Now, with Canada mandating that all vehicles sold in the country by 2035 must be zero-emission, consumers may be curious about how far electric vehicles can go in Canada.
Once, due to its novelty and limited charging infrastructure, "range anxiety" was a factor in the hesitation of people to buy electric vehicles. However, experts told Global News that today, with the popularity of electric vehicles and the continuous improvement of charging infrastructure, consumers should no longer worry about the range of electric vehicles.
"Range has improved," said Mark Mammer, owner and founder of energy consultant Signature Electric. "Now, most cars and trucks have a range of at least 300 to 350 km, which is a fairly comfortable range. ”
Mammel points out that eight to 10 years ago, electric cars had a range of only 150 to 200 kilometers. He said that considering that most people drive 50 to 100 kilometers a day, with the condition that you can charge overnight at home, it has become fairly easy to use an electric car.
The charging infrastructure will cover the whole country for cross-country travel, such as the driving distance from Toronto to Montreal is about 540 kilometers, which means that at least one charging stop will be required. Fortunately, Mammer says charging stations are ubiquitous along most major road corridors and can often be found next to highways, such as some Tim Hortons or McDonald's. He noted that petrol stations are also starting to offer charging stations, as an example of Ontario's ONroute location.
According to Transportation Secretary Guilbeault, there should be 85,000 EV charging stations in Canada by 2029.
According to Mammer, Tesla's electric vehicles perform best in terms of range, with the Model 3 sedan having a range of 420 kilometers compared to the Model Y Performance, according to the EV database. This is due to Tesla's long-standing presence in the market and extensive experience in the field.
Other brands include the Honda Ioniq 6 with a range of 365 km as standard, the base Nissan Leaf at 235 km, the Polestar 2 at 405 km and the Lucid Air Pure at 560 km, according to the EV database.
Cold weather has an impact on battery life, said Louise Leveque, policy director at the Electric Mobility Canada industry association, said cold weather does have an impact on battery life because of the need for heated equipment and more traction. She noted that the average reduction in battery life is about 20 to 25 percent, and that it could be about 40 percent in the case of minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Future outlook
For some parts of Canada, particularly places like Saskatchewan where charging stations are few and winter temperatures are extremely low, driving a tram over long distances can present some challenges.
But Levek said she is looking forward to the future, and that Canada's push for more EV sales will create market predictability and help plan for more infrastructure. In addition, the choice of a hybrid electric vehicle is also an option, according to BC Hydro, the battery range is usually around 50 km, but it can exceed 500 km when using gasoline.
When asked why many Canadians are still not interested in electric vehicles, Levick said the main reason is a lack of understanding, they haven't test-driven electric vehicles, or have been affected by negative coverage.
"The tram is still evolving, but it's a new experience. She said. "Sit in an electric car, press the gas, the car starts, and everything is silent...... It really feels very special. ”