light within Canada.”

As an example, she said there are just three chargers for every 100 EVs in Ontario.

The situation may be worse for people who live in multi-storeyed apartments that don’t have access to chargers, she added. This could play a part in creating range anxiety.

In July, seven major automakers including General Motors Co., Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and Honda Motor Co. Ltd., said they were joining forces to build a large North American EV charging network. Rogers said such announcements help drive positive EV sentiment, but the government needs to ensure there’s a “continuous focus” on improving charging infrastructure.

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“I really think that’s going to help move the needle,” she said.

This is the first time since EY began conducting the annual survey in 2020 that high price of fuel was the top motivator for switching to EVs globally. It surpassed environmental concerns which topped the list last year.

• Email: nkarim@postmedia.com


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See inside a revolutionary flying car that will cost $789,000 and just started test flights

 

 

 

 

 

Tim Levin

Mon, August 28, 2023 at 3:00 a.m. MDT

I got to ride in the very first prototype of Aska's flying car. It looked nothing like this rendering of the final version.Aska

• Flying cars could finally be on the horizon.

• Aska, a California-based startup, is working on an electric aircraft that can drive on US roads.

• The Aska A5 is scheduled to land in 2026 with a price tag near $800,000.

Flying cars may be closer to reality than you think.

Northern California-based startup Aska is trying to finally deliver what humans have been dreaming about for decades: A car that can drive on the road and then, with the flip of a switch, take off into the sky, "Back to the Future" style.

Here's what it was like to ride in Aska's first prototype — and what the future may hold if the startup gets off the ground.

Meet the Aska A5, a bizarre-looking helicopter-car hybrid that could finally make the dream of flying cars a reality.

Aska's first flying-car prototype is definitely more aircraft than car. Tim Levin/Insider

The world has been collectively obsessed with the idea of cars that can drive and fly for decades, but they haven't taken off in any real way yet. Aska wants to change that.

The California-based startup has been working on developing its flying car since 2018.

Aska is targeting commuters who want to live farther from cities. Tim Levin/Insider

It recently finished its first prototype (pictured here), which I got to ride in and see for myself. My test ride lasted about 10 minutes, and we stuck to the ground.

Read more: I've reviewed 27 electric vehicles, including a $2 million supercar and a $20,000 3-wheeler. Here's what makes them all unique.

 

Its prototype recently won approval for flight testing by the Federal Aviation Administration, and Aska has done some hovering so far.

The A5 is only designed to travel 10 miles or less. Tim Levin/Insider

It's the second flying car startup to get FAA certification this year, after Alef Aeronautics.

The firm wants to revolutionize commuting and help customers live farther away from their offices in expensive cities like San Francisco, Aska CEO and cofounder Guy Kaplinsky told me during my test ride.

A rendering of the Aska A5 flying car.Aska

Aska says the A5 will be able to cruise at 150 mph and travel 250 miles between fueling stops. It's powered by electric motors and a range-extending gas generator.

The A5 will be able to take off and land vertically, like a drone or helicopter, as well as horizontally, like a regular plane.

Aska plans to offer a car-sharing service for commuters. Tim Levin/Insider

Its rear wing and propellers can rotate 90 degrees to switch between forward flight or vertical landings. Other companies are working on electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (commonly called eVTOLs), but those flying taxis can't drive on the ground.

For driving on the road, the A5's wings fold inward, creating a more compact, roadworthy package.

The prototype is about as large as an F-350 pickup. The final car will be about 30% smaller. Tim Levin/Insider

But you should think of it as an aircraft that can drive, rather than a car that can fly. Aska is looking to get the A5 approved for local roads with slower speed limits at first.

Aska doesn't want to replace your car. It only envisions customers driving 10 miles or less, between their home or workplace and a takeoff location.

Aska's flying car will at first be able to drive on local roads with slower speed limits. Tim Levin/Insider

Still, it wants the A5 to be at least somewhat convenient on the road. The prototype is about the size of a huge Ford F-350 pickup truck, but Aska is targeting the footprint of a more modest F-150 for the final product. That should make it easier to park.

Read more: See inside a test Boeing 777X, which has flown more than 1,300 hours as the planemaker races to certify its new $442 million jet by 2025

The early prototype I saw was pretty bare-bones.

The prototype's interior was rough and not production-ready. Tim Levin/Insider

The cockpit was rough and the doors barely closed. But that's expected for such an early iteration.

It had little screens instead of side mirrors, six-point harnesses, and all sorts of screens.

The final version will seat four people and have a more refined, screen-heavy interior.

A rendering of the Aska A5 flying car.Aska

But Aska says that the production car won't be as luxurious as a high-end car like a Rolls-Royce. Luxury is heavy, and weight is the enemy of flight.

The Aska A5 can be yours for $789,000 to start. The company says it's on track to start deliveries in 2026.

A rendering of the Aska A5 flying car.Aska

If that's a little too steep for you, Aska is also planning a more affordable car-sharing service.

Read the original article on 

Broken Satellite Risks Big Claim in Shrinking Insurance Market


Loren Grush and Todd Shields
Mon, August 28, 2023 



(Bloomberg) -- Viasat Inc. has more than $1 billion of orbiting satellites in trouble, and space insurers are girding for market-rattling claims.

The company’s roughly $1 billion ViaSat-3 Americas satellite, central to expanding its fixed-broadband coverage and fending off rivals including Elon Musk’s Starlink, suffered an unexpected problem as it deployed its antenna in orbit in April. Should Viasat declare it a total loss, industry executives estimate the claim would reach a record-breaking $420 million and, in turn, make it harder — and more expensive — for other satellite operators to get insurance.

Because of the financial risk associated with insuring such an expensive satellite, ViaSat-3 is probably covered by several policies across different companies.

“No one single insurer wants to take the risk by itself,” said Denis Bensoussan, who heads the satellite insurance business for Beazley Insurance, a syndicate of Lloyd’s of London, one of the panel of insurers for ViaSat-3. No other major insurer was willing to publicly disclose its role as an underwriter of the satellite.

Viasat on Aug. 24 reported another stricken spacecraft, saying its Inmarsat-6 F2 satellite launched in February suffered a power problem. The failure may end the craft’s useful life and result in a $350 million insurance claim, Space Intel Report said.

Viasat’s troubles in orbit come a few years after big-name insurers like American International Group Inc. and Allianz SE have shuttered their space portfolios. That’s left a smaller pool of providers to absorb the risks in the notoriously high-stakes $553 million market.

While major telecommunication firms with multimillion-dollar satellites still desire coverage, other space operators focused on launching large batches of smaller satellites into low-Earth orbit — such as Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. — aren’t doing the same. To them, the loss of one satellite isn’t a major issue.

Viasat executives said it’s too early to speculate on whether it will file a claim.

“There’s no consequences to us taking another couple or three months to get good measurements and then making those decisions,” Viasat’s Chief Executive Officer Mark Dankberg told analysts on Aug. 9 after the company posted better-than-expected quarterly results.

Investors are worried, though. Shares in Viasat plunged 28% in a record single-day drop after its July announcement of the ViaSat-3 problem. Executives said the satellite’s problem would curb growth in 2025, though the impact was limited to its fixed-broadband service, only about 13% of its business.

The company’s ViaSat-2 satellite launched in 2017 also experienced an antenna anomaly, triggering a $188 million claim, William Blair’s Louie DiPalma told clients last month.

“This one hurts much worse though because the wait has been so long, and because Viasat has been experiencing pressure from SpaceX,” DiPalma said.

Following news of the Inmarsat-6 anomaly, Viasat and other industry participants “will likely experience significant challenges with obtaining insurance for future satellite launches,” DiPalma said in an Aug. 25 note.

Higher Premiums

A $420 million loss would eclipse the largest-ever standing satellite loss of roughly €345 million ($373 million) for the FalconEye 1 satellite in 2019. While big for the satellite insurance market, losses can stretch into the billions of dollars in other markets like aviation.

When massive satellite losses occur, it’s often followed by a small exodus of players in the industry. As insurers leave, premiums tend to rise, according to industry experts.

In 2019, the total losses from satellite claims amounted to $788 million, which overwhelmed the total premiums for the year at $500 million, according to launch and satellite database Seradata. In the years that followed, big names like American International Group Inc., Swiss Re AG, and Allianz SE all closed the door on satellite insurance.

And if the pool of insurers shrinks, the remaining insurers will play it safer.

“People will be less keen to deploy capital on sort of risky, challenging satellites or challenging projects,” said Beazley’s Bensoussan. “Or they will demand more premium for that or they will restrict coverage.”

Satellite Insurance

The basics of satellite insurance work more or less like property insurance. Satellite operators like Viasat will typically pay premiums for covering the vehicle’s first year in orbit, with the option to renew, as well as the potential for a catastrophic failure on the launchpad.

“If the mission fails, they can be made whole,” said Patton Kline, managing director at insurance brokerage Marsh. “They can go out and buy a launch service, buy another satellite, and perform the mission again.”

For smaller satellites, operators can potentially get coverage from one insurer. However, when satellites reach the range of hundreds of millions of dollars, operators typically have to turn to a handful of insurers to reach full coverage. As of now, there are roughly 20 to 30 players in satellite insurance.

“Some of the challenges we face are low frequency of losses, but high severity,” Chris Kunstadter, global head of space at insurer AXA SA, said. “So they don’t happen often, but when they do, they’re big.”

AXA declined to comment on whether they were involved in ViaSat-3’s coverage. Marsh, another insurer, said it was not involved in the satellite’s placement.

With so many insurers on the hook for this massive payout, premiums on satellite insurance are likely to increase in the months ahead, according to insurers, raising costs for satellite operators. That jolt to the market should abate over time, but it’s also coming at a time when insurers have left a market known for high volatility and high-stakes losses.

Crowded Space

The number of active satellites in orbit has roughly quadrupled in recent years, fueled by the rise of mega-constellations such as SpaceX’s Starlink, increasing the potential for satellites to collide in space. If that happens, rates could go up for those particular satellites, Marsh’s Kline said.

SpaceX does not insure its satellites, according to insurers. As more venture-backed companies join the scene and inject smaller satellites into low-Earth orbit, the desire for satellite insurance has waned. When sending up large batches of small to medium satellites at once, the loss of one or more of those spacecraft isn’t so dire — especially compared to the loss of one massive satellite like the roughly 13,000-pound ViaSat-3.

“A lot of premium is missing,” Bensoussan said. “And that’s probably one of the reasons why even though the space industry is very, very dynamic and is growing a lot, the space insurance market is not growing. It has remained fairly stable.”

ECOCIDE

Toronto chemical spill endangering wildlife in Lake Ontario

CBC News: The National

9 hours ago 

 #Wildlife #LakeOntario #cbcnews

The fallout from a massive industrial fire in Toronto's west end that spilled chemicals into a nearby creek earlier this month is severely impacting wildlife.

 

 What is known about the cause of the industrial fire in Toronto

CTV News

2 weeks ago

CP24's Lindsay Biscaia has the latest details on the fight to extinguish a massive industrial fire in Toronto.

 

 Huge industrial fire in Toronto | AERIAL VIEW FROM CTV NEWS CHOPPER

CTV News

2 Weeks Ago

The CTV News chopper captures crews battling a large fire in Toronto’s west end.

 

Massive fire breaks out at Toronto chemical plant

Global News

Aug 11, 2023  

#GlobalNews #fire #toronto

A massive six-alarm fire broke out early Friday morning at an industrial chemical facility in Etobicoke, where petroleum-based fluids and chemicals are stored.

More than 100 firefighters, police and paramedics assisted with controlling the fire.

“It’s one of the most significant fires that we have seen in the city in the last number of years,” Deputy Fire Chief Jim Jessop said.

All businesses in the area were closed or evacuated by Toronto police though no injuries were reported.

Brittany Rosen has the latest on the investigation.

CANADA
Unifor autoworkers overwhelmingly vote to authorize strikes at GM, Ford, Stellantis

The Canadian Press
Sun, August 27, 2023 



TORONTO — Workers at a trio of major automakers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of allowing their union to call a strike if bargaining committees can't secure new collective agreements in the coming months.

Unifor, Canada's largest private-sector union, says its members at Ford Motor Company, General Motors and Stellantis all voted between 98 and 99 per cent in favour of the strike mandate.

The vote took place over the weekend amid a pause in bargaining talks. The current batch of collective agreements, which cover 18,000 workers at the "Detroit Three" automakers, are set to expire before midnight on Sept. 18.

The results mirror a strike mandate handed down by members of the U.S.-based United Auto Workers union on Friday, who are negotiating with the trio of automakers at the same time.

Unifor National President Lana Payne issued a release saying the union's bargaining teams are set to resume talks with support from members across the auto sector and are prepared to take any necessary action to achieve their goals.

She says their bargaining committees are focused on improving pensions, increasing wages and securing good union jobs in a future set to be dominated by electric vehicles.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2023.

The Canadian Press

Manitoba liquor workers ratify deal, but union still set to strike at Crown insurer

The Canadian Press
Sun, August 27, 2023 



WINNIPEG — Liquor workers in Manitoba have voted to accept a deal reached last week with the province's Crown-owned liquor and lotteries corporation, ending a strike that began in July, just as another strike is set to begin with the province's Crown-owned auto insurer.

The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union says the deal reached Wednesday for liquor workers has been ratified, although exact results of the vote weren't released.

MGEU President Kyle Ross says most of the 1,400 members covered in the deal will see wage increases totaling 12 per cent over four years, with many seeing "a little bit more than that."

A statement by Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries characterizes the increases as just two per cent per year, which it says were what was on the table throughout the dispute and are consistent with other public sector settings, including many MGEU workplaces.

The employer's statement says the difference with the agreement that's been ratified is that special pay-scale adjustments driven by an upcoming Oct. 1 provincial minimum wage increase will be reallocated, to ensure the lowest paid workers get more.

The union also represents 1,700 workers at Manitoba Public Insurance, and Ross says they are proceeding with plans for a full walkout Monday in order to back talks for a new deal.

"We'd like to get a fair deal for workers at MPI as well," Ross said in a phone interview Sunday.

"Unfortunately we have to go on strike and impact Manitobans."

Voting on the agreement with liquor workers began Thursday and continued until noon Sunday, and Ross said there was a good turnout for the vote.

The liquor workers had been without a collective agreement for over a year and had been holding short-term strikes since July. A provincewide strike began earlier this month after the employer shuttered more of its locations as contract talks stalled.

The union said members working at the MBLL distribution centre will be back to work Sunday evening, with all other members returning to their jobs as early as Monday.

Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries said all Liquor marts will be open Monday, although one store in Winnipeg and another in Brandon will be exclusive to commercial customers until later this week. It said deliveries to commercial partners including private retailers, such as liquor vendors, and licensees, such as bars and restaurants, will begin next week.

"MBLL has not had a strike since the 1970s, so we appreciate that the last six weeks may have shaken public confidence in us," the corporation said in a news release.

"Everyone at MBLL remains fully committed to delivering on all expectations of us -- for our customers, business partners, and all Manitobans."

Ross said the union had hoped to bargain this weekend with MPI for a resolution in that dispute, but said the employer wouldn't talk.

MPI said in a statement Saturday that its comprehensive offer would provide unionized employees with guaranteed 17 per cent increases over four years, coupled with an offer to go to binding arbitration on the issue of general wage increases.

The union has said the wage offer is not really a 17 per cent increase because it includes one-time payments and some non-wage items.

MPI said if there's a strike, its contact centre will remain open for reporting personal injury claims, non-driveable collision claims and total-theft claims.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2023.

The Canadian Press

UK

Suella Braverman attacks 'politicised' European judges in fresh vow to stop the boats 

She refused to rule out the prospect of Britain leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Charles Hymas
Mon, 28 August 2023 

Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, seen in Westminster as she tours TV studios during morning interviews - Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press

Suella Braverman has attacked European judges as “politicised” and “interventionist” by treading in UK national sovereignty as she refused to rule out the prospect of Britain leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The Home Secretary said the Government would do “whatever it takes” to stop the boats when asked if the UK would leave the ECHR should the Supreme Court and Strasbourg judges continue to thwart its policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda.

However, she said the Government was not thinking or talking about the possibility of leaving the ECHR “right now” but was instead working to deliver on its “stop the boats” plan.

Speaking on the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme, Mrs Braverman also said the Government would only be able to start operationalising its new small boats legislation after the Supreme Court rules later this year on the legality of the Rwanda deportation flights.

Rishi Sunak’s Illegal Migration Act, which became law last month, gives ministers powers to detain anyone who enters the UK illegally and swiftly deport them to a third safe country such as Rwanda or to their home nation.

However, flights to Rwanda have been grounded since June 2022 when a single Strasbourg judge from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) granted an injunction against them, known as a Rule 39 order, behind closed doors at the last minute.

The injunction suspended flights until the legality of the policy was decided by UK courts. This process will come to a head in October when the Supreme Court determines whether the Court of Appeal was right, by a two to one majority, to rule the flights unlawful on the basis that asylum seekers would be unsafe in Rwanda.

Mrs Braverman, who declared her support for quitting the ECHR during the Tory leadership race, said: “The Strasbourg court is in my view a politicised court.

“It’s been expanding upon national sovereignty. Last year we saw very plainly how the Strasbourg court thwarted our attempts for flights to take off to Rwanda through an opaque last minute process which undermined the decisions of this government.”
‘We’ve enacted landmark legislation’

Asked if she wanted the UK out of the ECHR, she said: “My personal views are clear. As I said, it’s a politicised court. It’s interventionist. It’s treading on the territory of national sovereignty.

“But no one’s talking about leaving the ECHR right now. We are working to deliver our plan. We’ve enacted landmark legislation. We are confident in the lawfulness of our agreement with Rwanda.

“I’m confident in its lawfulness and we hope the Supreme Court agrees with us and pending that outcome. We will be doing whatever it takes to ensure that we can stop the boats.

Asked again if she supported leaving the ECHR, she replied: “It’s absolutely clear that if we’re thwarted in the courts, because of the ECHR, if we are thwarted, in Strasburg, we will do whatever it takes. The Prime Minister has been adamant about that. There must be no stone left.”

Mrs Braverman confirmed the Government was looking at tagging migrants as one of a “range of options” to enable ministers to enact its plans to detain anyone who arrived in the UK illegally so they could be deported to a safe third country.

Ministers have been forced to consider further measures because of a shortage of immigration detention places, of which there are currently only 2,500, and the continued surge in migrants crossing the Channel with 19,000 having arrived so far this year.

The Home Secretary admitted that key provisions of its small boats laws could not be enacted until the legality of the Rwanda deportation plan was decided by the Supreme Court. A verdict is expected at the end of November or December after the hearing in the second week of October.
‘Rwanda partnerships’

“We will have to wait for the outcome of the litigation in the Supreme Court relating to our Rwanda partnerships before we can properly operationalise the main provisions of the Act,” she said.

She refused to give a date for the return of asylum seekers to the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, Dorset, after all 39 migrants were evacuated following the discovery of Legionella bacteria in the water supply, a bug that can cause the deadly Legionnaires’ disease.

However, she said she had made clear her “anger” and “frustration” at the decision to allow asylum seekers onto the barge before the contractors had received back the Legionella test result.

Ministers were left in the dark about the problems until nearly three days after the discovery. “Am I frustrated with what’s happened? Am I angry with what’s happened? Absolutely, I am, and I’ve made it very clear to the parties involved, to the civil servants who were involved in it, who oversaw that,” she said.

“I ultimately take responsibility. The buck stops with me for everything that happens at the Home Office. And we’re working very quickly to remedy the situation and move people back onto the barge as quickly as possible.”

Peatlands are the climate bomb waiting to explode

Devika Rao, Staff writer
Mon, August 28, 2023

Flow Country peatland in Scotland Jeff J. Mitchell / Getty Images

The number and intensity of wildfires have increased due to climate change and are only expected to worsen over time. Along with ruining air quality and causing destruction, wildfires also play a part in worsening climate change in general. This is because the burning damages peatlands and permafrost peatlands, which could have catastrophic outcomes.

What are peatlands?

Peatlands are "terrestrial wetland ecosystems in which waterlogged conditions prevent plant material from fully decomposing," per the International Peatland Society. They are located on every continent and climate and because they are made up of organic matter have trapped lots of carbon dioxide. Many peatlands have been frozen over thousands of years in permafrost with "nearly 20% of the permafrost areas, store[ing] nearly 50% of soil carbon of the permafrost ecosystem, equal to nearly 10% of the global terrestrial soil carbon pool," according to Phys.org.

"Peatlands are one of the world's largest terrestrial carbon stores, because they've been taking in carbon for thousands and thousands of years and storing it there," Lorna Harris, of the Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada, told CBC. Frozen peatlands in particular are holding on to almost 40 billion tons of carbon within them, which is a ticking time bomb of emissions due to climate change, according to ScienceDaily.

How are they in danger?

Climate change has put permafrost peatlands in danger as the temperature rises and wildfires become more prevalent. Humans have also been draining peatland to convert for agricultural or forestry purposes. "When El Niño brings dry weather to the region, fires in the region can go out of control for several weeks or more, with lots of peat burning," Loretta Mickley, a wildfire expert, told The Harvard Gazette.

The warmer temperatures have also caused "zombie fires," which are underground fires that "don't die easily," according to The Conversation. These fires "do not flame but burn more slowly and have the tendency to spread deep into the ground and spread laterally." The Arctic is also warming at an accelerated rate compared to the rest of the world, and as the fires move northward, "peat soils rich in dead plant material burn at an accelerated rate."

"The burning peat also removes the layer insulating permafrost, the region's frozen carbon-rich soil," The Conversation continued. Both permafrost and peatland are becoming increasingly vulnerable to wildfires. "The chemical stability of permafrost peatlands carbon pool have closely related to the environmental disturbance factors," remarked Dr. Gao Chuanyu, the co-author of a 2023 study on how climate disturbances impact the stability of peatland carbon pools, told Phys.org.

What happens if they are destroyed?

The destruction of peatlands can cause billions of tons of carbon to be released into the atmosphere, worsening the already intensifying climate crisis. Also, "fires can thaw permafrost, beginning a cascade of microbial processes that may also generate greenhouse gases. The biggest problem is "that carbon will take at least another 1,000 years to go back into the peat," Mickley explained.

"So you get the carbon loss from the fire and you get the carbon lost from the permafrost thaw and then a more rapid change in the land cover," Harris remarked. "If we don't restore that ecosystem to at least make it carbon neutral and ideally make it a carbon sink again, it is a source of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere."