New Brunswick EcoRun 2018 | Jim Kerr

Special Feature

New Brunswick EcoRun 2018

Story and Photography: Jim Kerr

Comic Strip: Wade Ozeroff

New Brunswick, the largest of Canada’s three maritime provinces, is a land of incredible beauty and the perfect location for EcoRun 2018. EcoRun is a moving showcase of fuelefficient vehicles presented by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).

Automotive journalists from across Canada travelled to New Brunswick to put these vehicles to the test over a 570-kilometre route, seeing if they could live up to their advertised fuel economy ratings and at the same time experience the wonders across southern New Brunswick.

It started in Moncton, a bilingual community. About 33 percent of New Brunswick’s population is French-speaking, and Moncton reminds me of old Montreal with its brick and cobblestone sidewalks and sidewalk café’s.

To find downtown Moncton, just drive towards the Bell Aliance communications tower, which at 127 metres is the tallest freestanding structure in the Atlantic Provinces. It was only a couple blocks from the Delta Beausejour hotel where we spent our first night.

“New Brunswick has embraced the adoption of electric vehicles”

As I checked into the Delta, Kevin, one of Delta’s staff, invited us to sample some local products: smoked Atlantic salmon and Crafty Radler, a blend of craft beer with tangerine soda and grapefruit juice from the Pump House Brewery, a great start to our adventure.

Each journalist was assigned to drive six different vehicles in real life situations and have the fuel economy recorded and compared to Natural Resources Canada fuel economy figures.

A greeting from one of EcoRun’s sponsors, CAA Atlantic Club, was followed by a pleasant walk along Main Street to Catch 22 Lobster Bar for supper.

Moncton City Hall was the starting point for EcoRun 2018. With greetings from Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold and the Honourable Cathy Rogers, New Brunswick Finance Minister and a wave of the Green Flag, we were off.

New Brunswick has embraced the adoption of electric vehicles and is adding to their 31 level-2 charging stations (charging takes a few hours) and 18 fast charging stations (charging in about 30 minutes) with 12 new charging stations in their provincial parks.

Our 19 vehicles included powertrains that were pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, conventional hybrids, diesel engines, hydrogen fuel cells and gasoline engines. My morning in Mazda’s CX-3 started with a short drive to Magnetic Hill.

The optical illusion at Magnetic hill provided by the rolling terrain makes it look like water can flow uphill and so can a car if you place it in neutral.

Magnetic Hill is also the location of one of New Brunswick’s 59 covered bridges, many of them found where we were driving.

Then it was off to Sussex, a quaint town with murals of local history painted on many buildings and a friendly small town feel. A coffee break at Knock’s Café got my energy going again and the butter tarts were truly irresistible.

The final trip in the Mazda took me to Snider Mountain Ranch, a beautiful summer camp for youth. We enjoyed some of the activities such as archery, canoeing, horseback rides, and rock wall climbing as the electric vehicles charged.

Over the duration of my drive, I achieved 6.9 litres/ 100 kilometres, well under the 8.2 L/100 km rating from NRCAN; plus, the CX-3 was a fun vehicle to drive.

When I stepped into the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, it had a range of 26 kilometres on pure electric power before I would need the gas engine.

Using the paddle shifters on the steering column to control the regenerative braking levels of 1 through 5, I was able to increase the range to 31 kilometres as I left Snider Mountain Ranch. Most of the drive was on the highway as we headed to Fredericton through rolling hills, some potato farming, and lush green scenery.

I didn’t use the Outlander’s cruise control much on this section of the drive but did experiment with the regenerative braking. Level 5 regen slows the vehicle like you were stepping on the brake pedal. Operating on electric mode, the Outlander cruises effortlessly on the highway and when the battery discharged, the gas engine cut in smoothly.

A console button allows driver control of battery charging from the gas engine and with more experience, I could have driven more efficiently but even so, I achieved 5.1 L/100 km. Stop for lunch at Isaac’s Way in Fredericton; the seafood chowder is amazing!

The final vehicle of the day was the Nissan Leaf, with about a 130-kilometre drive on the highway from Fredericton to St. John and our second night in the Delta hotel chain.

Other drivers had depleted the Leaf battery so it took an extra hour while the Leaf was charged at a public charging station in downtown Fredericton. With 159 kilometres of range showing on the Leaf instrument cluster, I unplugged and headed to St. John.

The Leaf cruises effortlessly on the highway and acceleration is good. The range indicator dropped as I drove but it was always higher than the navigation system distance to our destination, so I wasn’t worried.

I set the cruise at 100 km/h, sat back, enjoyed the scenery, and achieved the equivalent of 1.7 L/100 km, better than NRCAN rating of 2.1 L/100 km.

Day two, another warm and sunny day, got me into the largest of the group, the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. If you need to carry passengers, the Pacifica Hybrid is a perfect choice.

This hybrid’s only disadvantage is that the battery resides under the floor, preventing the second-row seats from folding flat. It more than makes up for it with its excellent fuel economy!

A few blocks through St. John and I was out on Highway 1 looking for smaller secondary Road 175, but I was quickly off route on my way to New River Beach. Instead, I found myself 20 kilometres away in Chance Harbour. I never get lost but sometimes, I just don’t know where I am. The brief error did show me more of the beauty of New Brunswick.

“The brief error did show me more of the beauty of New Brunswick.”

A coffee break and change of vehicles at New River Beach put me into the new Volkswagen Jetta. The view from the BayBreeze Restaurant is incredible and there is a small motel there that would be perfect for a couple days of pure relaxation.

The Jetta does everything well but just doesn’t stand out in a very competitive class.I found it was quiet inside, had very comfortable seats, and provided a smooth ride. It also had a sporty feel and gave me excellent fuel economy, with 4.9 L/100 km.

Driving into Saint Andrews, I couldn’t help but notice how every house and yard in town was immaculate, with manicured lawns, flowerbeds, and character houses. This is a tourist town but may be the best tourist town I have experienced.

Lunch was at The Gables Restaurant overlooking the Bay of Fundy. When you look at the water lines, it’s hard to imagine the water levels changing that much because of the tide, the world’s highest.

While the electric vehicles received a full charge, we took alternate energy transportation with a sail on the Jolly Breeze, a tall ship operated by Tall Ship Whale Adventures. This was a highlight of the trip and one I would recommend to all.

With room for 47 people on board, the crew took us around the Bay of Fundy, with the United States southwest of us and the open ocean ahead. The sun on our backs, the wind in our face and the smell of the ocean was like what I would want heaven to be.

The final leg of our journey took us to Fredericton and I got to drive the smallest engine of the group, the 1.0L, three-cylinder engine in Ford’s EcoSport. That small 1.0L engine is outstanding both in performance and fuel economy.

Travelling the rolling hills of rural New Brunswick on Route 785, the terrain varied from small farms to rock outcroppings and I couldn’t have pictured a more perfect road for the last leg of my trip.

Finally, I crossed the finish line at the Fredericton Delta Hotel by Marriot, which is located on the shore of the Saint John River. This is a superb hotel with an outdoor patio, lounge, and pool, perfect for afternoon suntans or late night drinks. The sunset over the river was breathtaking.

“The sun on our backs, the wind in our face and the smell of the ocean...”

Although short, this was an amazing trip with great experiences, warm people, and beautiful sights. It was made even better when they announced I was the most economical driver of this year’s EcoRun and awarded the “coveted Green Jersey”, giving me bragging rights among my peers for the next year.

Overall, the journalists achieved an average fuel economy saving of 1.59 L/100 km better than the Natural Resources Canada rating for all 19 vehicles.

Drive at the speed limit, accelerate smoothly, avoid passing other vehicles, and brake only when necessary. Not only do you save yourself money, the drive is also more relaxing, giving you time to see the wonders along the road.