A report on public opinion of zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) in Canada is now public from Natural Resources Canada (NR Can).
EKOS Research Associates completed the study on behalf of the government department.
The study aimed to provide a baseline survey of Canadians to examine their awareness, knowledge and confidence in ZEVs.
NR Can will repeat the survey annually or bi-annually to provide key performance indicators on ZEVs in Canada.
This baseline will allow NR Can to course correct as Canada pushes to move to 100 per cent ZEV adoption by 2035.
3,449 Canadians completed the online survey in the summer. It was available in both French and English.
The baseline report had some interesting results.
On the positive side:
- Eighty-three per cent of Canadians would be interested in taking a ZEV for a test drive.
- Fifty-one per cent of Canadians have considered purchasing or leasing a vehicle that runs on electricity.
- Twenty-five per cent of Canadians are very interested in a ZEV and will definitely consider one when purchasing their next vehicle.
On the negative side:
- Sixty-six per cent of Canadians have never ridden or driven a ZEV.
- Twenty-seven per cent cannot name any ZEV models or makes.
- Fifty-three per cent agree that there are too few, if any, publicly available charging stations.
One of the most significant survey results shows that auto manufacturers need to pay attention to in the Canadian market is:
- Seventy-nine per cent say proven reliability in Canadian climates would make them more likely to consider purchasing or leasing a ZEV.
Moreover, it will be interesting to track how these results change year-over-year.
You can check out the full report here.
