Face your fears, they say. Well, a large new survey of Canadian electric vehicle owners found that doing so can indeed tame them – for the most part.
A survey of more than 16,000 electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) drivers in Canada, conducted by PlugShare Research on behalf of the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), found that every common concern drivers had before buying an EV – including fears around range and battery degradation – faded significantly after purchasing an EV. But those concerns didn’t disappear completely.
A lack of driving range was the most widespread fear before purchase, with 67 per cent of EV owners saying it was a “serious” or “moderately serious” concern. After buying an EV, however, only 30 per cent of owners said it was still a major issue.
Likewise, 54 per cent of EV owners said battery degradation was a serious or moderately serious concern before they bought their car, dropping to 13 per cent after purchase.
Concerns about long-distance travel and the prospect of waiting in line for a public charger were also major issues that faded significantly once drivers became accustomed to EVs and PHEVs. Almost nine in 10 (88 per cent) of respondents were on their first EV.
“Worries dissipate, which is amazing,” said Kristine D’Arbelles, CAA’s senior director of public affairs. “They shouldn’t deter someone from purchasing an electric vehicle.”
The results of the new survey line up with research by Clean Energy Canada, an environmental think tank based at Simon Fraser University.
“Canadians want EVs, so it’s important we get them in their hands – and once they have them, they love them.” Ekta Bibra, the organization’s senior policy adviser for clean transportation, said in an email.
The only major concern that didn’t fade much after purchase had to do with a lack of public charging stations, with 66 per cent of respondents calling it an issue before purchase, and 44 per cent saying it’s still a problem now. D’Arbelles said it’s the No. 1 concern expressed by EV drivers.
Currently, the vast majority of EV and PHEV drivers are homeowners living in single-family homes, the survey showed. Unsurprisingly, 95 per cent of those drivers reported having access to at-home charging. As a result, only 23 per cent of all EV charging (as measured by kilometres driven) is done outside the home or workplace.
Clean Energy Canada’s Bibra said the survey shows current EV drivers aren’t as dependent on public charging as previously thought, but added it’s still important for Canadians who don’t have access to a private parking space or garage.
As more people without a place to charge at home look to make the switch to an EV, public charging infrastructure will only become more important.
“It’s mission critical,” D’Arbelles said. “It’s not just ‘it would be nice to have really reliable [public] charging.’ If you do not have a charger, then you risk running out of charge, or having to wait longer for another charger because there might be a lineup.”
Lingering fears about a lack of public chargers meant more than one-third of EV drivers said they don’t have the confidence to take their EV on a long road trip. (Two-thirds reported still owning a gas-powered vehicle, which they would be more likely to use for longer journeys.)
The exception was Tesla owners, who have access to the company’s extensive Supercharger network. In comparison to their non-Tesla-driving peers, Tesla owners showed more confidence in the ready availability of public fast-chargers and were more confident in taking their EV on long road trips.
CEC’s Bibra said the federal government’s zero-emission vehicle sales target should provide the market certainty needed for the private sector and governments to roll out more public chargers. For its part, the federal government has committed to building almost 85,000 new chargers across Canada by 2027.
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This isn’t the first time Canadian EV owners have raised concerns about a lack of public chargers, and it likely won’t be the last. A poll last year by environmental non-profit Pollution Probe found nearly 60 per cent of Canadian EV owners think there aren’t enough public chargers.
Despite any remaining concerns about charging, batteries and range, EV drivers report being very satisfied over all. An overwhelming 97 per cent of the 16,000 people in CAA’s survey said that, when it comes time to replace their current vehicle, they will purchase another EV or PHEV.
Matt Bubbers, a long-time contributor to Globe Drive, also writes for other publications that include CAA Magazine. He did not work on the CAA study.
Matt Bubbers