Electric vehicle sales stall on P.E.I. as cold weather leads to battery range concerns | CBC News
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Lynda Morgan loves her electric vehicle. It’s quiet, it’s good for the environment and the auto-drive function on her Tesla allows her to relax and let it do all the work.
“I hate to say this, but it’s a better driver than I am,” she said.
But as she waited at a charging station in Charlottetown before a road trip last week, she acknowledged the Tesla has its inconveniences — especially in the cold weather.
“Absolutely the range on the battery is not as good, so the fact that I’m heading to Ontario at the moment from P.E.I. means I’m going to have to stop more often for charging.”
The charging issue is a concern many customers have when they are considering an electric vehicle, some car dealers say. Most owners charge their cars at home overnight, but going on a road trip can be fraught with range anxiety.
It’s likely one reason why electric car sales have slowed on P.E.I. over the past year.
Trevor Leeco of Centennial Nissan in Charlottetown said when incentives were first offered on electric vehicles, any EV that arrived on the lot was already presold.
And though incentives are still in place — up to $5,750 from the provincial government and another $5,000 from Ottawa — the supply has caught up with the demand that had built up.
‘Quieter’ in winter
“The people that were interested kind of already have taken advantage of it, and so now it’s kind of everybody else just getting used to the inevitability of electric vehicles,” Leeco said.
“Also seasonality. This time for dealerships is quieter, whether it’s electric or gas, but even more on the electric side because the range and things like that in our winter months is less. So that could lower the purchasing power for those people.”
Dealers speculate that sticker shock, scarce chargers and range anxiety, especially in winter, are putting a damper on electric vehicle sales.
Prices are coming down, but EVs are still generally more expensive than gas-powered vehicles. According to the Nissan Canada website, the price of a 2024 Nissan Leaf EV starts at more than $44,000. The Tesla Canada website lists its 2024 Model Y starting at just over $53,000.
But the more-affordable used market is also slowing down. There are no EVs in the lot of The Affordable Car Company in Charlottetown, for example.
Co-owner Shawn Winsloe said some buyers are concerned about the high cost of EVs and the comparative lack of charging infrastructure in the province.
“Everyone was so excited at first. You know, everyone jumped in both feet at first —and then we started seeing some of the problems … not even problems, but challenges.
“There weren’t maybe enough chargers, or the chargers took too long — or the batteries. If you have a problem with the battery, it’s sometimes a challenge to get that battery replaced, and they can be super expensive, so that all reflects in the market.”
Province installing more chargers
Officials with the province said there are now 12 Level 3 fast chargers across P.E.I., with 480-volt systems that give car owners an 80 per cent charge in just 20 to 30 minutes, with various payment rates applying. The plan is to have a total of 25 provincial fast chargers installed by the end of the year.
Some private companies have installed additional fast chargers that are operated with engagement and payment apps.
Level 2 chargers are more plentiful but slower.
Lynda Morgan is prepared to charge up more often on her trip to Ontario than she would if she travelled in the summer.
Electric vehicles are becoming easier to find at Canadian auto dealers, but they are still more expensive than most gas-powered vehicles. EV experts encourage drivers to consider fuel savings and provincial incentives as they mull over their next car purchase.
She left Charlottetown with about 90 per cent battery and expected to have about 25 per cent battery charge left by the time she reached the fast chargers in Salisbury, N.B., about 200 kilometres away.
She said she’d likely be ready for a pit stop by then anyway.
“As long as you can get to a supercharger … it’s pretty good.”
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