Havelaar Canada unveils Bison electric pickup truck
#1
Havelaar Canada unveils Bison electric pickup truck
It looks like Workhorse has a contender in the electric truck game. The Canadian arm of a company called Havelaar unveiled its Bison battery electric pickup at the EVVE Conference in Ontario this week.
Launched in partnership with the University of Toronto, the Havelaar Bison features a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain that is designed to withstand Canada's cold weather and rough terrain. It uses an electronic vehicle dynamics management system, and is engineered to tackle steep off-road grades under a full load. It's built upon a carbon fiber-reinforced steel space frame, and Havelaar promises "class-leading" torsional stiffness.
Launched in partnership with the University of Toronto, the Havelaar Bison features a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain that is designed to withstand Canada's cold weather and rough terrain. It uses an electronic vehicle dynamics management system, and is engineered to tackle steep off-road grades under a full load. It's built upon a carbon fiber-reinforced steel space frame, and Havelaar promises "class-leading" torsional stiffness.
The Bison's battery pack offers a driving range of 186 miles on a single charge. It provides 46 cubic feet of exterior cargo space, with another 18 cubic feet of lockable storage. Inside the cabin is a digital instrument panel, as well as a large, central touchscreen display reminiscent of that in a Tesla. Other details are still scarce, including price and production intent.
Workhorse group recently unveiled its W-15 range-extended electric pickup for fleets, and is exploring offering a consumer version as well. Tesla also has plans to produce an electric pickup in 18 to 24 months, according to a tweet from CEO Elon Musk.
Workhorse group recently unveiled its W-15 range-extended electric pickup for fleets, and is exploring offering a consumer version as well. Tesla also has plans to produce an electric pickup in 18 to 24 months, according to a tweet from CEO Elon Musk.
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#3
Needs smaller than gigantic screens in the dashboard and some more physical buttons, dials and *****. I know screens that huge are not truly needed to monitor functions and various statuses on any electric vehicle. The center screen leaves almost no area at all for any custom installed in-dash equipment for specialty applications. Otherwise it looks like a modern truck and the AWD and 186 mile range are nice. Better than spending a lot of coin on a pricey truck EV conversion with only 30-50 miles of range but I am sure this will be an expensive truck. ^^ A CF chassis will indeed be more expensive. If only lithium-ion batteries were more lightweight for the same energy density.
#4
Lexus Fanatic
All of Canada is really freaking cold, right? Also electric cars fare much better in cold weather than fuel burners which sometimes need to be plugged in (the irony).
#5
Lexus Champion
No, not all of Canada is "really freaking cold"; it is becoming rare that Southern Ontario has much snow in the winter now.
Why should it be ironic that a battery-electric truck that does well in the cold comes from a cold country? This truck is being launched in partnership with a major Canadian research university.
#6
I guess my point was that the current Teslas have a much reduced range in cold weather. I'm talking about 10 to -10 fahrenheit, which is typical weather for parts of of the northern US and the major population centers in eastern Canada for 3-4 months of the year. Running the heat in an electric car uses a lot of battery as well. Just saying that I don't think that 186 mile range is going to happen in a typical Ontario winter, it will probably be less due to batteries not working well in the cold and the driver turning up the heat.
#7
Lexus Fanatic
I didn't think what I said could be taken any other way, guess I was wrong. I took issue with the general sentiment that well it's Canada so that must mean cold weather. That's like me asking what's the weather like in the United States.
Anyway it's true that an electric car takes a dive in efficiency when driven in cold weather, but so does a fuel burner. In very cold weather my winter car takes a major hit in efficiency. That's not something unique to an electric drivetrain, obviously. Also from a few vids I've seen of a Tesla is cold weather it did very well, didn't have any issues with "starting" unlike the gas powered cars.
Anyway it's true that an electric car takes a dive in efficiency when driven in cold weather, but so does a fuel burner. In very cold weather my winter car takes a major hit in efficiency. That's not something unique to an electric drivetrain, obviously. Also from a few vids I've seen of a Tesla is cold weather it did very well, didn't have any issues with "starting" unlike the gas powered cars.
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#8
Lexus Champion
I didn't think what I said could be taken any other way, guess I was wrong. I took issue with the general sentiment that well it's Canada so that must mean cold weather. That's like me asking what's the weather like in the United States.
Anyway it's true that an electric car takes a dive in efficiency when driven in cold weather, but so does a fuel burner. In very cold weather my winter car takes a major hit in efficiency. That's not something unique to an electric drivetrain, obviously. Also from a few vids I've seen of a Tesla is cold weather it did very well, didn't have any issues with "starting" unlike the gas powered cars.
Anyway it's true that an electric car takes a dive in efficiency when driven in cold weather, but so does a fuel burner. In very cold weather my winter car takes a major hit in efficiency. That's not something unique to an electric drivetrain, obviously. Also from a few vids I've seen of a Tesla is cold weather it did very well, didn't have any issues with "starting" unlike the gas powered cars.
There is also the difference in battery chemistry. An ICE typically uses a lead acid battery to crank it; EVs run on lithium ion batteries. One battery chemistry may perform better in colder temperatures than the other. Some types of lithium ion batteries may perform better than other types of LiIon batteries. This electric truck is probably running on a different type of LiIon battery that performs better in the cold. Tesla uses commercially-available LiIon cells that are used for consumer electronics so that battery has not been optimized for extreme-weather performance in cars and trucks.
#9
Lexus Fanatic
^^ Well said. I don't know exactly what type of chemistry Tesla is using in their batteries especially ones made in their Gigafactory. I would be surprised if they had some that were specifically optimized for cold weather.
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