Canadian electric vehicle users worried about finding charging stations: report

Some electric vehicle (EV) owners across Canada say they aren’t taking their rides on long road trips and are worried about finding a charging spot, according to a new survey.

The survey was conducted on behalf of the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA). It found the top concern was “the availability of public charging.”

It appears this worry may be influencing how and when drivers use their EVs, with the CAA noting many are still opting to use gas vehicles for some trips.

“More than one-third of those surveyed (36 per cent) don’t have the confidence to drive their EV on a long road trip, and most EV drivers (67 per cent) still own a gas vehicle, which they are more likely to use for longer journeys,” a CAA release reads.

“What you don’t know is kind of scary. So if you’re leaving your province, or you’re leaving your local community, you may not know where to get charging, you may not know the range that you’re going to have,” Shawn Pettipas, the director of corporate purpose and mobility marketing at the BCAA, said.

But Pettipas says that it will likely change.

“I think as we move forward, and as people become more comfortable, and as infrastructure catches up with the demand, [people] will move more towards that electric future,” Pettipas told CityNews.

Meanwhile, when looking more specifically at B.C. data, gathered by both CAA and BCAA, EV owners in the province seem to be satisfied with their rides.

“Overall, people are generally very satisfied with their purchase, but there are still some concerns that remain, and there are other concerns that were alleviated once they purchased these vehicles,” Pettipas said.

He notes EVs are still a newer concept, adding people are still getting used to the shift from gas to electric.

“It’s kind of a new way of doing things. In the past, we knew where our gas stations were. We knew how many there were and where to go. But this is all a new learning curve for everyone,” Pettipas explained.

“The infrastructure will catch up at some point, it’s just when will it? And when will people get more comfortable with this infrastructure and how to live in this new world of owning an EV.”

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CAA says other common concerns flagged by EV owners include “driving range, cold weather performance and battery degradation.”

However, it says concerns in each of these areas declined after a person bought an EV.

Although there are still some concerns surrounding EVs, CAA says the majority of Canadian owners surveyed reported they would buy an EV again if theirs needed to be replaced.