Electric Vehicle advocates on Vancouver Island and the south coast say the federal government’s sales targets are well within reach, especially in B.C.
The federal government aims to get to 100 per cent EV sales in the country by 2035. That looks like a 20 per cent target for 2026, 60 per cent by 2030 and eventually all sales by 2035.
According to Victoria Electric Vehicle Association president Glenn Gary, the federal standards will not apply to B.C. because the province already has its standards, and we are ahead.
“When it first came out in 2019, we were hoping to get to 10 per cent by 2025 and we’re already at 25 per cent,” said Gary. “2030, B.C. will be at 90 per cent sales and 2035, 100 [per cent].”
According to statistics from ICBC, the number of electric vehicles registered on the road in 2022 was 82,044. That represents an over 66,000 vehicle increase over four years. The most popular brand is Tesla, with nearly 42,000 vehicles registered in the province.
Gary adds that the culture of British Columbians could be why electric vehicles have gained in popularity recently, especially in the passenger sector.
“People in B.C., they like being outdoors, they like our environment, as a province it is pretty clean and I think they’re really engaged in trying to keep it that way,” said Gary. “Plus, we have some of the most expensive gasoline in the country here because we don’t make any of it here.
“If you’re driving an electric vehicle, all the money you spend stays in the province [and] you’re going to keep between 80 and 90 per cent of the money you would have spent on gas.”
Gary says that amounts to about $3,000 per person in the province today. He adds this means growth particularly on Vancouver Island has been very good.
However, when it comes to hitting the goal of 100 per cent, Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association treasurer Bruce Stout says that will be difficult to hit and will take time for everyone to get on board.
“I don’t see us reaching 100 per cent ever. There’s always going to be five per cent of the population that’s going to resist this,” said Stout. “Once the majority of the population starts to see a lot of these electric cars, they’re going to start investigating.
“We’re starting to get the penetration, there’s starting to be more vehicles out there. People are seeing these vehicles; everybody knows somebody who owns an electric vehicle now.”
To make things more attainable, Gary says changes need to be made in the commercial vehicle sector, which mainly uses diesel fuel. Stout adds that the current costs of borrowing are also large barriers right now.
Despite the challenges, both Gary and Stout say we should be able to make the goals and Gary adds getting involved in an EV community can help find the vehicle that suits your needs.
