A national survey described as the “largest-ever survey of Canadian Electric Vehicle (EV) owners” points to extremely high satisfaction rates among consumers, according to the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA).
The survey was conducted by the Canadian Automobile Association in partnership with BCAA. It included more than 16,000 EV owners and found that common pre-buying concerns (such as range, cold weather performance, and battery degradation) dropped significantly after purchase. BCAA said the main source of concern among EV drivers is the lack of public charging access.
“With sales of electric vehicles growing, this research — into the actual experiences of EV drivers in Canada — sheds important light onto what the real pain points are, and where there is an opportunity for potential buyers to worry less,” said Shawn Pettipas, BCAA’s Director, Corporate Purpose & Mobility Marketing, in a statement.
The survey found that, specific to EV drivers living in B.C., 48 per cent highlighted access to public charging stations as a concern. Owners also acknowledged that 37 per cent of their charging time occurs outside the home.
Other findings point to the fact that, while EV driver concerns did not disappear completely after buying a vehicle — they did decline significantly. For B.C. EV drivers, their concerns about range dropped from 35 percentage points to reach 31 per cent, while cold-weather performance worries were down 18 percentage to reach 25 per cent. And battery degradation fears fell 43 percentage points to 15 per cent.
“The survey also found satisfaction rates among EV drivers in Canada, as well as in B.C. are extremely high,” said the BCAAA. “An overwhelming majority of B.C. EV owners (96 per cent) say they will purchase another EV when it comes time to replace their existing one.”
Eighty seven per cent of EV owners said they enjoy driving their vehicle more, while 96 per cent confirmed their vehicle is more affordable. Ninety-two per cent said their vehicle is “a quieter ride” than their gas-engine vehicle.
