They're going to build an electric car in Canada: The 1987 edition
A plan to see Electrica 007 models built in Quebec didn't pan out, but CBC did get to test one
CBC viewers had seen a similar movie involving a certain Silver Volt in 1980, but they were seeing a sequel of sorts seven years later.
The plot was the same though: A company wanted to see electric cars built in Canada, a scenario that probably sounded both futuristic and a bit fanciful to skeptics.
This time around, the CBC's Saša Petricic was starring in the movie, giving viewers a glimpse of what could come in the future, if a Quebec company — Thermo Batteries — was able to make its dream a reality.
The car shown to viewers was an "Electrica 007," a modified subcompact car that was powered by a trunk full of six-volt batteries.
The vehicle had Thermo Batteries markings all over it, inside and out.
Viewers also got a glimpse of another logo — Jet Industries, a U.S. company that had been building such Electrica models during the 1980s — on one of its parts under its hood.
'You don't tank up'
Petricic gave viewers some background on how the Electrica 007 worked, before he tried it out in his TV report.
"Instead of the usual pistons and crankshafts, this car has cables and charges, fuses and batteries," said Petricic, in a report that aired on CBC's Midday in January of 1987.
His report showed a close-up of the charger socket, which would be a regular part of the routine for an electric car driver.
"You don't tank up, you charge up," Petricic explained.
Richard Morin, an engineer with Thermo Batteries, said the Electric 007 could be charged within four or five hours.
A quiet ride
Driving along a Montreal street, Petricic appeared impressed with what the car could do — even though the final product was in need of a few improvements.
"It's incredible, though — there's no sound in the car, you can hear the gravel underneath the wheels," he said, noting the acceleration seemed a bit slower than in a conventional car.
"Otherwise, it works just like any other car."
But where to plug in?
Petricic also pointed out one other challenge for such products.
"The only problem might be finding someone to let you plug in, if you run out of power," he said, when charging up the audience for an electrical pun at the end of his report.
"The alternative is to use a very long extension cord."
Thermo Batteries went out of business in September of 1987, according to a report in The Globe and Mail.
