this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2024
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Unless policies or technologies change, the ownership cost of electric vehicles (EVs) needs to decrease by 31 per cent if Canada to wants to reach its sales target of 60 per cent EVs by 2030, according to a new report released Thursday by Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux.

Last December, the federal government unveiled its Electric Vehicle Availability Standard that outlined zero-emission vehicle sales targets for automakers. The standard requires all new light-duty sales in Canada to be electric or plug-in hybrid by 2035. There are also interim targets of at least 20 per cent of all sales being EVs by 2026 and 60 per cent by 2030.

Those federal government targets come as growth forecasts for auto companies have plateaued and concerns about charging infrastructure persist. The price of EVs has also pushed the cars out of reach for many consumers. According to the Canadian Black Book, the average cost of an EV was $73,000 in 2023.

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[–] [email protected] 63 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Maybe don't put a 100% tarrif on affordable Chinese EVs then?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

It's really telling that Chinese EVs (like imported Teslas) were basically considered fine until the prospect of them being affordable to the middle class arose. That's when we started hearing about labour abuses and fires that only happen with * cheap Chinese* batteries.

It's not like Tesla has a stellar reputation for quality and reliability. They started powerwall as a way to offload bad/ prematurely failing batteries. Don't get me wrong, powerwall is a good idea. But pretending like BYD is going to have terrible batteries and that's why we need tariffs is bad.

China has labour and human rights abuses (eg genocide of Uyghers in Xinjiang [cultural genocide is still genocide]). Imo Canada is doing a better job of reconciling with its history/present of cultural genocide than China is. Canada's TFW program probably results in lots of horrible abuses that we don't hear about, but i think this program may be on its way out too. These issues don't only apply to EVs though.

The only things that're EV specific are lithium batteries and automotive manufacturing.

EV tariffs are protectionism: We want to protect domestic automotive (and para-automotive) manufacturing capabilities, and our investments in EVs/green tech.

I don't think 100% tariffs can be justified on EVs alone.

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[–] [email protected] 44 points 2 months ago

πŸ‘ stop πŸ‘ subsidizing πŸ‘ oil

$18B last year in government support for petrocorps.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 months ago (3 children)

i would love for my next car to be an EV

It doesn't need to have 1000km range, or edge to edge touch screens, or anything fancy

Give me something like a subaru impreza, with 300-400km range, and a sunroof.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Give me a Honda fit but electric and make my landlord give me the ability to charge it. Some fancy tech would be nice, but I drive a used economy vehicle for a reason

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'm still tempted to do a diy conversion to get specifically what I want and nothing else. I have to get my money's worth out of my bike too though.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

i saw someone who moded an olschool subaru brat into an EV. Said he put a... Leaf battery and motor in it. Was really cool to see!

(stock photo)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The bolt ev and euv is an amazing car I love it and it fits your criteria.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The Bolt was discontinued after the 2023 model. But hey you can buy a new EV Chevy Equinox now starting at $55k >_>

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

This is fantastic. I need a new car but wasn't in as position to buy a Bolt when they were available. I can hang on for another year or so until the new EUV.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Sounds like Canada should put a 50% tax on gasoline powered vehicles.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago

I am waiting for the exponential increase in gas prices to start.

We have to pay for the carbon we're releasing, it is a market externality, it's going to cost us trillions of dollars. This is what government is for in a capitalist society.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Only if that tax subsidizes EVs.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'd rather that tax subsidizes trains.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Have we as a country ever met a climate target? In fairness to our politicians (not really), the O&G industry regulates them and not the other way around. Until that power relation changes, our targets are just greenwashing

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Well, I’m never buying a Tesla and the same government is determined to withhold choice from us.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

Tesla asked Canada to reduce tariffs on its EVs made in China, Reuters source says - https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/tesla-canada-china-tariffs-1.7307635

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

It doesn't look like the governments want EVs to replace ICE vehicles as they are today. The density in cities is already limited by parking and road space, and the infrastructure needed to charge all these new EVs isn't really being built.

Keeping EVs in the $60k+ range and the short life-cycle of these vehicles will ensure most people transition to public and active transport, leaving the roads to luxury consumers.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (3 children)

American here. Does Canada have any domestic auto manufacturers?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Ford, Stellantis, GM, Honda, Toyota: source (click "Made in Canada"). Both countries assemble many cars where parts are made in the US/Canada/Mexico (see: NAFTA/CUSMA aka USMCA)

edit: also for context, auto manufacturing is a big political football here in Ontario, with politicians always announcing funding and looking for photo ops around it because they're big employers in manufacturing

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

If by that you mean "headquartered in Canada and manufacturing in Canada for the Canadian market" then the answer is no, I'm pretty sure the last ones vanished no later than the middle of the 20th century. Some US and other foreign companies do have manufacturing and assembly plants here, but I wouldn't call them Canadian. (Ford Canada used to be semi-independent and produced some own-model vehicles early on, but they're nothing more than a subsidiary of the US company now.)

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, Fiat Chrysler have factories in Canada. I don’t know of any that truly Canadian companies though.

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