The state of electric vehicles in Canada

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The state of electric vehicles in Canada

[ http://www.greenenergyfutures.ca/episod ... ada-update ]

EXCERPT:

More than 11,000 plug-in electric vehicles have been sold in Canada since 2011. The Chevy Volt leads the pack, accounting for 37 per cent of all EV sales in Canada, while the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Model S come in second and third respectively. Those three vehicles represent more than 70 per cent of electric vehicles sales in Canada so far.

As of the end of 2014, plug-in electric vehicles have 0.27 of total vehicle market share in Canada — roughly speaking, one out of every 300 cars sold in Canada is an EV. That’s grown almost ten-fold since 2011.

In the U.S., electric vehicles have more double the market share they enjoy in Canada, with EVs making up one of every 150 new vehicles sold. There the Chevy Volt wins the all-time sales record with 73,757 cars sold; the Nissan Leaf sold 72,322, followed by the Toyota Prius Plug-in at 38,088 and the Tesla Model S with an estimated 35,817 cars sold.

While our numbers are small compared with the U.S., Klippenstein is still optimistic.

“That is nice year-over-year growth, and if we keep it up we’ll be doing quite well in a few years' time,” says Klippenstein.

The industry watcher sees plenty of further growth in the EV market as manufacturers start venturing into the minivan, SUV and truck market segments.

Those non-sedan options include vehicles like Rathwell’s now-discontinued RAV4 EV. It’s a shame that they stopped making them, as Rathwell loves his even in Saskatoon’s harsh prairie winters.

Klippenstein is also excited about the next generation of EVs: “Early indications are that the next Volt will be more mainstream. I expect the second-generation Nissan Leaf to do the same. This should help push EV sales substantially and keep us on the 50 per cent per year growth train that we’ve been on.”

In Canada, Quebec and Ontario lead the way in EV sales. Not only do they have the largest populations but they also both have fairly healthy rebates for electric vehicles. British Columbia recently let their electric vehicle incentive program expire.

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