More than three-quarters of The Logic’s subscribers who have never bought an electric vehicle are interested in purchasing or leasing one in the near future, according to a recent survey, as Canada grapples with how to accelerate their adoption to help the country reach its net-zero goals.

The survey, conducted from Jan. 20 to 24, found that about 7.7 per cent didn’t intend to purchase or lease an EV, while about 14.6 per cent said “maybe.” The question was asked of respondents who indicated they’d never purchased one.

The current adoption of EVs among subscribers is moderately low. Only about 21.4 per cent said they had purchased an EV.

Last June, the Liberals updated their target for zero-emissions-vehicle (ZEV) sales, requiring all cars and light-duty trucks sold in Canada to be zero-emission by 2035. It represented a significant leap from the government’s previous goals, and it wasn’t on track to meet those targets, either—ZEVs made up just 3.4 per cent of new-vehicle sales in the first half of 2020.   

Meanwhile, with electric vehicles becoming a popular alternative as the globe shifts to a greener economy, Ontario Premier Doug Ford recently said his government plans to build at least 400,000 electric and hybrid vehicles in the province by 2030. 

One subscriber said they’d be interested in buying or leasing an EV “as soon as the [electric-vehicle] supply issues settle down.”

The auto industry has been hit by supply-chain snarls, a shortage in semiconductor chips and COVID-related plant shutdowns. Tesla, for example, warned this week that supply-chain issues were “the main limiting factor” to its growth this year, hindering the electric-car maker’s manufacturing capacity. 

As demand for EVs appears to be on the rise, half of the survey’s respondents said they knew a lot about the vehicles, 45.2 per cent said they knew about them somewhat, and only 4.8 per cent said they’d heard of EVs, but didn’t know much about them. 

“Mainstream media is my primary source of knowledge,” one subscriber said. 

When it came to deciding whether to purchase an electric vehicle, the most important factor for respondents was the environmental impact, at 24.1 per cent. Nearly 20 per cent of subscribers said the accessibility of charging stations would be the most important factor in their decision, while 16.3 per cent said costs and savings were most important.

“Until recharging convenience and time are improved, [electric vehicles are] not an option,” wrote one subscriber, who added that they might purchase an EV in the future.

Another subscriber expressed concern “about [the] technology and reliability in our winter climate.”

Among those who chose other factors as their most important consideration, one respondent specified, “Battery range and ability to retain charge while sitting at -25 C for a week.” Another subscriber wrote, “Cost of installing a fast charger is also important and the genuine range when it is very cold or very hot.”