Canadians’ interest in purchasing an electric vehicle continues to plummet, with a recent survey revealing that interest dropped again in 2024, down 2% year over year.
According to EY Canada’s latest Mobility Consumer Index, the number of Canadians who intend to buy a fully electric vehicle within the next two years fell to 15% this year, down from 18% last year.
“We’re in the middle of a massive mobility shift and the dip in Canada’s EV demand is a wake-up call,” said EY Canada’s automotive and transportation leader Jennifer Rogers.
“It’s evident that investment has been prioritized in EV development. Now is the time to shift focus to overcome infrastructure hurdles and address consumer concerns head-on if Canada is to achieve its ambitious 2035 targets.”
The survey said that while global intent to purchase a vehicle saw an increase of 7% last year, those choosing an electric vehicle only saw an increase of 2%.
“This year’s index showed that while 48% of Canadians would be car shopping in the coming year, up from 42% last year,” reads the report, “only half (50%) would be considering EVs.”
The top concerns from respondents were EV’s limited driving range, their price tag and the costly replacement of batteries.
The survey listed “unfavourable economic conditions combined with traditional detractors — like charging and range anxiety, and upfront affordability — as contributing factors topping this year’s index.”
“These are in addition to new concerns that come with new challenges to overcome, like maintenance and battery replacement costs, which bubbled up in recent years as older electric vehicles and charging technologies begin showing signs of wear,” it said.
Another common concern cited was Canada’s inadequate infrastructure of charging stations, which remains a major obstacle in the energy transition.
“More than half of respondents shared that installation costs of at-home charging units (57%) and electrical costs (54%) topped their list of concerns, while 42% listed oft-beleaguered availability and long wait times at public charging stations as negatively impacting their user experience,” reads the report.
The Trudeau government set national targets of having 20% of all new vehicles sold be EVs by 2026, 60% by 2030 and ultimately 100% by 2035, however, waning interest continues to negatively hinder this goal.