Electric Vehicles

On average, Canadians drive less than 100 kms per day. That’s well within the range of today’s new EVs, which can run for 500 kms and more on a single charge. Planning a long road trip? There are more than 5,000 public charging stations across Canada. You can drive an EV from coast to coast using that charging network. And, depending on your vehicle, the latest quick-charge technologies enable you to top-up your battery in as little as 30 minutes. (Natural Resources Canada; Hydro One)

Current manufacturer warranties cover electric vehicle batteries for eight years, but they are built to last the life of your car. Over time, EV batteries will degrade, which leads to a loss of driving range. Recycling gives these batteries another life. However, there is still a lot experts are still discovering, such as the cost to replace batteries. (PlugnDrive.ca)

Norway has one of the world’s highest EV adoption rates. Tests in this Nordic country found that, on average, electric vehicles lost on average 18.5% of their official driving range in cold conditions. There are also ways to reduce these efficiency losses. For example, there are apps that enable you to pre-warm the EV battery and the car’s interior. (Autoblg.com; Consumer Reports)

That depends on the source of electricity. In Canada, most of our electricity is generated by low-emitting hydro and nuclear sources. That means EV ownership can help reduce your personal vehicle greenhouse gas emissions by 60% to 90%. Not to mention, this can result in savings of more than $1,000/year on fuel. (ChargeHub.com)