Ottawa sets timeline for full EV adoption, but industry players say roadmap is flawed

financialpost.com:

Ottawa rolled out its timeline for the full transition to electric vehicles on Tuesday, but some industry watchers are concerned the path to get there is not realistic.

The new regulations stipulate that 100 per cent of new car, van, SUV, truck, and crossover sales in Canada should be electric by 2035, with incremental targets along the way.

But Brian Kingston, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, says the new regulations don’t solve either of the two key barriers to EV uptake: the cost of vehicles and the lack of charging infrastructure.

“They’ve put forward a regulation which will dictate what Canadians can and can’t buy without providing the necessary supports to that 100 per cent target,” Kingston said.

According to the government, there are currently 25,000 charging stations across the country. But Kingston said that is not nearly enough for the fully electric future the government envisions.

He estimates Canada will need to build 35,000 new stations every year just to keep up with demand, and added that attempts to incentivize automotive companies to build the stations miss the mark.

“Expecting the automotive industry to also build a national charging network is completely unrealistic,” he said. “Automotive companies specialize in delivering products to consumers that will delight them; we are not in the business of building a national charging network.”

The charging infrastructure is the most important part of the EV ramp-up, said Tim Reuss, president and chief executive of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association, in an email. Depending on the private sector to pick up the slack “does not even come close” to addressing the issue.

Affordability is another critical barrier to EV uptake.