A federal report showed government departments are steering away from electric cars due to their high costs.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, research conducted by the department of natural resources found that many drivers are hesitant to purchase zero-emission vehicles.“Electric vehicles and the infrastructure obviously are an important part of addressing the climate crisis,” said Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson. “Transportation is the second largest source of emissions in Canada. It is an important component of reducing in line with what we have committed to the world we would do.”On Tuesday, the Commissioner of the Environment released a report to Parliament, which doubted the government's ability to achieve its goal of having 80% zero-emission vehicles in the federal motor pool by 2030. Of the 17,260 government-issued vehicles, only 586, which is just 3%, are zero-emission vehicles.The report looked at four government agencies with the most vehicles, except for Crown corporations. These agencies are the department of national defence, department of fisheries, Canada Border Services Agency, and Parks Canada.“The percentage of zero-emission vehicles in all four organizations stood between one and 3% in 2022,” said the report Departmental Progress in Implementing Sustainable Development Strategies: Zero-Emission Vehicles. “These numbers make it unlikely Canada will meet its target by 2030 as planned.”“We examined the four with the largest federal fleets and with the highest potential for contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said the report. “However, we found none of the four organizations were strategic in their approaches to decarbonizing their fleets to meet the government’s target.”Auditors found one agency, the Canada Border Services Agency, used a total of 12 electric cars compared to 998 gasoline-powered vehicles. “The Agency’s 2019 investment plan noted higher than expected purchase costs of zero-emission vehicles would affect the Agency’s ability to meet the target,” said the report.The natural resources department in 2022 surveys of motorists found widespread sticker shock over the cost of electrics despite $5,000 federal rebates. A majority of drivers surveyed, 51%, said they “have not taken any real steps to purchase or lease this type of vehicle,” said the research Canadians’ Awareness, Knowledge and Attitudes Related to Zero Emission Vehicles.“Many Canadians, 47%, would only buy a zero-emission vehicle if the price were about the same as an equivalent vehicle,” said Awareness. “About one in four, 23%, would be willing to pay more for a zero-emission vehicle than an equivalent conventional vehicle, and about one in ten indicated they would only buy a zero-emission vehicle if the price were lower than an equivalent conventional vehicle.”
A federal report showed government departments are steering away from electric cars due to their high costs.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, research conducted by the department of natural resources found that many drivers are hesitant to purchase zero-emission vehicles.“Electric vehicles and the infrastructure obviously are an important part of addressing the climate crisis,” said Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson. “Transportation is the second largest source of emissions in Canada. It is an important component of reducing in line with what we have committed to the world we would do.”On Tuesday, the Commissioner of the Environment released a report to Parliament, which doubted the government's ability to achieve its goal of having 80% zero-emission vehicles in the federal motor pool by 2030. Of the 17,260 government-issued vehicles, only 586, which is just 3%, are zero-emission vehicles.The report looked at four government agencies with the most vehicles, except for Crown corporations. These agencies are the department of national defence, department of fisheries, Canada Border Services Agency, and Parks Canada.“The percentage of zero-emission vehicles in all four organizations stood between one and 3% in 2022,” said the report Departmental Progress in Implementing Sustainable Development Strategies: Zero-Emission Vehicles. “These numbers make it unlikely Canada will meet its target by 2030 as planned.”“We examined the four with the largest federal fleets and with the highest potential for contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said the report. “However, we found none of the four organizations were strategic in their approaches to decarbonizing their fleets to meet the government’s target.”Auditors found one agency, the Canada Border Services Agency, used a total of 12 electric cars compared to 998 gasoline-powered vehicles. “The Agency’s 2019 investment plan noted higher than expected purchase costs of zero-emission vehicles would affect the Agency’s ability to meet the target,” said the report.The natural resources department in 2022 surveys of motorists found widespread sticker shock over the cost of electrics despite $5,000 federal rebates. A majority of drivers surveyed, 51%, said they “have not taken any real steps to purchase or lease this type of vehicle,” said the research Canadians’ Awareness, Knowledge and Attitudes Related to Zero Emission Vehicles.“Many Canadians, 47%, would only buy a zero-emission vehicle if the price were about the same as an equivalent vehicle,” said Awareness. “About one in four, 23%, would be willing to pay more for a zero-emission vehicle than an equivalent conventional vehicle, and about one in ten indicated they would only buy a zero-emission vehicle if the price were lower than an equivalent conventional vehicle.”