Prestige Parcel

In February of 2021, Prestige Parcel made a commitment to move towards a "greener" future . We said we will never buy another new vehicle powered by gasoline or diesel. We believed (and still believe) that this sort of action is needed to get the message across to manufacturers that the time is well past for moving away from vehicles running on fossil fuels. To get to a zero carbon based transport industry, certainly on the ground and at sea is going to need massive investment at all levels, and a population that really gets behind the idea. It can be done, and I believe it must be done, and if it means I will eventually let go of my much loved Turbo Subaru, well, I will miss it, but I realise its day is done.

Air travel is another issue, and on that I have no idea by who or how an effective solution can be found. One thing is for sure, it isn't going away, so all the more need to deal with ground and sea.

So I wish I could report that Prestige Parcel has made further great strides towards that zero emissions goal. Sadly I can't. We have made some Small steps, however.

In November of 2019 we took what I still believe was a significant step by buying our first Hybrid vehicle, a Used Toyota Rav4, replacing an old V6 Dodge Caravan. The Caravan had been part of our earlier effort to cut down our fuel bill when we moved away from old V8 powered vans. The hybrid Toyota gave us an average saving on the number of litres of fuel used of between 30% and 40%. We have now put over 75,000 kms on that vehicle and another story has emerged. In all that distance, our maintenance costs have been just tires and an oil change every 10 to 12 thousand kilometres. That's it !

In mid-2021 we decided we needed to add another vehicle, and we went looking for another Hybrid. "Good luck" said the Toyota dealer we had bought from previously. "When the price of fuel started to surge the price of hybrids went though the roof". To get another like the one we had was going To cost between $5k and $10k more than we had paid six months before - if we could even find one - and there was a waiting list for new ones. We settled for getting a Nissan Rogue.... and were pleasantly surprised that on the highway, at least, the Rogue was getting nearly as good mileage figures as the Toyota, so again, we were operating with less fuel than we would have with a minivan. In late Fall we needed to expand yet again. The price for a hybrid was now out of sight. This time we found a good deal on a Mitsubishi Outlander. Bigger than the Rogue and the Rav4, it too is producing superior mileage figures to our existing Caravans, so although we are not yet anywhere near our goal of a zero carbon footprint, we are doing better than we were.

So, what about the new vehicle market ? Again, nothing but blank faces when you ask at your local "Ram" dealer when their electric commercial vans will be available. They have no idea "when", or even "what" is coming down the pipeline. They DO have their Pacifica Hybrid, but still very expensive, and very hard to get.

Nissan ? Interest, and very definitely awareness. These guys know what we're talking about. They are selling quite a lot of "Leaf" sedans - as fast as they can get hold of them, given today's fuel prices. But absolutely no news of an electric Commercial van. The e-NV200 is undergoing a redesign for a new model to be released soon, with the option of a bigger battery and longer range. YES ! But when ? No one knows, and no decision has been made on bringing it into Canada. Certainly not before 2025.

Ford ! There is more news available about the e-Transit. No, you can't have one yet, but you can order one. Oh, and the 400 km range spoken of in all the earlier publicity ? "Our customers have told us they only need a 200 km range, so that's the way we are going to build it." Pricing guidelines, only approximate, apparently indicate it is going to be expensive. They are doing the usual , loading it up with all sorts of items that you usually pay through the nose for into the standard specification. Up goes the price. Oh yes, When ? Er, they're not sure.

The good part of this is that it looks like some customers may see one or two next year.

The down side for us is that we use our full size vans for long haul ( 250 to 600 km runs ). We might be interested in an e-Transit Connect (their minivan) with a range around 200 km, but even there most of our runs are longer than that. And apparently Ford have no plans for an electric minivan.

Toyota, sadly, don't sell a commercial van. Their passenger minivan is available as a Hybrid, but is hard to get and very expensive.

Now GM. A year ago, there was very little-known about what they were doing. But there is real hope here. GM have created a new commercial vehicle unit under the name of "Bright Drop" and they are completely re-tooling one of their plants in Ontario (Yes, in Canada ) to produce their vehicles. They have two prototype electric vans already running, based on their "Ultium" platform which underpins the new Cadillac electrics, the new Hummer pick-up truck and the newly announced e-silverado pick-up. The vans are known simply as the EV 600 and EV410, with the principal difference between them being their wheelbase (and consequently size). Range to be in the 400 km bracket, and "because they have been designed from the ground up as full electric vehicles" their price is supposed to be reasonable.

The viability of these vehicles seems to be in no doubt. The assembly plant in Ontario is due to open this fall, and in the meantime an initial batch of 500 is being built by a 3rd party manufacturer in the States. FedEx has swept up the entire batch of 500 and another US based carrier has ordered at least another batch. FedEx has already taken delivery of the first few off the line.

GM is also planning to sell - and apparently install - charging facilities for both these vehicles.

Wonderful news. 400 km range is probably the minimum we could use in a full size EV..... but we've looked at our usual runs, and we could manage that. With full production starting in Ontario this Fall, these vehicles could be on the streets next year although small customers will likely have to wait a while to have a chance to get a couple of them.

Still no pricing, and no information about how to get further information, but I'm optimistic, at least where GM is concerned. We'll still be stretching out the mileage on our used vehicles to make them last until the great electric revolution arrives, but at least we can see a light at the end of tunnel !

Ren
Prestige Parcel
Kamloops.

Somewhat to my shame, I see it is over a year since I posted here.... and what a year it has been, clearly dominated by the battle to get Covid -19 under control. There is no doubt everyone from the Federal government on down expected that it would be gone last Summer, only for a fresh wave based on the "Delta" Variant to sweep through IN the Summer, the season that usually sees the end of even the worst 'flu season. That was followed by "Omicron", the most infectious variant yet, and one which seemed to render the first round of vaccinations less effective than they had been against earlier variants. Booster shots became virtual necessities, and were made available quickly through the vaccination networks that had been set up earlier.

I believe we were very lucky with Omicron. It appears to have been less lethal than the previous variants. But I'm told it could just as easily have been the most lethal yet. Everything depends on how the variants mutate, and there are many places in the world where the virus is still largely unchecked, and still spinning off new variants. Just look at the situation in Hong Kong, a city that had been very successful in keeping down the infection levels up until now. Clearly "Omicron" (if that is even what it is. The Chinese government has never been very open about the whole Corona Virus pandemic) is still capable of jamming the healthcare systems virtually anywhere and killing a lot of people. Far, far more than the "common cold"

Don't throw away the masks or hand sanitizer yet, It's not over, despite what a lot of crazies running about and waving Canada flags would have us believe.

I'm going to stay away from the subject of the people waving flags at me for the most part, but I have two comments that I will make.

1. I really resent the way they have hijacked the use of Canada's flag as one of their means of self identification. To me, the Canada Flag represents everything that we stand for - or should stand for, and these people clearly don't.

2. Freedom cannot mean an individual has an enshrined right as a citizen of our country to put his or her fellow citizens at risk because they find some minor restrictions inconvenient. I acknowledge tgat some businesses have collapsed as a result, and others have struggled, but the government really has done all it can to help those weather the storm

I have no more to say on that.

Ren
Prestige Parcel
Kamloops, BC

OK, we 're well overdue to post something new, so here goes:

Firstly, to quell a rumour that seems to have started up, we are NOT permanently closed. It is business as usual, in our same office and warehouse on 12th Ave in Kamloops. The phone number has not changed.

With the acquisition late last year of a new Ford Transit we have increased our ability to handle fairly large loads, although the bulk of our business continues to be small, urgent packages. These have been largely in the high tech field, but we have also been seeing more on the medical side in the last six months or so.

To all our customers, please call Wendy, our warehouse and dispatch manager, whenever you need our services and she will be happy to help you.

To our major customers, 24/7 service is always available. ☺