According to a new survey from Toronto-based audit, tax and advisory firm, KPMG, nearly 70% of Canadians who plan to buy a new car in the next five years will likely be purchasing a battery or plug-in electric car.
The study, released on Thursday, noted 68% of Canadians said they would be purchasing an electric vehicle in the next half-decade, but concerns remained over charging networks, along with battery life, range concerns and price.
“Canada’s automotive industry is nearing the tipping point, with nearly 70 per cent of Canadians indicating that they’re looking to buy an electric vehicle not in a decade’s time but in the next five years,” says Peter Hatges, Partner, National Sector Leader, Automotive, KPMG in Canada, in a statement.
“Our poll research illustrates huge consumer demand in Canada for EVs, putting the onus on manufacturers and governments alike to shift gears not only to meet the expected surge in EV sales but to invest heavily in the necessary infrastructure,” added Hatges.
Below are percentages of each provincial population or area that said they are in the market for a new vehicle or EV:
The polling shows 83 per cent of Canadians believe automakers should be required to invest in national charging infrastructure. Tesla has built its own Supercharger network in Canada that spans coast-to-coast.
Other interesting data shows 77 per cent of all Canadians want their electric vehicle to have a minimum range of 400 km on a full charge.
Currently, there are provincial rebates for EV purchases in Canada that are helping to fuel new car purchases. B.C. has a $3,000 CAD rebate (it is running out soon), Quebec has an $8,000 CAD rebate, Yukon has $5,000 CAD and recently Nova Scotia announced a $3,000 CAD rebate. This is all on top of the current $5,000 CAD federal EV rebate.
KPMG surveyed 2,000 Canadians from January 8 to January 13, using Delvinia’s AskingCanadians panel by Delvinia and its online research platform.
