“It’s going to be very challenging to sort of convince consumers to take that next step without there being some sort of comfort around the ability to charge outside their home,” Rogers said.
She said consumer concerns need to be addressed if Canada wants to meet its target of all new light-duty vehicle sales being zero-emission by 2035.
In December 2023, the federal government finalized its plans to gradually phase out sales of new gas-powered cars in favour of zero-emission vehicles.
The phase-out will happen in stages: 20% in 2026, increasing to 60% by 2030, and reaching 100% by 2035.
Rogers says the drop in demand for EVs “definitely shows there’s going to be a lot of pressure on meeting those targets.”
The price tag of electric vehicles, combined with economic headwinds such as inflation and high interest rates, may also dissuade many car buyers from considering EVs.
According to Canadian Black Book, the average cost of an electric vehicle was about $73,000 in 2023.
Meanwhile, some automakers have delayed or paused EV production as demand drops. Ford Motor Co., for example, pushed out its plans to manufacture EVs at its Oakville, Ont., plant by two years.