Canadian Public Requires ‘Increased Education’ if Electric Vehicle Mandate Is to be Met: Federal Report

A charging port is seen on a Mercedes Benz EQC 400 4Matic electric vehicle at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto on Feb. 13, 2019. (Mark Blinch/Reuters)

The general public needs to receive “increased education” to quell broad concerns about electric vehicles (EV) if the government’s EV mandate over the next 12 years is to be met, says an in-house federal research report.

Titled “Canadians’ awareness, knowledge and attitudes related to zero emission vehicles” and published in February, the report included results of a survey conducted in September and October 2022 with over 3,450 Canadian adults participating, as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter.

The survey, conducted by Ekos Research Associates for Natural Resources Canada, found that only about 17 percent of respondents—down from 28 percent in 2021—believe there is an affordable zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) on the market that meets their lifestyle needs.

Just under 50 percent of respondents said they believe ZEVs “can’t travel far enough on a full charge” and 37 percent said they think the vehicles “perform poorly in cold weather,” showed the survey,

The research was intended to inform a mandatory target recently set by the federal government dictating that all new light-duty cars and passenger trucks being sold by 2035 be zero-emission.

In breaking down the survey results, researchers acknowledged there is “some interest” among Canadians for ZEVs, but added that “increased education and awareness efforts will be required to overcome some of the concerns” Canadians have about them, such as issues with charging the vehicles, their reliability, and costs to run and maintain them.

Researchers also said increased education about ZEVs will be needed to inform a “general lack of knowledge about these vehicles among the Canadian public.”

“There are clearly a wide variety of opportunities to fill gaps in knowledge and understanding related to ZEVs, particularly where there are clear misperceptions,” said the report, while providing additional survey results.

Just under 40 percent of respondents said they had either ridden in or driven a ZEV before, while 54 percent said they knew someone who owns one.

Just over 50 percent of respondents said they have considered either buying or leasing an EV for their household, while 20 percent said they have absolutely no interest in ever purchasing a ZEV.

‘Education Activities’

The researchers wrote that these survey results “can help the Government of Canada and all ZEV stakeholders focus the content and messaging in their awareness and education activities in the coming months and years” regarding EV promotion.

However, the survey also found that a “clear majority of Canadians” (70 percent) believe ZEVs are too expensive overall.

“Only 5 per cent disagree with this idea,” the researchers added.

The report also found that a growing number of Canadians do not believe ZEVs are better for the environment than other types of cars.

Sixty-one percent still think ZEVs are better for the environment, but researchers noted that number is down by 5 percentage points since 2021.

The survey also found that just over half of respondents (51 percent) believe ZEVs are “less damaging to the environment than gas or diesel-powered vehicles.”

“These tracking results suggest that an increasing proportion of Canadians have a fundamental misperception of the environmental impacts of ZEVs,” said the report.

The government said in the report that there is a “critical need” to meet the 2035 EV mandate, adding that it will increase investments and provide Canadians with resources to help bring that about.

“To provide certainty about the path to getting there, the Government will pursue a combination of investments and regulations to help Canadians and industry in this transition,” it said.

“For the Government to achieve its ZEV targets, consumer awareness, knowledge and acceptance of new ZEV technologies has been acknowledged by all stakeholders as critical.”