When Will We All Have Electric Cars?

We ask transportation researcher Josipa Petrunic

- Courtney Shea

The federal government has set some ambitious targets for electric vehicle use: 10 per cent of new cars purchased by 2025 must be EVs, and 30 per cent by 2030. How are we doing?

We are currently between three and four per cent. Our government targets are aggressive but not impossible—if we make some changes. Over the last few years, the focus has been on subsidies and other financial incentives: if you buy an EV you get a tax writeoff. That is one piece of the puzzle, but it’s not enough. We have to start pricing roadway, which could be incredibly effective, but it’s politically unsavoury.

Do you mean road tolls?