KPMG Survey: Canadians Want EVs But Have Charging Anxiety

Another day, another survey about electric vehicles! This one is quite interesting, we have to admit. As EV adoption is steadily gaining traction in Canada, consumer concerns are still looming in regards to range, reliability and incentives but especially recharging times and charging facility availability during the winter, for example.

KPMG’s automotive branch has conducted a survey again this year regarding the concerns, intentions and opinions of Canadians on electric vehicles.

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One takeaway is that 90% of participants say they need to do "a lot more research" to find the EV that's right for them.

"We found that Canadians are ready to make the switch to electric, emission-free vehicles but they want to see improvements in infrastructure and trust battery technology in our climate before they fully commit," says Peter Hatges, Partner and National Sector Leader, Automotive, KPMG in Canada. "The mustang has left the barn. There is no turning back from the electrification of the automobile industry. As EV production revs up, the established automakers will need to pay close attention to consumer wants and needs. Our poll findings reveal brand loyalty isn't as strong as automakers might think."

The survey found that 71% of Canadians would consider making the switch to an electric vehicle the next time they’re in the market and 49% are more like to purchase and EV today compared to a year ago.

However, almost 80% of them say they won't even consider an EV that doesn't have a driving range of at least 400 kilometres. And 64 per cent believe EVs aren't reliable in Canada's cold harsh winters.

Consequently, half (51%) of the survey participants expect public charging stations to work quickly, saying they aren't willing to wait more than 20 minutes, and one in five say they wouldn't wait any longer than five minutes for their EV to charge at a charging station.

KPMG also released a report where the top three brands that Canadian EV buyers say they are most likely to purchase are: Tesla and Toyota (tie) and Honda in 3rd position – a manufacturer that doesn’t make EVs for our market at the moment.