Is Canada ready to meet its ‘aggressive’ electric vehicle mandate by 2026?

As Canada has mandated at least 20 per cent of car sales to be electric vehicles by 2026, some are asking if the goal is realistic given supply levels and charging infrastructure.

As Canada has mandated at least 20 per cent of car sales to be electric vehicles by 2026, some are questioning if the goal is realistic given supply levels and charging infrastructure.

The federal government has said that there will be penalties for manufacturers and importers that do not meet the 20 per cent sales target. After 2026, the government is aiming for 60 per cent of sales to be EVs by 2030, with all sales being electric by 2035.

Jason Slaughter, an urban planning advocate and the point person for the YouTube channel Not Just Bikes, told Global News that the government’s plan is “extremely aggressive.” He personally believes that it will not be possible since EVs are currently more expensive than gas vehicles, coupled with doubts on whether the power grid is sufficient.

“There’s a huge amount of extra electricity that’s going to be required for all of us to charge all of those cars,” he said, also detailing the high cost to produce the vehicles that use more precious metals than typical gas cars.

“Where’s (the electricity) going to come from? We’re not going to be building more nuclear power plants. We don’t have a second Niagara Falls hanging around.”

According to a report from May 2022 by the Canadian Climate Institute, which researches climate change policy, Canada electricity generation capacity needs to be 2.2 to 3.4 times bigger in 2050 to meet its energy needs, and needs to grow three to six times faster to 2050 than in the previous decade.

Charging infrastructure has come under scrutiny, with one analysis released in 2022 showing that Canada is nearly 1.7 million EV charging stations short of what is required to power an increasingly electrified vehicle fleet.

David Adams, president of national trade association Global Automakers of Canada, told Global News that Canada’s electric vehicle infrastructure, including charging stations, is lagging behind other countries to the point of “not even being in the same ballpark.”