this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2024
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Unless policies or technologies change, the ownership cost of electric vehicles (EVs) needs to decrease by 31 per cent if Canada to wants to reach its sales target of 60 per cent EVs by 2030, according to a new report released Thursday by Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux.

Last December, the federal government unveiled its Electric Vehicle Availability Standard that outlined zero-emission vehicle sales targets for automakers. The standard requires all new light-duty sales in Canada to be electric or plug-in hybrid by 2035. There are also interim targets of at least 20 per cent of all sales being EVs by 2026 and 60 per cent by 2030.

Those federal government targets come as growth forecasts for auto companies have plateaued and concerns about charging infrastructure persist. The price of EVs has also pushed the cars out of reach for many consumers. According to the Canadian Black Book, the average cost of an EV was $73,000 in 2023.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 16 points 2 weeks ago (27 children)

Sounds like Canada should put a 50% tax on gasoline powered vehicles.

[โ€“] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (22 children)

So, I drive an EV already but here's the rub with just taxing gas powered vehicles.

I still believe some people need (or should use) gas vehicles currently.

The first case is for people who have no access to a charger at their home (primarily condo dwellers, since home owners can easily install them) This should be regulated by the government, every condo should be required to upgrade their parking to include a certain percentage of chargers. We don't need more chargers at random places around the city like we have with gas stations, vehicles should always be charged wherever they happen to sit overnight.

I've had an EV for 3 years now, and I've never once needed a fast charger, I've never driven more than 400km in a single day so overnight level 2 charging is perfectly fine for me, I even used only the standard wall-socket level 1 charger for 4 months when I first got the car. It was do-able but a bit annoying.

The second case is for long distance drivers and/or towing, if you drive more than 2x your battery range in a day as a normal action then EVs just aren't yet sufficient for you. This is common if you need to tow heavy things, because the towing range on EVs is absolute shit so 2x that battery range isn't very far. A ford f150 lightning is fine for hauling your trailer around the suburbs for your yard maintenance business, but if you tow farm equipment a few hundred kilometers a day to different farms, it's not going to work with the current options.

Third, People who already have vehicles. When you replace it, go EV, don't bother until then. If you are a low distance driver, when you go to replace your vehicle, buy a used gas vehicle not a new one. EVs make more sense both financially and environmentally the more use they get.

These issues are all getting sorted out (slowly) but we aren't done with gas vehicles just yet so I'd rather see the taxes on the Gas than on the Vehicle itself.

[โ€“] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

As a condo owner with an EV, getting a charger installed was only marginally more difficult than if I was freehold. There are already laws in place that require condo boards to respond to charger installation requests and enter an agreement with the owner. I think getting more street parking chargers like they have all over Europe would be a good idea and installing charging bays in all new condo towers should be a requirement for the developer.

A big barrier to EV adoption is also education. I have been asked so many questions about my EV from my neighbours, friends, and families. The dealership wasnโ€™t able to answer like 80% of my questions. I had to do a ton of learning online to understand the features of my car, how it works, how to charge it, when it operates well or poorly etc.

[โ€“] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Street chargers would be good. If I recall those laws for requiring condo boards to respond are very recent, and a good start.

You're absolutely right about the lack of education though. I swear half the people I talk to think the only way to charge one is via an 800v fast charger, and the other half assume my range is about 100km in the winter.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

People are always shocked about the range, lol. I get about 400km and people always do a double-take at that.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

My winter range on a highway with heat on is around 385, which is the sticker value when I bought it.

My summer range is almost 500.

It's a lot more than people think.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah. I think some of the first-gen Leafs or something got some hilarious number like 80km, and lots of people just never updated their belief after that, lol.

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

The dealership wasnโ€™t able to answer like 80% of my questions

In my experience, the dealerships are not very interested in selling EVs. They actively discouraged me from even test driving the model they had on the lot, the last time I needed to buy a replacement vehicle.

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