Toronto, Ontario — A lack of faith and exposure to EVs weighs on Canadian car buying habits, British Columbia’s interior sees the expansion of hydrogen charging infrastructure and two more automakers jump on the NACS charging train. This is the latest in electric and autonomous vehicles.
EV apathy
Electric vehicles remain very much out of the question for about two-thirds of Canadian drivers as many concerns and misconceptions around the technology linger, according to a recent J.D. Power survey.
Citing a lack of confidence in the performance of EVs in Canada, combined with a similar dissatisfaction with the nation’s existing charging infrastructure, J.D. Power found that the percentage of drivers who would consider an EV purchase has slipped by 17 percent, totalling only about 34 percent of Canadian drivers.
Another factor that does no favours for EV adoption in Canada is the fact that 55 percent of drivers report that they still have yet to even sit in an EV, and thus do not feel acquainted with the technology in a way that would make them consider it for purchase.
J.D. Power’s director of Canadian operations, J.D. Ney, said “Against this backdrop, it is going to take significant investment and close collaboration between manufacturers and lawmakers to address issues of overall affordability, capability and infrastructure before Canada can reach its national and provincial EV sales targets.”
Hydro-and-go
Natural Resources Canada is keeping its options open when it comes to emissions-free fuel sources, announcing Thursday plans to install a hydrogen refueling station off the Trans-Canada Highway in Kelowna, B.C.
This plan will see $1 million allocated to Vancouver-based hydrogen mobility developer HTEC through NRCan’s Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment.
“This station is a significant milestone for HTEC and for the hydrogen industry in Canada, specifically B.C. We are proud to open our Kelowna station and continue to fuel the drive to hydrogen in British Columbia’s interior,” said HTEC CEO and president Colin Armstrong.
Supercharged Swedes
Another week, another OEM feels the pressure to adopt the NACS charging method, as Volvo/Polestar gets in on Tesla’s Supercharger surge.
As was the case with GM and Ford before them, Volvo and Polestar will offer adaptors to drivers over the course of 2024 before beginning production of NACS-equipped models in 2025.
Both companies did note in their respective announcements, however, that drivers of these future NACS-equipped vehicles will still be able to buy Combined Charging System (CCS) adaptors.
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