Survey says Canadians don't want electric cars unless... — Autoblog Green Ok... maybe they won't get them, esp. given how small a car market Canada is compared to the US. The colder climate sure doesn't help there either.
Yeah I can see why. Aside from a few cities, there are a LOT of small towns (fairly large ones on the east coast) so driving into the city for hockey games or dinner out is a long trip (100-200 miles each way). Also, people in the Greater Toronto Area tend to drive a lot for a city as you drive from one end and work in another ~1 hour on the highway without traffic. That's something I didn't realise until I talked to a few colleagues who are from different parts of Canada.
As I said in other threads; electric cars are fine even within the limits of technology offered in today's offerings. However, one has to be very careful to make sure they fit the "application", the user's need. I live in Kitchener and drive to Toronto and London regularly. That is over 200 km round trip. And, yes add the winter driving. For me as our 'first car' none of today's electric offering would do the job at any price. So I will stick with my Prius. On the other hand, an electric could replace our 2003 Corolla. Which is used by my wife, well within 160 km (100 mile) range daily. But not over $24,000.
If the batteries are leased, the car becomes equally affordable compared to conventional gas burners. The batteries will need to be easily swappable at battery swap stations. These swap stations will eliminate range issues. BETTER PLACE has this all figured out and they've recently set up shop in Ontario. Google it. I'm a Canadian who is absolutely sure my next vehicle will be an EV.
