Canadians Could Be Buying Their Last-Ever Fuel Powered Cars This Year

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Canada has increased their commitment to becoming carbon neutral. The Canadian government issued a notice on Tuesday, June 29, 2021 saying that Canada is banning gas powered cars and light-duty trucks by 2035 and moving toward EVs. This is part of Canada’s plan to be completely net-zero by 2050.

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau | Daytime Emmy Awards 2021 via Getty Images

Canada banning gas powered cars isn’t a new goal

Beginning in 2035, no new fuel-powered vehicles will be able to be sold. There will be smaller goals for the Canadian government to reach before then. These include transitioning Canada’s transportation away from fossil fuels. This will likely have a big impact on the massive country, which largely supports fighting climate change. Currently transportation is the second largest contributor to Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, behind oil and gas.

Canada currently has a Strengthened Climate Plan which is supposed to help the country meet its Paris Agreement goals by 2030. Not only that, but they want to have zero emissions by 2050. The Canadian government says that they are currently on track to meet this goal. 

Previously Canada wanted to have all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks be fuel-free by 2040. So what prompted the change? CBC reports that Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says that the Canadian government wants all gas-powered vehicles to be off the road by 2050. Ending their sale by 2035 means that most gas-powered vehicles won’t still be running by or after 2035. 

Canada is going to pay for the change

An orange 2021 Nissan Leaf driving through a city.
2021 Nissan Leaf | Nissan

Canada has a rebate program for car shoppers who buy new electric vehicles. Car buyers can get $2,500 or $5,000 for buying a new car, which they get immediately. Then the car seller gets reimbursed. This makes it more likely for car buyers to take advantage of these kinds of rebates, though it may be kind of a pain for car sellers. 

So far Canada has paid or promised $600 million for this rebate program. It’s not enough. Canada is also considering forcing car manufacturers to make or sell more electric vehicles. 

Is Canada the only country doing this?

A white 2021 Tesla Model 3 against a white background.
2021 Tesla Model 3 | Tesla

The Paris Agreement means that other countries have also committed to reducing emissions. Britain, Ireland, Iceland and China are going to ban gas-powered cars by 2030. Scotland has committed to ending the sale of gas-powered cars by 2032, while Norway has a more ambitious goal of 2025. Costa Rica is one of the last countries to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles, intending to do so by 2050. It will be interesting to see how many car manufacturers are still making fuel-powered vehicles by then, as the rest of the world will have shifted toward EVs. The United States has yet to set a goal, but California plans on ending their sales by 2035. 

As more and more car manufacturers gravitate toward electric vehicles, car buyers will have more options. This will make it easier for people to transition from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles. As the demand for EVs increases, car manufacturers will see the financial benefits of producing more EVs and less fuel-powered vehicles. All of these changes can only be good for our planet. 

RELATED: The Future Is Electric: Ford to Announce Two New EV Platforms

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Toyota Supra Parts for Sale- but Not the Ones You Think

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Toyota’s legendary fourth-generation Supra stopped production in 2002, and parts production stopped along with it. Because of that, the cost of rarer parts has skyrocketed in tandem with values for the popular JDM sports car. Now, the Japanese marque has resumed production of third and fourth-gen Toyota Supra parts. This is fantastic news for owners of both the third generation and fourth generation Supra. We’ll try to keep the Fast and Furious jokes to a minimum (we won’t).

The cost of owning a Toyota Supra may drop

1994 Toyota Supra | Toyota

Now, parts manufacturing will be handled by a separate branch of the Japanese automaker. The brand’s recently introduced Gazoo Racing arm is handling production. This is good news, as the new performance-focused arm of Toyota can apply all their skill to reproducing once-rare parts. Ideally, this will serve to reduce the cost of Toyota Supra parts for both third and fourth-gen models.

However, not everything you see listed on Gazoo’s site is going to be overnighted from Japan. Yes, reproduction of parts has started but most parts won’t be shipping to the United States until fall 2021 at the earliest. For some parts, shipping dates have not even been announced yet. Unfortunately, if you need a Supra badge, you’ll have to wait until the brand’s racing division announces a shipping timeline.

There’s a plethora of (overnight) parts available

Paul Walker and Vin Diesel in the Fast and Furious Supra
The movie that brought the Supra to life | Photo by Universal via Getty Images

Currently, there’s 41 parts available for order for third and fourth-generation Toyota Supras. 30 parts, including harder-to-find parts like water hoses, are for the third-gen A70 Supra. Right now, there’s only 11 you can order for your MKIV Supra. Happily, you can get commonly damaged parts like front bumpers and headlights. Unfortunately, pricing isn’t listed on the brand’s website. It’s safe to assume it’ll at least be cheaper than a SPOON motor a week before Race Wars.

It’s safe to say there’s some ups and downs to be expected if you’re looking to finish that ten-second car you owe someone. But, there’s some more good news. If you ask Toyota very nicely, they’ll let you put in a request for parts to be made. The automaker doesn’t say what parts they will and won’t let you special order but assume it won’t be cheap. Frankly, if you need more common Toyota Supra parts, the aftermarket is always there for you.

Toyota isn’t the only manufacturer doing this

A black Supra at sunset in Malibu
1994 Toyota Supra | Toyota

It’s great to see Toyota acknowledging just how special early Supras are. Nissan has done the same thing with the Skyline. The fine folks at Nissan will make you far more parts than Toyota will, too. Moreover, they’ve been doing it for longer. So, not a particularly original idea on the behalf of Toyota, but not all ideas need to be original to be good. We look forward to seeing parts production expanding for the Supra, and with any luck, it’ll help bring down the absurd prices people are asking for these 90s JDM icons.

RELATED: What Is it Like to Drive a 2021 Toyota Supra 2.0 Every Day?

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Farmers Across America Are Suing for the Right to Repair Their John Deere Tractors

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Farmers have long been fighting the good fight against bureaucracy. The recent “Right to Repair” movement is now in action to preserve farmers’ rights when it comes to repairing their own farming equipment and tractor machinery. In fact, farmers across America are suing John Deere for the right to repair their own tractors. 

John Deere logo | Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

According to Food Tank, the Right to Repair (R2R) movement is meant to help farmers maintain their right to repair their own farming equipment and tractors. Currently, some farmers face legal repercussions when they move to fix their machinery. The R2R movement is a big deal for farmers. They will likely continue suing large companies like John Deere until the movement resolves the situation. 

The Right to Repair (R2R) movement 

It’s best not to underestimate the American farmer––or any farmer for that matter. The work is a massive commitment on many levels. For this and other obvious reasons, it makes sense why farmers want to keep the right to repair their own tractors. 

Places like the Repair Association serve as a platform through which the R2R movement can lobby for “repair-friendly legislation, standards, and regulations.” 

“The Association advocates for guaranteeing property rights, obtaining equal access to information, non-discriminatory pricing of parts and tools, and unlocking software.”

An interview with a member of the R2R movement 

According to Food Tank, members of the R2R movement want to keep the same rights that their parents, grandparents, and great grandparents had to work on their own tractors and farming equipment. In an interview with Kevin Kenney, an R2R advocate, he says “We’re trying to maintain our consumer rights which means we’d still like to be able to repair and modify our tractors just like our dad, grandfather, and great grandfather did years ago.” 

Corporations like John Deere are at the forefront when it comes to the entities the movement goes after. Food Tank reports that large companies like John Deere control the machinery, causing farmers to hire in outside contracts which can cost upwards of $150.00 an hour. The companies get away with this practice by getting farmers to sign complicated contracts called Extended Use License Agreements (EULA). This limits their true ownership and encroaches on their rights to repair, altar, improve, or generally modify the machinery in any way.  

In the interview, Kenney also says “with major equipment manufacturers…they make us sign these [EULA]’s; and it’s just like your cell phone where you have the right to use your cell phone but you don’t really own it.” 

Aging farm equipment is of particular concern. Also called legacy equipment, older tractors don’t have the latest software and technology. When a manufacturer like John Deere upgrades their technology, it stops supporting the previous versions. This creates problems for farmers with older tractors because it gets really difficult to repair their older equipment. 

“The problem that we are having is if [manufacturers] decide to quit supporting [equipment] with software, we can’t get it fixed,” reports Kenney.

Why are farmers suing John Deere?

A farmer spreads liquid manure on a field with his team in a giant John Deere tractor farming machine
John Deere equipment | Philipp Schulze/picture alliance via Getty Images

The practice of upgrading software and then forbidding owners from repairing their tractors means farmers have to buy new equipment or new software. These costs can reach up to $600,000. 

In 2018, the Equipment Dealers Association (EDA) entered into a signed agreement with John Deere making private repairs easier for farmers. By making things like software guides, diagnostic equipment, repair tools available to farmers. This was supposed to begin on January 1st of this year. 

However, Extreme Tech reports that John Deere “isn’t keeping up its end of the bargain.” The “increasingly onerous software lockouts” that John Deere “baked into its tractors” aren’t yet in the past. The deal with the EDA made many states considering adding Right to Repair legislation ease off on the movement. But now, that’s looking like a mistake. 

John Deere owners are now dealing with problems with their John Deere tractors. Replacements and small repairs are more and more difficult. Owners have to keep heading into John Deere dealerships for what Extreme Tech calls “trivial repairs.” 

Certain details like fair pricing and other moving parts of the deal haven’t been attended to. In fact, John Deere doesn’t seem to be implementing any of the necessary changes. These changes must take place in order to make this deal actually better for farmers. 

Another John Deere lawsuit could be on the horizon  

Signage on a Deere & Co. farm implement at a John Deere dealership
Signage on a Deere & Co. farm implement | Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

John Deere continues to pose this issue as a problem of IP protection and software security. And it’s pretty clear that farmers aren’t trying to steal John Deere’s intellectual property. They simply want to clear codes and repair their tractors. 

However, due to the John Deere corporation’s reluctance to actually move forward with any of the specifics it agreed upon. S0 there is likely another John Deere lawsuit on the horizon. In addition, there could be another big push for R2R legislation in several states across the country.

RELATED: 5 Good Compact Cars That Aren’t a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla

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Collector Car Insurance is Worth it for Odd and Unique Cars

by Gabrielle DeSantis

There are so many car insurance policies and levels of coverage out there that it can get pretty confusing. In fact, sometimes it’s easier to just settle with one or two quotes to get it over with, as car insurance is a requirement in almost every state in order to register your vehicle. But, like emergency roadside assistance, you don’t really need car insurance on a daily basis — but when you do, you want to know that you’re going to have something reliable. This couldn’t be any more true for more expensive exotic cars and collector cars, and that’s part of the reason why collector car insurance is well worth looking into.

Collector car insurance isn’t always more expensive

Motorcycles in the 3 Air-conditioned warehouse that store Jay Lenos collection of cars and motorcycles | Paul Harris, Getty Images

When it comes to getting insurance on higher-end exotics or collector cars, sometimes going with the more mainstream options can be more expensive. Insurance policy premiums can vary greatly even between different companies, which is why it’s so important to shop around for quotes before settling on a policy. But, even if collector car insurance is more expensive, there are still a few reasons why it’s the better option. For example, the amount of coverage between quotes could differ, affecting the insurance premiums.

Collector car insurance is often more experienced with odd-ball cars

Ferrari LaFerrari at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance
Ferrari LaFerrari at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance | Gabrielle R DeSantis, MotorBiscuit

Insurance can be confusing, and when it comes to making claims on exotic or collector cars, that confusion can turn into stress. From my personal experience on owning collector vehicles like Lotus, the biggest struggle with working with more mundane, consumer-vehicle-focused insurance agencies is that, when you do make a claim for these lesser-known vehicles, you have quite a few more hoops to jump through. Many of these average insurance companies can be great at covering your average vehicle, but they don’t have the same systems in place to know exactly what to do in case something goes wrong with your car.

I found this to be true several times as we made a few claims on our two Lotus Elise and Lotus Evora over the past several years. The local body shops that worked with our insurance company weren’t capable of properly assessing the work or finding the cost for replacement parts in order to give the insurance company a quote for repairs. Eventually, things were sorted out, but it was much more different and streamline the experience.

Different types of insurance offer you different forms of coverage

Another benefit of collector car insurance is that it can be more flexible than your average insurance plan. Collector car insurance companies know that their customers range in how much and how often they drive their vehicles and typically allow fast switches between storage insurance — like in those wintery months where you don’t want to take your nice collector car out in the rain and snow — and track insurance for those days that you want to push your vehicle to its limits. In either case, collector car insurance is designed for automotive enthusiasts and car collectors, allowing for a bit more flexibility in coverage than you would want for a standard commuter car or street-focused sports car.

For some owners, collector car insurance is well worth the difference in price — and then again, it can even be cheaper for some owners, too. If you want to ensure you’ll have the easiest time possible if you ever need your insurance, it is smart to check coverage before buying and contact any insurance agencies to ensure they have systems in place in your local area to cater to the needs of your less common car in case of an accident or claim.

RELATED: This Captivating Car Collection Shows Rare and Exotic Cars For a Cause

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