What Ontarians think about EVs

The popularity of internal combustion engines has fallen among Ontario drivers, suggesting a shift in consumer sentiment, a recent study suggests.

While still the dominant choice, when asked what type of powertrain people want in their next vehicles, internal combustion was the preferred option of 48 per cent of Ontarians surveyed in the 2021 Ontario Automotive Consumer Study from business advisory firm Deloitte.

Still, that’s a drop of 22% from just one year ago. The difference was evenly split between hybrid electric (35 per cent) and battery electric (16 per cent) vehicles.

Where do people expect to be able to charge their vehicles, should they decide to buy one? The vast majority (80 per cent) said at home. On-street or public charging was second at 15% and at work via an employer-provided charging station was third at 4 per cent.

This data reveals some interesting tension — while there’s growing interest in electric vehicle purchasing, buyer hesitation around price is still preventing Canadians from making the switch. Most of those (76 per cent) planning to purchase an EV expect to pay less than $50,000.

That, Deloitte points out, may not be in line with current prices and availability. If governments wish to encourage greater adoption of alternative power vehicles, then, the company added, the importance of incentives and rebates can’t be ignored.