Half of British Columbians are opposed to the province’s timeline to phase out the sale of gas-powered vehicles in the next decade, according to a new poll.
Under B.C. legislation, 90 per cent of new cars sold by 2030 will need to be zero-emission vehicles, rising to 100 per cent by 2035.
As of 2024, EV sales represent about a quarter of all new cars driven off the lot.
The survey, commissioned from pollster Leger by a group of Canadian automotive groups, suggests there may be barriers to reaching that target.
The poll found 49 per cent of respondents oppose the EV mandate, while 31 per cent support it.
Two in five respondents said they would not consider a zero-emission vehicle for their next purchase, citing higher prices and shorter ranges than gas vehicles, and a lack of charging infrastructure.
Brian Kingston, president and CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association, said car makers are on board with electrification, but they believe the targets are simply too aggressive.
“We have engaged with the government over the year and have shown them the investments that auto manufacturers are making into electrification, $1.2 trillion globally, over $40 billion in Canada. We’ve gone from three models in 2012 to over 80 models this year,” he said.
But under the terms of B.C.’s law, gas cars sold outside of the mandate can be slapped with a $20,000 fee, while dealers could also face inventory restrictions if they don’t make the targets, he said.
“We are quite concerned that residents don’t understand the implications of this mandate, and they don’t understand it will ultimately result in higher vehicle prices and less availability if the government doesn’t get this right,” Kingston said.
Kingston pointed to federal estimates that B.C. would need a network of 20,000 chargers to support the number of EVs the mandate would put on the road, while B.C. is currently home to just 6,000.
But electric vehicle supporters say while the targets are ambitious, they’re also achievable.
“I think the timeline is quite doable,” said Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association secretary Ron Burton.
“We already have 25 per cent of new vehicles in the province are EVs … and we’ve got more and more manufacturers coming on with more and more EVs, so the supply is going to be there.”
Burton agreed there was a lot of work ahead on building out charging infrastructure.
But he said people often forget that most of electric vehicle charging happens at home, and pointed to subsidies to install home charging infrastructure.
Burton said he’s supportive of boosting incentives higher, including for the purchase of new EVs as well.
Currently, buyers can access a $5,000 federal rebate and $4,000 provincial rebate on EVs priced under $60,000.
But Burton said the switch is necessary if B.C. is serious about meeting its climate targets, adding that one-fifth of the province’s greenhouse gas emissions come from personal vehicles.
“The time for taking it slow was back in 1990,” he said.
“We are well past that, we see from all the climate activity that’s going on, you know Hurricane Milton. So we have to have firm goals and we’ve got to get a move on.”
Kingston is calling for a more fulsome debate on the right path to electrification and says the province should look at Ottawa’s less aggressive timeline that mandates 60 per cent of new vehicle sales in 2030 be zero emission.
The poll was conducted between Sept. 27 and Sept. 29 online from Leger’s LEO panel of 1,002 adult B.C. residents. Two in five respondents said they would not consider a zero-emission vehicle for their next purchase, citing higher prices and shorter ranges than gas vehicles, and a lack of charging infrastructure.