The city of Toronto has an ambitious goal: by 2030, it wants 30 percent of all vehicles on the road to be electric. But now that number is only 3 to 4 percent.
So what's the hold up?
According to the EY Mobility Consumer Index report released this year, Canadian drivers' top concerns about electric vehicles include purchase price, maintenance and repair, battery replacement and lack of charging stations.
The average new electric vehicle in Canada costs $67,920 — about $6,400 more than the average for all new vehicles on the market, according to car appraisal service Canadian Black Book.
That price difference can sometimes reach between 15 and 20 percent, said Daniel Ross, senior manager of insights and residuals with Canadian Black Book.
“It's going to be a very difficult sell in an already difficult environment,” he said.
Less maintenance for electric vehicles, says CAA Associate VP
But electric vehicles don't have normal engine failures and don't need oil changes, says Teresa de Felice, assistant vice president of government and community relations at CAA.
“You can offset that upfront extra payment probably in the three to seven year range,” she said.
Charging an electric vehicle can also be expensive. Canada's public charging stations have a wide range of pricing and no standardized charges.
Some stations charge by the minute and some by the hour, others charge a flat fee and some are free, according to one CBC Market Research in January.
Charging at home is relatively cheaper and more convenient. According to figures from the CAA and Toronto Hydro, purchasing a Level 2 battery to charge electric vehicles can set drivers back between $800 and $3,000.
Cara Clairman, president and CEO of the electric vehicle advocacy group Plugon Drive, said she spends about 50 cents to fully charge her electric car at home.
“People imagine that this is something that's going to be very expensive, but really, you need to do the math for yourself,” she said.
Many city-owned public chargers do not charge quickly
The city expects to have 486 public chargers in city-owned parking lots by the end of 2024 — although apps that track charging stations on various networks like ChargeHub Canada and PlugShare count as many as 3,000.
Many city-owned public chargers do not charge quickly. For electric vehicle owner Baris Eroglu, he needs to plug his car in for 7 hours to get his battery to 100 percent – on top of paying for parking.
Instead, Eroglu said he drives an extra half hour to get free parking in Etobicoke when he charges at a non-city-operated charging station.
Charging station access is expected to expand by 2025, after several carmakers signed with Tesla to adopt the North American charging standard on new electric vehicles.
Scientist Toby Bond says a new type of lithium-ion battery material called single-crystal electrodes could last for decades, and could be used in “second-life applications” such as storing wind and solar energy for the electrical grid.
Daniel Brayton, president and CEO of Electric Mobility Canada, says the deal will have a big impact, as drivers can be assured they can travel anywhere on the continent.
As for drivers' concerns about having to replace batteries for electric vehicles, Brayton said it's rare and a “non-issue.”
Batteries last longer than expected and can be fixed rather than replaced by specialized mechanics, he said. But he said some mechanics may have limited expertise in fixing electric vehicles and batteries.
“Because it's a new technology, for some people, the transition is difficult,” Breton said.
Ontario lags behind Quebec in adopting EVs
Advocates say the rebate in Ontario will encourage more people to choose electric vehicles. The province launched an electric vehicle exemption in 2010, but it was rescinded in 2018 by Premier Doug Ford's government.
Seven provinces currently have exemptions, stacking on top of federal incentives of up to $5,000. In Quebec, which has some of the highest exemptions, about 33 percent of all registered vehicles are zero-emissions, according to Statistics Canada.
But in Ontario, that number is only about 9 percent.
In a statement to CBC Toronto, a spokesperson for Ontario Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli said the province is focusing on supplying electric vehicles.
Provincial production in the region is a boost to help Toronto reach its 2030 goals, said James Nolan, executive director of the city's Department of Environment and Climate.
Even if the city doesn't meet the goal, he said he's confident they'll be very close.
“When you're talking about climate change, it's important to have ambition,” Nolan said.
