Ford F-150 Lightning headlines this quarter, Lucid arrives in Canada and first BEVs for Genesis, Subaru and Toyota are announced in the Q2 EV recap

In a potential seismic move for the electric vehicle industry in this country, Ford will officially bring the very first all-electric pickup truck to market in Canada this quarter: the F-150 Lightning. A battery electric version of the F-Series pickup, the best-selling vehicle since 2009 and the best-selling pickup truck for 56 years in Canada, it is slated to beat the Rivian R1T and the Hummer EV pickup to market here in Q2.

That’s in contrast to the U.S., where both the Rivian and the Hummer BEV pickups began customer deliveries late last year.

Luxury electric start-up Lucid is slated to begin deliveries in the second quarter of 2022 as well, perhaps as early as this month, having opened a second Canadian Lucid Studio in Ontario at upscale Yorkdale shopping mall after opening its first in Vancouver last fall. There was already a Tesla store as well at Yorkdale, and a VinFast location is set to open there by the time the Vietnamese company’s EVs start to arrive in Canada (currently penciled in for late 2022). 

Multiple other brands are also bringing their first BEVs to the Canadian market this quarter. Subaru, Toyota and Hyundai’s luxury marque Genesis all have electric crossovers due by the end of June (barring unexpected delays). Both Subaru and Toyota previously offered plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) models, but these will be their first all-electric offerings in Canada.

Finally, as of this week, the federal government instituted a new category of rebates for larger electric pickups, minivans and SUVs with base prices under $60,000 and with options up to $70,000. The maximum base price for electric cars eligible for the rebate was also raised to $55,000 from $45,000, with a new maximum after options of $65,000. As seen with previous government EV rebate programs tied to certain price points, expect automakers to make adjustments to their base prices and product offerings to align with these price levels, likely both upwards and (perhaps) downwards. 

Ford F-150 Lightning

The Ford F-150 Lightning promises to be such a popular EV that the Canadian government arguably adjusted its electric vehicle rebate to ensure that the Lightning would be eligible once the all-electric Ford goes on sale in Q2. Ford officially began production on April 26, with a launch event and live stream for folks who have ordered the truck to get to know it, with another such online event scheduled for May 24.

It’s unclear when exactly Lightning deliveries will arrive at dealers, but Ford Canada has recently confirmed that the Lightning is on track for a spring arrival here as well as the U.S.

In response to the stunning demand for the vehicle, the automaker announced this week that the company will be ramping up production of the Lightning at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan in order to exceed its original annual production targets and instead hit 150,000 vehicles per year in 2023.

Ford also recently released its EPA-certified range figures for the Lightning, which varies from 370 kilometres for all SR (standard-range) models, and up to 515 km for extended range (ER) models, though slightly less for top-trim Platinum models that promise up to 483 km. The F-150 Lightning Pro will start at $58,000, but will be available to fleet buyers only, while the consumer XLT model starts at $68,000, barring any last-minute price adjustments. Both versions are expected to qualify for the federal purchase incentive.

The F-150 Lightning will be available at it’s Q2 launch at more than 360 EV-certified Ford dealers across Canada, the company said.

Genesis GV60 mid-size crossover

The price of the Genesis GV60 crossover is slated to be announced in mid-May, with customer deliveries planned soon after, confirmed company spokesperson Dustin Woods. It will be built off the same E-GMP platform as the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5, both of which feature top trims that land right around $60,000.

The GV60 will come standard with a 77.4 kWh battery, and though range has not been announced yet, similar sized batteries in the EV6 and Ioniq 5 top trims provide between 488 (Hyundai) to 499 km (Kia) of range in rear-drive models and between 414 to 441 km in their respective all-wheel drive versions.

The GV60 will be offered in Advanced and more powerful Performance trims, both of which will come with 250+ kW DC quick charging, heat pumps and over-the-air updates. It will feature swoopy crossover ‘coupe’ styling, says the relatively young brand, which is still trying to establish itself in the marketplace as a distinct luxury offering.

No official word on when the Electrified G80 full-size sedan will arrive, which looks largely identical to its gas-only G80 namesake, but the EV will likely be available in low volumes at some point in 2022, but not in Q2.

Lucid Air full-size sedan

In contrast to the F-150 Lightning’s vast dealer availability, brand new all-electric brand Lucid currently only has two Studio retail locations in Canada, with a third planned in Quebec in the fall, as well as an upcoming service centre for the Toronto area. But Lucid’s large Air sedan brings to market its own notable technical achievement: once it goes on sale in Q2, it will offer the most range of any EV on the market at 837 km.

That particular figure is the one for the early Dream Range edition, with 933 hp, while the Dream Performance model sacrificed some range to achieve 1,111 hp. The next versions of the Air to come off the production line will be the Air Grand Touring models, said company officials, which start at $191,300, and offer 800 hp along with 830 km of NRCan-rated (similar to EPA) range.

The Air is roughly the size of a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, but with the interior room of a larger S-Class and will likely become the quickest charging EV on the market, at a theoretical peak of 329 kW charging speeds, thanks to its 924-volt quick-charging system. This will allow the Lucid Air to add up to 350 km of driving range in just 15 minutes on the quickest DC chargers, according to the company. It will also be one of the most efficient EVs on the market, at 7.4 km per kilowatt-hour on Grand Touring models.

Lucid also announced a partnership with Electrify Canada to provide early Air buyers (orders by June 30) with two years of free charging, which will be made simpler by the Air’s Plug & Charge capability, which (when enabled) offers the Tesla Supercharger-like ability to pull up, plug in and start charging straight away without wrestling with different apps or payment systems.

Toyota bZ4X compact SUV

Considering Toyota’s ground-breaking engineering work with gas-electric hybrid vehicles, introducing the Prius to the world in 1997, it’s somewhat surprising (some would say disappointing) that the Japanese global powerhouse has not sold a battery electric model in Canada up until this quarter. The company would likely argue that it has actually offered a zero-emissions electric vehicle in Canada for several years with the Mirai fuel cell, though it has only sold a handful of Mirai units due to limited hydrogen infrastructure.

The bZ4X will start at $44,990 for the front-wheel drive b4ZX L, and is scheduled to arrive in Canadian Toyota dealers in B.C. and Quebec by late spring, with a Canada-wide roll out happening afterward. The vehicle range offers an estimated 406 km for the base front-wheel drive (FWD) model, while the all-wheel drive (AWD) model is estimated to achieve up to 367 km using NRCan testing methods. Front-wheel drive bZ4X models will use 71.4 kWh Panasonic battery packs and be able to DC quick charge at a maximum rate of 150 kW, while the all-wheel drive models will use slightly larger 72.8 kWh batteries made by CATL, which have lower maximum DC quick charge rates of 100 kW.

An extra motor in the rear of the AWD version adds 13 horsepower over the FWD version (214 hp vs. 201 hp), though weight is also up slightly as well, suggesting you won’t feel much difference in acceleration. On the other hand, both the range and top maximum DC quick charging speed are notably less in the AWD models of this RAV4-sized BEV.

Subaru Solterra compact SUV

The Subaru Solterra is closely related to the Toyota bZ4X. Both vehicles use a co-developed BEV-dedicated platform, though Subaru will offer it only in all-wheel drive form in Canada, in keeping with its reputation for all-weather and AWD models. Though pricing for the Solterra has not been announced, its standard AWD will likely give the Subaru a higher base price than its front-wheel drive Toyota counterpart, which starts at $44,990, barring any revised rebate-influenced price changes.

With a 71.4-kilowatt-hour usable battery pack, Subaru promises an estimated 354 km on a charge, though the Solterra hasn’t been officially rated yet. Subaru Canada says it will arrive mid-year, so it may yet sneak into the country by the end of June.