Is Ontario destined to become a relic of the auto industry? - Hamilton Spectator
Ben Faiola drives his Michigan-made Chevy Volt into his garage, turns it off and just walks away. Usually, he'd have to do what nearly all electric vehicle owners must do to start their next trip on a fully charged battery: plug the car into a wall charger. He's one of a handful of people in Canada who has installed a wireless EV charging system called Plugless, developed by Richmond, Virginia-based Evatran Group. The system just sits on the floor of Faiola's garage. All he has to do is drive over it with the help of a wall-based unit that uses light signals to guide him in like an airplane on a runway. Once the vehicle is properly positioned, magnetic fields are used to transfer energy across several inches of air from the floor pad to a receiving coil attached to the bottom of the car. It's the future of EV charging, says Faiola, who as an employee of Autochargers. Here to stay, maybe, but not made here – not in Ontario, the country's automotive manufacturing heartland. There are no established manufacturers of EV charging stations in Ontario. There is no apparent vision or strategy aimed at positioning Canada's largest economy as a hub of electric vehicle innovation or manufacturing. "There's a lack of leadership in Ontario," he laments, pointing blame not just at government, but all industry stakeholders – universities, auto companies, auto industry suppliers and others. Source: www.thespec.com
