Brian Crossman is a partner in Estevan-based Independent Well Servicing. The opinions expressed in this column are the opinions of the author and not necessarily the opinions of Independent Well Servicing.
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2026 06 22 Brian Crossman Electric Car Fun
Val and I were watching the Blue Jays game the other night. The team is looking poised for another solid pennant run, which would be great. The pitching is above par, and the bats are warming up, and it’s always good when they beat the Red Sox. Hopefully someday, I can go see a home game live in-person, the downside being I would have to go to Toronto. Anyway, while enjoying the game, a commercial for an electric vehicle came on the screen.
Now, I have nothing against electric vehicles. If you want one, go buy one. Nothing wrong with that. I drove a friend’s F-150 Lightning. Very fast, very high techy (surprisingly that is a real word) and very, very quiet. The commercial in question was for Polestar. Apparently they are engineered and designed in Sweden. Now them Swedes are good designers and engineers. IKEA is the obvious example. Hell, you can assemble an entire house full of furniture with an Allen key, sore back, knees and using most of the 90-100 swear words in the English language. (“Son of a bitch” in Swedish is “JÄVEL” in case you needed to know….) Try your best to use a strong Swedish accent during this process, you’ll feel better. (Side note; these Swedish cars are mostly built in China)
As usual, I’m off topic. So, this commercial features a white car streaking along a smooth highway. (Obviously not filmed in Saskatchewan) This, along with short bursts of the car sitting, looks exciting. A hushed female voice comes on and says: “It went by so fast.” “I’ve never seen anything like it.” Wow, fast and different, colour me intrigued. Then they show the car. It’s white, kinda sleek and low to the ground. Nice, right? The intrigue colour in my brain went gray, and I looked and said out loud, “WTF,” “that looks like nearly every other EV I’ve ever seen.” A plain looking sedan that I couldn’t honestly tell from a Tesla, Nissan, Honda, Chevy or Dodge. This includes Ford’s EV Mustang, which they turned into a four-door (huh?) and the only Mustang thing about it is the horse badge. Lee Iacoca and Carroll Shelby must be rolling in their graves over that. At least the F-150 Lightning looks like an F-150. Don’t get me started on the Tesla Cyber Truck. Looks like a doorstopper designed by a refugee from a bad geometry lesson.
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My big question is; Did all these designers attend the same damn school? Not much imagination here. This goes for most new cars and SUVs, both EV and ICE. They. All. Look. The. Same. I can’t tell the difference from farther than twenty feet away. (6.096m for us Canadians…) I will say the sports cars do look sporty, but the everyday cars all look…. Boring. When I was young you could tell the difference between a Ford, Dodge, Chevy, Pontiac and even a VW from 6 miles away. (9.6 Kilometres away, again, for us Canadians)
Since these new EVs are so amazing and technologically advanced, would it hurt to make some in an old school style? Maybe something resembling a ’57 Chevy? A ’68 Shelby Mustang? How about a ’72 Chevy Blazer? (Near and dear to my heart.)
A few years back, GM announced the return of the Blazer. I was excited and was hopeful they would do as Ford did with the Bronco which was a stroke of nostalgic marketing genius. They did not, much to my dismay. The “new Blazer” looked like every other SUV out there. Seriously a missed opportunity, General Motors must hate money, I guess. If you make cars and trucks that people want to buy, they will probably buy them.
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- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
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- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
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The other thing about EVs vs ICE vehicles is purely a question of my personal preference, nostalgia and the feeling many of us have when we drive our fossil-fuel powered cars (and bikes) on the road. Us old-school people like to open the hood and see an engine. It’s almost a living, breathing sentient being. They require some maintenance and TLC. Can it be a pain in the ass? Yes. Can it be therapeutic? Absolutely. I read a book many years ago called “Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert M. Pirsig. Without going into great detail, it boils down to maintaining your motorcycles which dovetails nicely into looking after yourself. (June is men’s mental health month by the way) It is a great read about the dichotomy of mechanical care for a machine and the emotional care for you as a person. I highly recommend reading it if you have the opportunity. I’m really not sure if an EV could impart that same emotion.
I will end with this: I have gone through many older cars, trucks and motorcycles throughout my life. I still have an old chevy truck, which I love driving. The common denominator is they all have a soul. Rumbling engines, taking in air, requiring fuel for food and oil for blood. They tell you (not always nicely) when they need some help and repair. In return they provide you with transportation and therapy. Whether its during repairs, cleaning or just driving down the road with the music of a well-tuned internal combustion engine singing to you. We often give them names and talk to them. (Who hasn’t said “Come on baby, you can do it” to their vehicle?) The old-school styling can’t be beat. They are more than just things we own. They become family members that need our love too. The Harley Davidson I owned had more soul than many people I know. So go ahead, tell me how wonderful and efficient your EV is. Good for you. I don’t care. You want to buy and drive something that looks and sounds like a refrigerator? Be my guest. Just don’t expect me tell you it has a soul.
Brian Crossman is a partner with Independent Well Servicing in Estevan. And Tesla fans, before y’all start writing angry letter to pipelineonline.ca, remember Brian is getting old and stuck in his ways. He does know EVs are here to stay, just don’t expect him to buy one.
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- 0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer
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