“We have received numerous requests for images of the Kestrel car, and now that the design has been officially released, we are more than happy to satisfy that request”, said Meagan McKeage, VP Operations at Motive. 

The Kestrel is a 4 passenger electric car designed to appeal to the city driver, who for the most part is traveling alone or with one other passenger. Part of the design criteria was to make a compact city vehicle while not compromising interior space. A unique feature on the car is the location of the front wheels making it a very cab forward design. The engineering team made this possible by having the doors forward shut line open right up into the wheel well, creating ingress/egress without compromise. The very cab forward profile and compact front end make it easy to maneuver in tight traffic. 

VP Design, Darren McKeage states “To design a vehicle with presence I often look to how nature visually communicates a purpose in its purist form. For the Kestrel I wanted to create an image of athleticism and robustness to stand out against a sea of large sedans and SUV’s. I was influenced by animals like grey hounds and sharks that have these barrel chests and narrow waists that communicate strength. I’ve captured that in the design through the wheel arches and upswept form in the rocker area. These features also accentuate the wheels helping create a planted stance.”

The Motive designed Kestrel is slated to be one of the cars in the Project Eve line up.  Further details on the intention of Project Eve were released in a press release this morning put out by the consortium. Project Eve will be a consortium of Canadian companies who have come together to help advance the progress of bringing electric mobility to Canada. By working together, the companies intend to improve their respective technologies for the benefit of the Canadian marketplace. “As a co-founder of Project Eve, we are very excited to see this initiative coming together and gaining ground. We believe this is an important step for Canada and are extremely happy to be a part of such an innovative group of companies”, said Nathan Armstrong President of Motive.

Steve Dallas CEO of Toronto Electric and Nathan Armstrong President of Motive Industries co-founded Project Eve after reading the important findings published in the Roadmap for Electric Mobility for Canada, a study released earlier this year by Electric Mobility Canada in co-operation with the Government of Canada.

Indeed, Al Cormier, the Executive Director of Electric Mobility Canada, confirmed: “Our study found that Canada lacked an industry-led initiative to bring together the considerable electric mobility skills and technologies available here. If Canada is to get its fair share of the new jobs that will come from electric mobility, interested local companies must advance and improve their technologies. This consortium is a definite step in the right direction.”

Project Eve’s co-founders' direct experience in the creation of such evolutionary vehicles as the A2B and Kestrel will be invaluable in producing EV's that can be used in the Canadian fleet environment, a key target for the industry.

“We are confident that by working together we can advance the market goals of our members. Our Fleet Program in particular represents a good opportunity for Canadian Fleet Managers to introduce EV’s into their daily activities and to learn about electric mobility directly from the people who make the technologies. This will help them make educated decisions about EV’s and their use in the Canadian environment”, said Steve Dallas.

Canada, given its climate, represents a number of specific challenges for EV’s, which local companies are motivated to address together. Developing solutions to such issues as heating and cooling, road salts, range, charging and battery management can also help the members of the consortium find new markets for their products.

Initial companies involved with the planned consortium include Toronto Electric, Motive Industries of Calgary, TM4 Electrodynamic Systems, a subsidiary of Hydro-Quebec, arcx of Markham, Vecture of Vaughan, NMA of Toronto, Westward Industries of St. Francois Xavier, ENMAX Corporation of Calgary, Revolute Technologies of Calgary, Toxco of BC, and Delta-Q of BC. 

“We joined this consortium because we will have a greater impact by pooling our collective resources together”, said Renaud Cloutier, vice-president of Business development at TM4 Electrodynamic Systems. “As a leader in the design and production of advanced electric drive trains for the transport industry, TM4 is eager to share its know-how with key industry partners and to create value for the Canadian electric mobility industry.”  

Rob Harris, Director of Smart Grid Partnerships, ENMAX Corporation, stated: "When we talk about the future of electric vehicles, it's vital that we understand the role utilities will play and the impacts they will have on the grid. Initiatives such as ENMAX's employee electric vehicle program and industry initiatives like Project Eve will result in valuable data that the industry will learn from."

In addition, the consortium has formed alliances with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and Red Deer College.

“Project EVE is exactly the kind of ambitious, cross-disciplinary initiative that Canada needs in order to rapidly establish a global leadership position in electric mobility. We look forward to participating in exciting research projects related to power electronics, battery management and advanced materials that will help to develop the next generation of Canadian EV experts”, said Olivier Trescases, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto.

Project Eve is an open consortium and discussions are underway with additional participants.