Governments need to build more charging infrastructure and offer more financial support if rural and suburban Canadians are going to buy more electric vehicles, say two lobby groups representing automakers in Canada.
A survey commissioned by the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association (CVMA) and the Global Automakers of Canada (GAC), found that more than 75 per cent of respondents living outside the cities are worried about the range of electric vehicles and the time it takes to charge them. Two thirds are concerned about how those vehicles will perform in cold weather.
“Rural and suburban Canadians have significant concerns with a lack of fast-charging infrastructure for longer trips and EV prices compared to gasoline vehicles,” CVMA CEO Brian Kingston said in a statement. “More supports are needed from government to help Canadians make the switch to electric.”
According to the poll, rural and suburban Canadians are more likely than city dwellers to cite EV driving range and prices compared to gasoline vehicles as the main reasons not to buy an EV. Only one third of rural Canadians are considering an EV for their next new vehicle purchase.
“Canada will not achieve its ambitious electric vehicle sales targets without significantly more investments in charging infrastructure, sustained incentives funding and favourable EV tax policies,” said GAC CEO David Adams.
Less than one quarter of rural Canadians surveyed believe that EVs currently in the market fall within their budget for their next vehicle purchase.
When compared to urban Canadians, rural residents are less likely to spend more than $5,000 more for an EV over a gasoline-powered vehicle.
Only three per cent of rural Canadians surveyed said they don’t see any reason not to purchase an EV. Twenty-one per cent said there are no EV models that fit their needs compared with 10 per cent of urban Canadians.
“This underscores the need for enhanced EV consumer purchase incentives to make EVs attainable for more Canadians,” the two lobby groups said in their joint statement.
