WAITING FOR THE EV FORD 150
What is holding Canadians back from electric vehicles?
Electric cars are just like gas cars — until they’re not. In this FAQ series, we’ll explore that 1% of the time that EVs are just different enough to require some explanations.
ByJo Borrás
Published 2 days ago
Supporters of EVs will tell you that electric cars are just like regular cars. For the most part, they’re right. You step on the pedal on the right and the car goes, you turn the wheel and the car turns, and the only real difference is what kind of fuel goes in it. If we’re being completely honest, though, that’s only mostly true. Most of the time, the only difference is what kind of fuel goes into the car, but the other differences probably need explaining in order for mainstream buyers to buy electric cars.
To provide that explanation, we’ve launched a new segment called “Electric Car FAQs” that hopes to answer those oddball questions that come up one percent of the time.
EV FAQs: Can You Drive a Tesla in Snow?
Let’s get this out of the way up front: yes, you can drive a Tesla in snow. Heck, you can drive just about any electric car in snow, just like you can drive just about any internal combustion engine (ICE) powered car in snow — but the experience can be very different, for two reasons.
And, sure, extreme weather does have a noticeable impact on fuel economy in ICE-powered cars, but if you have to stop for gasoline or diesel one exit earlier than usual on your trip to grandma’s this Thanksgiving, that’s usually no big deal. If you have to stop one exit earlier in an EV? That could mean the difference between a ten-minute charging stop and a stop that could take hours.
So, what steps can you take to make sure your EV holiday road trips are great experiences you’ll remember fondly? Read on.
Why advocates say Canada needs to rev up its electric car adoption
Boosting supply, infrastructure seen as key to getting
Canadians on board with zero-emissions vehicles
Our planet is changing. So is our journalism. This story is part of a CBC News initiative entitled Our Changing Planet to show and explain the effects of climate change and what is being done about it.
When Judy Goodwin wanted to test drive an electric car, she didn't head to a dealership. Instead, she went to a non-profit facility in north Toronto called Plug'n Drive.
"They're hard to come by," she said of electric vehicles (EVs). "My sister tried to buy one and she couldn't find one that was available."
Not only does Plug'n Drive have a showroom where people can test drive zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs), its staff are also trained ambassadors who will answer questions about how to charge the vehicles, their range and their costs.
"We have found that over and over again, just that experience of trying it is what convinces people," said Cara Clairman, the CEO of Plug'n Drive, which seeks to accelerate the adoption of EVs in Canada.
Whether driven by high gas prices or a sense of climate change-fuelled urgency, more Canadians are thinking about making the switch to electric vehicles (EVs). According to a recent survey by KPMG, nearly 70 per cent of Canadians planning to buy a new vehicle in the next five years are likely to buy electric.
But at the same time, electric cars made up just under four per cent of all vehicle sales last year — even as Canada set a mandatory target for all new cars and light-duty trucks sold in the country to be zero emissions by 2035.
To meet that goal, advocates say much more needs to be done.
- Have questions about COP26 or climate science, policy or politics? Email ask@cbc.ca.
Tackle the supply problems
Nearly two-thirds of dealerships in Canada do not have a single electric vehicle available to purchase or test drive, according to a 2020 study commissioned by Transport Canada.
Now with the pandemic causing issues in the supply chain, it has become worse.
Boosting supply is essential to revving up electric car adoption by Canadians, said Merran Smith, executive director of Clean Energy Canada, a program housed at Simon Fraser University.
"They don't want to buy sight-unseen new technology, and they don't want to put their name on a list and wait for six or 12 months to get a car. When you need a car, you need it now."
Smith said the federal government needs a strong, national mandate around zero-emissions vehicles, requiring the country's car dealerships "to have the cars and to sell a certain percentage of [electric] cars."
Affordability is another key issue
While prices for zero-emission vehicles are falling, they remain more expensive than their gas counterparts — as much as $20,000 more, according to a recent TD report. The cheapest EV on the market, the 2022 Nissan LEAF, comes with a price tag of $37,498 before discounts.
The federal government offers a rebate of up to $5,000. Smith said those incentives should continue until there is cost parity between electric and gas-powered cars, and they should also be targeted to low-income families.
"They often are the ones that can't quite afford that extra $5,000 or $10,000 that it's going to take to get the EV. But they're the ones that are going to benefit from the savings," she said.
Meanwhile, provincial rebate programs vary widely. Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nunavut currently don't offer incentives to purchase new zero-emission vehicles, but the other provinces and territories have strong programs.
And the numbers suggest incentives work: Quebec and B.C., which each offer healthy EV incentives, also lead the country in electric car adoption.
Building out infrastructure
Another roadblock to adoption is the availability of infrastructure for charging electric cars, whether the driver is going on a road trip or lives in a crowded urban centre. According to Natural Resources Canada, there are over 6,000 publicly available charging stations across Canada, but some 12,000 gas stations.
During the recent federal election, the Liberals campaigned on a platform that included spending an additional $700 million to create 50,000 new electric- and hydrogen-charging stations. If the government makes good on that promise, it would give Canada's infrastructure a big boost.
Companies are also tackling the infrastructure issue. General Motors recently announced plans to install 4,000 charging stations in Canada as part of its plan to invest more heavily in electric vehicles.
"We've got Canadian companies champing at the bit," said Smith. "We're going to see more and more of this in the energy transition; new jobs, new opportunities for businesses as we shift off of fossil fuels onto an electric system."
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