Skip to content

Canadian electric vehicle registrations inch closer to government target

EVs made up 8.6 per cent of passenger vehicles added to Canadian roads first 3 months of this year
33506152_web1_20230803130856-8b85b1f7c1e7b9817f6a7f140541d74b27cf0ea5bd262b18251a0cfb2b80f795
An electric vehicle is charged in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. Canada is inching closer to reaching a milestone where one in every 10 passenger vehicles sold is powered by electricity. But the federal government wants the share of electric vehicles to be twice that in just two years and the pace of EV sales has to jump significantly for that to happen. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Canada is inching closer to reaching a milestone where one in every 10 passenger vehicles sold is powered by electricity.

But the federal government wants the share of electric vehicles to be twice that in just two years, and the pace of EV sales has to jump significantly for that to happen.

Statistics Canada data published this week show more than 30,000 new electric vehicles were registered in January, February and March, making up 8.6 per cent of the total passenger vehicles added to Canadian roads.

Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association President Brian Kingston says he is concerned because that’s down from the last three months of 2022, when the share of EVs among new registrations was 9.6 per cent.

Kingston says the added cost of buying an EV and the limited availability of chargers remain barriers for many Canadians in making the switch.

But Clean Energy Canada spokesman Trevor Melanson says he thinks EV sales will show significant growth in the second quarter, noting the number of federal rebates issued for electric vehicles in April, May and June was nearly twice what it was over the winter.

READ ALSO: B.C. improves rebate for electric vehicles to a maximum of $4,000: ministry