They are powerful, they are ready for prime time, but according to EVchoice.ca, there simply are not enough electric vehicles (EVs) that Canadians can purchase today. Eager Canadians do not have access to the variety, selection, or access to the non-polluting cars that Americans enjoy.
That needs to change, argues five leading Canadian organizations that are together driving the point home via a new social media campaign. EVchoice.ca, launched during “Drive Electric Week,” inviting Canadians to contact federal and provincial leaders and urge them to adopt policies that other jurisdictions have successfully used to boost electric-vehicle availability.
The campaign’s centrepiece is Where Are Canada’s Missing Electric Cars?, a short animated video clip that compares Canada’s EV offerings with those available to Californians.
Though many experts believe California’s approach would work well in Canada—the two jurisdictions have a similar population size, and Quebec has already adopted its own mandate—auto-industry lobbyists are putting the brakes on the idea here. “Canadians deserve greater EV choice, and our governments should make sure the car industry gives it to us,” the video argues.
The federal government is presently developing a national Zero-Emissions Vehicle Strategy; it will be released sometime in the coming year. Canada’s auto industry is actively opposing the inclusion of an EV sales mandate in the strategy.
EVchoice.ca is a collaboration of The Atmospheric Fund, Clean Energy Canada, Environmental Defence Canada, Équiterre, and the SFU Sustainable Transportation Action Research Team. Drive Electric Week is a North America-wide celebration, held September 9-17, 2017, intended to heighten awareness of plug-in vehicles and their benefits.