Canadians Are Less Ready to Buy Electric Vehicles than U.S. Residents

A recent study by J.D. Power has shown that Canadians are less ready to buy electric vehicles than U.S. residents.

North America will phase out internal combustion vehicles by 2035. Various expert organizations periodically monitor public opinion regarding attitudes towards electric cars. The research made by J.D. Power in April-May 2022, when 3,701 respondents were surveyed, revealed that 59% of U.S. residents and 53% of Canadians would consider purchasing an electric car.

There are some reasons why people in Canada are more skeptical about EVs than in the USA.

Price

61% of Canadian surveyed and 44% of Americans said the EV price was the reason. 

Electric vehicles are still more expensive in general than comparable models with internal combustion engines, and the level of incentives in the province is still not enough for people to change their minds.

There is a geographical dependence: the higher the percentage of EV lovers – the more built-up areas they are from. For example, 59% of consumers in British Columbia consider the electric vehicle, while in New Brunswick there are only 35% of such respondents.

This is understandable: in densely populated places there are more opportunities for EV charging than in remote and sparsely populated ones.

Driving range

65% of Canadians vs 44% of U.S. customers expressed concern about the driving range of electric cars (And how! It’s colder in Canada). 44% of Canadians said that they would prefer a gasoline vehicle over an electric car due to the colder climate and its influence.

P.S. Meanwhile, not everywhere the cold climate is an obstacle to buying electric cars. Look at Norwegians: they love EVs so much. Maybe, Canadians should take an example from them?

Some more numbers

15% of Canadians have never used an EV before, 22% traveled in electric cars as passengers, 42% were drivers in them, and, finally, 49% already owned the electric vehicle and wouldn’t refuse to buy another one.