Electric vehicles: here's what worries drivers the most

UPGRADE DAY

Although almost all Canadian electric vehicle drivers say they are satisfied with their purchase (97%), according to a CAA survey, some concerns persist. Here are the most common ones. 

Concerns about owning an electric vehicle largely dissipate after purchase, according to a survey conducted for the Canadian Automobile Association ( CAA). Here are the most common ones.

Public charging stations

Of the 16,000 owners of electric vehicles surveyed, 44% said they were worried about the availability public terminals.

Autonomy

Long road trips do not yet inspire complete confidence. In fact, more than a third of those surveyed (36%) would not use their electric vehicle for a long trip. Moreover, most of these drivers (67%) also own a gas-powered vehicle, which they prefer for long trips.

Cold weather and battery degradation

Drivers reported that some concerns dissipated after purchasing their electric vehicle, but did not entirely disappear. This is particularly the case for when it comes to battery life.

Concern on this topic dropped by 37 percentage points to 30% after purchase . The same goes for cold weather performance, concerns drop 25 percentage points to 33%, and fears about battery degradation drop 41 percentage points, to 13% after the purchase.

The survey was conducted from November 21 to December 11, 2022.