In Canada, despite massive government subsidies of new electric vehicle purchases and EV battery plants, as well as considerable government spending on EV infrastructure, the EV market still makes up only 13.3 percent of new vehicle registrations. I write “only” 13.3 percent, but the federal government somehow managed to interpret from this statistic that in double-quick time, 100 percent of Canadians will want to drive nothing but EVs. It cited the statistic as part of its newly announced mandate that by 2035, 100 percent of new vehicle sales must be electric or plug-in hybrid. The government also announced interim targets: From 13.3 percent last quarter, EVs must account for 20 percent of the market by 2026, and at least 60 percent by 2030. Dealers who fall short of these quotas face heavy financial penalties: They must either buy EV “credits” from other automakers or pay for public EV charging stations.
