Recently EV/AV report points to rapid growth in the electric vehicle (EV) market while a major Canadian survey shows many drivers remain unconvinced by government mandates.

A new report by Research and Markets forecasts that Canada’s EV market is expected to grow by more than 2.5 times over the next five years, rising from approximately $15.5 billion Canadian (CA$) in 2024 to approximately $38.5 billion Canadian (CA$) by 2030 (estimate based on conversion from original US dollar figures), driven by incentives and charging infrastructure investment.

In the United States, regulators are accelerating approvals. Nevada has authorized Tesla to test autonomous vehicles on the state’s public roads. Similarly, Waymo (is a subsidiary of Alphabet based in Mountain View, California, specializing in autonomous vehicle technology) received regulatory clearance to significantly expand its fully driverless operations without a safety driver across much of California, covering most of the Bay Area, Sacramento, and a corridor down to San Diego.

Despite these advances, a new survey by the Canadian International Auto Show shows strong resistance to the federal mandate requiring all new light-duty vehicles sold by 2035 to be zero-emission, with 68% of respondents disagreeing. When asked what type of vehicle they would choose next, 47% said gas-only, 30% hybrid, and 10% fully electric. Furthermore, 77% believe that expanding the public charging network is necessary to encourage EV sales.

Text credit : E/V Repair magazine 

Picture credit : ADOBE STOCK