As I write this I’m in Ottawa attending the National Electric Vehicle Conference & Trade Show, put on by Electric Mobility Canada (EMC).
I’m here because I need to better understand the growing market, expanding infrastructure and developing regulatory environment that are all part and parcel of this dramatic evolution of the automotive industry in Canada. In truth, electric vehicles and future mobility are part of a lot of my discussions these days.
I want to understand what will drive the growth of EVs. I want to understand what will inhibit the growth of EVs. I want to understand consumer sentiment around EVs so that Canadian auto dealer can help you, as dealers, provide the best experience possible to interested consumers when
they walk through your door.
Let me share a few impressions from my time in Ottawa.
I can see that there are a number of competing agendas at the event. The automotive industry is well represented at the OEM, industry association and dealer association levels. This is important, as it clearly demonstrates that our industry is doing the right things in being at the table as a productive and positive partner in this change.
This is important, as it clearly demonstrates that our industry is doing the right things in being at the table as a productive and positive partner in this change.
Mark Nantais, President of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ of Canada, did an excellent job as part of a panel discussion. He presented the vehicle manufacturers as engaged partners in the development of EVs and the EV market. He also rightly highlighted the tremendous gains available for reducing greenhouse gases by simply getting older cars off the road, and replacing them with newer cars — even if those newer vehicles have internal combustion engines.
Cara Clairman, President and CEO of Plug ‘N Drive, spoke of the growth in the relationship she has seen between car dealers and the Plug ‘N Drive Electric Vehicle Discovery Centre in North York, Ont. While dealers were initially suspicious of the centre, it’s clear this has evolved into a very symbiotic relationship. Dealers are sending EV-interested customers to the Centre to learn more, and the Centre is turning them into better informed and more purchase-ready customers who are coming back to the dealerships. A well informed customer is good for all concerned.
There are also frustrations. Last spring the federal government announced that it was developing a Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) strategy to be launched in 2018. Talking to CADA President & CEO John White, he said the association hasn’t heard any concrete details and there were no measures announced in the latest budget. Unfortunately no details were forthcoming at this event. Ellen Burak, Director General, Environmental Policy for Transport Canada, spoke on the same panel as Mark Nantais and basically said nothing of substance and did not provide any details.
An event of this size, right in the federal government’s backyard, was the ideal spot to provide a substantive update on a possible national ZEV strategy. To not do so was a big miss. The governments at all levels have significant hands to play in how this nascent industry grows, and a patchwork of provincial mandates is not the ideal solution. The federal government needs to make its intentions clear.
The emerging EV market is still in its early days. Stay tuned. As with so many aspects of our rapidly changing industry, there is plenty of change ahead.
