Gas prices fuel already hot electric vehicle demand in B.C. as waitlists grow longer

Peter Miller will be the first person to admit he has a battery-powered golden goose sitting in his garage.

The West Vancouverite is planning to sell his 2017 Chevrolet Bolt, a popular electronic car that at one point was discontinued due to concerns over its battery packs spontaneously catching fire — a part that Miller has replaced.

He's yet to formally put his car on the market, but he's already fielding offers from a slew of suitors, including both GM and Tesla, while word of mouth has other potential buyers also in his ear.

"I've got people banging down my door [to buy this car]," said Miller, who doubts he'll even bother listing the car on sites like Craigslist or Kijiji before he sells it. He expects to resell it for at least $25,000.

Industry leaders say electric and hybrid vehicles are already hard to come by for prospective buyers in B.C. amid growing global supply chain challenges. And demand is only increasing as gas prices reach unprecedented highs.

"Over the past six days, we've had a 150 per cent increase in inquiries alone," said Jon Wilson, manager at the Westwood Honda dealership in Coquitlam.

Wilson says the dealership continues to add more and more customers to its electric vehicle waitlist, as it's been unable to procure vehicles since last year.

"We've been out actually for six months," he told CBC News. "Typically we'd have 50 to 60 in stock at all times, and then throughout the summer we sold them all and we were unable to get more out of the U.S. market, or even locally."

Wilson says waitlists have also grown for hybrid vehicles.

According to the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association (VEVA), wait times for new electric vehicles and hybrids can exceed upwards of a year as supplies still reel from worldwide inventory shortages.

Coupled with growing domestic demand in Canada — about 13 per cent of new vehicles in B.C. sold last year were zero-emission — drivers expecting to make the switch to circumvent the pump might be in for a rude awakening.

Vancouver resident Curtis Wensley is among prospective drivers hoping to get behind the wheel of a new hybrid. He's been on the hunt since his previous vehicle was struck by a driver while parked outside his home.

"We did a lot of shopping around," he said. He put down a deposit for a hybrid KIA Sorento in November and was told by the dealership it would be about a month's wait.

"We were very skeptical," he said. "We called them in December, and they're like, 'It will actually be April,'" he said. "Gave it another month, gave them another call. 'How's April looking?' They're like, 'Well, more like June, or July.'"