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2026 CAA EV Circuit: EVs go the distance, but charging, efficiency and costs vary

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In a real-world road circuit of 22 electric vehicles, all models completed a 230-kilometre route without the need to charge, while demonstrating a significant efficiency advantage compared to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.

THORNHILL, ON, Sept. 21, 2026 /CNW/ — The question for Canadians considering an EV may no longer be how far it can go, but how efficiently it uses energy, how quickly it charges and how much it costs to recharge. Results from the 2026 CAA EV Circuit found significant differences across vehicles in all three areas.

“Range anxiety has long dominated the conversation about electric vehicles, but these results suggest the discussion can shift to more personalized considerations for drivers,” says Kaitlynn Furse, director, corporate communications, CAA South Central Ontario. “For many of today’s EVs, the question is becoming less about whether you can complete a trip and more about how efficiently you can make it, where you will charge, how long charging will take, and what it will cost.”

All 22 electric vehicles participating in the CAA EV Circuit completed the same 230-kilometre route without needing to charge, including the vehicle with the shortest advertised range. A 15-minute charging test was completed at the end to capture further data. The route started in Blue Mountain, ON and ended in Vaughan, ON. On average, the vehicles used only 40 per cent of their battery charge over the route.

 EVs demonstrate a significant energy-efficiency advantage over traditional gasoline-powered vehicles

The electric vehicles in the Circuit used the energy equivalent of approximately two litres of gasoline per 100 kilometres. By comparison, the average Canadian passenger vehicle consumes roughly eight to 10 litres of gasoline per 100 kilometres.

Energy consumption among the participating EVs ranged from 11.43 kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometres to 28.91 kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometres, illustrating the variation among vehicle sizes, weights and designs. A more efficient EV generally requires less electricity to travel the same distance, which can contribute to lower charging costs and less time spent charging.

A notable finding was that the vehicles in the September 2026 CAA EV Circuit consumed approximately 40 per cent less energy, on average, than the vehicles evaluated during the February 2025 CAA EV Winter Test. While the tests were conducted under different conditions and with different vehicles, the difference highlights the significant impact that temperature can have on EV efficiency.

A short charging stop can meaningfully extend a trip

When it comes to charging experience, during the standardized 15-minute charging session, participating vehicles added an average of 110 kilometres of displayed range. Almost two-thirds of the vehicles added at least 100 kilometres, demonstrating that a brief charging stop can provide a meaningful boost during a longer journey.

Results differed significantly among vehicles. The displayed driving range added during the 15-minute session varied from 58 kilometres to 178 kilometres. Charging performance can be affected by the vehicle, charger, battery temperature, battery state of charge and conditions at the time of charging.

These results also highlight the effect of Canadian climate variations. Vehicles tested in the September 2026 CAA EV Circuit added approximately 15 per cent more displayed range during the charging session than the group evaluated during CAA’s 2025 EV Winter Test. 

“For Canadians planning longer drives, knowing a vehicle’s total range is only part of the equation,” continues Furse. “Drivers should also understand how their vehicle charges and recognize that the number of kilometres added during a stop can change depending on the vehicle and the charging conditions.”

Public fast-charging costs are not the same for every EV

The Circuit found that the average cost of a 15-minute charging session at the public fast chargers used in the test was $13.45, but individual vehicle results ranged from $7.28 to $24.39. All vehicles were charged at Tesla charging stations to ensure a consistent charging experience, so it is important to note that Teslas receive preferred pricing at Tesla charging stations.

The test was designed to reflect a higher-cost road-trip charging scenario, using premium public fast chargers operating at full capacity. It does not represent the typical cost of powering an EV. CAA’s National EV Driver Survey found that public fast charging accounts for only eight to 18 per cent of charging, meaning most EV drivers generally charge under lower-cost circumstances like at home or work.

“Just as Canadians compare fuel economy when buying a gasoline-powered vehicle, they should compare energy efficiency and charging performance when considering an EV,” says Furse. “Where and how often someone expects to charge can make a substantial difference to their experience and road-trip costs.”

Complete vehicle findings and additional information about the 2026 CAA EV Circuit are available at 2026 CAA EV Circuit: Complete Vehicle Findings

About the CAA EV Circuit

The CAA EV Circuit was conducted on September 16, 2026, with 22 electric vehicles travelling the same 230-kilometre route from Blue Mountain to Vaughan, Ontario, across city streets, rural roads and highways. Using a neutral data-driven methodology, all vehicles followed the same route, operated under consistent settings and participated in a standardized charging session. Performance data was collected throughout the drive and validated by CAA’s business intelligence and automotive experts.

Data Snapshot

Most kilometres gained in a 15-minute charging session

Make

Model

Kilometres gained

Lucid

Gravity

178 km

Hyundai

IONIQ 5

136 km

Mercedes-Benz

CLA with EQ Technology

135 km

Cadillac

LYRIQ

131 km

Nissan

LEAF

126 km

Least kilometres gained in a 15-minute charging session

Make

Model

Kilometres gained

Lucid

Air

58 km

Chevrolet

Equinox EV

71 km

Chevrolet

Silverado EV

80 km

GMC

HUMMER EV SUV

90 km

Tesla

Model Y

97 km

Lowest cost per 100 kms of charge added

Make

Model

Cost

Tesla

Model 3

$7.28

Tesla

Model Y

$8.23

Nissan

LEAF

$10.13

Kia

EV4

$10.25

Hyundai

IONIQ 5

$10.68

Highest cost per 100 kms of charge added

Make

Model

Cost

GMC

HUMMER EV SUV

$24.39

Chevrolet

Silverado EV

$19.05

Rivian

R1T

$17.85

Tesla

Cybertruck

$15.61

Volkswagen

ID. Buzz

$15.48

Lowest energy consumption (kWh/100 km)

Make

Model

Energy used

Toyota

bZ

11.43 kWh

Tesla

Model Y

11.81 kWh

Tesla

Model 3

11.85 kWh

Kia

EV4

11.89 kWh

Nissan

LEAF

12.48 kWh

Highest energy consumption (kWh/100 km)

Make

Model

Energy used

Lucid

Gravity

28.91 kWh

GMC

HUMMER EV SUV

23.55 kWh

Tesla

Cybertruck

23.41 kWh

Rivian

R1T

19.96 kWh

Cadillac

LYRIQ

19.1 kWh

About CAA South Central Ontario

For over a hundred years, CAA has been helping Canadians stay mobile, safe and protected. CAA South Central Ontario, is one of eight auto clubs across Canada, providing roadside assistance, travel, insurance services and Member savings for over 2.6 million Members. 

SOURCE CAA South Central Ontario

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Green Security Partners with CLEAR®; Expanding Trusted Identity Network to Healthcare Vendor Credentialing

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Bringing trusted identity assurance to healthcare facilities by linking vendor identities directly to their access credentials

CLEARWATER, Fla., Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Green Security, a leader in healthcare vendor operations and intelligence, today announced a partnership with CLEAR1, CLEAR’s secure identity platform, to strengthen identity verification for vendors entering healthcare facilities. Together, CLEAR and Green Security will help organizations elevate security across the entire workplace ecosystem. By addressing the entirety of stakeholders entering and operating within a facility, the partnership enables a more comprehensive, end-to-end approach to identity, access, and trust.

The solution is designed to elevate healthcare safety and trust by authenticating credentialed vendors with advanced biometric technology, helping protect healthcare staff and patients while prioritizing privacy and security.

Green Security supports more than 8 million healthcare vendor interactions annually, making trusted identity verification a growing priority for hospitals seeking stronger access controls. CLEAR1 and Green Security have entered into a preferred partnership to extend proven identity measures to health systems designed to strengthen their physical security. Traditional printed badges can be copied, borrowed or transferred, creating a potential gap between the person wearing a badge, the identity recorded in a credentialing system and the facility access associated with that identity. Green Security’s new identity-verified Smart Badge experience will be built with CLEAR1, and is designed to address that gap by connecting a vendor’s verified identity with their Green Security mobile app, Smart Badge and credentials. Vendors simply upload a selfie to verify their identity with CLEAR in seconds to complete Green Security registration. CLEAR1 analyzes hundreds of signals—from biometrics, documents, and devices—and cross-checks them against verified data sources to confirm identity.

“Vendors are checking in roughly every 14 seconds around the clock, and hospitals shouldn’t have to wonder whether the person wearing a badge is the person who completed credentialing,” said Mickey Meehan, CEO, Green Security. “Our exclusive partnership with CLEAR sets a newer, higher standard for healthcare vendor access. It’s a simple experience for vendors, but a major leap forward in trust and accountability for the healthcare user.”

The partnership is expected to give health systems stronger assurance that:

The person entering the facility is the same individual who completed credentialing requirementsVendor badges cannot be casually shared, transferred, or re-used by unauthorized individualsIdentity verification occurs during check-in process and before a smart badge is activated, creating stronger accountability

“For more than a decade, CLEAR has helped people prove who they are in moments that matter,” said David Bardan, SVP, GM, Head of Healthcare and Govtech at CLEAR. “We’re bringing that same trusted identity experience to healthcare. Together with Green Security, we will be helping hospitals move beyond credentials alone to gain greater confidence that the right person is accessing the right place.”

The companies see this integration as a further step toward a broader identity-first approach to healthcare facility access, where verified identity can help support compliance, security, and operational efficiency across the vendor ecosystem.

The partnership is expected to enhance security and support compliance without adding unnecessary friction for supplier representatives. Hospitals will gain greater confidence in vendor access, while representatives will benefit from a streamlined activation process designed around their mobile devices. The integration is expected to be live later this year.

Additional resources:

Learn more about Green Security’s Smart Badge platformExplore additional insights on the Green Security blogFollow Green Security on LinkedIn

About Green Security

Green Security is the leading provider of healthcare vendor operations and intelligence solutions, trusted by more than 330,000 vendors at 2,000 facilities across 275+ health systems. The platform streamlines and secures every stage of vendor engagement, from onboarding and credentialing to value analysis, to OR case readiness and visitor management. By combining credentialing, access management, and real-time vendor intelligence, Green Security helps healthcare organizations verify requirements, manage facility access, and make more informed decisions about vendor engagement. Learn more at gogreensecurity.com.

Media Contact

Jennifer Usher, PR for Green Security, 1 4154120181, jennifer@usherconsultancy.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/green-security-partners-with-clear-expanding-trusted-identity-network-to-healthcare-vendor-credentialing-302883771.html

SOURCE PR for Green Security

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China Daily: Chinese farming model offers practical lessons for Global South

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QUZHOU, China, Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In the sun-drenched fields of Quzhou county, Hebei province, African students are learning about farming not from a classroom, but with their hands in the soil.

They drive tractors, take soil samples, test planting techniques and work alongside Chinese researchers and local farmers. The experience is part of the Science and Technology Backyard (STB) program, a model pioneered by China Agricultural University that is now being adapted to agricultural challenges across the Global South.

Established in Quzhou in 2009, the STB model brings university researchers and graduate students into farming communities to conduct research, test technologies and provide services directly to farmers. Since 2019, the university has established 14 STBs in 10 countries, including Malawi and Kenya, working with farmers in more than a dozen villages.

The overseas expansion reflects a shift from simply transferring agricultural technologies to building local capacity, said Zhang Fusuo, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and initiator of the STB program.

“Our core strategy for the next decade is to take the Science and Technology Backyards overseas,” Zhang said.

Rather than replicating Chinese farming practices, the model emphasizes adapting technologies to local soil, climate, crops and economic conditions.

In Malawi, for example, STBs focus on maize, a staple crop and major source of rural livelihoods. Malawian agricultural expert Samson Mofolo, who studied at China Agricultural University, is now working with farmers on techniques including cereal-legume intercropping, improved varieties and more targeted fertilizer use.

The approach has brought tangible changes for farmers. In Kasungu, central Malawi, farmer Esnart Mwera said her family began producing more maize from a small plot after adopting improved planting practices.

“We don’t have hunger in our family,” she said, adding that higher harvests have also helped the family pay school fees and buy livestock.

Jiao Xiaoqiang, head of the China-Africa STB program, said young agricultural professionals are trained to become a bridge between scientific research and farmers. “Technology is very important for smallholder farmers, but technology alone is not enough. If we want farmers to adopt new technologies, education must come first,” he said.

Students from Ethiopia and Kenya say the training has given them ideas they can adapt at home, from safer pesticide use and mechanization to soil testing and organic fertilizer.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/china-daily-chinese-farming-model-offers-practical-lessons-for-global-south-302884573.html

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Rainmaker Raises $100M Series B to Scale Low-Cost Water Production and Weather Modification

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Funding will expand the research organization behind the first validated proof of manmade precipitation.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Rainmaker Technology Corporation announces a $100 million Series B fundraise to grow its atmospheric research organization and drive down the cost of producing new freshwater via cloud seeding. The round includes investments from NOA VC, Upfront Ventures, DCVC, Lowercarbon Capital and Dream Ventures. Rainmaker Founder and CEO Augustus Doricko issued the following statement:

“The future of water is the future of everything. With this historic investment in weather modification technology, Rainmaker will continue to conduct frontier atmospheric research, cloud seed to end drought in the American west, and develop the tech stack that will make the earth more habitable for generations to come.”

Background

Rainmaker Technology Corporation is a next-generation cloud seeding company based in El Segundo, Calif. The company flies weather-resistant drones into winter storm clouds and releases a small amount of silver iodide, a particle that ice crystals form around. Those crystals grow heavy enough to fall as rain or snow. Rainmaker’s own radar and validation systems then measures how much additional precipitation each operation produced — the step that has historically been missing from cloud seeding.

Earlier this year, Rainmaker became the first private company in history to physically validate the results of cloud seeding operations. Over four months, the company recorded 82 unambiguous seeding signatures, distinct radar patterns that tie precipitation directly to a seeding flight. Together they account for more than 145 million verified gallons of freshwater, nearly the annual water use of 1,800 American households. In August, Rainmaker produced 19 million gallons in about three hours near Homer, Alaska, marking a significant improvement in the efficiency of the technology.

This new round of funding will support a rapid expansion of Rainmaker’s research team, which today includes atmospheric scientists, radar and satellite specialists, and material scientists. Their work is aimed at answering the questions that determine how much water an operation yields: which clouds to seed and when, how much material to release, and where precipitation should fall to do a watershed the most good for farms, ecosystems, and industry. Rainmaker will also support research at national laboratories and fund weather modification research at American universities.

Rainmaker’s cost per acre-foot of water falls sharply as the company produces more of it, and additional drone teams can operate in parallel to increase production. By the November 2026–April 2027 season, Rainmaker expects its water to cost less than most other sources of new supply, including desalination and paying farmers to leave fields unplanted. 

Water is Rainmaker’s first focus, not its last. The company intends to apply the same approach to other limits on productive land, including hail damage, and poor soil.

This announcement comes as major drought in the American west continues to dominate front page news. Snowpack after the winter of 2025-2026 was the lowest on record, and reservoirs along the Colorado River are hitting historic lows. Cloud seeding provides the most cost-effective method of delivering net new water to the interior of the United States. 

Rainmaker currently operates in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, California and Colorado and is working to expand operations throughout the American West and globally.

To learn more, visit rainmaker.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rainmaker-raises-100m-series-b-to-scale-low-cost-water-production-and-weather-modification-302884251.html

SOURCE Rainmaker Technology Corporation

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